Summer clerkships 2009/2010 (7 Viewers)

[barneliscious]

Thanks! I feel in the same boat, after sending out so many applications and receiving so few interviews I feel as if I wasted a whole heap of my holidays!

 

[melsc]

Thanks! I feel in the same boat, after sending out so many applications and receiving so few interviews I feel as if I wasted a whole heap of my holidays!

Sucks but seems we are victims of the economic climate. My b/f went for an interview at EY and they have basically cut the length of their positions in half and are taking far fewer students!

 

[flamearrows]

The lack of questions made it difficult to work in that wide-eyed, enthusiastic law student persona that seems to be expected.

I dunno, I tend to think that that most important thing you can do in an interview is a) try to be yourself and b) try to get the interviewers to like you. Building a rapport is going to leave a more favourable impression than any clever answer to a standard question.

I am all done for interviews. 8 in 4 days was pretty ridiculous. Now to wait for second round.

 

[melsc]

congrats on getting them done flamearrows...waiting for second round sucks! I agree that making them like/remember you is key!

Some firms are leaving it quite late to notify people...dibbs letting people know yesterday when their interviews are next week...has anyone heard from Slater and Gordon or Mills Oakley?

 

[Blackacre]

i just read an article in today's afr about how hard it is to get a clerk/grad position in law this year. apparently this trend's likely to continue into 2010 and 2011.

in retrospect, this whole process has been bordering on ridiculous. i wish i had just done med like my parents wanted. blah.

 

[melsc]

lol, surely med is even harder and time consuming than law, though people always need doctors.

I do wonder what will happen when some firms are offering to the same group of people and then end up with less acceptances that they expected...

 

[uniqueusername]

I dunno, I tend to think that that most important thing you can do in an interview is a) try to be yourself and b) try to get the interviewers to like you. Building a rapport is going to leave a more favourable impression than any clever answer to a standard question.

I agree. However the structure of the program (ie. only one round of offers) means that in order for a firm to give you an offer, they need to feel pretty confident that you're going to accept it.

So it's pretty important to work in the fact that you have researched them and know that you would want to work there. I think asking good questions is one of the easiest ways to do that but I also tried to work it into my answers. So the fact that Corrs didn't really ask any meant that I had to wait until I could ask some appropriate questions.

 

[melsc]

I agree. However the structure of the program (ie. only one round of offers) means that in order for a firm to give you an offer, they need to feel pretty confident that you're going to accept it.

So it's pretty important to work in the fact that you have researched them and know that you would want to work there. I think asking good questions is one of the easiest ways to do that but I also tried to work it into my answers. So the fact that Corrs didn't really ask any meant that I had to wait until I could ask some appropriate questions.

It does suck when they don't give you a chance to show them the things you really want but from the sounds of things most people were creative enough to make it work.

I stuffed up my question about why I wanted to work there but I hope I made it up by showing my knowledge about them in question time!

 

[Blackacre]

lol, surely med is even harder and time consuming than law, though people always need doctors.

agreed. it's probably harder and more time consuming. but you get job security and near 100% grad offer. worst you can do is go to the country for a few years and when you get back you get tenure at a state hospital. salary also scales very competitively against law salaries. like my gf, she's doing a speech pathology degree in her penultimate year. she got placed in a clinic already and will get employed there when she graduates almost guaranteed.

i know i know. i'm whinging. but ahhh... it's frustrating.

 

[melsc]

Just got offered an interview from Slater and Gordon

 

[uniqueusername]

Congrats! That's awesome news.

 

[melsc]

Yeah, good to know, was losing hope. Sent off an email to all remaining firms to see if I have been rejected or not. (Funny, I sent the one to slater and gordon prior to the call so she emailed me back to confirm what was said, hope this doesnt look bad!)

Gadens - First Round interview - 26th Aug - should hear back re: second round after 7th Sept
Slater and Gordon - First Round Interview - 9th Sept

 

[uniqueusername]

I had Minters this morning:
- Senior associate and HR (both female).
- About an hour followed by a quick tour (lame) and coffee with a grad (not lame).
- Relaxed and friendly but fairly structured. The HR lady had an outline that she followed & took heaps of notes.

I got asked about my marks. My commerce average isn't that much higher but my marks look much better because I have more Ds and HDs for finance, accounting and business law subjects, while the lower marks are in stupid fluff subjects. So the HR lady asked me (in a non-aggressive but kind of smug way) why I thought my law marks were a bit lower. I must admit I had to stifle the urge to explain that law was a bit more challenging than commerce and probably whatever degree she did.

The interview itself went ok but I stupidly let it slip to the grad that I had an offer for an accounting firm and he seemed a bit puzzled so I'm willing that piece of information not to make it to HR's ears.

Anyway by far the worst part of all this is running into other annoying applicants. For the love of god, stop trying to work into every conversation with every applicant that you run into at reception that you are so exhausted from all the interviews you have and that you're having trouble deciding whether you would fit in better at freehills or malles. I DON'T CARE!

 

[melsc]

I would find that so annoying and think its so 'show offish' don't complain if you were lucky to get enough interviews. Its worse when people treat anything like an interview. At the Gadens interview workshop, people were using the mingling session to try and suck up to the partners. I was like dude, ok they might be seeing who comes to this thing against all the people who applied but I doubt they will remember you and your over the top announcement that you also love masterchef/australia idol/ whatever, there were heaps of people there and it was not an interview

 

[uniqueusername]

I know what you mean!

Ok, I get that I shouldn't get wasted and do a striptease on the table but some people were too scared to accept any bloody drinks or nibbles at the Corrs thing and just sat there for 4hrs all hyper-alert and peppy.

I'm secretly hoping I get a clerkship & grad offer just so I can go to one of those things next year and torment annoying applicants.

 

[melsc]

I know what you mean!

Ok, I get that I shouldn't get wasted and do a striptease on the table but some people were too scared to accept any bloody drinks or nibbles at the Corrs thing and just sat there for 4hrs all hyper-alert and peppy.

I'm secretly hoping I get a clerkship & grad offer just so I can go to one of those things next year and torment annoying applicants.

Lol, it would be like being a second/third year in a first year subject. That can be great fun, walking in while they are crammin their butts off and saying..."Test, today? I didn't know" lol. You could make them get you food and stuff in the hope that you might remember them

 

[propitiation]

Does anyone know anything about what 1st round interviews are like at Slater & Gordon?
How long? What questions? Any particular tips?

Thanks heaps!!

 

[melsc]

Does anyone know anything about what 1st round interviews are like at Slater & Gordon?
How long? What questions? Any particular tips?

Thanks heaps!!

All I know is my interview is on Wed ( when is yours?) and the lady td me to bring c.v and academic transcript and we'll talk about that stuff and why I want to work for Slater and Gordon

 

[propitiation]

Oh ok cool thanks!

My interview is on Tuesday. I think the lady said that they were only holding interviews on Tuesday and Wednesday - so I guess they're not interviewing that many people? Just wondering how long the interview will be and whether its just with the HR coordinator etc.

 

[stell_r]

I do wonder what will happen when some firms are offering to the same group of people and then end up with less acceptances that they expected...

That happens every year. They have a formula.

I agree. However the structure of the program (ie. only one round of offers) means that in order for a firm to give you an offer, they need to feel pretty confident that you're going to accept it.

Actually, the one round of offers works in the applicants' favour. If you're a good candidate and you've shown some interest in the firm, they'll make you an offer.

They'll take into account how likely you are to accept when determining how many offers to make, but it won't determine whether you get an offer unless you've made it pretty obvious you don't want to work there, in which case they're not going to want to hire you anyway. Of course a good answer to why you want to work at the firm will make you a better candidate, but the firm "needing to feel pretty confident that you're going to accept" isn't quite right. All firms want the best candidates. If you're rated 50% likely to accept, they'll make someone else an offer too in the hope they get one of you. If you're rated 100% then they can just make an offer to you.

Really though, it's pretty simple- if they want you, they'll make you an offer. If they don't they won't. Things get a little messier around the borderlines, eg. if we wanted 20 clerks we'd make, for instance, 40 offers (purely speculative), but we only want 15 so we'll only make 30, and the candidates ranked between 30 and 40 will miss out. The top 30 candidates get offers as they usually would, the people below 40 miss out as they usually would, and the people between 30 and 40 get screwed by the economy (or the fact that the people ranked above them have convinced the firm they're very likely to accept, so the firm is comfortable offering less to fill the same number of positions).