15 Tried and Tested Interview Questions for Legal Support Candidates.
In this article discover our 15 favourite legal support interview questions to assist us in building a rock solid candidate short list for our law firm, government and corporate clients.
Are you a super star legal support person? Is it time to get out of your comfort zone and take the next step in your career? Getting yourself ready for the job hunt involves updating your resume to reflect your latest achievements, refreshing your LinkedIn profile to demonstrate the best version of yourself and considering how you will perform in an interview situation.
We often advise our candidates, particularly if they have not put themselves out there for some time, to ensure that they practice their interview skills. Making a great first impression and coming across well in an interview is an integral part of making any short list.
As a specialist legal recruitment agency, we have interviewed hundreds of legal support candidates on our client’s behalf. Over our many years of extensive experience, we have developed a library of go-to questions that we use every day.
Our list of tried and true questions can help you prepare examples and situations to demonstrate your competencies, experience and personality type. They have been designed to extract from you information about your background, what motivates you, your interpersonal skills, organisational skills, financial skills, and expertise in handling of difficult situations and personalities.
Below are a selection of our favourite interview questions to ask legal support staff:
Background:
- What do you consider to be your greatest skills?
Motivation:
- What motivates you to give your best?
- What has been your greatest professional achievement?
- How have you previously demonstrated your initiative and willingness to work?
- Give me an example of when you were able to meet the personal and professional demands in your life yet still maintain a healthy balance.
Interpersonal Skills:
- How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team?
Organisational/ Time Management Skills:
- Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a deadline. What things did you fail to do? What were the repercussions? What did you learn?
Handling of Conflict:
- By giving a specific example, describe how you have dealt with a difficult client or colleague.
Financial:
- Describe what steps you have undertaken to assist your operators with maintaining complete time records.
10. Can you describe what billing or reporting you have been involved with or taken responsibility for?
Dealing with Managers:
11. Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor? How did you resolve the conflict?
12. Describe the characteristics of your ideal manager that brings out the best in you?
Handling Difficult Situations:
13. Recall a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and a problem arose. What was the nature of the problem? How did you handle that situation? How did that make you feel?
Handling of Pressure & Stress
14. Tell me about a difficult situation where you needed to maintain a positive attitude. What did you do?
Last but not least…..
15. What do you know about our company? What attracts you to our company?
Demonstrate your research skills and enthusiasm for the organisation with a comprehensive answer. Don’t forget to also ask a couple of questions that highlight your interest.
We encourage you to save this article to use for future interview practice. Take notes and consider specific examples to demonstrate the relevant competencies. Ask a trusted friend to drill you with a couple of examples. A prepared candidate makes a great first impression!
Are you looking for a new role in the Legal Industry in Melbourne? Get in touch with us and come and have a chat with one of our experienced legal industry consultants about your career and potential opportunities to take the next step.
Legal People is your gateway to the best legal support jobs in Melbourne. We are specialists in the Legal Industry and recruit Lawyers, Support staff and HR professionals. If you enjoyed reading this article, you can follow our Company Page on LinkedIn for regular updates. And if we can help you take the next step in career, then get in touch!
