How to prepare for a vacation scheme interview

Jul 29, 2020

Written By Raphael Jucobin

The interview is the final stage of the application process for a vacation scheme, where you will be sitting face to face with a recruiter from the firm. It can seem like a daunting prospect, but there are several ways you can make sure that you’re well prepared on the day.

Do your research

It’s important that you do as much research as you can about the specific firm you’ve applied to, such as looking at their practice areas and the sides they usually representin disputes. You can stand out as a candidate if you show that you’ve taken the time to extensively familiarise yourself with the firm and what they can offer you, as a trainee.

More generally, you might be asked what interests you about legal practice. This is a question that will test how well you know the profession and whether you understand the skills needed for the profession. This means it’ll be a good idea to do some broader research, on top of the knowledge you already have.

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Keep up to date with the news

Being clued up on current affairs and applying a legal perspective to a range of different news stories will demonstrate your technical knowledge as well as commercial awareness. This means reading as much as possible from a range of different sources - including the company site itself - and keeping it relevant to the speciality of the firm when you’re asked to discuss an example at the interview.

Talking about yourself

Explaining how the skills you’ve acquired would contribute to the firm is an important aspect of selling yourself to recruiters in an interview, so be sure to come prepared with some examples to give. You’re likely to be asked to develop on some of the experiences that you’ve mentioned in your application and your CV. For example, if you’ve mentioned a specific subject of your law training that you’ve found particularly interesting, be prepared to explain why.

This means you should take the time to re-read over your applications to remind yourself of what you’ve written, as anything you’ve included might be picked up in the interview. It’s a good idea to pick out specific elements of the company culture and relate them to your experiences - for example, you can prepare to take

Practice mock interviews

A good way to shake the nerves before going into an interview is to run a mock one with a friend or family member - this will help to demystify the whole experience and calm any nerves you might have. You’re also likelier to come up with convincing answers that you can use later on rather than on the spot in the real thing. Your university’s careers department might also offer a mock interviews service, so you should make use of that resource if it’s available. The feedback you get can be invaluable as you prepare for the real thing.

Where can I find vacation scheme placements?

The latest opportunities in legal firms can be found in the jobs section of our website!

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