TCLA General Discussion Thread #2 (2021)

[Alice G]

Hey guys, how do you prepare for an interview that is quite conversational and isn't skills or competency based?

@Lumree has given some awesome pointers here already. I guess what I would add is:

- Don't forget in conversational interviews to still convey your motivations if not explicitly asked. Some firms will not ask outright 'why this firm?' or 'why commercial law?' but this does mean the onus is then on you to ensure you are weaving your motivations in where you can. This is tricky. You need to ensure you are not going off-topic or answering a different question but it is about spotting these opportunities in which you can subtly drop something in about your motivations or make a clever link or connection to the firm where appropriate to show your knowledge.

- Don't be led into a false sense of security. It can be quite easy in these interviews to lower your guard slightly because it often feels more natural and less formal but do not forget these are still formal interviews. For example, regards the use of humour, this can work well so long as the humour is in good taste, relevant and having read the room, it feels like an appropriate approach to take. But, be mindful of overstepping and having become so comfortable you decide to speak or make a joke without properly thinking. I want to reiterate, humour can work very well but it really is a judgement call and the takeaway here is to not let that more comfortable interview style cloud that judgement of what is appropriate in what is still fundamentally a formal job interview.

- Do be yourself. Conversational interviews are designed to really get to know you as a person so allow the firm to really get a sense for who you are through the responses you give but also how you come across: try to smile and keep your body language 'open' (shoulders back hands apart).

- Know your application/CV/cover letter inside and out. Really know the information you submitted to the firm well and have your motivations clear for why you did the various things you have/why you didn't continue with certain things and also be prepared to discuss any grades as well.

I hope this helps and will post anything further which I can come up with throughout the day!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hey guys, how do you prepare for an interview that is quite conversational and isn't skills or competency based?

It may not be a competency interview (in a sense they are asking you competency based questions) but they still will be assessing against “competencies” through your answers.

The advice above from Alice and Lumree is very good advice!

 

[thatwonder_woman]

Hi Jaysen, how can I go about submitting my interview/AC experience for firms this cycle, please?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jaysen, how can I go about submitting my interview/AC experience for firms this cycle, please?

@Jaysen would you be able to help with this?

 

[Jaysen]

Hi Jaysen, how can I go about submitting my interview/AC experience for firms this cycle, please?

Will PM you

 

[E.A]

What do you guys do the evening before an AC? I've got mine tomorrow and I am stuck between not leaving my laptop vs taking it easy before the big day 😵

 

[SamTam99]

What do you guys do the evening before an AC? I've got mine tomorrow and I am stuck between not leaving my laptop vs taking it easy before the big day 😵

I always take the evening off and try to do something that will distract me! I find that if I carry on prepping into the evening I get extra stressed and over-prep which then affects how I end up sleeping!! Have the night off, watch a movie or something! I’m sure you’ll smash the AC tomorrow ☺️

 

[E.A]

I always take the evening off and try to do something that will distract me! I find that if I carry on prepping into the evening I get extra stressed and over-prep which then affects how I end up sleeping!! Have the night off, watch a movie or something! I’m sure you’ll smash the AC tomorrow ☺️

I think that's probably a good idea!! It's just that I worry I don't use all the time beforehand but I agree that over prepping is probably only going to make me more stressed out! Thank you!

 

[Asil Ahmad]

What do you guys do the evening before an AC? I've got mine tomorrow and I am stuck between not leaving my laptop vs taking it easy before the big day 😵

My advice will be to take the evening off and do something non-law related as I did this for an exam that I had recently and it was so helpful as relaxing your mind will recharge your battery and you will be less stressed tomorrow. Also good luck tomorrow and hope it goes well.

 

[l0133]

Got through to the written case study last round for Stephenson Harwood VS - would really appreciate any general advice/tips as I’ve not done a written case study before!

 

[Jacob Miller]

What do you guys do the evening before an AC? I've got mine tomorrow and I am stuck between not leaving my laptop vs taking it easy before the big day 😵

If I've had plenty of time to prep for it in advance, I tend to only do some very light recaps over key motivations etc but otherwise try to chill out. I was usually in a hotel the night before AC's so my usual routine would be finishing working by the back of 7 or so, order food to the hotel (I'm a sucker for good sushi), video call my better half and then get a pretty early night.

Morning of, I'd not do any revision personally - up in decent time, showered and suited up, give my shows a quick once over for any dust or dirt and then try and get to the area nearby the firm a good 45 mins to 1 hour in advance. I'd typically arrive at the firm about 15-20 minutes before the AC was due to start, I didn't like hanging about for ages in the office beforehand as it would make me more nervous!

Obviously only parts of this will be applicable for an AC which is virtual - only thing I'd add the night before is a tech check - but you'll find that, with time, you develop a wee ritual and routine for these things

 

[Jacob Miller]

Got through to the written case study last round for Stephenson Harwood VS - would really appreciate any general advice/tips as I’ve not done a written case study before!

This article should be a good starting point if you're not already familiar with it

 

[l0133]

This article should be a good starting point if you're not already familiar with it

Yes I found this so helpful for an oral case study presentation, so will definitely go over your tips again - thank you very much for such a helpful resource!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Yes I found this so helpful for an oral case study presentation, so will definitely go over your tips again, thank you so much!

There's a wee segment at the bottom covering tips for written studies too from a technique/ approach perspective, hopefully they'll help to a degree even though they're a bit more generalised

 

[Jessica Booker]

What do you guys do the evening before an AC? I've got mine tomorrow and I am stuck between not leaving my laptop vs taking it easy before the big day 😵

if it was me, I’d do a bit of both. I’d do some last minute prep in the early evening (like getting my desk all set up for the next day, getting my clothes ready and hung up so that getting ready in the morning was super quick) and then shut my laptop down for the night before dinner.

I’d then relax, not look at my phone/laptop/computer and try to get an early night.

 

[Alice G]

What do you guys do the evening before an AC? I've got mine tomorrow and I am stuck between not leaving my laptop vs taking it easy before the big day 😵

Some excellent advice on this already but, for me, I tended to do some light reviewing of the materials I had prepped but ultimately tried to relax. Because I sometimes struggle to sleep the night before an interview or exam, I would do everything I could to unwind - eating a good meal with plenty of water (I struggle to eat on the day because of nerves - have always been the same!), having a bath, reducing screen time, reading a good book and getting into bed really early to give myself the best chance of maximising those hours! I am very lucky that I have some incredible people around me who are very positive and can help me to put things into perspective so speaking to them the day before/on the day helped to keep me grounded and in a positive headspace too.

 

[HorsesForCoursesNeighNeighNeigh]

What do you guys do the evening before an AC? I've got mine tomorrow and I am stuck between not leaving my laptop vs taking it easy before the big day 😵

Bathtub, face mask, glass of red wine and a thriller on Netflix!!!

Smash tomorrow! I’m sure you’re more than prepared, get loads of sleep.

 

[Jaysen]

What do you guys do the evening before an AC? I've got mine tomorrow and I am stuck between not leaving my laptop vs taking it easy before the big day 😵

Wishing you the best of luck!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Bathtub, face mask, glass of red wine and a thriller on Netflix!!!

here speaks a master of the artform.

 

[Dheepa]

What do you guys do the evening before an AC? I've got mine tomorrow and I am stuck between not leaving my laptop vs taking it easy before the big day 😵

Echoing everyone else, I'm a big fan of taking it easy before the big day! Honestly, with all the time you've already spent preparing there's likely to be very little else you can do the night before anyway. I'd highly recommend taking a good 30 min walk before the AC. I always listened to music that would hype me up during my commute to the firm and with everything being virtual now, I'd recommend trying to recreate that "commute" experience to help you calm down and to help pull you away from any frantic last minute prep. Good luck with your AC!