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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2025-26

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Reed Smith’s grad rec team watching the forum beef between jamieclarke vs spamelinazoid like:

Spongebob Squarepants Popcorn GIF
Willing to do anything to get some comms from them tbh
 
The firm I interviewed with literally based it only on my interview performance because I was ‘lacking commercial awareness’ despite performing really well during the scheme. It’s the worst feeling and I really get you about working and doing VIs. I did my interview for RS yesterday after a full day at my job which I hate anyway so the mood was not right😭😭
Also mostly failed to convert last year because of my final interview so completely get it... (cried in the bathroom after my interview as I had a sense I had failed )
 
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The firm I interviewed with literally based it only on my interview performance because I was ‘lacking commercial awareness’ despite performing really well during the scheme. It’s the worst feeling and I really get you about working and doing VIs. I did my interview for RS yesterday after a full day at my job which I hate anyway so the mood was not right😭😭
Anyone on here got any advice to do well in exit interviews / be more ‘commercially aware’. They tend to really rip you apart in these final final ones so I am also wanting to know what to do LOL
 
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Just realised that I used AI in an application in which I supposedly assured that I had not in the declaration. Yet somehow haven’t had a PFO yet many many others have. Any advice here? Thanksss

It's unlikely that firms will use automated AI detection tools, because they don't work.

IME using AI it creates horrid prose with certain patterns like
  • lots of unnecessary adverbs like "genuinely multispecialist"
  • "matches how I work best"
  • "intersection of X and Y"
  • "combines X with Y"
I am sure if you are in recruitment and you come across these kind of patterns you just click "reject", without going to check an AI detector (which doesn't work).

OTOH if you use AI and edit out the repetitive AI quirks, they are not going to notice.
 
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