interview Flashcards
Why did you leave your last job?
My last job was at a law firm in Sydney. It provided me with invaluable experience and insight of the legal industry. I learned more about the business and how law firms operate, I learnt new skills and applied it to the tasks I performed and I enjoyed working with likeminded people. However, I could only work there for so long before I had to return to Canberra. I am currently looking for new opportunities and challenges here so that I can apply and build upon the skills and knowledge I have gained and work closer towards my career goals.
Can you work under pressure?
Yes, I work well under pressure. As a law and commerce student, working under pressure is inevitable. I have tasks that I have to complete in a time frame. For example, I am often given a short amount of time to complete an assignment. I also have to take exams, which you have to complete within a certain time period. However, by planning, managing my time and managing my stress, I am able to work effectively under pressure. Also for me, when I finish a task while working under pressure, I experience a sense of accomplishment
What did you like about your last job?
My boss was hands off, and everyone was focused on their own tasks, but we didn’t hesitate to offer help and work together when needed. I also enjoyed the fast paced working environment as it ensured productivity.
What can you do for us that no one else can?
I believe I have a unique set of skills and experiences. I can adapt current skills and knowledge I acquired from my previous job to this current role. I am willing to take challenges and learn. I am young, driven, hardworking and have a strong desire to be successful. And I would like to be part of your team to work together towards a common goal to succeed and grow
Tell me about yourself
I am currently in my third year studying Bachelor of Laws and Commerce at Australian National University. I haven’t always been certain about what I wanted to do in the future. It was only until last year where I became sure and driven to become a lawyer. I have developed a great interest in law and finance. I enjoy reading cases, learning about the law and applying it in problem scenarios. I also enjoy learning new formulas in finance and performing calculations to solve financial problems. As my long term goal is to become a lawyer, I am taking action to acheive it, and one way is by gaining experience in the legal industry. I have built some of that experience by recently undertaking a legal clerkship at a busy law firm in Sydney. Tasks I performed, included managing files, drafting correspondences, preparing submissions for solicitors, making and answering calls, booking appointments and conferences, and general clerical tasks such as faxing, scanning and filing. This opportunity allowed me to gain relevant and valuable experience in the legal industry which I hope to continue building.
Why did you choose this particular career path or what led to your chosen profession?
Truthfully, I enrolled in law school originally because I was not sure about my future and did not have a career goal. At first I found law school challenging because I excelled at business and economics in high school and law was something new that I have never done before. However, I am a firm believer of the quote “if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you” and “everything happens for a reason” because last year it become clear to me that I wanted to become a lawyer. Law is still challenging but I enjoy the challenge; I like pushing myself as that is how I can grow as an individual. I enjoy researching, reading about cases, learning about the law, applying it in problem scenarios, working with others and I want to turn this passion of mine into a career.
What are your salary requirements?
I am flexible with my salary. At the moment, I am looking for something between 40,000 and 45000.
Why should I hire you?
Because I have the experience and qualifications you are seeking. I have worked in personal injury law and am comfortable with working this area. I can engage in correspondence with different parties in both verbal and written form, manage diaries including appointments for clients, do banking tasks, manage calls and do general administration. Furthermore, I have excellent communication skills, I am a fast touch typer, I am organised, pay great attention to detail and I am approachable and friendly.
In summary, I would like to work at mills Oakley as I
admire what your company does, your company’s business culture and your company vision and I believe my motivation and strong desire to succeed will complement your company
What are your biggest accomplishments?
My biggest accomplishment to date is coming first in my grade for several subjects in my senior year and getting a higher ATAR than I expected which got me into law school. However, I believe that my greatest achievements are in the future.
How do you take direction?
How do you accept criticism?
I can take direction very well. I would prefer if the direction were detailed and explained clearly. However, I understand that this may not always be the case particularly when the person giving direction is busy. In my last job, when the solicitor was busy, they would give me direction on sticky notes or they would give a very brief description. Sometimes, it wasn’t clear, but I would eventually find out what the solicitor wanted me do.
I can accept criticisms. If I constructive criticisms, I would listen carefully to what they have to say and try to improve in that area. If it were a direct insult, I wouldn’t take offence and would just ignore it.
How would you react to unwarranted criticism by your boss?
I would ask to meet my boss in privately and ask them why they made that comment, listen to them and tell them how it dampens my work morale and makes me feel uncomfortable
What is the most difficult situation you have faced? Could you describe a difficult problem and how you dealt with it?
When I was working at the personal injury law firm, I had to deal with calls from different parties. Some of the most difficult calls come from the party at fault usually in motor accident claims. Often when they are not insured, these parties attempt to deny liability by trying to convince us that they were not at fault or our client contributed to the accident. They would call us or email us a couple of times. For example, the party at fault’s cousin called and said that his cousin drove his car, got into an accident and they both do not have insurance. When we receive these calls, I would apologise that they had to experience this but if they do not believe you were at fault, they would have to discuss this with their insurer or lawyer as we provide legal advice to our clients and act on our client’s instructions.
During the second week of working at the personal injury law firm, I answered a call from the party at fault in a motor accident claim. The party was agitated. She complained yelling that she has been receiving several letters of demand from us where we threatened to commence litigation to recover compensation. She said the accident occurred a few months ago, she is insured and her insurer paid our client two months ago. She did not know why she was receiving these letters and they worried her to the point she was going to call the police. Just for background, we send letters of demand as a formality to the parties at fault to request for compensation. If the other party is insured, after the initial letter of demand, we do not send any more and instead engage in correspondence with their insurer. Anyway, the entire time I was on the phone with her, I listened to what she had to say and took notes. I apologised that she had to experience something this. I thought she did not have an insurer and that was why she had continued to receive these letters, but she did, which meant that she should not have been receiving these letters. I proceeded to calm her down and ensure her I will investigate where these letters are coming from. I asked for the name of our client so I could search it up on our database and see if our company has been sending these letters to her. She said the letter did not have our client’s name. It only had a reference number. This was strange because all our letters of demand have the client’s name in the subject area. I looked up the reference number but nothing came up on our system. I apologised and informed her I could not find the letter on our system and asked her to confirm if she was sure the letter did not have our client’s name. She sounded even more frustrated than before and said it had to be from us because she is calling us from the contact number on the letter. I apologized and reassured her I’ll try to investigate again. I briefly explained the situation to a colleague. My colleague recognised the reference number and said it belonged to a company we outsource to and sometimes they send out letters without knowing the full situation. She told me not to worry if the other party is insured. I took her advice and informed the party not to worry because this case has already been settled with her insurer. I apologised she had to experience this inconvenience. In the end, I calmed the other party calmed down, I resolved the issue calmly and professionally and the other party thanked me for looking into this. To avoid parties from receiving unsolicited letters in the future, I told my boss that this was an issue and she needs to get in contact with the outsourcing company and inform them of this issue.
What are some of the things that bother you?
I get bothered when there is a lack of organization and when members of my team do not complete their task on time, especially when I have to rely on their completion in order for me to proceed on to the next task. An example is when I was working on an assignment with another student. We split up sections of the assignments to do and agreed to combine into one on a particular date. On the agreed date, my teammate had not completed their part, which included research and writing. This bothered me because I had to wait for them to finish before we could combine our parts and make it flow as one.
What do you consider your most significant strengths?
I am determined, focused and hardworking. I am a firm believer that hard work beats talent and hard work pays off. I am very analytical and am good at problem solving, which means I am attentive to detail, and can carry out tasks with little direction. I am also proactive and have great organization and planning skills. Time is a commodity and I use it productively by carrying out tasks immediately and ensuring I use the extra time to increase the quality of the work. At university, I start my assignments early and study for exams early on. I balance this with exercising every morning, as this is way for me to have a clear and fresh mind for the day and start off the day productively.
What are your weaknesses?
Sometimes I can be too focused on a task and details that it can slow me down, even if it means better quality work is produced. I can also be bothered when I have to complete a task and I cannot move on until someone finished their part. For example, I needed a client to sign an authority in order for me to attach the authority to a letter I was about to send to the doctor. I called the client and told them I have emailed them the authority and I needed them to sign it and email back to me soon. The client agreed. I reminded them by text again later during the day. However, it took more than a day and a half for them to sign the authority and email it back which meant I had to send the letter to the doctor a day and a half later than planned.
Do you prefer working with others or alone?
It depends. I enjoy working alone because it means I have full control over my work and I do not have to worry about relying on teammembers who do meet deadlines and teammembers who do not put in effort. However, I do enjoy working in a team because there is greater motivation and of course, two minds is better than one. More ideas are shared and more work can be done. For example, one of my tasks included managing the mail. In the morning, my colleague would open the letters, and stamp the date it was received and I would organize the letters according to which solicitors it was for. In the afternoon, I would fold letters and put it in the envelope, and my colleague would stamp it and mail it out. This allowed us to work quickly and efficiently.
We are a fast moving company and things are always changing, how do you think you will fit in with our ever changing and fast paced environment?
How well do you handle a change?
I can handle change very well because I am open minded and flexible. When there is change, I am aware that I have to do something new, unfamiliar and maybe challenging but I enjoy learning new things and facing challenges as that is what helps me grow. I trust the process and know that it would lead to something better in the long term. After all, if it does not challenge you then it does not change you.
Also I believe, when there is change, a high position person such as the senior manager usually makes this decision. They take time to weigh up the advantages and consequences whenever they make a decision. Therefore, usually change is for the better and you just have to trust the process.
In a part-time job that I had, a well-known competitor opened in the same shopping centre and our sales dropped. Our manager was concerned and hired a business consultant to boost our sales. The business consultant changed everything on the menu, changed our uniform, hired new employees, changed the way we would provide customer service, which included smiling and having a positive attitude. I handled the change well because I trusted the business consultant knew what he was doing. It is their job to reverse poor sales. For you to handle change well, you have to be part of the change and trust the process. As a result, of my positive attitude to the change and able to quickly adapt to it, the business consultant commended my efforts and used me as an example role model for the other employees to look up to. The change attracted new customers and existing customers wanted to try the new items on the menu, which ultimately lead to higher sales.
How do you react to problems?
I respond in a controlled manner. Worrying and complaining about the problem will not solve it. It is important to stay calm and recognise that a problem exists, but there is a solution. It is also important to be aware of potential problems and addressing them early so that they can be avoided.
Do you consider yourself a risk taker or do you like to play it safe?
I consider myself to be a mix of both. I take risks as it usually leads to a high pay off and helps me grow. But at the same time, I try to reduce the uncertainty associated with risk taking by analyzing the advantages, consequences of taking the risk.
When conflict arises between you and another co-worker, what do you do?
I don’t experience conflicts with co-workers as I am understanding and easy to get along with. If I do experience conflict, I would explain my side, listen to their side and try to understand from their point of view and come up with a solution that we are both happy with.
What are you willing to do to get what you want?
I will be willing to do whatever it takes. It may not be easy but it will be worth it and I want to try my best.
How do you get along with different types of people?
I can work well with anyone. Despite differences in personality, experience, rank, skills, age, education, I have always been able to work well with my teammates in group assignments and colleagues and different parties at work. I believe the key to getting along with others is to have a positive attitude and be open-minded, genuine and understanding and to treat others the way you would like to be treated.
Give me an example of a project that didn’t work out well?
When I had just begun working at the law firm, I was left with a sticky note on a client’s file, which read “complete form” and “client statement”. It was vague and unclear but I tried to understand and figure out what to do myself, which took me a while. After I finished the tasks, I gave it to boss and was told I did not do the task correctly. My boss fixed my mistakes and provided me with a precedent as a guide. Since then, I have learned it is okay to ask for clarification or to ask my colleagues who have done something similar before to give me a run through. As a result of that experience, I now ensure I know what the task requires me to do before I perform it.
What are some of the things that you and your supervisor have disagreed about?
Sometimes, I have to shift my focus on a task I am working on to do another task. It can be frustrating as I like to focus on my tasks, however, with good time management and planning, this is not a problem.
How do you handle important decisions
I would analyse the decision by gathering all relevant information, looking at the alternatives, looking at its advantages and consequences and how the decision will help achieve our goal. I would consult team members, listen to their advice and combine it with my own research and experience. This ensures I will be making an informed decision.
What would your past boss say about you.
She would tell you that I can was willing to take challenges, friendly, hardworking and completed all my tasks on time.
What are your goals for the future?
In the short term, I want to gain experience in the legal field and get good grades at uni by balancing my studies and work as this will help achieve my long term goal
In the long term, I want to continue to learn, take opportunities and challenges with new and greater responsibility to grow into a successful lawyer.
What would your good friends say about you?
My good friends would tell you that I am loyal, caring, energetic, motivated and someone that would have their back and they they are proud to call a friend.
