3.5 hours sleep a night!?!?! That's insane haha, how come? That's surely really bad for your long term health so I really hope that's not the case for you too often hahaAs others have suggested, take a little while off.
When I feel this coming on, I generally try and take an afternoon (or just an evening if I'm totally slammed) away from everything. Turn my monitors off, stick my phone on Don't Disturb, take my fiancée out to lunch or go shopping with her (hah, remember when that was a thing?!) or just take a walk, in the evening just chill out and watch Netflix/ play the PS4/ get a JustEat etc... basically, anything other than work stuff. A bottle of decent red may or may not be involved (what can I say, it's the Glaswegian in me)...
I also try and get at least 7/8 hours (I normally sleep 3.5-4.5 hours a night)and then I'm usually good to go for another good while.
Seriously though, take a while to chill. Hope you're feeling better soon
3.5 is a minimum, I usually try and get 4.5! Mainly just due to how busy my day is with the different commitments I have: final year LLB, trading the financial markets, running a trading consultancy, tutoring school-aged and mature learners, as well as spending time here, also just the usual 'home' stuff like cooking and doing the dishes. I also sleep longer on the weekends when the markets are closed. I've been an awful sleeper since I was a kid, so I try and just use as much of the day as possible productively rather than tossing and turning awake in bed for an additional 3 hours
What might work for you has an incredible toll on your body which you will notice later in life. You only have 1 heart. Take care of it!3.5 is a minimum, I usually try and get 4.5! Mainly just due to how busy my day is with the different commitments I have: final year LLB, trading the financial markets, running a trading consultancy, tutoring school-aged and mature learners, as well as spending time here, also just the usual 'home' stuff like cooking and doing the dishes. I also sleep longer on the weekends when the markets are closed. I've been an awful sleeper since I was a kid, so I try and just use as much of the day as possible productively rather than tossing and turning awake in bed for an additional 3 hours
I definitely hit periods of burnout but I'm much better at recognising that and taking an afternoon away from work stuff every now and then to recharge. I also have a damn good espresso machine which helps! haha.
Not a lifestyle which I'd necessarily recommend but it genuinely works for me and my system is more than adapted to it now; I just have to be cognisant of when I'm pushing myself too hard and know when to take my foot off the gas a bit.
Hey guys, I know as potential commercial solicitors, we're meant to be able to work under pressure and all... but having received a few rejections recently, it's really affected my confidence and while I'm really grateful for having my one AC invite this cycle, I feel my imposter syndrome kicking in. The overwhelming pressure I feel from potentially messing it up, and as a final-year international student, having to go back home where things aren't great, is also completely throwing me off my AC prep.
I know this is a low-key rant (and I'm sorry!) but does anyone have any advice on how to overcome this and not let the pressure affect me?
You know what I was exactly the same, and I have had two video interview invites this year and I still feel the same and if I’m honest I don’t think there’s anything we can do just convince ourselves that we can do it.Hey guys, I know as potential commercial solicitors, we're meant to be able to work under pressure and all... but having received a few rejections recently, it's really affected my confidence and while I'm really grateful for having my one AC invite this cycle, I feel my imposter syndrome kicking in. The overwhelming pressure I feel from potentially messing it up, and as a final-year international student, having to go back home where things aren't great, is also completely throwing me off my AC prep.
I know this is a low-key rant (and I'm sorry!) but does anyone have any advice on how to overcome this and not let the pressure affect me?
Hey! Once you'd completed the test, did you receive an email confirming the results had been submitted ? I didn't ... I pressed submit and the page said something along the lines of, 'Thank you for completing the test. You can now close this page.' Did you see similar ?
Yes, I know it can look very cringey when you see it on American shows and in movies but I am personally a big believer in positive affirmations. While it's obviously important for self-improvement to reflect on failures and areas of weakness, I think many of us are guilty of not acknowledging our strengths and self-worth. Which may even be holding some of us back in interview situations where you have to really sell your skills and achievements.
Well done!
I did the AC last year, so the format may have changed from this, but I can give tips from my experience
The AC consisted of:
1. Proofreading exercise - we were each given a legal document and had to amend any errors, grammatical mistakes and so on.
2. Letter to client - we were given a case study about the sale of land/a property and needed to highlight to the client the key issues in a letter. This did not require much legal knowledge as the issues are set out very clearly in the case study, and i think you are judged more on ability to summarise / write letters as opposed to application of law. (For context I had never studied law and found it to be ok)
3. Filling in a contract - I found this to be harder having not studied law
4. Client interview - we were told a few days in advance we were doing an initial interview with a client, who had a clinical negligence issue. We then had 15 mins to speak with the hypothetical client and ask questions and gauge the key facts of the case etc
5. Interview with partner/associate - mostly competency based Qs but a few Qs about the firm eg what is a recent case that Penningtons has worked on that interests you
hope that helps!
Thank you so much, this was a really helpful read!I feel you!! Be kind to yourself!
I attended a training course on this a while back and the coach was great, I have checked and she has written some of her top tips and thoughts, some pages below!
https://www.bigfishtraining.com/articles/techniques-for-dealing-with-imposter-syndrome-part-1.cfm
How to Find the Source of Your Imposter Syndrome | Big Fish Training
Imposter syndrome is way more common than you might imagine. In this article Emma Ewing helps you find the cause so you can stop holding yourself back.www.bigfishtraining.com
Thank you for sharing this! And yes, I've just started positive affirmations recently to help with these feelings of inadequacy, hopefully, the more I repeat it, the more I end up believing it.
This is very true!
I was wondering the same. I applied to the Manchester office and haven't heard anything yetDid anyone who received replies from AG yesterday get them from the regional offices? Or just LDN? Thanks
As a final year int'l student you should look into the new two year graduate visas if you want to stay. Even with covid on there are decent paralegaling opportunities out there.Hey guys, I know as potential commercial solicitors, we're meant to be able to work under pressure and all... but having received a few rejections recently, it's really affected my confidence and while I'm really grateful for having my one AC invite this cycle, I feel my imposter syndrome kicking in. The overwhelming pressure I feel from potentially messing it up, and as a final-year international student, having to go back home where things aren't great, is also completely throwing me off my AC prep.
I know this is a low-key rant (and I'm sorry!) but does anyone have any advice on how to overcome this and not let the pressure affect me?
