2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion
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Amazing news! Well doneTC offer from a US firm.
Great question!
When I answered this, I was generally very open about my hobbies and interests. Remember that firms do want to get to know who you actually are and getting a little insight into your personal life like that is a great means for them to do so. Typically, I would discuss two outside interests here and, in planning my answer, try and attach specific skills that I used in the course of each hobby/ interest. Then, I would look for ways to link those skills to the skills associated with being a successful commercial solicitor, and show the parallels in the course of my answer.
One of the key pieces of advice that I was given was to be authentic in this answer. If you try to frame the answer with hobbies or interests that you don't actually have but think the firm want to hear about, it will come off as contrived and won't be received as well. I've also ended up (more than once) in a situation where the interviewer has actually shared a hobby/ interest with me, or wanted to know more about it on a personal/ interest level, and it would have became apparent very quickly if I wasn't actually into that particular thing. Hope this helps!
I have a question somewhat related to this, but it's a bit of a weird one. I've never gotten this question in an interview or application (usually it's just interests and positions of responsibility, which I can use societies and extracurriculars for), but one of my main hobbies is pole dancing and I don't know whether or not to mention that if I get asked about hobbies in an interview. It is an actual sport but there are also a lot of preconceived notions about it and I don't want to come across as unprofessional or make them uncomfortable if they feel like it's inappropriate to discuss with an employer. On the one hand, I want to be authentic, but on the other hand, I don't want them to have a negative perception of me if they happen to have their own views on it. What would you suggest in this case?
Me too! I’ve always just said ‘member of X dance studio’ as the studio I go to also does dance, but I’m interested to know other people’s thoughts on this
Very interesting question, and a challenging position to be in!
Unfortunately, although City law has (generally) made leaps and bounds in terms of acceptance etc in new recruits, there are still many people (often older Partners etc) who don't have such nuanced and open opinions about things- especially something like pole dancing which obviously falls outside of D&I drives etc. I myself have been in a similar position (albeit not with pole dancing- I don't think I'm quite 'cut out' for that...) with hobbies that might have preconceived notions attached to them, and I would typically moderate them in some way. The closest parallel that now affects me would be the fact that I'm quite heavily tattooed. Both my arms are in the process of getting sleeved out, as is my lower leg and my back is covered by two huge tigers. While I know that tattoos don't affect my ability to be a lawyer, and people are gradually more and more accepting of tattoos as a means of expression etc, I wouldn't choose to disclose to my firm that I'm interested in/ collect tattoos (and would never have my hands/ neck etc inked) because, unfortunately, there are definite pre-conceived notions about tattoos.
To that end, I would probably just mention "dancing" without specifying that it is particularly pole dancing- I think this would tend to strike a balance between being authentic but also mitigating the risk of someone with preconceived notions perhaps judging you in a different light for that.
Others may have differing views on this- I would caveat my response by saying that I don't think anyone should ever need to be embarrassed or anxious about disclosing a hobby or interest and it's a real shame that we have to have discussions like this. Alas, though, we do and personally I would always err on the side of caution/ pragmatism in spite of the fact that it shouldn't have to be a consideration.
I second this! I previously used to be an amateur boxer and I'm never sure whether to mention it. I'm worried about what preconceptions the interviewer/assessor may have about it.
That will depend a lot on the firm and also the type of interview! Unfortunately it's a bit of a "how long is a piece of string" job- could you be more specific in terms of the firm and the type of interview (e.g. competency/ case study etc)?
It's a tough one. I can understand why you would have reservations for sharing. You could talk *around* it - e.g. just say dancing. But at the same time, I think it has the potential to be an interesting talking point. And it's something that clearly means something to you. So if it's something that the firm would "frown upon", I would question whether they are the right firm for you anyway.
Maybe make a judgement call depending on the person who you are talking to?
Thank you both for your insights, it's really helpful to get other people's perspectives (and see that other people have struggled with this too)!
I think my initial thought was to play it by ear depending on the person but I guess you can never really tell what someone's thoughts are on something as specific as pole dancing just based on a conversation with them, no matter how open they seem (and I could never know for sure if their views reflected the views of the firm or whether they were the outliers in that sense).
I definitely think just saying "dancing" is a good compromise that still gets the same point across, but I agree that it's a shame people have to worry about perceptions with things as personal as hobbies, since they could be such interesting conversation-starters if it weren't for the negative connotations or biases. I'll definitely keep your advice in mind!
anyone else getting into the bad habit of obsessively checking emails for any updates
Great question!
When I answered this, I was generally very open about my hobbies and interests. Remember that firms do want to get to know who you actually are and getting a little insight into your personal life like that is a great means for them to do so. Typically, I would discuss two outside interests here and, in planning my answer, try and attach specific skills that I used in the course of each hobby/ interest. Then, I would look for ways to link those skills to the skills associated with being a successful commercial solicitor, and show the parallels in the course of my answer.
One of the key pieces of advice that I was given was to be authentic in this answer. If you try to frame the answer with hobbies or interests that you don't actually have but think the firm want to hear about, it will come off as contrived and won't be received as well. I've also ended up (more than once) in a situation where the interviewer has actually shared a hobby/ interest with me, or wanted to know more about it on a personal/ interest level, and it would have became apparent very quickly if I wasn't actually into that particular thing. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much Jacob! That is the sort of thing I was aiming towards so I'm a bit more confident now
If you can, I would recommend trying to avoid this. I just set up automatic email updates for all inboxes on my phone and check them as and when I get one. I tended to find that obsessing over my emails when I was anxious to hear back about the outcome of an application led to me being unable to focus on anything else and had a negative impact on me overall! Try and focus on other things, maybe even set yourself a rule of only checking your emails every 4 hours or so (unless, of course, there is a particular reason why you might need to be more active than that outside of apps). Wishing you the best of luck for the outcomes!anyone else getting into the bad habit of obsessively checking emails for any updates
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anyone else getting into the bad habit of obsessively checking emails for any updates
I was driving myself mad, made myself stop and then I finally got an interview (finding out 4 hours later, rather than at the exact moment!)Trying and failing to convince myself there was some correlation there
Thank you for this advice! I have definitely found myself much more distracted because of this, having excessive breaks from revision to look at emails etc. this so this is what I needed to hear!
Hahah hopefully I will have the same luck if I have 4 hour limits. Well done on the interview!!I was driving myself mad, made myself stop and then I finally got an interview (finding out 4 hours later, rather than at the exact moment!)Trying and failing to convince myself there was some correlation there
How soon after taking the test did you hear?Rejection from Bird & Bird after taking the WG yesterday, spent so long practising for the test as well!
Took the test yesterday evening and got the email around midday today - pretty quickly!
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