anyone else not heard from HL for summer vac scheme? applied a week before deadline
Focus on the verbal reasoning test partAnyone has any advice for the Mayer Brown test and especially their SJT test.
I have to agree - the interview was very relaxed and much more about getting a feel for you!What I got from my white and case experience (I went to the assessment centre) was very much more about you and not so much commercial based.
It was a while ago now so I don’t want to give wrong advice but from what I remember it was definitely a video interview I thought went better than others.things like About the firm, about you (competencies) but the commercial awareness is broad? Like you can talk about anything
only just heard back yesterday with an AC invite... don't lose hopeanyone else not heard from HL for summer vac scheme? applied a week before deadline
hey! only got WG invite earlier this week so looks like they're still sending them outAnyone still not heard from Freshfields post application for summer vac? I see people are getting WGs and even ACs and I’m still here waiting🥲
Thank you very much for this.Focus on the verbal reasoning test part
congrats! and thanks for thisonly just heard back yesterday with an AC invite... don't lose hope
Hi @pizzamalia,Hi there! Anyone interviewed with Slaughter and May and would be able to give me some tips on how to prepare and how it went? Thank you very much
This is for vac scheme
Hi @Dwight,@George Maxwell @AvniD @Jessica Booker
How long should my response to classic competency questions be (tell me about a time ...) in a (virtual) interview?
Hi @Beluga,Hi, if I’m doing a virtual interview on zoom, is it acceptable to blur my background? There’s not really a way to set up in my room without a mirror and couch showing up in the back.
You say 1.30 for competencies - but what about questions like why commercial law/why us? Because for why us, you may want to have 3 points or so to get across but you have to for each point cover the firms strength in this area and your personal experience/why you’re interested in it.Hi @Dwight,
This is a great question.
Personally I think interview answers should always be kept as succinct as you can manage. Interviewers can always ask for more information if they wish. There is obviously a balance to strike though, as you still want to demonstrate enthusiasm and knowledge etc.
In terms of time, this really depends on the competency being asked and the example you have to illustrate your answer. A really strong/intriguing/interesting example could justify a longer answer(!), but this just depends on the situation. I am afraid I wouldn't want to pin down a particular time limit per say.
As a guide, I would say that anything beyond one minute thirty is beginning to get too long. Just from experience interviewing people, beyond this point, often candidates start repeating what they have already said, or it starts to get difficult to follow. @Jessica Booker and @Jaysen might have some interesting insights on this.
The biggest thing to remember for competency questions is structure. If you employ a clear structure, your answer will be easier to follow for your interviewers. You will also naturally (if you are anything like me) answer in a more focused way.
In terms of a specific structure, I would recommend following STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Response).
For more general guidance, check out @Jacob Miller's fantastic article on interviews (there is a section for competencies). Although he does not outline a specific time period to stick to, there are some really helpful insights there.
@James Carrabino (and others, I am sure) have differing views on this though, so take my opinion with a pinch of salt 🧂
I hope that helps though!
Hi @gracelaw_,You say 1.30 for competencies - but what about questions like why commercial law/why us? Because for why us, you may want to have 3 points or so to get across but you have to for each point cover the firms strength in this area and your personal experience/why you’re interested in it.
With this in mind how long would you say is too long for these two key questions?
Hi @d.mccann12,
My answer for how long this can be in a virtual interview differs from an actual interview scenario, the reason being that it's harder to pick up on social cues about how your answer is being perceived in a virtual interview as you're generally looking into the camera while you're speaking. With this in mind, keeping it to a minute or so should be good.@George Maxwell @AvniD @Jessica Booker
How long should my response to classic competency questions be (tell me about a time ...) in a (virtual) interview?
EDIT: how do I go about preparing for a competency interview. What limit is there for preparing the 'tell me about a time' competency questions? How many? Confused about how to tackle competency question preparation.
Hey @ee300,HSF AC!!! It's my first ever AC so would really appreciate any tips if anyone has any 😅