9 essential steps to help you sail through your next legal job interview.

Landing your next legal role almost always means getting through an interview, and for most lawyers, that is a necessary but nerve wracking step. The Queensland legal market is highly competitive, and standing out means showing your skills, knowledge and experience in a way that genuinely lands with the person across the table.

Whether you are early in your practising career or a seasoned lawyer considering your next move, preparing well for an interview takes careful planning and honest practice. Read on for our tips and strategies to help you prepare for your next interview and improve your chances of making the shortlist, whether that is with a law firm, government department or corporate legal team.

1. Always be prepared

Lawyers who are serious about their career progression tend to keep a ready to go folder with original academic transcripts and relevant work samples. Scheduling an annual update to your resume means you capture achievements, matters and changes in responsibility while they are still fresh.

Keep your referees current and make sure they know they may be contacted. A basic cover letter template saved on file is also useful, ready to be tailored to a specific opportunity as it arises.

When you apply for a role, check that your cover letter and resume clearly meet the key position requirements, responsibilities and skills profile listed in the advertisement. The advertisement is often full of clues about what you are likely to be asked at interview, so keep it handy while you prepare.

2. Being well researched is impressive

Learn as much as you can about the organisation you are interviewing with, including its structure, key people, leadership, mission and values, and a little of its history. Take the time to learn about the person or people interviewing you, and about the role itself. Company websites, LinkedIn, and conversations with your own connections working at the firm are all useful sources.

3. Practice makes perfect

If it has been a while since your last interview, rehearse your answers to likely questions. Even for confident, senior lawyers, talking about yourself can feel uncomfortable at first. Consider practising answers to questions such as:

• Can you tell us a little about yourself?
• Why did you choose a career in law?
• Tell us how you have handled a challenging client.
• How do you go about managing stressful situations?
• Tell us how you manage your caseload.
  
  

Do not overlook technical questions either. It can be hard to know how much emphasis an interviewer will place on the technical side of a role, but thinking through the areas most likely to come up, and reviewing relevant legislation, is worth the time. A mock interview with a trusted friend or colleague, or recording yourself and reviewing it back, can also help. It is worth preparing a short personal statement summarising what is unique about you, your skills, and why an employer should hire you, ready to deliver if the moment calls for it.

4. First impressions

Punctuality and presentation matter. Know the format of your interview in advance, whether it is by phone, online or face to face, and if it is in person, know the location and allow extra travel time for the unexpected.

Be friendly to everyone you encounter along the way, not just the interviewer, and work on building rapport, including through eye contact and using names. Speak clearly, at a sensible pace, and listen carefully, asking the interviewer to repeat a question if you are unsure. A considered, methodical approach to how you respond is generally seen as a real asset. Keep an eye on your body language throughout and aim to keep it open and positive.

5. Video interview tips

Video interviews remain a common part of the process. Treat them exactly as you would a face to face interview, and dress accordingly. Pay attention to your background, lighting and screen angle, and aim your camera at face level so you are looking at the camera rather than at yourself on the screen. Make sure you are familiar with whatever software is being used, and that you have a reliable microphone and audio setup. Avoid using your phone for video interviews. A shaky, poorly positioned video does not do justice to your preparation.

6. What the interviewer is looking for

An interview gives the hiring manager a deeper understanding of your relevant experience, your personality, and how well suited you are to the organisation's culture. They will often explore your resilience, motivation, and how you respond under pressure, along with your organisational skills, management style and approach to working with colleagues and solving problems.

Depending on the role, your financial and analytical skills, negotiation, communication and presentation ability may also come into focus. Try to relax and show as much of your true, professional self as you feel comfortable sharing.

The STAR method is a genuinely useful way to structure your answers and help the interviewer understand your skills and approach clearly:

• Situation: set the scene and give the necessary context for your example.
• Task: describe what your responsibility was in that situation.
• Action: explain exactly what steps you took to address it.
• Result: share the outcomes your actions achieved.
  
  

7. Ask well informed questions

The research you have done beforehand will help you build a list of thoughtful questions to ask towards the end of the interview. Consider questions such as:

• How does your employee evaluation process work?
• What would you say is currently the team's biggest challenge?
• Can you tell me about the training and career development opportunities within the organisation?
• Should I be successful, what would you expect me to have achieved within the first 90 days?
• What might the workload look like across the first three, six and twelve months?
• How would you describe the culture of your team, and what keeps people here?
• Can you walk me through the next steps for this role?
  
  

Having these noted down ahead of time shows genuine preparation and consideration of the role. It is fine to glance at your notes for this, but avoid taking notes throughout the interview itself, which does not tend to go down well with most interviewers.

8. After the interview

Always send a follow up email thanking the interviewer for their time. Offer to make yourself available for further questions, and let them know you remain genuinely enthusiastic about the opportunity and look forward to hearing from them.

9. Trust the preparation you have done

Preparing for a legal interview is a combination of careful research, thoughtful planning and honest communication. By taking the time to understand the organisation, the role and the people interviewing you, you can tailor your approach to genuinely fit the culture and requirements in front of you, and show your value as a future colleague, not just a candidate.

We are always here to help

Practising your interview skills, including answering questions confidently and articulately, helps you stand out and leave a lasting impression. With these steps in mind, you can approach your next legal interview with genuine confidence. And as specialist legal recruiters with many years of experience preparing candidates for interview, we are always here to help if you would like to talk it through.