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The Recruitment Process

16 September 2015 |

The recruitment process for City careers can involve an application stage, psychometric testing, a phone or Skype/video interview and an assessment centre at the firm"s offices. These stages are designed to test your strengths, capabilities and suitability to the role for which you are applying.

Recruitment Process

  • Firms generally set a series of application questions for you to answer online (you are not usually required to submit a CV and cover letter, although some firms do request this)
  • A majority of top firms tend to set online psychometric tests (typically verbal reasoning)
  • Some firms request that you undertake phone and/or video interviews at this stage
  • You will usually then have to undertake an assessment centre at the firm"s office, which could include face to face competency interviews, case study/commercial interviews, written exercises and group exercises.
  • If successful, you will either be offered a job outright or (depending on what you have applied for) an internship. Your performance during Internships is usually assessed throughout by various different methods, including additional (or final) interviews, supervisor appraisals, written exercises and group presentations.
  • If you have successfully completed an internship, at this stage you may be offered a job.
  • Note that not all firms have the same recruitment process.

After Graduation

  • Non-Law students must take the Graduate Diploma in Law (GDL)
  • All students that have completed a Law degree or the GDL must then take the Legal Practice Course (LPC). Some firms let you take the "accelerated" or "fast-track" LPC, which lasts for around 7 months. Others prefer candidates to take the longer LPC, which lasts for around 10 months.
  • You next become a "trainee", a position that lasts for two years and involves you working in different departments within the firm.
  • Once you have completed your two years of training, you then become an Associate. After many years of being an Associate (and a great deal of hard work), you may have the opportunity to become a Partner. Not everyone receives this opportunity however.