A countdown to your interview at Russell-Cooke

Russell-Cooke interview coming up? In this blog, third-seat trainee Hebe Robinson gives advice on when and what to prepare, as well as top tips for the day itself. 

• Tune into the news. Make sure to follow legal news stories and current affairs, which can be as simple as listening to a podcast. The interview process is mainly focused on learning about you, so don’t stress about memorising the headlines. Instead, think critically and consider how you would summarise your views on a few topics that you’re interested in.
• Plan ahead. Think about your arrangements for attending the interview, for example travel and accommodation. Preparing for the knowns ahead of time can help you feel more confident about the unknowns.
• Hit follow. Make sure you follow Russell-Cooke’s social media pages so you can stay up to date with recent events and developments at the firm. 

• Revisit your application. There can be a few months between pressing “Submit” and sitting down for your interview, so print off a copy and refresh your memory.
• Practice putting your answers into words. It can be helpful to practice answering interview questions with a friend or family member. If you can’t find any willing volunteers you can also record your answers and listen back (even though this may feel painful at the time).
• Be thorough. When revisiting your application, don’t skim over work experience and your academic history. These topics are fair game for an interviewer and it’s inevitable that the essay on an obscure topic you wrote years ago will be the first thing to come up!
• Prepare a few questions to ask. It can help nerves to remember that interviews are a two-way process: it’s important to find a firm which offers a training and qualification experience which works for you. Have a think about details which you can’t find online and make sure the questions are relevant to the firm. 

• Finish your preparation. Hopefully you won’t need to do any major preparation for the interview at the last moment. You could make flashcards about your answers to key questions, such as “why law?”, “why Russell-Cooke?” and a “tell me about yourself” to review before the interview.
• Check your interview space. If you are doing any part of the interview online, check your interview space is ready – tidy, quiet and with any devices fully charged. It’s worth making sure that your camera and microphone are all working, as well as your internet connection.
• Relax and unwind. Plan something which you find relaxing to take your mind off the interview. Wind down and get some rest if you can!

• Remember that the interviewer(s) want you to succeed. There will be something about your application which has already impressed, so you should feel confident going into the process. Just be yourself and try not to overthink anything which felt like a mistake, we’re generally our own worst critic and it’s likely nobody else will have noticed.
• Work together. If your interview involves a group stage (you can find out about the interview process here) remember to focus on teamwork. Listen to other people’s contributions and build on these where you can. If someone is interrupted or is particularly quiet, make an effort to bring that person into the discussion.
• Take your time. Don’t panic if your mind goes blank or you don’t understand a question - give yourself time to think. Take a deep breath or have a sip of water before you answer and ask for clarification if you need it. It can help to repeat the question at the start and end of your answer to focus your mind.

Overall, remember that all interview experience is good experience and it’s always worth asking for feedback. Good luck!

Hebe Robinson is currently a third-seat trainee in the real estate, planning and construction team.

Applications for our 2027 training contract and 2025 vacation scheme open on 8 November 2024 and close on 7 February 2025.