We caught up with Ilijah, who shared his experience of Clifford Chance's application process.
How did you find the application process?
- The application process was very transparent. I knew exactly what to expect at each stage and that immediately made me feel more comfortable which is a perk when going into something like Vacation Scheme and Training Contract applications – you really want to bring your A-game and show your best self.
- I found the interview to be less formal that I originally expected. The interviewers were very relaxed and more than happy to turn the interview into a casual chat around the questions they had and the topics you wanted/had to discuss. This is something I found to be very different from interviews at other firms.
- The Watson-Glaser was the most challenging part for me, but CC have a practice test on their website which allowed me to get an insight into what I could expect.
Were there any parts of the application process you particularly enjoyed or found challenging, and why?
- I found the Watson-Glaser test particularly difficult. The first time I applied to SPARK, I did not meet the pass mark for the Watson Glaser and did not progress onto the next stage.
- I eventually reapplied to SPARK in my second year and prepared heavily for the Watson Glaser including a lot of practice tests and making question banks. It all worked out in the end, having passed the test in my second year, and receiving a training contract at the firm.
- It was a massive relief and quite satisfying to have passed the test after putting in a lot of work to make sure I understood it full. So, in a weird way, the most challenging part of the interview process became the part I look back on most fondly.
What are your 3 top tips for applicants?
- Be yourself – you are a stronger candidate when you are genuine and not pretending to be something you think the interviewers would be looking for. Also, the interviewers are looking for Trainees they can spend long and often stressful times in the office with, so be friendly and enthusiastic.
- Utilise your network – there will always be people out there who are more than willing to help. So, my advice would be, go to events at CC before applying and build a network. Get to know the people and potentially someone may be able to offer you some advice or give you their tips/tricks from their experience in applying to the firm. Everyone's experience is different and therefore, getting to hear their story is always valuable.
- Be confident – the reason you are applying to Clifford Chance is because you're ambitious. Make sure you translate that ambition and drive to succeed throughout your application, and into the interview stage. Leverage your experiences, especially the non-law ones, to convince both the Early Talent team, interviewers, and yourself – that you'd develop and become a great lawyer off the back of a training contract at CC.