Application Process & Interviews at Baker McKenzie

One in person interview in Melbourne (two interviewers) and a cocktail evening.

You only attend one interview in Melbourne with two lawyers, and there is no psychometric testing.

Efficient and collaborative. I attended various interview rounds.

In Sydney, we had 2 rounds of interviews with a cocktail event in between the two interviews. In the first round interview, you will be interviewed by a senior associate and a partner and in the second round, you will be interviewed by two partners.

I remember feeling very relaxed during interviews.

For the Sydney process, traditional online application plus two rounds of interviews. and then a clerkship.

The interview process was excellent. I met two leaders in their fields and was provided with significant guidance by the Firm during this process.

The Melbourne seasonal clerkship interview process consisted of 1 x 1 hour interview (Sydney has 2 x 1 hour interviews). This was longer than most other interviews I attended, which generally lasted for 30 minutes, but I preferred the longer interview - it allowed you to really get a feel for the Firm and who you were speaking with. It was also very much an opportunity to be yourself and not purely speak about work or issues related to the law. There were no "assessments" per se - just a relatively standard process of submitting a cover letter, application questions (relating to work experience, extra-curriculars, education) , plus responding to some short-answer questions about your past experiences and interest in Baker McKenzie.

The application process involved an online application rather than a formal CV submission. The application involved a cover letter and teased out the essential parts of the CV and allowed for applicants to describe themselves and their interests in more detail.

2 interviews in Sydney. No online assessments, which was an added bonus

Two interviews, one cocktail evening in between the two interviews. Interviews were quite informal

Interview with two members of the Firm. No psychometric testing/assessment centres.

Enjoyed the opening to the first interview. It provided structure and certainty about what you'd be discussing, before opening up to more general questions. I found the interview to be relaxed and casual, and found it easy to have normal conversations with the interviewers - a great indication of the culture of the Firm. The second interview was preceded by a catch up with our buddies. This was helpful to receive an outline of what to expect and how to prepare. I enjoyed the second interview structure, although I found the concept intimidating - a 20/80 split between questions for me and questions for the interviewers/firm. This was, again, casual whereas other firms' interview processes were masked by a slight intensity/seriousness (either socially or question wise). Cocktail nights were good to meet individuals and experience the Firm. My assigned buddy for the night (not my normal buddy) didn't come, but others stepped in to guide me.

I first had to submit a written application. Interviewing for the Sydney summer clerkship program involved two interviews and a cocktail evening. The interviews were never a 'test', rather a conversation about you, your work and life experiences, and your hobbies and interests. It was by far one of the best interviewing experiences of any firm and is the reason I personally chose to work at Baker McKenzie.

There were 2 in-person interviews for the Sydney clerkship process.

I can't remember exactly, but it was quite conversational.

I was asked questions about my interest in commercial law, working at an international commercial law firm, and specific questions about my previous work experience.

The questions were varied and were focused on my skills, attributes, extracurricular involvement, and academic experiences.

The first interview was a lot more structured - all the interviewees are asked a series of interview questions to get a sense of their personality and experiences. The second interview was a lot more casual and conversational. And where the conversation goes depends predominantly on how you connect with your interviewers.

The interview style was relaxed and conversational. The questions varied from my experiences to global issues.

The questions, as noted above, ranged across both legal and non-legal topics. I was asked about matters as wide-ranging as: 1) what do you do in your spare time; 2) what do you see as a key future disruptor of the legal industry as it currently stands; 3) what areas of law are you most interested in and why; 4) why did you choose to study law; and 5) why do you want to come to work at Baker McKenzie?

I was asked to discuss my application and experiences. I was also asked about my interests and why I wanted to work at the Firm.

Why are you passionate about corporate law? Tell us about an area of commercial practice that interests you. What are your hobbies outside of work?

No unusual questions; tell us about yourself; why the Firm; what makes you global, etc.

A few behavioral questions, questions about myself, questions about my interests, etc.

About content in my application; about my interests outside of work; about why I chose Bakers versus other firms; why law and not commerce, etc.

General questions about your work and life experiences, and talking to your application, hobbies and interests. Why you want to work in commercial law, why you want to specifically work at Baker McKenzie. and what practices you might be interested in.

To discuss my previous work experience and my areas of interest.

Be prepared to talk about yourself and your background. They aren't trying to trick you.

Make sure you demonstrate an interest in international commercial legal work. Speak to people that work at Bakers - ask what their experience has been and what they like about working at the Firm.

Apply early, ask questions, and network with others who have had prior experiences with or who have worked at Bakers.

The general sense I get is that everyone has a story to tell at Bakers. Yes we are all lawyers but we also have ex-professional athletes, dancers, actors, singers and so much more. At Bakers we are equally interested in who you are as a person in addition to what you will be like as a lawyer. So do not be afraid to showcase your individuality in your application - you are so much more than just your grades.

Why do you want to work at Bakers (for me there were genuine reasons based on experience with pro bono work, insights into the culture from friends who worked there, global nature). Show your personality - people are here because they're engaging humans and good lawyers.

Go to events the Firm attends at universities, do a little research on the Firm generally, and have a genuine reason why you would like to work here.

Trying to understand the business of the Firm as best as you can is the most important technique for interviewing. Separately, try to articulate why you wish to join the Firm and why the Firm should hire you.

Very much the best advice I can give is to be yourself. For one thing, the interview is too long to simply wheel out a sequence of pre-prepared answers - the Baker McKenzie interviewing partners / senior lawyers will see through this. It is also a marathon, not a sprint - so while you do want to show off what you know, don't do all of this in the first 15 minutes of the interview! If you have made it this far to secure an interview, then you are clearly an intelligent and well-rounded candidate. The interviewers are not there to trip you up. You can best prepare by having a few draft responses to behavioural questions (from memory, there were only one or two of these at most during my interview), be comfortable speaking about commerce and the commercial legal environment (read the Australian Financial Review and similar publications) and know something about the Firm.

Try to meet people from the Firm and discuss the work and culture so that you can better articulate why you want to join the Firm, what the Firm has to offer and what you can bring to the Firm.

Be yourself and find an attribute/skill that differentiates you from other candidates. You NEED to stand out.

Do your research and reach out and speak with people at the Firm.

Learn about the work of the Firm and why you think you would enjoy a career in corporate law.

Have an answer of why you chose the law (especially in the commercial sector) and why this particular firm. Read up on your interviewers for talking points and questions to ask (even though most of this wasn't used); good to have under your belt. Have 4-5 questions ready to ask your interviewers about E.g.., the Firm, why they are there, why they have stayed, the culture vs. other firms, the performance in the industry, what a grad experience is like in their team, their feedback structure/culture, etc. Take a deep breath and relax. These interviewers aren't here to intimidate you. Just be yourself, and be open and honest. Try to approach it as a more casual experience (whilst being appropriate also). Everyone at this stage has great grades/experience, so how you express this and your social interaction with the interviewers is probably the most important. Also, I was given this tip - try not to use your hands too much or to fiddle with things as it can be distracting.

Be yourself! Be a normal, genuine human being and enjoy the process. This way, you can learn the most from the experience. While the need to impress is always in your mind, remember that people genuinely want to work with kind, smart and polite people. Be the person you want to work with!

Be yourself and be genuine. Also, people that have international experience/background and language skills are also highly sought after.