Graduate insight into securing a vacation scheme with Sidley Austin

We recently caught up with William about how he secured a vacation scheme with Sidley Austin, how he built his commercial awareness before the interview and his top tips for Bright Network members looking to follow in his footsteps.

What stood out to you about Sidley Austin?

Before applying, I was particularly interested in Sidley Austin's breadth of work and impressive reputation, especially its corporate and M&A department which reflected many of my interests in starting a career in commercial law. During the application process, I appreciated the support offered by the firm, and was impressed with how conversational and engaging the interview process was, which boosted my confidence in performing well at this stage.

How did you build your commercial awareness before the interview?

Before the interview, I attempted to build my commercial awareness by getting to grips with the work Sidley Austin did regularly, by looking at the information available directly on their website as well as secondary sources including accounts by current and former employees and experts in the field. I also identified recent commercially relevant stories - both those specifically relevant to the firm, and those which would boost my general understanding of the topics that might be discussed at the interview. I did this through informative videos and online guides.

What would be your top tip to members going through the application process?

My top tip, especially for the interview process but also for the writing of application answers, would be to identify topics about which you are genuinely interested. Graduate recruitment and the associates or partners who are conducting interviews are not necessarily looking for prospective employees who already have an in-depth knowledge of commercial law, but rather people who can conduct a conversation or write a well-researched and coherent answer on an application form about something with which they are evidently engaged. This could be modules studied at university, extracurricular activities, or work.

How did Bright Network help you secure this role?

One of the reasons this Sidley Austin role appealed to me was the involvement of Bright Network, which showed the openness to a wide range of prospective employees who may not otherwise have succeeded. I phoned a member of the Bright Network team before my interview to ascertain what areas I could prioritise to succeed during the interview itself and received really helpful advice on how to approach case studies, and how to approach the interview in a conversational yet confident manner that was ultimately successful.

What’s been the toughest interview question you've faced and how did you tackle it?

At other firms, I have been asked deliberately surprising questions that put you on the spot. One such question was "how many uses for a spoon can you think of?” These questions are tough, as they require you to be confident enough not to freeze on the spot and explain your reasoning for whatever answer you give. The best way to tackle these questions is to give an answer which indicates your willingness to think outside the box and provide an answer which reflects your way of thinking. In this example, a spoon can have lots of non-standard uses such as conducting heat or electricity, so there is a lot of scope to answer creatively.

What top three tips would you give Bright Network members looking to follow in your footsteps?

1. Research the role, and the firm, meticulously - know what you'll be doing before applying, to increase your confidence.
2. Focus on your genuine interests, and do not mention things on your application you are unable to expand upon coherently at the interview.
3. Do not get disheartened if you get more rejections than expected - most of these roles are so competitive that it is difficult to differentiate between equally qualified applicants, so the best thing to do is just to keep persevering and work out where you can improve.