INTERVIEW GUIDE

ASLANT
LEGAL
INTERVIEW
GUIDE

aslantlegal.com
 INTERVIEW GUIDE
Preparing for a
successful interview

Now that we’ve secured an interview for you, it’s time

to strategise and prepare. Preparation is key to a
successful interview.

Interviews are a two-way street – designed to help

you find out more about the role; and the interviewer
is also there to assess if you have the right skills for the
job and whether you’re a good fit.

3 main things:

Familiarise yourself with your CV

and the job description (JD)

Know the interviewer and organisation

Understand and prepare for

different interview styles

INTERVIEW TIPS

• Ensure that you have a detailed understanding of

the JD, team structure and organisation.
• Spend some time doing research on the
organisation. Do a Google search to see if they’ve
had any press releases or published articles.
Understand the markets they operate in, challenges
they face, their objectives and their competitors.
• Review your CV to identify experience relevant
to the JD.
• Prepare 3-5 questions to ask at the interview.
This is an opportunity to find out if they can offer
you progress, career development and growth.
When in doubt, always speak with your recruitment
consultant to clarify if certain questions might
be appropriate.

Think about it - you will never get a second

chance to make a first impression.
 INTERVIEW GUIDE
Preparing for a
successful interview

9 TIPS BEFORE THE INTERVIEW COMPETENCY-BASED INTERVIEW

1 Dress appropriately and pay attention to every This is a technique commonly used by employers to
detail of your outfit. assess the core competencies including knowledge,
2 Get to the venue at least 10-15 minutes ahead skills, abilities and personal characteristics that are
of schedule (or log on 15 minutes ahead), needed to be successful in a role.
3 Give a firm handshake and make eye contact with all It is based on the premise that past behaviour predicts
of your interviewers. future behaviour.
4 Follow the interviewer’s lead and observe his/her
We recommend using the STAR Technique for
body language.
answering such questions.
5 Answer questions in a factual and sincere manner,
ideally with supporting explanations (refer to the
section on competency-based interviews on
S T A R
the right).
SITUATION TASK ACTION RESULTS
6 Refrain from making derogatory remarks about your
present or former employers.
7 Avoid any discussion on salary, bonuses or holidays • Aim to prepare at least 3-5 STAR stories.
during the interview. Should the interviewer raise it, • As with all good storytelling, ensure brevity and
it’s always recommended that you defer the issue clarity in answering interview questions.
to us, your recruitment consultants.
• Try to deliver your STAR answers in well under 3
8 Express your enthusiasm in the position to minutes and always keep it positive, upbeat and
the interviewer. free from heavy jargon.
9 At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer for • Strive to present your answer in such a way as to
his/her time and consideration of your candidacy. highlight your relevant skills and suitability to the
role on offer.
• Think of specific examples of situations in which
you have demonstrated these skills and behaviour
in your past career. It is important to demonstrate
Hiring managers will assess core what you had personally done in that particular
competencies like decision making, situation and use genuine examples, i.e. what you
collaboration/teamwork, stakeholder had to do in that particular situation; what actions
management, personal accountability, did you undertake, how you did it and why; and the
business acumen, flexibility/ desired outcome/result.

adaptability, etc. • Provide clear, concise and informative responses

so that the interviewer understands the example
and you are able to demonstrate your ability in that
area. But, not with too much detail, otherwise your
key message might be lost.
• It is important that you make the outcome/result
clear, so that the assessors can see the impact and
effectiveness of your personal actions.
 INTERVIEW GUIDE
Situational
interview questions

Here are 10 common situational interview questions and some suggestions on how to respond to them:

Describe a situation where you had to collaborate Describe a difficult problem you faced and how you
with a difficult colleague / Tell me about a time when approached it.
you experienced conflict with a co-worker and how
Your answer will reveal what you did, and also the
you dealt with it.
thought process behind your actions and how you like
Conflict is bound to arise when working in the office. to approach problems in general. Being collaborative
It’s crucial you know how to handle conflict without is one strength that interviewers generally look
playing the blame game. Your response should out for. Did you seek out assistance from others in
primarily be focused on how you managed to resolve understanding the problem, developing possible
the situation. A superior candidate will demonstrate solutions, and implementing a commercial, yet
professionalism in attitude and communication style workable solution?
when dealing with others. Problem-solving and
conflict-resolution skills are key. Good candidates
Describe a mistake you’ve made professionally.
do not need to be well-liked by everyone, but they
must be capable of working with everyone at the This is an opportunity to showcase your humility,
office and achieving a workable outcome in the face resilience and adaptability. This situational question is
of any co-worker-related difficulties. Avoid putting about finding out how you managed to bounce back,
the blame on others and shirking accountability. learn and reflect upon mistakes. What was the lesson
you learnt here? If a candidate refuses to admit to any
past mistakes, then it is a sign that he or she might not
Describe a situation where you had to work with a
be willing or able to learn from difficult situations.
difficult manager or important client or stakeholder.

Your answer would invariably reveal your attitude

Describe a situation where you worked under a
towards authority, as well as how you approach
tight deadline.
a problem at work. An ideal answer here would
demonstrate how you managed to not let personal Here’s an opportunity for you to show how good you
feelings or disagreements get in the way of your are at multitasking! Equip yourself with a success
working relationships within your workplace. A good story (or two!) that demonstrate how you organised
candidate should demonstrate emotional maturity your workflow, dealt with pressure, and navigated
and professionalism, above all else. through competing priorities. Talk them through
your planning process, how you communicate with
others, and how you collaborate with other colleagues
Describe a situation where you needed to persuade
toward a common goal. Did you try to extend the
someone to accept your point of view or convince
deadline if possible? Did you seek additional help?
them to change something.
Most importantly, what was the challenge you had to
This question evaluates soft skills such as overcome and what was the outcome?
communication and relationship building. You should
demonstrate empathy and listening skills that allow
you to understand the other side of a situation and
help bring about a change of opinion. You should
show how you negotiate and generally develop and
strengthen relationships with others.
 INTERVIEW GUIDE
Situational
interview questions

Here are 10 common situational interview questions and some suggestions on how to respond to them:

Describe a time when you received criticism. Describe a situation when you had come into a new
team or a new working environment.
How you answer this question will allow the interviewer
to have greater insights as to how coachable you The answer will reveal how you adapt to change.
are. Most interviewers are wanting to hear about your This is important for all new hires, who need to fit in
ability to learn. While being open to criticism is never to a company climate and hit the ground running.
easy, the best candidates will take it in their stride, Top candidates will show that they are adaptable
analyse it, and potentially make improvements based and open to change, that they will focus on building
on the criticism. A good answer would show emotional relationships inside the company, that they know how
maturity, adaptability, and leadership potential. to seek help when necessary, and that they do not
judge people or processes too fast before knowing all
the relevant facts.
Describe a situation when you needed to
take initiative.
Describe a situation where you needed to work with
Your answer should show off your proactivity. The
a client or stakeholder who was very different
situation should be a case where you recognised a
from you.
problem that nobody else was able to resolve and
took initiative to come up with a solution. The action This question demonstrates how adaptable you are
should show a willingness to go above and beyond the when interacting with various personalities. It aims
call of duty when required. Proactivity and problem to discover whether you can change up your style of
solving are important prized traits that firms would be communication for different people. This question
looking for; this question can go a long way toward also allows the interviewer to evaluate your emotional
revealing these attributes in a candidate. intelligence and people skills.
 INTERVIEW GUIDE
Questions to ask
your interviewer

Very often, interviewers assess candidates based

on the quality of the questions they pose during the
interview. As such, it is crucial that you go prepared
with questions about the role and the company based
on the research you have conducted prior to the
interview.

Asking relevant questions indicates a genuine interest

in the role. Below are some questions that you might
like to ask:

• What is the company’s strategy for the region and

future growth plans? In what areas do you expect
the business to grow the most?
• How would you describe the culture of
the company?
• How does this role fit into the structure of
the organisation?
• What are the key challenges for this role?
• What are the short-term and long-term
expectations for this role? What are some of the
key performance indicators (KPIs) this role has
to meet?
• What are the orientation or induction programmes
available for new hires?
• What is a typical career track for an employee in
this team?
• Please tell me more about the qualities a
high-performer in your company would possess.
• Could you tell me more about the teams that
I will be working with?
• What would be the next step in the interview
process for this role?
 INTERVIEW GUIDE
Additional interview
questions for practice

WORK EXPERIENCE CAREER GOALS

• What were your primary responsibilities? • What are your immediate career goals?
• What did you like the most and least about your • What would you like to be doing five years
previous role? from now?
• What key takeaways have you gained from your • How does this role fit in with your career goals?
previous roles? • What motivates you in your work?
• What skills have you acquired that would add value
OTHERS
to this role?
• What types of management style and team • Could you tell me more about yourself?
structure do you function best in? • What do you know about our company?
CAPABILITIES • What interests you about the role and
our company?
• What are some of your strengths
• What do you think is the most important attribute in
and weaknesses?
a co-worker?
• What are some of your recent achievements?
• Why do you think we should hire you?
• What could you provide us with in this role that
someone else cannot?
• What new skills have you picked up in your
recent role?
• How would your managers or colleagues
describe you?
• Give an example of how you displayed initiative in
one of your previous roles.
 INTERVIEW GUIDE
Discussing salary

In general, our advice would be to avoid any

discussion on salary, bonuses or holidays during the
interview. Should the interviewer raise it, it is always
recommended that you defer the issue to us, your
recruitment consultants.

These are some of the scenarios that may happen, if

you state an amount in response to this question:

1 Your expected amount might be out of the budget

and you may hinder your chances of being further
considered for the role.
2 Your expected amount might be too low and you
would potentially be offered the lower amount even
if there is room for a higher number within
the budget.
3 Your expected amount is within the budget, but
you would have little room for negotiation as the
company would assume that you will be willing to
accept an offer based on the expected amount you
have stated.

If asked about your expected salary:

• Never commit to any number.

• Be factual and only share your current
compensation amount (basic, bonuses,
allowances etc.)
• Share that you will come back on the expected
salary after thinking it through.
• Example: “I’m currently on $XXX (base & bonus). As
this is an important career move for me, I hope you
do not mind, but please allow me to take some time
to think it through before getting back to you.”

Wishing you the best of luck!

 INTERVIEW GUIDE
We hope this guide has been helpful in your
preparation for your interview.
If you have any questions regarding any aspect of the
process, please feel free to get in touch with us.

Aslant Legal is a specialist recruitment firm with a

strong focus on the Asian region, mainly in Singapore,
Hong Kong and China.

The specialism of our consultants, combined with our

market insight and established network of contacts,
uniquely positions us to deliver high quality candidates
and customised solutions to our clients.

Level 20
One Marina Boulevard
Singapore 018989

EA Licence 16S7973

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