Just did my VI for Irwin Mitchell and for a few questions i got cut off. I've done a few VI's and never feel good about them- I feel like I present myself in a much better way in live interviews. Feeling so disheartened by how many law firms recruitment processes have a video interview element that just doesnt accurately portray ones personality- i come off as cold and not friendly I feel....
i fucking hate the application process for law firms. I understand they receive thousands of applications but just feel that it's not personal at all and is centered around quickly cutting down the pool of people by criteria that is not relevant/representative of what you are actually capable of and what you can bring to the firm....
There's something about sitting alone in a room staring at a camera answering questions prompted on a screen while a timer is ticking away that can be so unsettling in a VI.
The one thing that helped me get over this was treating VIs as an opportunity to be face-to-face with the firm to show them what I have to offer. I would crave this while writing applications because I felt like I wasn't able to put across the entirety of my personality, background or motivations on paper and needed a proper interaction with the firm.
VIs aren't perfect at all and there is room for improvement (do they 'need' to be so strictly timed, can someone from graduate recruitment video call to ask questions rather than have them prompted on the screen etc.)
but they give you an opportunity to present at least
some of your off paper, authentic self in an incredibly competitive and high-volume application process and that can be really invaluable if you choose to see it this way.