CV Help - positions of responsibility & student societies

[lawstudent12]

I am a first-year law student currently involved in a relevant society. I am on the committee. To be quite honest, I have really not enjoyed this experience whatsoever. I might be making generalisations about most student societies based on my expereince, but unless drinking and clubbing is involved, members really don't seem to put an effort into organising events properly. Members on the committee have been unreliable, cancelled events last minute without an explanation and I feel like everyone on the committee was just doing it as a box ticking exercise for their CV (which is kind of understandable). Anyway, I am making this post for some reassurance really. I think my time and effort are better invested elsewhere next year and perhaps I could find something else that is both fulfilling and adds to my CV. I don't truly want to lead any society having realised that I want something more challenging and worthwhile.

Will it negatively impact my applications to law firms if next year I am not on the committee for any society (though I will be an active member of quite a few) and instead seek positions of responsibility elsewhere? I do volunteer at the law clinic and have an interview coming up for a brand ambassador role. I am also considering mooting next year.

Thanks. Apologies if this is one of those stupid questions we first-years ask. Still, I'd really love to hear what people think haha

@Jessica Booker Your insight would be much appreciated.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I am a first-year law student currently involved in a relevant society. I am on the committee. To be quite honest, I have really not enjoyed this experience whatsoever. I might be making generalisations about most student societies based on my expereince, but unless drinking and clubbing is involved, members really don't seem to put an effort into organising events properly. Members on the committee have been unreliable, cancelled events last minute without an explanation and I feel like everyone on the committee was just doing it as a box ticking exercise for their CV (which is kind of understandable). Anyway, I am making this post for some reassurance really. I think my time and effort are better invested elsewhere next year and perhaps I could find something else that is both fulfilling and adds to my CV. I don't truly want to lead any society having realised that I want something more challenging and worthwhile.

Will it negatively impact my applications to law firms if next year I am not on the committee for any society (though I will be an active member of quite a few) and instead seek positions of responsibility elsewhere? I do volunteer at the law clinic and have an interview coming up for a brand ambassador role. I am also considering mooting next year.

Thanks. Apologies if this is one of those stupid questions we first-years ask. Still, I'd really love to hear what people think haha

@Jessica Booker Your insight would be much appreciated.

This is not a problem at all, especially if you will replace it with other activities. Extra curricular and positions of responsibility don’t have to be society positions - in fact it can often be more interesting when they are not, for all the reasons you have described.

Firms are going to care much more about:

What you did (your input) and the impact you had
Your willingness to take on responsibilities
Your willingness to keep yourself busy
Your willingness to work with others (in teams or for others)

This is really what they are looking for - not the title of the position. Many people who lost society positions and just do it for a CV building process are unlikely to have interesting things to say when they do explain it.

 

[lawstudent12]

This is not a problem at all, especially if you will replace it with other activities. Extra curricular and positions of responsibility don’t have to be society positions - in fact it can often be more interesting when they are not, for all the reasons you have described.

Firms are going to care much more about:

What you did (your input) and the impact you had
Your willingness to take on responsibilities
Your willingness to keep yourself busy
Your willingness to work with others (in teams or for others)

This is really what they are looking for - not the title of the position. Many people who lost society positions and just do it for a CV building process are unlikely to have interesting things to say when they do explain it.

Thank you! Truly appreciate you taking the time to reply. At the start of this term, I realised that I was pursuing certain roles for the CV building exercise rather than fully allowing myself to explore my interests. Looking through Linkedin profiles and seeing successful candidates' profiles, it just appeared like they all held specific roles and I thought I'd follow the pattern lol So for this reason, your post has been incredibly helpful and reassuring!

 

[AvniD]

This is not a problem at all, especially if you will replace it with other activities. Extra curricular and positions of responsibility don’t have to be society positions - in fact it can often be more interesting when they are not, for all the reasons you have described.

Firms are going to care much more about:

What you did (your input) and the impact you had
Your willingness to take on responsibilities
Your willingness to keep yourself busy
Your willingness to work with others (in teams or for others)

This is really what they are looking for - not the title of the position. Many people who lost society positions and just do it for a CV building process are unlikely to have interesting things to say when they do explain it.

@lawstudent12 I don't believe I could say this any better than @Jessica Booker. There is no one activity that will land you a training contract, but rather how well you're able to demonstrate your initiative, ability to work with intention and thought process. Kudos to you for asking questions about this and trying to figure it out for yourself 👏👏👏