Nieves Bayón is just one of the many IEU success stories. She is currently studying a Dual Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and Law, and she has already achieved so much in her professional career. We sat down with her to talk about her interning experience at Cleary Gottlieb.
How did you find out about this job opportunity?
I never would have found out about this job opportunity (at least not this year) if it were not for the Careers Department and two of my law professors at IE University. They were all essential in helping me develop an interest in Cleary Gottlieb. I have wanted to work in the EU law field since the end of my first year of college. Cleary Gottlieb was the perfect opportunity.
How did the CMC and your IE experience help you during the recruiting process?
In this specific recruiting process, the CMC helped me find out about the opportunity. It is one of the most efficient departments at IE University and the people working there are always ready to help. CMC also helped me with my CV, which I believe is an important part of any recruitment process.
With regard to my IEU experience, I believe every program prepares students to excel in the interview process. They put an emphasis on the importance of the recruitment process, and doing internships early on in our university career. In my case, I believe that having done summer internships previously contributed to my success in the recruitment process. Also, I believe that the focus on EU law that we get makes IEU students ideal candidates for law firms that are specialized in the EU law field.
How was the recruiting process: stages, tests, interviews, etc?
I was applying for the Summer Associate position (and thus lacked the knowledge of how applying for a permanent position in Cleary would work). In the recruitment process I participated in there were two main stages, the interview being the most important one.
The first stage was the selection for the interview. For this stage, I had to send my CV and transcript to the Human Resources department at Cleary Gottlieb. After reviewing the CV and transcript, Cleary Gottlieb confirmed my selection for the interview and set up a time and date for it.
I went to the interview (which would be the second stage) and, after that, I just had to wait. The waiting period lasted until January. Taking into account that I had done the interview at the beginning of October, I was really looking forward to this confirmation.
Do you have any tips or advice for current students interested in applying to Cleary Gottlieb?
I believe that there were three main ingredients that made me a good candidate for Cleary Gottlieb. First of all, my CV and transcript. Believe it or not, when applying for an internship in a big law firm, having good grades matters.
They are, however, not the only deciding factor. In addition to having good grades, I had done internships and had been involved in extracurricular activities in the previous years, so I had some experience working in law. For example, the seminars I attended showed that I had interest in learning more than what is taught in normal classes.
I remember one of the questions that the interviewers asked me which concerned a class on Islam and human rights. That class seemed not to match my “record”. However, it proved I had interests in fields other than the field in which I want to work.
Thirdly, and probably most importantly, I have a passion for EU law. I think that it was very easy for the interviewers to see that I was interested in what they were doing. The more they spoke, the more convinced I was that I wanted to follow a similar path. I had studied the company before the interview and knew that I wanted to work there in the future. It was not just the size or prestige that made Cleary Gottlieb special, but the issues and branch of law they deal with. Everything went really smoothly and naturally. I can almost say that, for the first time ever, the interview felt too short.