Preparing for Silk & Judicial Appointments
What worries you about this process?
- Where do I start reviewing the personal qualities or competencies on the application form?
- What do they want to hear?
- How do I choose the best referees to represent me?
- I haven’t had an interview for years, so I have no idea how I come across to others in an interview scenario
- I’m usually the one asking the questions. What kind of questions will they ask me?
- What can I do to prepare for a competency based selection process?
- For judicial appointments there is the qualifying test, and interview and a role play – for some there is even a presentation. Where do I start preparing for all of this?
How can we help?
Whether you are applying for silk or a full or part-time judicial appointment, we understand how you feel and can help you make the most of this opportunity to prove yourself. In one or more confidential sessions you will have the opportunity to:
- Review your approach to the application form
- Understand the competencies or qualities required for the post
- Practise some interview questions
- Address any other issues that really concern you about your application
- We helped 35 out of 84 of the successful candidates on the silk list in 2012/13 (so 42% of all the successful candidates) with a stunning 64% success rate for our candidates compared to a 46% success rate for the whole competition.
One-to-one coaching sessions are tailored to suit your needs and requirements. You may want a meeting with one coach to help you prepare the application form – for a fixed fee this would include the pre-reading of a draft application form, a one hour one-to-one meeting and post-meeting feedback of an updated form. Subsequent work or meetings will be based on an hourly rate.
If you are then selected for interview, a 2 hour interview preparation session with two of our coaches is immensely useful. We seek to reproduce the actual interview scenario with a lay and a lawyer member, where possible, and give robust, confidential feedback about how you come across and some tools and techniques to help you improve.
Alternatively, we can come to Chambers and run a Taster Session (on silk or judicial applications, or both) specifically for your members and clerks to outline the process, give some general tips and ideas to help members make the most of their application or help those start to plan their practice now for future applications. This would be a 45 minute session in your Chambers with probably two of our experienced coaches and as many of your members and clerks as you want. There would then be an opportunity for questions and further discussion. Perhaps you might want us to come and talk to members about preparing for silk and judicial appointments at your next AGM? There is no formal charge for these sessions, but travel and/or overnight accommodation costs might be required depending on the time, day and venue of the session you want.
An example Silk Taster Session could include:
- Review of the last competition results
- Summary of the new process and timetable
- Changes since the last competition
- What they really want from the application form – understanding those competencies
- Helping you choose the best assessors
- Sifting
- The interview – how not to be a victim
- Where to start …………
For some of our clients, we are working with them a year in advance of their planned applications, running individually focused coaching sessions to help them understand what is required, understand themselves and their strengths, and goals and objective setting sessions to give them the best shot at their silk application.
To find out about our charges and what people have said about us click here.
For details of the timetable for the current silk and judicial competitions, click here.
For further details and information about the members of Sherwood PSF Consulting Ltd who are available to help you, contact Kate Blackburn.
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