Beyond the CV: Reveal Your Potential in Interviews

One of the main differences I find when meeting with clients face-to-face in ‘dress-down’ is that, although we absolutely get the business chat done, the format of the meeting generally takes a more informal, relaxed feel to it.  Whilst some of the non-business critical discussion points include – the weather, planned holidays, holidays taken, the novelty of being in the office etc… the more informal approach can also throw out some thought provoking conversation.

During one of my recent meetings, in between sips of decaf (I know!) coffee, we spoke about the firm’s recent interviews they had conducted and how some 360 post-interview feedback received from recent interviewees, mainly at NQ level, seemed to focus on the fact that the applicant either lacked confidence at interview or didn’t promote themselves effectively.

This got us thinking – Why enter an interview with anything other than the mindset and belief that you are going to be an asset to the firm?  This isn’t just about interview nerves … even the most experienced of individuals get those, this is a case of the potential legal stars of the future failing to prepare for interviews correctly and in most cases, selling themselves short at interview for one reason or another.

Very, very few of any NQ hires are going to be offering a great deal of practical work experience and some firms, still place high value on academics highlighted on a CV – 1^st Class, 2:1, 2:2 etc?  Both of which, as an applicant for an NQ role, you can’t do anything about at this stage… it is what it is as they say.  That’s all the more reason to make sure you can differentiate yourself from the next CV on the list, someone with perhaps a similar degree classification, same A Level grades, a well-written, ‘punchy’ profile, similar training seats etc.

If there’s one thing I would like to emphasise to the current NQ legal talent pool, and in fact any individual preparing for a face to face or virtual interview, is that everyone has their ‘USP’.  Each person generally has a spike, or something different to offer and I pretty much guarantee that you will excel at something better than the next CV….You just need to identify it, recognise it and more importantly make sure you can reference this during an interview.  This is what is going to set you apart from the rest of the crowd, extracting and communicating your perceived transferable skills during your interview is not only going to give you more confidence but you’ll come out of your interview feeling that you have given a good account of yourself.

Whatever your ‘USP’ may be, It may be academic, a strong demonstrable desire, previous part time roles, communicative excellence, a passion for business development an interest in certain area of law, leadership skills from your time as captain of the local sports team, the 2020 World Cawl Champion (that’s mine!) etc …everyone has something that they can excel at; this is your worth and emphasising this is going to be key.

In summary, if you’ve been chosen for an interview, it’s generally going to be the stuff that isn’t written in black and white on the CV that will be of interest to the panel – blow your own trumpets, don’t sell yourselves short.  You’ve earnt your place in front of the potential new hirer so do yourself proud!

To explore current and future NQ level legal demands and how we can support you during the interview process, contact the Abacus Careers legal team for a confidential discussion.