Application Process & Interviews at Ashurst

I joined the firm as a seasonal clerk so the recruitment process was run professionally and during a set period. It involved an online application, two rounds of interviews and social functions

HR were always available to answer questions throughout the recruitment process. My first interview was with a partner and HR representative. It was focused on my interests outside of law, my work experience and any extracurricular activities I had undertaken. My second interview was with a partner alone and was dedicated to me asking questions about the firm

Conversation-based interview. Very comfortable process

The firm was very quick with their interview process in the lead up to clerkships, never making you wait too long for an update. There was an information evening and networking followed by a formal interview and then a second interview

No formal assessment centres but there were two rounds of face-to-face interviews

HR was very prompt with their feedback after each stage of the interview process. This helped calm my nerves as I was not required to wait anxiously for a response for long periods of time.

There were two interviews for the seasonal clerkship. For each interview there was clear information on the structure and what to expect by way of questions

An information evening and networking was followed by a formal first round interview and a less formal second round interview over coffee. There were no formal assessments during the interview process

What can you bring to the firm, what brings out your best qualities, why do you think you are a good fit?

What area of law I was most interested in; why I wanted to work at this particular firm; what had I gained from other work experience etc.

Questions about my extracurricular activities and work experience, some behavioural questions regarding stress and prioritising tasks

Leadership, resilience and balancing commitments, commercial awareness

Why are you interested in working in commercial law? Why are you interested in working at Ashurst? What is a commercial issue that you have noticed recently?

Questions about my hobbies, work experience and interests. More difficult questions included being asked to explain a poor grade and to detail a commercial issue I was interested in

Behavioural questions and questions geared towards finding where my interests in law lie

What I knew about the firm. What my previous experience was. What significant activities I had done at university

Why did I want to work in corporate law? What areas of corporate law was I interested in? What skills had I developed in previous work experience?

Why Ashurst? Why commercial law? How do you balance studies with other commitments?

First round interview: Some behavioural questions about organisation and teamwork, questions about my academic and professional background. Second round interview: Questions about my specific professional interests, questions about my interests in Ashurst

Some of the questions were: What are your key strengths and weaknesses? Why do you think you are a good candidate? How do you perceive Ashurst in the global legal market?

Candidates have to be "all-rounders" - good grades alone will not suffice.

The most important thing is learning about the firm's values. Understanding the values will allow you to determine if Ashurst is the right fit for you

Be open and authentic in your answers. Understand why it is that you want to work in a commercial law firm

Prepare interview techniques and practice questions as much as possible before the interview so that you have a comprehensive response to questions. Don't be too scared of the interview process - everybody is very friendly at Ashurst

Highlight your achievements and skills in your application, and let your qualities and the value you can add to the firm show in your personality come interview time

Research thoroughly about the Australian legal market and Ashurst, and then try to be compelling and considered in your manner. Think of it like a business pitch and have solid reasons for why Ashurst in particular

Read up on the firm and speak to people at the firm at campus events to ask about why we like it Then seriously self-examine what makes you enjoy a position and identify whether those factors are present at Ashurst? Try to show your personality and sincerity

In addition to reading the resources on the website, I would recommend attending campus events to meet reps of the firm. Also I would try and learn a bit about Ashurst's unique international structure

Getting to know someone at the firm is invaluable in terms of interview preparation and having knowledge of what work is done in the firm; strengths, weaknesses and key practice groups

Ensuring you have read the Ashurst website (not just the careers pages) as it has a lot of useful materials and really shows the global nature of the firm.

The best advice I was given, was to be myself. There really is no point in trying to be anything other than yourself.

Be sure that your application responses are tailored specifically to Ashurst, drawing on the key characteristics of the firm: global, innovative, corporate focus.

Treat the interview like a dynamic conversation being two or three people