Hi guys
I got an invitation for a Partner Interview in a big firm, anyone who has been to one of these let me know what kind of things to expect? I am not too familiar with this type of interviewing process?? Also (i know this is a stupid questions but....) can someone explain what/who a partner is and what their role is? If not i shall just do some more research on it myself.
Thanks in advance
Without going into the real technicalities of how a modern professional services firm is legally structured, a partner is essentially an owner of the firm as they have an equity interest. It also means they are personally liable if something goes wrong- 'skin in the game' as some would say. They are the ones who sign their name (or the partnership's name) on documents and have the weight of the partnership behind them - this is particularly important for things like an audit whereby if it turns out their audit wasn't conducted properly then there is an entire partnership supporting them. In essence though, they will be the bosses (and there are multiple levels of partners too).
At cadetship level though you will be asked pretty general questions and they won't be very technical. More likely to cover various situations and ask you how you demonstrated particular characteristics or traits such as leadership, coaching, teamwork, etc... and you'll want to try and link back to specific examples (e.g. I demonstrated leadership when I...., an example of when I dealt with conflict was...,). Also note the interview is there to try and assess your potential because cadetships are all about long term potential with the firm and whether they should take a chance and invest in you now. The way they assess this and what they look for will vary from firm to firm and it's quite a broad assessment but it'll be everything from cultural fit, your genuine interest/passion for the industry, whether or not they see you as a future partner/leader, etc.