Your Legal Job Interview : Questions to ask and not to ask

Written by: Frosso Miltiadou & Simone Timcke, Anthem Consulting

Published on: 28 Aug 2014

Category:

Interview Advice

Frosso [square] Simone [square]

Frosso and Simone are both Directors at Anthem Consulting. specialists in the recruitment of marketing and business development professionals into the professional services sector including the legal profession. They have over 20 years' combined experience of recruiting into the legal sector.

An interview is an opportunity not only for the company to ascertain whether you’re the right candidate for them, but also your opportunity to gather as much information as possible about the role and firm’s fit for your immediate and long term career goals. Towards the end of an interview, most people will ask if you have any questions for them and this can be a crucial part of the interview; never respond with a flat “no” as this can be interpreted as a lack of interest or preparation.

To use this part of the interview to your full advantage, draw upon things you learnt whilst doing your preparations such as:

I noticed on your careers page that several people mentioned it’s a fun place to work, what creates that culture?

I saw on your news page you’ve recently opened an office in Dubai, what further expansion plans does the firm have?

When l looked up the company on LinkedIn I learned that several people in the team have been here a number of years and also progressed within the firm. Could you tell me more about how they’ve been developed and supported by the firm?

More general questions are a great tool for you to find out more about the team, firm and line manager, such as:

What made you choose to come and work here? What do you like about working here?

What is the team structure? What are the personalities like in the team?

What would you say are the three most important skills needed to excel in this position?

What do you think distinguishes this company from its competitors, both from a public and employee perspective?

What challenges might I face in this position?

How would I be measured and appraised in the role?

What is your management style?

What is the long-term strategy for the firm?

There are a few “no-go” areas that just aren’t appropriate questions at interview. These are generally things that can be answered by your recruiter and should be addressed to them in the first instance. A few of the ones to avoid include:

Never ask about hours, salary or career progression in the first interview, unless the interviewer brings it up first. Similarly avoid asking about time off, benefits, etc.