What is the recruitment process like at a law firm?  What are the key things to bear in mind when applying and the types of test they run? These are among some of the many questions law students often ask themselves and on 19 October, the Human Resources (HR) director at Garrigues law firm in Barcelona, the Balearic Islands and Aragon, Carol Ferro, answered these questions in a class session with fourth-year students. 

Ferro gave a detailed description of the recruitment process at Garrigues law firm: from how they assess candidates’ CVs to the final interview with a partner in the firm. The HR director told the students that once they screen the CVs, they make their first contact with candidates by inviting them to take part in group dynamic tests, followed by abstract reasoning tests, legal knowledge tests and a final one testing candidates’ level of English. 

The staff recruitment expert ensured students that “90% of success is in the preparation”. She then advised them to swot up on the different types of test they may be asked to take, to keep up to date on the news, to turn up well rested and to take care of their appearance. Following the test stage, the next stage is an interview split into a more formal section on the candidate’s experience and studies and another section on future prospects. “You should be natural and honest”, she pointed out. The final stage is an interview with a partner, where the candidate will also be asked to solve a case.