Keeping myself accountable

[hmevey]

I saw other people do this and i think i am reaching the point of no return in terms of motivation so I am posting this to keep myself accountable and try this year.

So, I have been working as a paralegal (firstly in private practice and now in house) for a year and a bit and I've been applying for TCs as i go. I literally cant get past the first stage and this year i just want to be successful.

Last year i applied for 10 firms, got 10 rejections and just thought law isnt for me. This year, i have a few firms in mind that I will be applying for and hoping for the best.

The game plan:
applications for CMS and Irwin Mitchell done by November 1st
WG practice weekly
taking my commercial awareness SERIOUSLY- so i will be trying to listen to podcasts on my way to work or in the gym. I have also subscribed to Watson's daily (to the lovely human being from TCLA who told me about this, i hope your pillow is cold on both sides for the rest of your life- you are amazing).

Other firms of interest are:
Browne Jacobson, K&L Gates, Shoosmiths, Howard Kennedy

If anyone has any tips on any of these firms or application process' please help a gal out!

I'll update on my process weekly and lets all hope that this year is my year. I'm losing alot of faith in myself and Im not sure how many more rejections i can handle alas, diamonds are made under pressure so lets see if this year a diamond forms as a result of my immense stress (diamond being a TC offer pleaseee)!

 

[Abbie Whitlock]

I saw other people do this and i think i am reaching the point of no return in terms of motivation so I am posting this to keep myself accountable and try this year.

So, I have been working as a paralegal (firstly in private practice and now in house) for a year and a bit and I've been applying for TCs as i go. I literally cant get past the first stage and this year i just want to be successful.

Last year i applied for 10 firms, got 10 rejections and just thought law isnt for me. This year, i have a few firms in mind that I will be applying for and hoping for the best.

The game plan:
applications for CMS and Irwin Mitchell done by November 1st
WG practice weekly
taking my commercial awareness SERIOUSLY- so i will be trying to listen to podcasts on my way to work or in the gym. I have also subscribed to Watson's daily (to the lovely human being from TCLA who told me about this, i hope your pillow is cold on both sides for the rest of your life- you are amazing).

Other firms of interest are:
Browne Jacobson, K&L Gates, Shoosmiths, Howard Kennedy

If anyone has any tips on any of these firms or application process' please help a gal out!

I'll update on my process weekly and lets all hope that this year is my year. I'm losing alot of faith in myself and Im not sure how many more rejections i can handle alas, diamonds are made under pressure so lets see if this year a diamond forms as a result of my immense stress (diamond being a TC offer pleaseee)!

Hello!

Looking forward to seeing your updates over the year! You’re definitely not alone in feeling this way, and I’m sure that posting weekly will be a great way to hold yourself accountable and speak with others going through the process! Your plan sounds super solid, and it’s clear that you are putting a lot of effort in (alongside working which is really impressive). Rejections are definitely rough (and we’ve all been there!), but they do not define your ability or potential. You’ve already shown a lot of resilience, and that mindset will take you far.

Wishing you the best of luck - this can be your year! 💎🙌🏼 We’ll be rooting for you!

 

[hmevey]

Hi,

Its been a while since i have updated this. I have now made 5 applications, received one rejection post application and taken 3 WG's. I am slacking a bit on the commercial awareness and struggling very much with the WG- i seem to be getting worse with every submission which is not great. Alas, basically all the firms I want to apply for require some form of critical thinking test so here is to hoping they see my application and potential over my sad WG attempts. Maybe im trying to hard.

The pressure is on now- i started the application cycle feeling very confident and motivated and I'm back to feeling disheartened and like I will never be able to say I have finally got an offer. Anyways, I will keep trying- i just dont know how long i can be just a paralegal for. It is demotivating when Im trying so hard but anyways, I will be back with an update and hopefully its a good one! fingers crossed

 

[Afraz Akhtar]

Hey, sorry to hear that you’re feeling this way. I probably sound like a broken record but the way you’re feeling is entirely normal. I was a paralegal when I got my offer, and before that came through I also felt as though perhaps my career has piqued. Yet, the reality was much different. I know the same will be for you also, because you have an insight that most may not have – and it is about leveraging that insight to strengthen up your applications.

Do you have an idea of how many firms you have/will be applying for this cycle, and are you also taking the time to improve your WG performance? It is a difficult test to thrive at, not one you become better at simply because you’re academically brighter or more professional experienced. It takes time, it takes practice, and above all, it takes a little understanding of what those tests are actually looking for across their different aspects.

Wishing you all the best!

 

[hmevey]

Hey, sorry to hear that you’re feeling this way. I probably sound like a broken record but the way you’re feeling is entirely normal. I was a paralegal when I got my offer, and before that came through I also felt as though perhaps my career has piqued. Yet, the reality was much different. I know the same will be for you also, because you have an insight that most may not have – and it is about leveraging that insight to strengthen up your applications.

Do you have an idea of how many firms you have/will be applying for this cycle, and are you also taking the time to improve your WG performance? It is a difficult test to thrive at, not one you become better at simply because you’re academically brighter or more professional experienced. It takes time, it takes practice, and above all, it takes a little understanding of what those tests are actually looking for across their different aspects.

Wishing you all the best!

Hey! Thank you for your reply and kind words, i appreciate it. I have applied to 5 firms so far and been rejected from 1 so far. I initially planned to do 6 applications but I am now going to try and do as many as I can to a good standard. I am now aiming for 10-12. I'm going for a mix of firms but mainly mid market, national / a few international offices and with a range of intakes. I'm interested in media/tech, m&a, PE and commercial so the firms I am applying for have a strength in at least one of these or at least the option to do a seat in one of these. I felt super passionate about two firms but the one i was rejected from was my top choice so I am trying to detach from 'favourites' and apply for 10 that I think align with me culturally and work wise and hope fo rthe best. I have been trying with the WG and was doing a few practices a week earlier in the cycle. I now spend about 3-4 days doing an hour practice before taking a WG for a specific application rather than constant WG practice.

I'm trying to push through my negativity and im really hoping this year will be my year! I was hopeful that with coming on to two years paralegal experience- a year each in house and at a firm- that my why law came across even stronger but i do worry.

 

[3000to1shoteverytime]

I would try to apply for more than 10 a cycle.

I really don't want to tell you the very high number I applied to over 2 cycles (as it may put you off) but it did lead to a training contract offer and I am now doing a sponsored pgdl/sqe LLM paid for by the firm. 10 a year wouldn't have seen me get this.

As regards WG. Practise, practise, practise. It really does make a difference to consistency at a high score.

Wishing you good luck.

 

[hmevey]

I would try to apply for more than 10 a cycle.

I really don't want to tell you the very high number I applied to over 2 cycles (as it may put you off) but it did lead to a training contract offer and I am now doing a sponsored pgdl/sqe LLM paid for by the firm. 10 a year wouldn't have seen me get this.

As regards WG. Practise, practise, practise. It really does make a difference to consistency at a high score.

Wishing you good luck.

Thank you x how many firms did you do during your cycles? I keep being told that quality is better than quantity and one application seems to take me like a week! But i do want to amp it up i just dont know how thorough my research would be. And yes i think i need to probably do a WG practice daily at this point- i really suck. thank you for the pointers