The primary emphasis of our application process is geared to matching your knowledge, skills and interests to those needed by the vacancy, verifying key competencies and evaluating your fit with our work culture and our clients' needs.

This is the general (subject to modification) application process:

1. Submission of CV, transcript and covering letter
2. Primary Screening
3. First writing assignment - 7 day deadline
4. Secondary Screening
5. Applicant provision of information & documents - 48 hour deadline
6. Tertiary Screening
7. Firm provision of information & package details
8. First shortlisting
9. Second writing assignment - 48 hour deadline
10. Second shortlisting
11. Primary Skype or Tel. Interview
12. Third writing assignment - 24 hour deadline
13. Finalist shortlisting
14. Final Tel. Interview **
15. Decision

Depending on circumstances and quality of the candidate, some steps like the second or third writing assignment(s) may be obviated. The entire process is conducted via email, Skype and telephone.

The entire process is under a mutual duty of confidentiality and a confidentiality agreement may be executed by the potential recruit and the Firm prior to the commencement of the applicant process.

You should hear from us within 48 hours - very likely sooner - after your first contact. Rest assured we will keep you informed each step of the way and aim to give you a meaningful candidate experience, regardless of the outcome.

** For applicants that are currently resident in Japan, the Firm may invite eligible candidates for a Five Day Firm Tryout.

The Five Day Firm Tryout is an ideal and mutually beneficial way to screen potential hires and potential hires to screen us as well. The Five Day Firm Tryout is pretty much what it sounds like. After an initial set of meetings, we have candidates work at the Firm for five days. If things go well, they're hired. For more information, please read our FAQ.

We have a rigorous screening process because we not only want to find out more about what makes you unique but we also have an ethical duty that prevents us from hiring any employees that might cause a conflict of interest with the Firm's clients.

We assess all information obtained during our screening steps thoroughly, identifying candidates who are likely to best fit the Firm's culture, build on its milestones and contribute to its continued success.

Applications for our vacancies are extremely competitive and the recruitment process is vigorous, thorough, but ultimately informative. It is a mutual exercise in discovery of each other.

Ready to apply now?

Email your CV, academic results and a cover letter to the Executive Director [email protected]

In your cover letter, remember to tell us why you are interested in joining us. Please, no telephone inquiries.

We want you to do your very best in the application process so please review the following for some hints and tips to ensure a successful application.

What we look for in a CV and cover letter.

･ Flawless English. Avoid spelling and grammar errors.
･ Tailor your CV and cover letter to the position, our organization and milestones.
･ Good academic results or a very good explanation for its absence.
･ Proof that you are disciplined and don't give up easily.
･ Don't leave gaps – if you spent nine months in Ko Phi Phi, Liquid at Aria or anywhere else, we want to know.
･ Include any character-building experiences such as volunteering at an orphanage in Chandigarh or building a playground in Cobquecura.
･ No need for any flashy resume presentation or fancy graphics. It should be professional and straightforward.
･ Have a succinct CV. One page is ideal and no more than three pages.

How to prepare for the Telephone/Skype Interviews

･ Relax. We just want to get to know you, your motivations and find out whether you'll be a good fit.
･ Read through your CV and submissions to refresh your memory.
･ Be ready to talk knowledgeably about everything you've mentioned in your CV and submissions.
･ Avoid giving long-winded answers and you should get to the point in 5 words or less.
･ Be honest. Resist the temptation to exaggerate.
･ Listen carefully and if you don't understand the question, request for clarification.
･ We primarily ask basic and open-ended, behavioral questions.

These are some examples of the genre of questions that are relevant to us.

Basic Interview Questions:

Tell us about yourself.
Why do you want this job?
What attracted you to our Firm?
What can you do for us that other candidates can't?
What do you know about the intellectual property field?
What do you know about us?
Do you have any questions for me?
What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?
What kind of personality do you work best with and why?
What are you most proud of?
What are your lifelong dreams?
What are three positive things your last boss would say about you?
What negative thing would your last boss say about you?
What three character traits would your friends use to describe you?
What are three positive character traits you don't have?
If you were interviewing someone for this position, what traits would you look for?
List five words that describe your character.
Who has impacted you most in your life and how?
Why did you choose your major?
How do you feel about taking no for an answer?
How would you feel about working for someone who knows less than you?
There's no right or wrong answer, but if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be?
What's the worst book you read?
What's the best movie you've seen in the last year?
What do you do in your spare time?
What is your favorite memory from childhood?

Behavioral Interview Questions:

What was the last project you headed up, and what was its outcome?
Can you describe a time when your work was singled out for criticism?
Have you ever been on a team where someone was not pulling their own weight? How did you handle it?
Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it?
Describe a time where a major change occurred in your life. How did you adapt to this change?
What irritates you about other people, and how do you deal with it?
If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something that you disagreed with, what would you do?
Tell us about a time when you used facts and reason to persuade someone to accept your recommendation.

･ Try to keep your answers as concise as possible and remember to use the STAR method in your answers to behavioral questions. STAR is simply an acronym (Situation or Task, Action, Result) that helps you during your job interview to organize your answer into three parts:

Situation or Task

At the beginning of your answer you need to detail the specific situation that you are drawing upon or the particular task that was involved. Try to draw upon life related experiences if possible.

Do not talk generally how you would normally act in the situation. Be specific. Be concise. Be direct. Do not waffle or beat around the bush. You need to pick a particular situation and get the point within 5 words or less.

Action

Your next step is to describe what you did. What actions did you take? Here it is important to remember the question is being directed towards you. Concentrate on your individual efforts. Remember the interviewer is assessing your response not your team's or colleagues' actions. It's all about you.

Result

Lastly, discuss what happened as a result. What was the impact? If relevant, express this quantitatively with figures or statistics.

Note that not all behavioral questions require you to achieve something; be sure to give the answer that is demanded by the context of the question.