Recruitment process

Our aim, through the recruitment process, is to identify whether you have the potential to be a great Trainee Solicitor at Eversheds Sutherland.

That’s why we’re interested in more than your qualifications, skills and knowledge. These elements are important but it is your ‘strengths’ that will really make the difference.

Your strengths are those aspects of your work that really engage you, that you really enjoy and that energise you. Research shows that you perform better when your work overlaps with what you enjoy as well as what you can do. For a business, ensuring employees are playing to their strengths improves employee engagement, customer satisfaction and loyalty.

We have therefore adopted a strengths-based solution at each stage of the recruitment process. At every step, we are keen to hear about what you are energised and motivated by, as well as what you can do.

As a Trainee Solicitor you will have a large and often complex workload with regular contact with Partners and clients. The work can be challenging as you apply your legal knowledge in a real-world context. Therefore it is important for us to know not only if you can do the job but if you will enjoy the work too.

The recruitment process for both the vacation scheme and training contract comprises:

Stage 1: An application form to be completed online. We ask for information about you: your qualifications, languages and any relevant work experience. We also have some strengths-based questions exploring situations you have faced or could face in the role, your response to these situations and what energises you about them.

Stage 2: A video interview with strengths-based questions exploring situations you have faced or could face in the role, your response to these situations and what energises you about them. The video interview is not ‘live’ and you will record your answers in response to the questions presented. You will not have an opportunity to pause the video or re-record your answers. The video itself will be approximately 10 minutes in length and will ask you strengths-based questions.

Stage 3: Selection day includes a strengths-based interview and two exercises, helping us assess not just what you can do, but what you have the potential to do and what you are energised by. Further details will be provided nearer the time of your selection day.

Strength based assessments: Hints & tips

Think of this as an opportunity to convince us that Eversheds Sutherland is the firm for you and that you are right for us. Make sure you know something about the clients we work with - and have a clear sense of how you can contribute and what you’ll enjoy.

Think about how you present your answers. Always be clear and positive, and give your answers a logical structure. For example, describe a situation, tell us what you did/how you behaved, explain the impact of your actions and what you were energised by in that situation.

A number of questions will ask you to reflect on your feelings about a situation, what you found motivating, what you learned about yourself.

It is really important that you tell us about what you find interesting or motivating about a situation, what aspects you really engage with. To discover your potential, we want to hear not only about what you can do or have done but about what aspects you're really going to love doing.