Many well qualified and extremely able candidates fail
at job interviews simply because they are unaware of the
conventions of the job interview and the expectations of
the interviewer.
Successful candidates, on the other hand, manage to
impress prospective employers precisely because they
know how to present themselves.
Thus, they study the job advertisement; they analyse
what is required in the way of skills qualifications and
experience; they assess their own suitability for the
job; and finally, they present themselves in a
thoughtful and carefully prepared manner.
Their written applications are comprehensive and
business-like, containing all the relevant information
presented neatly and concisely. They prepare themselves
carefully for interview, anticipating likely questions
and rehearsing their responses. They study the structure
of the interview and devise a strategy to satisfy the
interviewer's requirements. In short, they prepare
themselves to succeed.
Let us begin by giving some general advice to candidates
who are considering the daunting prospect of an
interview.
As a candidate you should be able to express yourself
with clarity and precision. To do this you must make
adequate preparation, anticipating likely questions and
rehearsing your responses. Your answers should appear
spontaneous. At the same time, you should come across as
thoughtful, articulate and coherent. So preparation is
essential.
During the interview you should speak confidently,
making sure to support your answers with relevant
examples from your work experience. It is up to you
during the course of the interview to acquaint the
interviewer with whatever information you consider to be
important in advancing
your claims to the job on offer.
Always relate your answers to the job for which you are
applying. This is particularly important in the case of
candidates who are faced with the sort of indirect
questions favoured by many interviewers. For example,
the interviewer may ask you to describe your current
job. This is an indirect way of asking you to what
extent your present skills and experience relate to the
job for which you are applying.
Always present a positive face. Having studied your
application form, interviewers will have identified the
weaker aspects of your case. So it is in your own best
interests to examine your application critically with a
view to identifying any significant weaknesses or
negative aspects. Prepare positive and convincing
explanations of any shortcomings;
and emphasise what you have done or are doing to rectify
matters.
Since interviewers are looking for candidates who
display a positive attitude, you should state and supply
evidence that you enjoy your job; that you are
enthusiastic and ambitious; and that you welcome
challenge.
It is important to tell the truth in interviews.
However, try to present the facts as persuasively as you
can. So examine and assess your own case and tailor the
facts to create the best and most positive impression.
It is essential to develop a rapport with the
interviewer right from the start. If you can give the
impression that you have a lot in common with the
interviewer and if he or takes a liking to you, you will
greatly improve your chances of success.
Interviewers usually place a greater emphasis on
practical experience than on paper qualifications, so it
is up to you to convince them that your experience
qualifies you for the job on offer. This will involve
using your experience as evidence to support statements
that you make in answers to questions.
Legal
Jobs
Board wants to help you find and secure
that new legal job with a quality legal employer. Our
site provides lots of information and advice
which you may use for your personal use. Please feel free to print off any article you
find useful. Many of the legal jobs featured on
our web site change on a daily basis so if
you cant find that what you are looking for
today please visit us again in the near future
as the legal positions advertised are
continually updated. We would also recommend
these other specific industry sites which also
carry law related job vacancies and you may
find that they have additional positions
advertised that we don't:
As a job seeker Legal Jobs Board has been
developed to make legal job searching as quick
and easy as possible. Our web site uses the very
latest technology and we offer some useful
resources. If you want advice on Interview
Techniques you can view our articles in the
Career Guides section or if you don't have a CV
you may create one by using our CV builder to
help you
create a
FREE CV.
The majority of the UK now has access to the
internet and as Broadband continues to be more
widely available even some of the more remote areas now have
fast and reliable access to the internet making
legal job searching even quicker. In the long term
and as
the net continues to evolve we predict that
Legal Jobs
Board
will play a major part in bringing together
Legal candidates and Legal Employers. We have
some great contributors to this site, some of
which are specialists in the legal industry
and have a wealth of recruitment experience.
They have helped write some of the articles and
documents which you may use to help you along your
legal career path. Legal Jobs Board covers jobs
specifically in the Legal and Law professions however
you can also find Legal related Jobs in
other industries such as:
If you are a legal employer, recruiter who
specialises in the legal field, or
advertising agency looking to place law
adverts on behalf of your clients and wish
to discuss your advertising requirements you
can contact us by visiting the "Contact Us"
page, just click on the link on the left
hand side of this page.