Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[Dwight]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I hope you are doing well and had a great Christmas!

Is it 'okay'/acceptable to wear a shirt and a quarter zip look for a video interview (automated). The firm has suggested on their site: 'We’re interested in who you are as a person, and what you can do, rather than what you wear in a video interview – so just wear something that you think will enable you to feel comfortable, confident and able to project the best version of yourself'. I am therefore left thinking they are fine with a non-suit look. Personally, a suit for VI seems much but then again I've never done one before. What is your perspective on dress code for men for a VI?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I hope you are doing well and had a great Christmas!

Is it 'okay'/acceptable to wear a shirt and a quarter zip look for a video interview (automated). The firm has suggested on their site: 'We’re interested in who you are as a person, and what you can do, rather than what you wear in a video interview – so just wear something that you think will enable you to feel comfortable, confident and able to project the best version of yourself'. I am therefore left thinking they are fine with a non-suit look. Personally, a suit for VI seems much but then again I've never done one before. What is your perspective on dress code for men for a VI?

Things have changed a lot in the last two years, and now it is much more acceptable to be dressed more casually when you are at home, even for things like video interviews (whether pre recorded or live). What you have suggested is perfectly acceptable, but especially so given what the firm has said.

 

[Lian Lian]

Hi Jessica @Jessica Booker! I hope you're doing well. I am planning to apply for a direct TC with Freshfields but I do not know if I should recycle aspects of my previous personal statement to the firm which was successful at the initial application stage.

In my personal statement last year, I mentioned
1. why I wanted to pursue a career in commercial law
2. why I wanted to work at Freshfields
3. why I'd be a great fit for the firm (ie demonstrating my skills using STAR)

I must have done something right because the firm subsequently invited me to do the WG. I unfortunately failed at this stage.

I am now planning to reapply for their direct TC and I was wondering, to what extent should I recycle my previous personal statement? I have rewritten the entire competency section to accurately reflect the new skills and experiences I have acquired in the past year. However, I am unsure how much I should alter my 'why law' and 'why freshfields' section because my reasons for law and for Freshfields have remained the same. I would appreciate anyone's advice on this, in addition to Jessica's. Thanks a lot!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica @Jessica Booker! I hope you're doing well. I am planning to apply for a direct TC with Freshfields but I do not know if I should recycle aspects of my previous personal statement to the firm which was successful at the initial application stage.

In my personal statement last year, I mentioned
1. why I wanted to pursue a career in commercial law
2. why I wanted to work at Freshfields
3. why I'd be a great fit for the firm (ie demonstrating my skills using STAR)

I must have done something right because the firm subsequently invited me to do the WG. I unfortunately failed at this stage.

I am now planning to reapply for their direct TC and I was wondering, to what extent should I recycle my previous personal statement? I have rewritten the entire competency section to accurately reflect the new skills and experiences I have acquired in the past year. However, I am unsure how much I should alter my 'why law' and 'why freshfields' section because my reasons for law and for Freshfields have remained the same. I would appreciate anyone's advice on this, in addition to Jessica's. Thanks a lot!

I would still consider refining sections with anything that has helped you refine your motivations since your last application and also critically evaluate whether you can improve how you have written the content. It will be expected that a lot of the content will be the same (as it hasn’t necessarily changed) but the firm will want to see what you have done since your last application and whether you can actively improve on it from last time - otherwise the blunt/brutal assumption could be why would the outcome be any different this time around.

 

[mads_g]

Hi @Jessica Booker

I'm just working on prepping some examples for general competencies for my upcoming VI with CMS. For some skills/attributes, like leadership for example, I only have a couple of examples of when I've been in a leadership position and I included details of both of them in the work experience section of my application. If a question were to come up about a particular skill, would it be a bad idea to give an example that I've already mentioned in my application?

The examples I included in my app for a number of skills were definitely my strongest ones so I worry that my answer in the VI wouldn't be as good if I tried to come up with something else. But I also wouldn't want to repeat myself if that might affect my success?

Any advice would be appreciated

 

[User84]

Good Afternoon @Jessica Booker

I'm wondering how law firms go about reference checks? I have put down one academic and one professional reference (work at a restaurant), but I used an experience from another position to help answer an application question (editing articles for a student-led start-up company). I have also put this start-up down in the work experience section.

I'm wondering, when it comes to reference checks, is it likely that they will ask for a reference from the start-up alongside following up with the restaurant? If so, how do they go about this? will they cross reference my answer in the application question with my referee or just ask for a general summary or my role?

 

[Lian Lian]

I would still consider refining sections with anything that has helped you refine your motivations since your last application and also critically evaluate whether you can improve how you have written the content. It will be expected that a lot of the content will be the same (as it hasn’t necessarily changed) but the firm will want to see what you have done since your last application and whether you can actively improve on it from last time - otherwise the blunt/brutal assumption could be why would the outcome be any different this time around.

okay, thank you for clarifying this. I'll proceed to make more adjustments to my application. Hopefully I get a WG invite again and actually pass the WG this time

 

[Dwight]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I hope you are doing well. Happy New Year too!

The following deadline is for a VI hosted by launchpad (that is the link at least): "3 January 2022 (GMT+00:00)."

I have read on the forums that this means 23:59 on the day, so 23:59 on 03/01/2022. Can you confirm if this is correct?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

I hope you are doing well. Happy New Year too!

The following deadline is for a VI hosted by launchpad (that is the link at least): "3 January 2022 (GMT+00:00)."

I have read on the forums that this means 23:59 on the day, so 23:59 on 03/01/2022. Can you confirm if this is correct?

I can’t be 100% sure - but from using the platform before it means 23.59 on the date stated. It’s a bit of a oddity of the Launchpad platform that it defaults to 00:00 but really means 23:59.

 

[Crystal86]

Hi @Jessica Booker if I have mentioned a piece of work experience in a 250 word question, do I need to list again the key responsibilities of this in the work experience section as well?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker if I have mentioned a piece of work experience in a 250 word question, do I need to list again the key responsibilities of this in the work experience section as well?

You don’t need to and I’d generally avoid repetition in an application. But I would question why you would need to list your responsibilities in a competency question. I suspect that you’d be covering a specific point within your work experience in the 250 word answer, while the work experience entry would talk about your broader responsibilities.

 

[Anoned]

For a 'tell us about a time you worked in a team' question, would it be appropriate to talk about a group exercise at a previous AC with another firm? @Jessica Booker

It was a group negotiation so I was thinking of using this example and discussing what I learnt from it, what I could have done better etc.

 

[Jessica Booker]

For a 'tell us about a time you worked in a team' question, would it be appropriate to talk about a group exercise at a previous AC with another firm? @Jessica Booker

It was a group negotiation so I was thinking of using this example and discussing what I learnt from it, what I could have done better etc.

My only concern with such examples is that they are pretty short lived (eg an hour or two) and that you ultimately don’t necessarily know the outcome from it. However, if you think they are the best example of your team working, then it’s ok to use it. But I wouldn’t use it if you are just trying to show something law related (which really isn’t needed for this question ).

 

[Anoned]

My only concern with such examples is that they are pretty short lived (eg an hour or two) and that you ultimately don’t necessarily know the outcome from it. However, if you think they are the best example of your team working, then it’s ok to use it. But I wouldn’t use it if you are just trying to show something law related (which really isn’t needed for this question ).

That's great thank you, I'll take that into account.

 

[AP2000]

Hey @Jessica Booker. I saw posts discussing the possibility of deferring a vac scheme offer and would love some advice around this.

I got an offer last year through a first year scheme for a full-time summer internship at Barclays' compliance department, commencing end of June 2022. Because of the exam schedule at my university winter and spring vac schemes also weren't an option. This means that of the firms I really like, there is only one whose vac scheme I can actually attend.

There are two more firms I was planning on applying to this year, but the dates clash with my internship. Is it worth applying and then asking for a deferral in the event of an offer, or is it best to focus on the one application and submit the rest next year?

 

[Casual]

Hello @Jessica Booker.

Do we need to mention module codes when entering university results on the application form (eg "MATH6401 Calculus and Linear Algebra" vs "Calculus and Linear Algebra")?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello @Jessica Booker.

Do we need to mention module codes when entering university results on the application form (eg "MATH6401 Calculus and Linear Algebra" vs "Calculus and Linear Algebra")?

No - there is no need to include modules codes

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hey @Jessica Booker. I saw posts discussing the possibility of deferring a vac scheme offer and would love some advice around this.

I got an offer last year through a first year scheme for a full-time summer internship at Barclays' compliance department, commencing end of June 2022. Because of the exam schedule at my university winter and spring vac schemes also weren't an option. This means that of the firms I really like, there is only one whose vac scheme I can actually attend.

There are two more firms I was planning on applying to this year, but the dates clash with my internship. Is it worth applying and then asking for a deferral in the event of an offer, or is it best to focus on the one application and submit the rest next year?

I would rarely recommend relying on one application leading to one offer, so I’d apply to both and then if you cannot take up the opportunity you can either defer the law firm placement or even defer the Barclays one. You could also potentially be moved across to a TC recruitment process.

 

[AP2000]

Got it! Thanks a lot Jessica

I would rarely recommend relying on one application leading to one offer, so I’d apply to both and then if you cannot take up the opportunity you can either defer the law firm placement or even defer the Barclays one. You could also potentially be moved across to a TC recruitment process.

 

[mustardcustard]

Dear @Jessica Booker, I have a question about the rule on not applying to more than one vacation scheme per one recruiting cycle. I have just realised that I started an application (which I haven't finished filling out) for a winter vacation scheme at Linklaters, and on the system it says 'application unsuccessful.' On their website, they say 'Please only apply to one scheme per academic year.' I currently have an ongoing summer vacation scheme application for which I've completed the Watson Glaser and CAPP assessment, and is at the 'candidate review' stage. Do you think it likely that my summer vacation scheme application will not be considered/will be automatically rejected based on the unfinished winter vacation scheme application?