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Aspiring Lawyers - Applications & General Advice
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Don’t sweat the small stuff - vacation schemes
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<blockquote data-quote="Dheepa" data-source="post: 80869" data-attributes="member: 1572"><p>So exactly a year ago now I had just started on my first of three vacs for the summer. Here's some of the small stuff (some not so small maybe) I heavily overthought and stressed about across all three.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Towards the end of one of my seats I was given a research task on a Thursday evening that I needed to submit by COB Friday. The deadline and time pressure really got to me and ultimately I don't think it was the strongest piece of work I submitted - I spent the next week of the VS stressing about this. I still remember how much I let this eat me up inside and I was completely convinced that I had ruined my chances at the TC.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ultimately received decent feedback on the task anyway. There were areas of improvement but the person reviewing it told me she was very aware of the time crunch and was grateful for the help anyway.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">While working on another task, I had made two mistakes when doing some basic calculations (don't ask me why I was doing math at a law firm. As these things normally go, I only spotted these right after I had sent out the email.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Apologised profusely to my supervisor about it. He told me not to worry, that it does happen and that he was glad I spotted and rectified it immediately.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">My group actually came in last for in the group assessment at one firm. Out of everyone we got the most critical feedback.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">This came up during my TC interview and I explained that I was aware of the mistakes we had made and what I could have done better.</li> </ul></li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I asked a question during a presentation that the partner actually laughed at (trust me when I say it wasn't a oh that's funny laugh but a oh that's ridiculous laugh). He still answered it but again as someone that stressed about small things that entire interaction made me feel incredibly silly.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">I think partners forget what students know and don't know sometimes. Ultimately I don't think he remembered that interaction at all, and certainly didn't stress about it the way I did.</li> </ul></li> </ul><p>As a chronic over thinker myself I know its easier said than done, but try to remember that the mistakes you make during a VS are (1) probably mistakes people have made a thousand times over before you and (2) almost always more inconsequential than you think.</p><p></p><p>My best advice on mindset for anyone heading into a VS is:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Produce high quality work - Remember that quality always matters over quantity and if you're comparing how much work you're doing with other vac scheme students, overthinking it, then taking on more work than necessary - it will detriment the quality of your work in the long run.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Don't overthink - I really believe a huge part of vac schemes is being the person that your supervisor, trainee buddy and everyone you interact with WANTS to hire. You need to build good relationships with people because you want them to back you as the candidate who deserves the TC! It is incredibly hard to be yourself, ask genuine questions and let your personality shine if you get caught up in stressing all the small stuff.</li> </ol><p>If you are reading this post, I sincerely hope it offers you some comfort. I don't think you need to be the "perfect candidate" to get a TC offer. I definitely wasn't the "perfect candidate" and somehow ended up with three offers. As long as you're doing the small things really well, you'll already have a good shot at the TC. There is no better way to show the firm how much you want the TC than to just go in everyday with the intention of enjoying your time there. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Dheepa, post: 80869, member: 1572"] So exactly a year ago now I had just started on my first of three vacs for the summer. Here's some of the small stuff (some not so small maybe) I heavily overthought and stressed about across all three. [LIST] [*]Towards the end of one of my seats I was given a research task on a Thursday evening that I needed to submit by COB Friday. The deadline and time pressure really got to me and ultimately I don't think it was the strongest piece of work I submitted - I spent the next week of the VS stressing about this. I still remember how much I let this eat me up inside and I was completely convinced that I had ruined my chances at the TC. [LIST] [*]Ultimately received decent feedback on the task anyway. There were areas of improvement but the person reviewing it told me she was very aware of the time crunch and was grateful for the help anyway. [/LIST] [*]While working on another task, I had made two mistakes when doing some basic calculations (don't ask me why I was doing math at a law firm. As these things normally go, I only spotted these right after I had sent out the email. [LIST] [*]Apologised profusely to my supervisor about it. He told me not to worry, that it does happen and that he was glad I spotted and rectified it immediately. [/LIST] [*]My group actually came in last for in the group assessment at one firm. Out of everyone we got the most critical feedback. [LIST] [*]This came up during my TC interview and I explained that I was aware of the mistakes we had made and what I could have done better. [/LIST] [*]I asked a question during a presentation that the partner actually laughed at (trust me when I say it wasn't a oh that's funny laugh but a oh that's ridiculous laugh). He still answered it but again as someone that stressed about small things that entire interaction made me feel incredibly silly. [LIST] [*]I think partners forget what students know and don't know sometimes. Ultimately I don't think he remembered that interaction at all, and certainly didn't stress about it the way I did. [/LIST] [/LIST] As a chronic over thinker myself I know its easier said than done, but try to remember that the mistakes you make during a VS are (1) probably mistakes people have made a thousand times over before you and (2) almost always more inconsequential than you think. My best advice on mindset for anyone heading into a VS is: [LIST=1] [*]Produce high quality work - Remember that quality always matters over quantity and if you're comparing how much work you're doing with other vac scheme students, overthinking it, then taking on more work than necessary - it will detriment the quality of your work in the long run. [*]Don't overthink - I really believe a huge part of vac schemes is being the person that your supervisor, trainee buddy and everyone you interact with WANTS to hire. You need to build good relationships with people because you want them to back you as the candidate who deserves the TC! It is incredibly hard to be yourself, ask genuine questions and let your personality shine if you get caught up in stressing all the small stuff. [/LIST] If you are reading this post, I sincerely hope it offers you some comfort. I don't think you need to be the "perfect candidate" to get a TC offer. I definitely wasn't the "perfect candidate" and somehow ended up with three offers. As long as you're doing the small things really well, you'll already have a good shot at the TC. There is no better way to show the firm how much you want the TC than to just go in everyday with the intention of enjoying your time there. :) [/QUOTE]
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