r/uklaw • u/AbbreviationsTop2192 • 12h ago

Screening Call: What to Expect?

I've got a screening call with a talent acquisition specialist from a large regional law firm in respect of a paralegal role. I've never had a screen call before, so i'm not sure what it usually involves and how best to prepare. I'd be very grateful for any advice.

Thanks in advance.

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

2

u/Outside_Drawing5407 11h ago

Probably going to be a very basic call to check the following to see how suitable you are for the role:

- Why you applied

- What else you are applying to/where you are up to in other recruitment processes for other roles

- What your salary expectations are

- When you could start a role

You may get some very basic interview questions asking you to summarise your key experiences relevant to the role, but generally any competency interview questions are typically not dealt with until you have an interview (face to face or over a video call).

1

u/AbbreviationsTop2192 11h ago

Thanks, that’s really helpful. I’m wondering how best to navigate the salary expectations point.

I have an interview with another organisation for a legal assistant role offering around £32k, which is considerably higher than the average paralegal salary. The role I’m most interested in, though, is this one (the one involving the phone call) mainly because of the location and the nature of the work. However, the salary is listed only as “competitive”, which I assume may mean something closer to the usual paralegal range, perhaps around £25k.

I don’t want to put them off by raising salary too directly or seeming unrealistic, but I also don’t want to ignore the possibility that there may be room for negotiation, especially given the possibility that I might soon have another offer at a higher level.

What do you think would be the best way to approach this?

2

u/Outside_Drawing5407 11h ago

Bat the question back to them and ask what their salary expectations for the role are. You can ask something like "as the role was advertised as a competitive salary, please could you provide more detail on what are people in similar roles paid at your firm?".

1

u/Mother_Scholar2839 9h ago

£25k seems v low. Definitely ask them for more info re the salary

1

u/AbbreviationsTop2192 9h ago

25k is what I’m basing in on based on glassdoor but it might well be higher I’m not sure.