Partners from leading national law firm Weightmans LLP have been helping Kent law students to practise and strengthen interview skills.
Three partners from the firm came to the University’s Canterbury campus to offer mock interviews to students at Kent Law School.
Mark Landon, Jonathan Shaer and Tom Challis were impressed with the high calibre of the students undertaking the mock interviews. Mark Landon, regional Senior Partner at Weightmans, said: ‘We noted the evident maturity of many of the responses to the interview questions; candidates thought clearly about what was being asked and supported their arguments with sound reasoning. We also felt that the students appeared to be well aware of current affairs (sadly not always the case with some students) and had a broad, open outlook with regard to their career choices.’
Final year Law LLB student Augusta Itua, one of 13 students who took advantage of the opportunity to be interviewed, said: ‘This has been an extremely educational experience. Being able to meet with an experienced lawyer is perhaps the best and only way to understand what is needed from you as a future trainee lawyer.’ Augusta also completed a vacation scheme at Weightmans in Manchester last year.
Amy McElwaine, a final year student on the English and Spanish Law programme, said: ‘I think it was really useful. The relaxed interview environment allowed for me to be given feedback as we went along. It also enabled me to gain insight into why certain questions are asked at interview.’
Kent Law School’s Employability and Career Development Officer Jayne Instone, who organised the event, said: ‘For many students an interview may be both a daunting and a new experience. The competition for graduate training schemes means that recruiters can be particularly choosy and legal recruitment is no exception, often involving three or four rigorous stages before an applicant gets to interview. So, by the time an applicant is invited to interview the recruiters already know that they have the ability to do the job but they want to find out whether this is a person they can work with.
‘It’s crucial that a student can feel comfortable in an interview situation and have a strategy for answering even the toughest questions. It’s not unusual for students to overlook the importance of preparing for this final stage of the recruitment process but a mock interview should be scheduled into everyone’s career planning!
‘I am very grateful to Weightmans for generously giving their time to our law students to assist them in preparing for their interviews. This is a very safe and secure environment in which students can try out their answers and gain constructive critique for future improvements and enhancements.’
In addition to organising on-campus employability events for law students, Jayne brings career development opportunities to the attention of students via weekly bulletins and the Law School’s Employability Blog. She is also available to see students in small groups or for one-to-one meetings for CV and application advice.
Weightmans has provided mock interviews for students at Kent Law School for a number of years. The firm, which has offices in Birmingham, Dartford, Glasgow, Knutsford, Leicester, Liverpool, London and Manchester, is committed to working with young people of all ages to enhance their vocational and personal development. In the 2014 British Legal Awards , Weightmans won the Education and Training Inititative of the Year for its work promoting alternative paths into the law via apprenticeship schemes. Weightmans is also a member of the PRIME scheme, which provides work experience for school pupils from deprived backgrounds.
