The wrong people are sometimes hired because selectors fail to identify the few abilities and attitudes critical for success. When you have to fill a vacancy in your team, or if you are involved in selecting trainees, make sure that a specification of the attributes required is drawn up. Precision in defining qualities is important so that interviews and tests can be structured in ways that will result in relatively easy and objective assessments. You will probably want to choose some criteria that reflect the attributes of your more successful people. It will also be helpful to think about how your business environment is changing and specify some further criteria that reflect future rather than past needs.
The criteria that law firm DLA currently use for selecting trainee solicitors are shown in the box ‘Criteria, definitions and sample questions used by DLA when selecting trainee solicitors’. The extent to which candidates meet the criteria is assessed at interviews undertaken by senior lawyers and human resource staff. In addition candidates are required to undertake some exercises that are used to test logical thinking, analysis of data and dealing with time pressures.
Criteria, Definitions and Sample Questions Used By DLA When Selecting Trainee Solicitors
Communication skills
Ability to listen; reply perceptively; organize thoughts; think quickly; use language well; sound confident and reassuring; relaxed; polished.
Impact
Commands respect through professional manner; seems in control; outgoing; sociable; able to mix at all levels.
Adaptability
Settled into interview; would adapt to work environment; ability to change style in different situations.
Motivation
- Why law?
- Why commercial law?
- What do you enjoy about your legal studies?
- What action have you taken to find out about legal firms that interest you?
- How did you select the firms to apply to?
- Where do you want to be in 10 years’ time?
- What motivates you?
- Tell me about your work experience placements.
- What do you think a career as a solicitor will offer you?
Team skills and leadership
- Have you ever had responsibility for organizing a group of people as a team?
- Are you a leader or a team player?
- Have you ever had a problem with any of your housemates and how did you deal with the situation?
- Have you ever had a difficult boss and how did you handle that person?
- Can you give me an example of when you have shown initiative?
- What would you do if, as a trainee solicitor, you discovered a mistake in your work and it had already been sent to the client?
- What positions of responsibility have you held?
- How would your friends describe you?
Planning and organization
- Are you an organized person?
- How do you manage your time?
- How do you strike a balance between study/work commitments and your leisure interests/sporting activities?
- Describe how you have planned and organized an event or project.
- Have you ever had to do more than one thing at the same time – how did you prioritize?
Analysis and judgement
- How will studying law be relevant to practising law?
- Describe the most complicated project or complex task you have ever had to organize – how did you tackle it and what did you do when you encountered problems?
- Describe a time when you made a major decision – how did this come about?
- What skills are needed to be a good solicitor?
- Summarize the role of a commercial lawyer in one sentence.
- Greatest strength, greatest area to be developed and greatest achievement to date.
Resilience and stability
- Describe a time when someone was critical of something you had done – how did you react?
- Tell me about the most difficult person you have ever had to deal with.
- Tell me about a time when you have been under great pressure at college/work.
- Did you encounter any problems during your year out – how did you solve these?
Commercial awareness
- What do you know about DLA?
- Why is a European association important to our clients?
- What are the threats to the legal profession?
- Do you think multidisciplinary practices should be allowed?
- Tell me about a newspaper story you are following.
- How would you market DLA to potential clients?