I applied online. I interviewed at Freshfields (London, England)
Interview
First, a written exercise (working on e-mail communication with a fictious client, incl. drafting). Then almost immediately after a personal fit interview. Then a tour around the office with a trainee. Lastly, around 15 ( or 20 - not sure) minutes to read an article (in my case The Economist) and shortly after a discussion about the article, which not only tested the understanding of the article but also commercial awareness in the broader sense.
Overall, it has been a very enjoyable experience. People have been invested and seemed genuinely interested in me. The atmosphere was relaxed and comforting. They even provide feedback (in case an offer is not made) a couple of weeks later via phone if one wishes so. Truly professional.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Personal fit interview:
How did you deal with a difficult situation and managed to get through it?
Why commercial law and why Freshfields?
A time when you had convince someone that this was the right cause of action to take.
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Freshfields (London, England) in Jan 2014
Interview
Very helpful and welcoming all through the process, from phone contact to on the day.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The writing test was completely different in format to what my internet research had led me to believe. I had expected, and prepared for, an argument/opinion essay type question. In reality was asked to look over some fictional email correspondence and highlight errors/areas of ambiguity and suggest ways the email to the client could be improved. This all took me completely out of the blue. The test was followed by two 2:1 interviews, each with a partner and an associate. The first was competency based (my advice here is not to let their very informal and disarming manner relax you TOO much), the second was analytical (the famous commercial awareness). I had read a commercial awareness book before the interview which helped, but I would advise also reading a broad 'MBA replacement' text if you have the time.
Training Contract applicants have rated the interview process at Freshfields with 4 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 100% positive. To compare, the company-average is 62.8% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Training Contract roles take an average of 60 days to get hired, when considering 1 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at Freshfields overall takes an average of 28 days.
Common stages of the interview process at Freshfields as a Training Contract according to 1 Glassdoor interviews include:
Group panel interview: 100%
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