Assessment centre guide: Tips to prepare
At a DWF assessment centre, we're assessing whether applicants will demonstrate a clear motivation for a career in Law and our values in practice. Read through for more tips!
Our values in practice
Always aim higher
Be better together
Disrupt to
progress
Attend to
detail
Keep all
promises
Always Aim Higher
Becoming an expert in your field by demonstrating commercial awareness
Going above and beyond for clients and colleagues
Be better together
Respect, recognise and value each other
Working together to get the best outcome
Keep all promises
Have a positive, 'can do' attitude
Build loyalty and trust through delivering on your promises
Disrupt to progress
Embrace and promote change
Champion new ideas
Attend to detail
Communicate effectively and professionally
Pay attention to every last detail
Rotate your screen for a better viewing experience
Click anywhere to hide this message
Swipe right for more
Career motivation
Tips for preparing
01
Refer to reasons why an apprenticeship is better suited to you. Ensure you have read the job description and understand what the role as an apprentice entails and how this matches your skill set.
Understand and discuss the content of the apprenticeship and why this interests you. How will this route align with your career goals?
02
Identify skills that will be important when working as an apprentice paralegal / solicitor, and think about how you would demonstrate these in real life scenarios.
03
Research DWF and understand our values. Be ready to articulate your interest in the firm and why you are ready to start your career at DWF
04
Swipe right for more
Attend to details
Tips for preparing
01
Understand why attention to detail is an important quality to have in the legal field.
Think about how you manage your daily tasks and studies and identify the structure or techniques used. Try to use an example about putting this in practice, for example; think about a time you identified an error and talk about the steps you took to address it and what the end outcome was.
02
What methods do you use to check for quality, especially when meeting tight deadlines?
03
This is also assessed during the in-tray exercise where you will be required to analyse documents and spot grammatical errors.
04
Swipe right for more
Keep all promises
Tips for preparing
01
Demonstrate that you have an understanding about integrity and what this means by doing the right thing under challenging circumstances.
Talk about opportunities where you have had to communicate well with others, and gain their trust.
02
Demonstrate where you have had to showcase your commitment and deliver towards a deadline or particular project.
03
Think about a time that you may have been in a situation where you have had to take responsibility for something that has not gone to plan and discuss the steps taken to overcome this.
04
Swipe right for more
Always aim higher
Tips for preparing
01
Demonstrate that you are willing to learn and are able to remain proactive.
Describe a time where you have gone above and beyond to achieve something – this could be related to your education, work experience and employment or life experience.
02
How do you set goals and measure your progress in achieving them.
03
Commercial awareness; think about topics that you research to keep up to date with certain topics or news that align with your goals, studies or general interests.
04
Swipe right for more
Disrupt to progress
Tips for preparing
01
Think about a situation where you have faced a challenge and how you overcame it.
Have you implemented any new ideas which assisted towards a positive outcome.
02
Showcase your ability to take the lead / charge and being effective in putting your solution into action.
03
Reflect on your experiences handling change.
04
Swipe right for more
Top tips
Take some time to think about your experiences to date that have led you to apply to this role.
If you're unsure about a question, don't be nervous asking for clarification or taking a moment to think about your answer. This will allow you the opportunity to articulate your answer better.
Before attending an interview, one of the most important things to do is to review and prepare your strengths, skills and qualities and align them with the role you are interviewing for.
Ensure you can articulate your skillset and motivation for the role and link to them real life examples and scenarios you have faced to showcase these in the questions you will be asked.
Hear from Sophie Broome (Paralegal Apprentice) talk about her experience as an apprentice and the recruitment process.
