Marriott Harrison Vacation Scheme - March 2024

What was the full recruitment process?         

1. Application

2. Assessment centre

3. Vacation scheme

Which aspect does this report cover?

Vacation scheme assessment centre

Where did the assessment centre take place?            

The firm's office

What did the assessment centre involve?      

1. Group task: commercial discussion and pitch (~45 minutes with an associate and a senior associate moderating and assessing)

2. Round table discussion: discussion of two opinion-based questions (~45 minutes, with an associate and a senior associate leading the activity)

3. Technical written activity (~45 minutes)

4. Mini interview: motivation and competency questions (~12 minutes with a member of graduate recruitment - apparently this can also be with the training principal)

Group task

The activity was titled Dragon’s Den. I was working with a group of six people, and we had to come up with a product that would improve the transition for students from university to working life. We came up with an app (essentially, it was like a Commercial Law Academy / The Forage fusion).

The following points were given to help us structure our product:

• What is the product and what is its purpose?
• Who is the target audience?
• How much funding is going to be needed from investors? 
• What costs are involved in creating this app?

We had 25 minutes to discuss our ideas as a group and 2 minutes 30 seconds to pitch our product to the assessors. We had the choice of having one person present the product, or everyone on the team could participate. We decided that everyone in the team should participate. Our presentation followed the structure mentioned above.

The second part of the exercise was as follows: six matchsticks were given to us. Everyone had to individually make four triangles out of the six matchsticks. We were given 7 minutes to complete this task. Verbal communication was not allowed; however, using gestures and copying other team members seemed to be ok (we weren’t told what was being assessed in this exercise). 

Round table discussion 

As the name suggests, this was basically a round-table discussion. There were two fee-earners leading the activity. I was part of the same group of six that I was in for the group task.

The first question we had to discuss was: “If you could send any modern-day invention back in history, what would you send?”. The team had a very fluid discussion about this. Everyone had to participate and give their opinion. We concluded that we would send a GoPro.

The second topic of discussion was “should the pension age be increased?". Again, we just had a free-flowing conversation. The advantages / disadvantages were mentioned, and ultimately the majority of the group agreed that the pension age should not be increased.

Overall, it was a very comfortable discussion, with lots of different ideas explored (the fee earners said they were aiming for this to be the most enjoyable exercise of the day). The fee earners intervened and contributed ideas at times, which helped to create a more relaxed environment. For example, when we were deciding whether we would choose to send a camera or a GoPro as part of the first discussion, one of the assessors commented that he would prefer a GoPro because people might just take selfies on the camera.

Technical activity 

I had to complete a written task. There were two parts to the exercise.

Part A: a trainee to-do list was provided with approx. 10 things on the list. I had to rank the tasks in the order that I would complete them and explain why I would take this approach.

Part B: there was an email from a client of the firm who was considering acquiring another company and wanted to make an offer before other prospective buyers did so. We weren’t given much background information - we weren’t even told what the client does or what the target company is known for.

I had to inform the client that we would be in touch later on with more details on how to proceed, and advise the client on five things that they should be aware of before purchasing this company. The activity was handwritten, and I had 45 minutes to complete it.

Mini interview 

While some candidates were being interviewed, the rest of the group was networking with a trainee. My interview lasted approx. 12 mins and the following questions were asked:

• When will you be available to start the training contract?
• Tell me about an achievement.
• What differentiates an excellent lawyer from a good lawyer?
• Why Marriott Harrison?
• Tell me about a team that you have worked well with.
• What role do you usually adopt in a team?
• What is the most important value of the firm, in your opinion?

I then had the opportunity to ask questions.

What was the outcome?                                                  

The firm called me 6 days after the assessment centre to offer me a place on the vacation scheme. 

Do you have any specific advice on how to prepare?

The group exercise and the round table cannot be prepared for. They are assessing your ability to work well in a team, so just make sure you actively participate in the discussions. The discussion requires common sense more than anything. 

For the written task, make sure you leave enough time to complete both sections. The second section did require some commercial knowledge. I would recommend reviewing Jake’s Commercial Law Handbook or the M&A course on the Commercial Law Academy. 

The interview is very straightforward. Just consider answers to basic motivation / competency questions. 

Overall, the advice given at the beginning of the assessment centre was to be yourself. While this might sound like a cliché, the tasks are designed to let your personality shine and allow the firm to get to know you as a person.