General Discussion Thread 2020-21

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thank you everyone for all the support and the kind messages. i honestly really appreciate it and it's why i love this forum so much.

i actually am supposed to have a VS/TC interview with a firm but ever since COVID, the firm has not really updated us on what's going to happen. to give context, the VS/TC interview were supposed to take place in July. I have sent several emails but no response. is it worth giving them a call or should i wait longer?
 
thank you everyone for all the support and the kind messages. i honestly really appreciate it and it's why i love this forum so much.

i actually am supposed to have a VS/TC interview with a firm but ever since COVID, the firm has not really updated us on what's going to happen. to give context, the VS/TC interview were supposed to take place in July. I have sent several emails but no response. is it worth giving them a call or should i wait longer?

I'd give them a call.
 
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thank you everyone for all the support and the kind messages. i honestly really appreciate it and it's why i love this forum so much.

i actually am supposed to have a VS/TC interview with a firm but ever since COVID, the firm has not really updated us on what's going to happen. to give context, the VS/TC interview were supposed to take place in July. I have sent several emails but no response. is it worth giving them a call or should i wait longer?

as we come into the last week of July, it is worthwhile giving them a call.
 
Feel quite sad about how my VS interview just went, it was much harder than I expect and I don’t feel like I answered the answers as best as I could. Any advice on how to deal with post-interview sadness?

Most people beat themselves up post-interview. Although I encourage people to self-reflect post-interview and to record a few bits down at to how they felt things went, the problem with this is the vast majority of the time people only focus on the negatives of this rather than being really honest about what went well and what didn't. They focus too much on the negatives and hang on to them - that isn't a good thing to do. Being able to self-evaluate is a very important quality of any lawyer. But to do this you need to be able to recognise both the good and the bad.

Even if it is an unsuccessful interview, think about what you can take from the experience - that at least will be practice and learnings for the next assessment.

However, I have lost count how many conversations I have had with people who will literally beat themselves up about the smallest of detail - they overthink about what they said, what they should have said, how they could have said it better, how one assessor seemed really grumpy and they thought that they didn't like them as a candidate, how the questions were really challenging and wish they'd been better prepared for them etc etc etc. That includes someone on here who recently got a TC with a very reputable firm. We had a series of messages back and forth after their interview where if I took purely how they felt about it, you would have thought there was little to no chance of securing a TC. However, I knew the realities of what they were saying and how they were over looking the positives of what had happened and were just second guessing how they had been perceived.

Take some time to think about the positives - write them down even. Even if it was a disaster of an interview, you have learnt something from it and that is a positive ;)
 
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Most people beat themselves up post-interview. Although I encourage people to self-reflect post-interview and to record a few bits down at to how they felt things went, the problem with this is the vast majority of the time people only focus on the negatives of this rather than being really honest about what went well and what didn't. The focus too much on the negatives and hang on to them - that isn't a good thing to do.

Even if it is an unsuccessful interview, think about what you can take from the experience - that at least will be practice and learnings for the next assessment.

However, I have lost count how many conversations I have had with people who will literally beat themselves up about the smallest of detail - they overthink about what they said, what they should have said, how they could have said it better, how one assessor seemed really grumpy and they thought that they didn't like them as a candidate, how the questions were really challenging and wish they'd been better prepared for them etc etc etc. That includes someone on here who recently got a TC with a very reputable firm. We had a series of messages back and forth after their interview where if I took purely how they felt about it, you would have thought there was little to no chance of securing a TC. However, I knew the realities of what they were saying and how they were over looking the positives of what had happened and were just second guessing how they had been perceived.

Take some time to think about the positives - write them down even. Even if it was a disaster of an interview, you have learnt something from it and that is a positive ;)

Thank you Jessica, this is great advice and I will definitely do that after binging some Netflix to feel better. I think I just found it more difficult than I expected and was asked questions I felt very unprepared to answer so it felt like it had all gone a bit wrong! I guess I have to wait and see and just balance out the positives with what I would do next time. Thank you again for your kind words!
 
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Thank you Jessica, this is great advice and I will definitely do that after binging some Netflix to feel better. I think I just found it more difficult than I expected and was asked questions I felt very unprepared to answer so it felt like it had all gone a bit wrong! I guess I have to wait and see and just balance out the positives with what I would do next time. Thank you again for your kind words!

I highly recommend a Netflix binge!

The questions are meant to be challenging. If they were easy, it would be difficult to differentiate candidates and also you wouldn't be able to test out how good a candidate is. From my experience, the more challenging the questions I asked as an assessor, it was because I felt I could really push the candidate further to see how far they could take something. It often didn't worry us if the candidates then stumbled or even got things wrong - it was a case of pushing them until they did.
 
hey guys, i just got rejected a training contract offer following a vac scheme. this was basically my last chance to get a training contract this year and i feel very down and low and i dont know how to go about starting this process all over again. this isn't my first or second cycle, and i know im not alone. does anyone have any tips or advice on how to move forward after continuous rejection? i am 24, and im doing an accelerated track and i just wonder what my options are given SQE and all that. thank you guys.
Hi there,

Sorry this is coming to you slightly late but I just wanted to say I totally empathise with this feeling and that you will get there in the end.

I had two vac schemes last year and didn't convert either one. I really felt the second one was the firm for me and I have never felt so gutted. I remember phoning my mum as soon as I got the call to inform me I was not successful and I have never felt so helpless and panicked. The thought of another cycle on that day was daunting to me as I was already two years graduated and just felt like my life was on hold.

I share this now because you will still be hurting and probably feeling all these feelings. But after I spent time being sad and upset, I started to really think and reflect. The distance of time and some healing made me realise that the US firm route was not for me - I always felt slightly sceptical about whether it was or not but I took these rejections as a sign. I also thought about what I had learned about myself and the type of firm that might be best for me - this made me feel better as I was developing a plan of action which made me feel more in control and positive about things. Come October, I was back out there at events and networking and I felt much much better. I tackled my apps and really enjoyed answering the questions and discussing what I had learned from my previous vacs. I also recognised I had things to work on and so really sought chances and opportunities to develop myself and work on these things. By the end of the events and open days I was attending to meet more firms, I had a dream firm in mind - one which married up entirely with all my criteria. Following more rejection, I was finally offered a TC with my dream firm and here are more things I realised.

1. Everything happens for a reason.
2. I am much much more grateful for my TC than I would have been if I had gotten it the year earlier (my first cycle). Getting those rejections means I will not take this opportunity lightly and I recognise the privilege of being offered a TC more than I believe I would have.
3. I am much more developed and ready to take on a TC. Being forced to confront some things which held me back has absolutely made me a better candidate and person. I no longer approach feedback with hesitation and nerves - I now seek it and actively try my best to implement ways to do better.
4. I feel more self-aware. This process teaches you a lot about yourself and think this is only ever a good thing in the end.

I am so so sorry to hear you did not get the TC this time. Be upset and take your time to heal - we are all different and we all take our time with these things, but just know that your applications in the next cycle will be all the better for the experience you have now had and you will develop and grow from this eventually (though it will not feel like it now or possibly for a little while). You have already achieved great things in getting on the vac scheme and this will happen for you - at the right firm and at the right time.
 
Hi there,

Sorry this is coming to you slightly late but I just wanted to say I totally empathise with this feeling and that you will get there in the end.

I had two vac schemes last year and didn't convert either one. I really felt the second one was the firm for me and I have never felt so gutted. I remember phoning my mum as soon as I got the call to inform me I was not successful and I have never felt so helpless and panicked. The thought of another cycle on that day was daunting to me as I was already two years graduated and just felt like my life was on hold.

I share this now because you will still be hurting and probably feeling all these feelings. But after I spent time being sad and upset, I started to really think and reflect. The distance of time and some healing made me realise that the US firm route was not for me - I always felt slightly sceptical about whether it was or not but I took these rejections as a sign. I also thought about what I had learned about myself and the type of firm that might be best for me - this made me feel better as I was developing a plan of action which made me feel more in control and positive about things. Come October, I was back out there at events and networking and I felt much much better. I tackled my apps and really enjoyed answering the questions and discussing what I had learned from my previous vacs. I also recognised I had things to work on and so really sought chances and opportunities to develop myself and work on these things. By the end of the events and open days I was attending to meet more firms, I had a dream firm in mind - one which married up entirely with all my criteria. Following more rejection, I was finally offered a TC with my dream firm and here are more things I realised.

1. Everything happens for a reason.
2. I am much much more grateful for my TC than I would have been if I had gotten it the year earlier (my first cycle). Getting those rejections means I will not take this opportunity lightly and I recognise the privilege of being offered a TC more than I believe I would have.
3. I am much more developed and ready to take on a TC. Being forced to confront some things which held me back has absolutely made me a better candidate and person. I no longer approach feedback with hesitation and nerves - I now seek it and actively try my best to implement ways to do better.
4. I feel more self-aware. This process teaches you a lot about yourself and think this is only ever a good thing in the end.

I am so so sorry to hear you did not get the TC this time. Be upset and take your time to heal - we are all different and we all take our time with these things, but just know that your applications in the next cycle will be all the better for the experience you have now had and you will develop and grow from this eventually (though it will not feel like it now or possibly for a little while). You have already achieved great things in getting on the vac scheme and this will happen for you - at the right firm and at the right time.
This is really great advice!
 
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Hi there,

Sorry this is coming to you slightly late but I just wanted to say I totally empathise with this feeling and that you will get there in the end.

I had two vac schemes last year and didn't convert either one. I really felt the second one was the firm for me and I have never felt so gutted. I remember phoning my mum as soon as I got the call to inform me I was not successful and I have never felt so helpless and panicked. The thought of another cycle on that day was daunting to me as I was already two years graduated and just felt like my life was on hold.

I share this now because you will still be hurting and probably feeling all these feelings. But after I spent time being sad and upset, I started to really think and reflect. The distance of time and some healing made me realise that the US firm route was not for me - I always felt slightly sceptical about whether it was or not but I took these rejections as a sign. I also thought about what I had learned about myself and the type of firm that might be best for me - this made me feel better as I was developing a plan of action which made me feel more in control and positive about things. Come October, I was back out there at events and networking and I felt much much better. I tackled my apps and really enjoyed answering the questions and discussing what I had learned from my previous vacs. I also recognised I had things to work on and so really sought chances and opportunities to develop myself and work on these things. By the end of the events and open days I was attending to meet more firms, I had a dream firm in mind - one which married up entirely with all my criteria. Following more rejection, I was finally offered a TC with my dream firm and here are more things I realised.

1. Everything happens for a reason.
2. I am much much more grateful for my TC than I would have been if I had gotten it the year earlier (my first cycle). Getting those rejections means I will not take this opportunity lightly and I recognise the privilege of being offered a TC more than I believe I would have.
3. I am much more developed and ready to take on a TC. Being forced to confront some things which held me back has absolutely made me a better candidate and person. I no longer approach feedback with hesitation and nerves - I now seek it and actively try my best to implement ways to do better.
4. I feel more self-aware. This process teaches you a lot about yourself and think this is only ever a good thing in the end.

I am so so sorry to hear you did not get the TC this time. Be upset and take your time to heal - we are all different and we all take our time with these things, but just know that your applications in the next cycle will be all the better for the experience you have now had and you will develop and grow from this eventually (though it will not feel like it now or possibly for a little while). You have already achieved great things in getting on the vac scheme and this will happen for you - at the right firm and at the right time.
thank you so much Alice. Gotta believe there is a greater plan and a better firm for me, and keep pushing. this advice and ur words mean a lot.
 
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Hey!

I hope everyone is doing well!!

I was wondering whether anyone had any advice for Mishcon’s TC assessment day? (group activity and written exercise)

I would really appreciate any guidance no matter how trivial! Happy to share any information myself, I’ve completed a virtual vacation scheme this year and done a fair few interviews for reference :)
 
I joined the forum to ask some questions about the next cycle or some last minute apps, but have just been offered a TC with my dream MC firm. I feel like I’m in shock and it hasn’t quite registered yet. Just for context, I’m an international applicant from a low socio-economic background. This was my second cycle, but I had to take time off between school and uni to work first, so I’m not a recent graduate. Rare didn’t cover my circumstances, so I often fell through the cracks in that end. If anyone is an international applicant and has any questions at all, I’m happy to help if I can. I really hope this summer is filled with good news for everyone!
 
I joined the forum to ask some questions about the next cycle or some last minute apps, but have just been offered a TC with my dream MC firm. I feel like I’m in shock and it hasn’t quite registered yet. Just for context, I’m an international applicant from a low socio-economic background. This was my second cycle, but I had to take time off between school and uni to work first, so I’m not a recent graduate. Rare didn’t cover my circumstances, so I often fell through the cracks in that end. If anyone is an international applicant and has any questions at all, I’m happy to help if I can. I really hope this summer is filled with good news for everyone!

Congratulations!
 
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I joined the forum to ask some questions about the next cycle or some last minute apps, but have just been offered a TC with my dream MC firm. I feel like I’m in shock and it hasn’t quite registered yet. Just for context, I’m an international applicant from a low socio-economic background. This was my second cycle, but I had to take time off between school and uni to work first, so I’m not a recent graduate. Rare didn’t cover my circumstances, so I often fell through the cracks in that end. If anyone is an international applicant and has any questions at all, I’m happy to help if I can. I really hope this summer is filled with good news for everyone!

Congratulations! I really love to know if being an international applicant made any significant difference in your application process and ultimately in securing the TC.
 
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