A&L Goodbody Summer Internship

joxer05

Hi everyone,

I've just got a letter today confirming I'm through to the interview round for the A&L Goodbody Summer Internship programme. Just wondering has anyone been through this, and do they have any advice? Also, what are Goodbodys like to work for?

Thanks

johnfás

Congratulations on getting to the interview round, it is no mean feat and you should be proud of yourself. Over 600 apply for these internships and only 50 or so generally make it to interview, so that is a success in itself.

The big firms recruit heavily from the internship programmes, though they don't by any stretch recruit all their intake from the programme so it is an excellent foot to get in the door.

Most important thing in the interview is to be yourself and not to try and put up any front which will inevitably be seen through and thus work against you. Being yourself on your application was good enough to get this far. Whilst it is important to prepare for interviews don't prepare so much that you are learning answers by heart - it is unlikely that any of the questions you practice will actually be asked. When I had my interview for a job at a big 5 for the 2010 intake the conversation was about the most random of topics, things you would never prepare for, so as I said, just be yourself.

Do however remember to look over your CV and application, make sure you know what you wrote on it and why. Interviewers often delve deep into your experience and how you came to making particular decisions... why you enjoy playing a particular sport, what you gain from it etc.

Best of luck

catch88

Congratulations!

I attended the blackhall 'how to secure a traineeship' seminar thing and someone mentioned that A&L Goodbody asked some 'scenario' questions.

I think one was along the line of 'what would you do if one of the firm's biggest clients asked you to take on his son as a trainee as a favour etc'

And some of the other problem questions were mind-boggling to ask any trainee....but don't let that put you off.

Best of luck, let us know how it went and what they asked!

pansoul

Intriguingly, I have also applied for this programme Joxer. However as yet, I await something (something positive!) in the post from A&L. I assume Pat and Jess will be along to deliver it tomorrow.

I've heard they run a fairly good programme so it should be worthwhile if it comes to pass. As regards the interview, I suppose John's advice -- to be yourself -- is fairly good advice; though I think the proviso needs to be added that we're not all perfect (and some of us aren't even great), so in such a scenario it's probably worth going on a little journey of self-discovery to ascertain just where you lie on the Perfect ... Not So Perfect Continuum. Upon reaching Destination Knowing Me, you will be well placed to tailor Interview Me to the contextual forces and desired outcome of the interview.

If that all sounds very complicated it's probably because I made it needlessly complicated. I have a tendency to do that. Which is why I need to be aware of such tendencies, and calibrate myself accordingly for situations where it would be inappropriate to come across as some kind of spaced-out retard. And therein lies the lesson: Know your faults and strengths, your interests and desires, think about them and think about them in the context of an interview for a summer internship in A&L.
So if you're inclined to be nervous, you need to be aware of that and take steps (such as thorough preparation or concentrating on deep, regular breaths) to lessen the chance of it being a hindrance; or if you're inclined to impulsively blurt out the first thing that comes into your head when asked a question, then be aware of such a condition and plan accordingly (such as taking a couple of seconds silent thought after they ask you a question).


Hopefully that is of some assistance to you. Though in all likelihood I appreciate you are probably scratching your head. In which case I think I've been partly successful, or else you've some form of parasitic insect (probably a nit) residing on your head and should seek out medical attention as a matter of low to medium urgency!

Player_86

Well done OP on getting to interview.

I came through the whole internship process with A&L last year, and I thought they were the friendliest at interview stage - genuinely nice people, not trying to catch you out.

The best advice I can give you is this: the interviewers will have only a copy of your application form in front of them, and they will go through it from top to bottom asking questions about things on it that they want to know more about. So, I'd recommend knowing your application form inside out; perhaps even get a mate to go down through it with you and ask you questions on various aspects of it.

I'd echo the advice of a previous poster though - don't make it seem as if you've learned answers by rote.

Also, I did hear one person who was asked a dodgy question at interview last year - "What would you do if you were Chief Executive of this firm?". As you may know, A&L have a different structure than the other firms in Dublin, with a Managing Partner and a Chief Executive, so maybe think of some reasons why you like that structure etc.

Good luck

joxer05

Thanks for all the advice so far! Just wondering if anyone has worked for A&L so they can shed some light on their experiences of the firm as an employer?

Tom Young

Anyone who feels the need to answer this question can do so by PM'ing you directly.

I am shutting this thread.

While I think finding out information about the culture and working practices of any given firm is prudent, it is not prudent to do so in such a public forum or way. Find someone you can identify by name and in person and get your advice.

Thanks,

Tom