Going for an interview is one of the most important aspects of the job search process – and also the most daunting. Scoring an interview can sometimes be a feat in itself, but nailing it is a whole new playing field.

A legal recruiter ALB spoke to says candidates will often attend interviews having done too little preparation. Studying your CV, the firm and person you are interviewing with and also what the role is about, are key points which candidates should follow. However, when it comes to face-to-face meetings, potential candidates often forget that etiquette plays a great role in impressing the partner or manager they are interviewing with.

Paul Garth, senior consultant at Paul Burgess Legal Recruitment, advises candidates not to send or receive calls or text messages in an interview. Answering your phone during an interview is one of the worst things a candidate can do, especially when the call is from a friend. While this advice seems like common sense, Garth says that these situations do happen - and it does, in fact, reflect poorly on the candidate.

The other big ‘no-no’ Garth says, is asking about salary, annual leave and if you can take a holiday within the first few months of starting the role. Questions relating to employee entitlements, the amount of training and mentoring you will receive and how many hours you are expected to work should be left for the second interview, or better yet, when the candidate knows the firm is ‘interested’ in them.

Asking such questions in the initial interview suggests the candidate is not serious about the job or requires a lot of nurturing before they will feel job satisfaction, Garth says. It is best to leave the nuts, bolt and logistics till the end.

For graduates and junior solicitors, questions like ‘tell me a bit more about the team’; ‘what are the firm’s plans following the GFC’; and ‘who do I report to’ are appropriate for the initial interview. For senior lawyers, questions relating to or directed at marketing will demonstrate a candidate’s high level of knowledge of the business aspect of a firm, Garth says. ALB

According to recruiters, the top five things not to do in an interview include:

1. Don’t be closed-minded – get as much information about the role and the firm or company you are looking to work for before attending the interview
2. Don’t dwell on irrelevant experience – experience which pre-dates your last two roles should not be discussed, unless it is brought up by the firm or party you are interviewing with
3. Don’t ramble – draft some key points about yourself, about the firm or company’s clients, and any recent work they’ve done
4. Don’t give one-word answers – always give a working example when answering a question and use the STAR approach (situation, task, action, result) when answering questions
5. Don’t make inappropriate or prejudicial statements – don’t talk poorly about past employers or colleagues, or make discriminatory remarks about gender, culture or religion. According to recruiters, it shows that you are not a confidential person