No matter how well you prepare for an interview, you can’t predict the unpredictable. Many interviewers like to offer one or two “curve-ball” questions in order to see how well the candidate responds to surprises and thinks on their feet.
You can’t predict every question – but you can prepare in case you are caught off guard. Here’s how.
Take your time.
Start by acknowledging the question: “That’s a great question. Let me think about that.” Then, spend a few moments thinking about how to approach the question.
Acknowledging the question clarifies you heard it and you are taking it seriously – and since legal practices want to see that their legal support professionals are willing to stop and think; this acknowledgment helps you in the interview.
Think out loud.
As a legal support team member, how you think through a problem is every bit as important as the answer(s) you reach. So don’t be afraid to “think out loud” once you’ve worked out your initial response to the question. For instance, suppose the interviewer asks, “Tell me about your process for proofreading legal briefs.” Imagine you have the brief in front of you, and talk through the steps you would take. (“First, I would read the brief so I understood the structure and flow. Then, I’d go through it again, marking any misspellings or misplaced punctuation….”)
Have a fail-safe response prepared.
Some questions are so tricky that no amount of pausing or thinking out loud will help. In these cases, have a “fallback” answer prepared. For instance, if you are asked about an area of law with which you have no experience, you might say “That’s not an area I’m familiar with yet, but I’m very interested in it, and I’ve started reading about it. I’m hoping my skills in [legal research, communication, etc.] will be beneficial here.”
Know which questions are “tricky” and which are actually illegal.
Some questions seem difficult. Some seem easy. Both groups can contain questions that are actually prohibited by provincial or federal law. Before you step into the interview, make sure you’re familiar with what the interviewer may and may not ask you.
The recruiters at Kent Legal can help you prepare for even the trickiest job interview questions. Contact us today to learn more about our legal support jobs in Toronto.
