Help with TC assessments

[Deleted member 21]

Do you have any advice on how to do well for the following assessments for TC?

- research and drafting task;
- business simulation group exercise;
- partners interview involving preprepared presentation;

I really want to be as prepared as possible and your insight would really help!

 

[Jaysen]

I have my vacation scheme in a week and I was wondering - do you have any advice on how to do well for the following assessments for TC During a vac scheme?

- research and drafting task;
- business simulation group exercise;
- partners interview involving preprepared presentation;

The VS is at White & Case so if anyone has any specific advice for the firm`s VS, again much appreciated!

I really want to be as prepared as possible and your insight would really help!

Hey Denisa,

I didn’t do White & Case, but I can share what I learned at a few vac schemes with similar tasks:

Research and drafting task

• Assessors will be looking to see how well you can research what’s relevant and how well you can articulate that in your draft.
• Read the client’s or lawyer’s instructions carefully – this will make sure you stay relevant and also outline what you should be writing about, how you should structure it and who you should address it to.
• Planning is very important and should take a fair amount of time. Here you can organise your thoughts, form an outline and determine how you will structure the draft. You can also flag up important parts of your research and record in brief what the parties have agreed.
• A good draft uses unambiguous language. Try to make sure every word is there for a reason and use clear language.
• It should also be easy to read, think about a numbering system and relevant headings/sub-headings. The key is to be consistent with your language and structure.

Business simulation group exercise

• Assessors are looking to see how you act in a group dynamic and whether you can think commercially.
• It can help to keep these fundamentals in mind throughout the task especially if you find your team discussing irrelevant points i.e. how does the business make a profit, who are its customers or clients, how can it mitigate risks.
• It’s difficult to advise without knowing the type of task, but generally speaking, the same principles of a group exercise applies – Do you work well with the others? Do you listen? Do you speak up-enough or conversely, too much? How relevant are your submissions? Are you looking to advance the group towards the goal? How do you articulate your thoughts? Are you speaking to just speak, or do you offer thoughtful opinions? Do you delegate?

Partners interview with pre-prepared presentation

• If you’re using PowerPoint, keep the slides short. The slides aren’t meant to detract away from what you’re saying. They should be used to signpost the key points.
• Prepare to over-run on time and plan accordingly. It often helps to add a few minutes to the rehearsal time - running over time can damage an otherwise good presentation.
• Steer the questions. You’ll be asked questions after the presentation and so it’s a given that you should know what you’re presenting well. But often you can also guide the questions you do get asked. For example, you could mention a topic or something about the law firm – something that you know well – during your presentation. If you emphasise the point but don’t flesh out the detail too much, it can encourage the partner to ask the question after the presentation, and then you’ll be well prepared.
• Stick to a few points per slide and don’t script. These two go hand in hand – it’s dangerous to memorise a script because you risk forgetting the speech and losing the flow. It’s often easier to think of a few points per slide with the use of ‘trigger words’ – that remind you what the slide is about.
• Think about your body language. It’s important to remember that the way you present and deliver plays a big role in how the presentation is perceived. Think about where you want to stand, whether you want to move, where you’ll position your hands and how you’ll gesture. If you’re sitting, think about your posture and how you’ll organise your notes on the table.

 

[Jaysen]

I just received my presentation task -after I work out an answer could I send it to you to get your opinions on it? It is pretty much like an application form and to be honest I never did this task during assessment and I am quite nervous - it would really help! thank you, let me know

Hey, sure drop me an email at [email protected] when you're ready. I'm afraid I can't give assessment-specific advice if it's a task sent by the firm, but I'd be happy to answer questions or provide some general pointers for your speech or slides.

 

[Deleted member 21]

Hey, sure drop me an email at [email protected] when you're ready. I'm afraid I can't give assessment-specific advice if it's a task sent by the firm, but I'd be happy to answer questions or provide some general pointers for your speech or slides.

I sent you an e-mail on this address - not related to my task though, as we are not supposed to present with any materials thanks!

 

[Jaysen]

I sent you an e-mail on this address - not related to my task though, as we are not supposed to present with any materials thanks!

I've given you access to the (private) vac scheme forums here. If you have any urgent queries/difficult work situations/confusing tasks you're welcome to post there; we put it on high priority so you will receive an answer quickly

 

[Deleted member 21]

I've given you access to the (private) vac scheme forums here. If you have any urgent queries/difficult work situations/confusing tasks you're welcome to post there; we put it on high priority so you will receive an answer quickly

Thank you! Have you managed to grant me access already? On my end, it says I don`t have permission to view those forums

 

[Jaysen]

Thank you! Have you managed to grant me access already? On my end, it says I don`t have permission to view those forums

Done.

 

[Deleted member 21]

Done.

Sorry for this, but it tells me I still don`t have privileges to either view or post - tried logging in and out and restarting the webpage but still nothing.

 

[Jaysen]

Sorry for this, but it tells me I still don`t have privileges to either view or post - tried logging in and out and restarting the webpage but still nothing.

My mistake, does it work now?