East Anglian Chambers barrister Rupert Myers is responsible for interviewing pupillage applicants. He passes on some tips
Something surprising happens when you start to interview applicants for positions: the tables turn, and you become humbled by what you have accomplished compared with some of the stellar CVs you are asked to sift.
You begin to realise what it is like to be on the interviewing side of the table, and you learn a little more about what an applicant can say and do to get the job.
The written application
Job applications – particularly those for pupillage as a barrister – come in astonishingly high quantities. Reading through them takes hours, and candidates set the reader against them if they make that task any harder.
The written application must be clear, straightforward, and say something definite. Steer clear of aspirational waffle and glowing adjectives: say something immediately graspable, capable of evaluation.
There is a significant difference between 'I like reading and running' and 'I am a member of a book club, and I have done the local five-mile race every year since 2001.'
Make sure your written application will survive the scrutiny of later rounds, but cut out the padding. Replacing flimflam with bullet point achievements and spaces between paragraphs will earn you gratitude.
Prepare
You now have to prepare for the interview(s). Being able to spout endless facts about the chambers or firm is one thing, but it isn't enough.
You must show not just enthusiasm, commitment and qualification, but a level of insight that enables the panel to believe that you can do this job.
Think beyond the obvious: consider the practical and logistical elements of the job. A profound passion for justice and for law might have made you study it, but without a real understanding of what self-employment entails, and the ways to exploit your talents to business ends, you risk sounding awfully naive.
But don't push it too far: you must sound knowledgeable without appearing jaded and cynical, and as if you know everything already.
Turn up
Woody Allen once said that '80% of success is just showing up': to that I'd add that another 15% is looking the part, and the rest is a mixture of hard work and luck.
Appear in good time looking suitably professional. Dress so that you feel comfortable, but don't wear anything distracting. You don't want your interviewer wondering why you chose a particular item – when interviewing, I found club/school/college ties (which I spent too long trying to place) and attention-seeking jewellery infuriatingly offputting.
The way to look at it
No one interviews to bully, demean or embarrass people. Interviewers are trying to get the best out of you, and trying to enjoy themselves while they do it.
These days, first round interviews can be remarkably short, so the key is to stand out not just in what you are saying, but in how you are saying it.
You cannot control the process, you cannot alter the CVs of those who are also in the running, but you can seek to convey something of yourself and your suitability – it is a chance to shine and enjoy yourself, not a time to crumble.
Self-confident but self-aware
Sometimes the best interview answer can be the one which demolishes the question. I don't mind being told I am wrong about something, so long as it is delivered in an appropriate way.
If you aren't confident in your abilities and your answers, you cannot expect others to be on your behalf. There is little room for 'the benefit of the doubt' so you must be confident, but you must also know your weaknesses.
Almost everyone looks back to when they started a job and thinks about how much they have developed in it, and been changed by it.
Unless you are extremely experienced, you must also be self-aware enough to know that some of your skills need work. Ask people you trust to be honest about how you come across: there is a fine line to tread between confidence and arrogance.
The slip of the tongue
Sometimes the worst moments are throwaway comments. There is no 'off the record' in interviews, and while you should feel at ease, you must bear this in mind.
When I was at school I went for an interview for an exchange, which went well until I was asked who my 'nightmare' exchange partner would be and I joked – because I thought I was funny – that it would be a copy of myself.
I had allowed the feeling that the interview was going well to lull me into lowering my guard, and made a joke which was not only silly, but undermined everything I'd said.
Know your limitations
Nothing is more tragic than watching someone bluff their way into a corner. If you are given a problem question or factual question, do not pretend to far more knowledge than you have, because it is awkward and desperate.
If you are given (as lawyers are prone to give) a legal problem, and you do not know the law, be upfront. It's not great, but it isn't fatal.
Be constructive in your ignorance, suggest a sensible framework or test which you consider would be appropriate and work on that basis – you will then still be able to articulate your thought process.
Another sense in which you should know your limitations is in whether or not you try to emulate Stuart Baggs: enthusiasm and drive are one thing, ludicrous promises are another.
Know when to stop
When you've answered a question, let the interviewers ask another one. Give as much helpful detail as you can, but don't blather.
A short interview does not mean it has gone badly, a long one does not mean that it has gone well.
If you don't waffle, you may well avoid saying something stupid.
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