The unofficial assessment centre exercises that decide who get big money training contracts

Like Doulingo, law firms have their own version of the ‘taxi driver test’

You manage to avoid coming across like a megalomaniac/wallflower during the group exercises, hold your nerve to deliver presentations about topics way outside your comfort zone, and survive interviews with gruff partners to whom every minute not billing clients is worth frightening sums of money … and then lose it all because of a seemingly inconsequential interaction with someone you thought didn’t count.

This is what happens to candidates every year in the unforgiving world of elite law firm assessment centres and interviews.

So I wasn’t surprised to read about the ‘taxi driver test’ used by the language app Duolingo when hiring new staff. Developed by the company’s billionaire CEO Luis von Ahn, the test sees drivers who are taking candidates to the office for interview asked to give feedback on how they behaved.

The information the company has received from the drivers, who are paid for their insights, has scuppered hires. This includes one for a senior role who was “really liked” at interview but was “pretty mean to their driver from the airport to the office”, reports The Times and The Burnouts podcast.

This unofficial assessment exercise reminded me of the graduate recruitment manager of one leading law firm who likes to swap places with the receptionist at the entrance to their City of London office just before assessment centre candidates arrive.

The faces of corporate law hopefuls who have been less than polite tend to go a light green colour when they realise the gatekeeper to their BigLaw dreams is the same person who’d just signed them in to the building while they acted like they owned the place.

Other firms operate hidden tests that candidates never know about. For example, one top outfit places a notably high level of weight on (real) receptionists’ assessment of candidates’ small talk during the walk to interview rooms. While others use seemingly informal lunch and drinks sessions as a way to glean information about what hopefuls are really like, with current trainees providing feedback to their bosses after engaging in seemingly matey interactions.

By all the means concentrate on the official exercises, but drop your guard when you think no one is watching at your peril.