Making a Great Impression: Tips for Your Training Contract Face-to-Face Interview

Mar 24, 2023

Written By Lawrence Topley

The face-to-face interview is often the last stage of the application process in obtaining a training contract. If you have reached this stage, congratulations! You have done exceptionally well to get this far. At the final stage you may feel the pressure more, or find the prospect of an interview daunting, especially if you have not had one before. It is important you stay calm and prepare thoroughly to make a great impression.

Before the interview

Preparing well for the interview is the first step to making a good impression. Firms have seen you work consistently through the application stage or vacation scheme, so making sure you continue the hard work into the interview is key.

Research

In getting this far you will have researched the firm thoroughly and although you may think this is enough, firms want to see you stay up to date. This means researching any developments within the firm up to the point of the interview. There may have been a new case or interesting client which you may be asked about or that you could mention during the interview. This shows your dedication and interest to the firm, which will impress your interviewers.

Second, it is likely that the firm will have let you know who will be interviewing you. Often it is a partner and a member of the recruitment team, but this varies depending on the preference of the firm. Once you know who will be interviewing you, start researching them. Often LinkedIn is a good place to start to see their journey through or into the firm and any work which they may have done recently.

If you can show your awareness and knowledge in this area, this will only impress the firm and make a great impression on the interviewer. Don’t be afraid to mention something they have done as well; it will show them how thorough your research has been.

Practice and Prepare

To many candidates the face-to-face interview seems the most daunting. This is often because they don’t know what they will be asked or the impression they will give off. The best way to mitigate this is to control what you can and prepare and practice answers to the questions you can expect. Such as: why are you a good fit for the firm? Or, why this firm?

Whilst you don’t want to give a robotic answer, preparing questions like these forces you to think about yourself and what examples you can draw upon. Even if these questions do not come up, you will have spent time thinking about things relevant to other questions.

A good way to practice is to record yourself answering a question on your phone or laptop, so you can make sure your body language is positive and you aren’t stumbling over your words too much.

It is also common at the end of an interview for the interviewers to offer you the chance to ask any questions you may have, so thinking of these in advance is always good practice.

If the interview is at the end of a vacation scheme, it is good to make a diary of what you have done and learnt over the course of the week, as this will likely be the focus of some of the questions and you will be expected to recall your week.

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During the Interview

Firstly, first impressions matter. Remember to dress in something smart but comfortable, plan to arrive about 10-15 minutes early (to account for potential delays or getting lost) and be friendly with a positive attitude to everyone you meet.

During the interview itself, remember to be polite and to stay calm, and take your time answering the questions. It is better to pause, think, and speak slowly, than to say the first thing that comes to mind. Your interviewers will see this as a strength rather than a weakness.

Be yourself

Yes, it’s a cliché but nonetheless it remains true. If you have made it this far it is because they like what they see and want to find out more about you. Therefore, being yourself is crucial, because if you want to work there then you want to do so in an environment where you can be yourself. If you are successful in doing so then you are a great fit, but if not, maybe it’s not the firm for you.

Be clear

In the heat of the moment, it is often difficult to give clear and concise answers. Following a clear framework to answer questions will help you combat this. The commonly used STAR framework is a good example.

When asked a question you talk about the Situation first, then the Task you did, the Actions you took and the Result of such actions. Following this will ensure not only your answers are clear but also that you bring up relevant points and make a good impression on your interviewer.

Overview

Overall, you have done exceptionally well to get this far, and you should be proud of yourself. Remember, preparation for the interview is just as important as the interview itself, so ensure you prepare thoroughly and accurately by researching the firm and your interviewers.

During the interview, make sure to be yourself! It is a cliché you will have heard many times, but it’s vital for the interview. Stay calm and ensure your answers are clear, using the STAR framework should ensure you do so throughout.

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