Application Process & Interviews at Holland Beckett

During the interview process I was encouraged to think about whether Holland Beckett is a good fit for me, rather than treating the interview process as a one-sided assessment by Holland Beckett. Everyone involved in the recruitment process was very helpful with answering any questions I had and made me feel really comfortable in the interviews. This made me feel that I could be myself and answer the questions as best I could.

I applied for a summer clerkship by sending a cover letter, CV and my transcript. I then had an introductory Zoom call with HR (as I was in Dunedin), followed by an interview with two of the partners.

I was asked a variety of classic interview questions eg. what areas of law are you interested in? What are your best strengths? Tell us about a time you overcame conflict in the workplace?

Where I am from, what law school I attended, why I want to work at Hobec, my areas of interest etc.

How do I handle stress, what was a time I had to think on my feet, what do I like to do in my spare time - questions around who I am as a person and how I handle situations

Carefully think about what areas of law you are interested in and why, be yourself and ask questions! Prepare for all the standard interview questions as you usually would - think of times / occasions where you have demonstrated your skills.

I asked friends and family what they thought my strengths and weaknesses were. I also wrote down a lot of practice answers to try and figure myself out. Things like - describe yourself in three words. I think it's important to figure out a bit about yourself and try to see if you know what things you like - what type of work do you find important? Are you more people focused or research focused? I also read about the partners I was interviewing with and also about other partners I thought I might want to work for.