Attending Interview During Vacation Scheme

intllawstudent

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Dec 3, 2021
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Hi all! I'm not sure whether this goes under the discussion topic for vacation scheme or interview but I hope this is fine!

Basically I am in an in-person winter vacation scheme, but another firm has asked me to attend an interview for a direct training contract during the work. These two vacs/direct TCs start in the same year. Both firms are similar in some ways (small intake, lean teams, specialising in corporate)

Question: is it advisable to tell the firm, at which I'm interning, that I need to take time off for another firm's interview?

I have been weighing some factors around so it'd be great to see what you all think!

Reasons why I should tell the firm about my interview:
  • This interview bolsters my competitiveness in the eyes of the law firm
  • Honesty and integrity matter a lot
  • No matter any alternative reasons I use to explain my absence, I look like I don't value the vacation scheme that much
  • Law firm grad recs are interconnected and they may find out
Reasons why I should NOT tell the firm about the interview:
  • I look really disloyal to the current firm I'm interning at!
  • Candidate information is confidential and the law firms cannot share with each other
  • Honesty is one thing, but the full disclosure is unnecessary (as with how you think about what you say in interviews instead of blurt out everything)

This is a real dilemma (and something that sounds like a taboo even outside the TC app stage) so any thoughts are welcomed!
 

M777

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Jul 15, 2019
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Thanks for replying!
If I reschedule it, it will have to be one to two weeks later and I don't think it reflects well on me?
It should be fine. Firms are very much used to people having to reschedule (I just had to reschedule as one firm's proposed interview time already clashed with an AC I was already booked onto). If you're busy on a vac scheme then that's not something you can control.

Beats having to overcomplicate everything in your head about all the pros and cons of interviewing during a vac scheme.
 

Kubed

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  • Nov 25, 2020
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    Congrats on all your successes so far! I would agree that you should probably try to reschedule the interview. You already have a short window of time to impress during a vac scheme and making it even shorter by going to an interview at another firm is unlikely to reflect well.
     
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    Jessica Booker

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    Hi all! I'm not sure whether this goes under the discussion topic for vacation scheme or interview but I hope this is fine!

    Basically I am in an in-person winter vacation scheme, but another firm has asked me to attend an interview for a direct training contract during the work. These two vacs/direct TCs start in the same year. Both firms are similar in some ways (small intake, lean teams, specialising in corporate)

    Question: is it advisable to tell the firm, at which I'm interning, that I need to take time off for another firm's interview?

    I have been weighing some factors around so it'd be great to see what you all think!

    Reasons why I should tell the firm about my interview:
    • This interview bolsters my competitiveness in the eyes of the law firm
    • Honesty and integrity matter a lot
    • No matter any alternative reasons I use to explain my absence, I look like I don't value the vacation scheme that much
    • Law firm grad recs are interconnected and they may find out
    Reasons why I should NOT tell the firm about the interview:
    • I look really disloyal to the current firm I'm interning at!
    • Candidate information is confidential and the law firms cannot share with each other
    • Honesty is one thing, but the full disclosure is unnecessary (as with how you think about what you say in interviews instead of blurt out everything)

    This is a real dilemma (and something that sounds like a taboo even outside the TC app stage) so any thoughts are welcomed!
    The best thing to do is to ask the firm you are interviewing with for another date. Have you checked whether they have any flexibility with interview dates?
     

    intllawstudent

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    Dec 3, 2021
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    Hi @Jessica Booker thank you for replying!
    The firm I'm interviewing with released a schedule of their first round and second round interviews. However if I reschedule it, even the earliest date will already be in the second round period so basically I'm expected to interview with them before that...
    The best thing to do is to ask the firm you are interviewing with for another date. Have you checked whether they have any flexibility with interview dates?
     

    intllawstudent

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    Dec 3, 2021
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    Congrats on all your successes so far! I would agree that you should probably try to reschedule the interview. You already have a short window of time to impress during a vac scheme and making it even shorter by going to an interview at another firm is unlikely to reflect well.
    Thank you! Yes I do prefer rescheduling the most but with the interview schedule released by the firm, it looks like if I reschedule it, it'll be too late...
     

    Jessica Booker

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    Hi @Jessica Booker thank you for replying!
    The firm I'm interviewing with released a schedule of their first round and second round interviews. However if I reschedule it, even the earliest date will already be in the second round period so basically I'm expected to interview with them before that...
    It doesn’t really matter. I would still ask for this. The period between your first and potentially second round interview can just be shorter.

    It is much better to ask for the interview to be rescheduled than taking time off during the vacation scheme. It would only be if the firm you are interviewing with says no that you should consider this, and even then the firm you are doing your vacation scheme with could say no to giving you the time off.
     
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