How to add substance to my CV

[Esporia]

Hi, im a first year LLB student and whilst strong academically, i have very literally no work experience or extracurriculars. Work experience at my sixth form was cancelled due to covid and i recieved my firm offer rather early so didn't see any need to do any. Im currently looking to apply to first-year schemes such as SPARK, however i have nothing to add any substance to my CV, for questions on application forms, and even if i got through initial screening id have nothing to talk about in an interview. Could someone give me a very short bullet point list of things i can do starting from now to make me a strong candidate for first year schemes outside of academics. I was currently thinking about entering mooting competitions, boxing, and perhaps trying to become a first-year rep for the law society? Although, even if i was successful in all of these, i would still have a pretty lackluster application. I would greatly appreciate any feedback so i can stop worrying and get to buffing up my CV

 

[Kubed]

Hey - all of the things you have suggested sound great, not just for law firm applications but also just to have as experiences for yourself. I would say that you should try to do things that interest you and if they contribute towards your applications, that's all the better. Other activities you might consider: pro bono through a university legal advice centre, writing for a law-related website/blog, virtual vac schemes through Legal Cheek or experiences on Forage, attending other law firm open days, doing a team sport, helping to organise student events or conferences, trying to find informal legal work experience.

 

[Esporia]

Hey - all of the things you have suggested sound great, not just for law firm applications but also just to have as experiences for yourself. I would say that you should try to do things that interest you and if they contribute towards your applications, that's all the better. Other activities you might consider: pro bono through a university legal advice centre, writing for a law-related website/blog, virtual vac schemes through Legal Cheek or experiences on Forage, attending other law firm open days, doing a team sport, helping to organise student events or conferences, trying to find informal legal work experience.

Thanks for the reply, i'm certainly going to add those to my list of things to try do. Just one more question, do you think having no prior work experience, non-relevant or relevant, is going to make securing a place on a first year scheme such as SPARK much more difficult than it already is? Of course i will try to demonstrate core competencies in other ways, but its not going to be anything exceptional in 2 months of starting university.

 

[Kubed]

Thanks for the reply, i'm certainly going to add those to my list of things to try do. Just one more question, do you think having no prior work experience, non-relevant or relevant, is going to make securing a place on a first year scheme such as SPARK much more difficult than it already is? Of course i will try to demonstrate core competencies in other ways, but its not going to be anything exceptional in 2 months of starting university.

I wouldn't be able to say for certain as it's not a scheme I'm familiar with or have applied to, unfortunately. I would imagine, though, that there are plenty in the same position as you, with COVID disrupting any chance for work experience etc in recent years. Just make the most of the next 2 months and see what happens - do the best you can and if you're unsuccessful, there'll be plenty of other opportunities in the months & years to come. Good luck!

 

[123Law1234]

Hi, im a first year LLB student and whilst strong academically, i have very literally no work experience or extracurriculars. Work experience at my sixth form was cancelled due to covid and i recieved my firm offer rather early so didn't see any need to do any. Im currently looking to apply to first-year schemes such as SPARK, however i have nothing to add any substance to my CV, for questions on application forms, and even if i got through initial screening id have nothing to talk about in an interview. Could someone give me a very short bullet point list of things i can do starting from now to make me a strong candidate for first year schemes outside of academics. I was currently thinking about entering mooting competitions, boxing, and perhaps trying to become a first-year rep for the law society? Although, even if i was successful in all of these, i would still have a pretty lackluster application. I would greatly appreciate any feedback so i can stop worrying and get to buffing up my CV

Making sure you attend law fairs and open days is important. If they are virtual again this year, make sure you come prepared with questions and note down any relevant names. https://www.legalcheek.com/events/ and also look for any specific events any particular law firms are running.

Volunteering at a law clinic/ citizens advice would also be very valuable. The stuff you have mentioned above should all help you in writing applications. Although I think you should also see if there are any opportunities for you to be involved in a team.

Finally, look out for any diversity schemes which run in the first year if you are eligible for any of them.


AS have a list of competencies. https://www.aspiringsolicitors.co.u...ormation/miscellaneous/skills-and-attributes/

You will likely be asked about these in applications/ interviews.

 

[Esporia]

Making sure you attend law fairs and open days is important. If they are virtual again this year, make sure you come prepared with questions and note down any relevant names. https://www.legalcheek.com/events/ and also look for any specific events any particular law firms are running.

Volunteering at a law clinic/ citizens advice would also be very valuable. The stuff you have mentioned above should all help you in writing applications. Although I think you should also see if there are any opportunities for you to be involved in a team.

Finally, look out for any diversity schemes which run in the first year if you are eligible for any of them.


AS have a list of competencies. https://www.aspiringsolicitors.co.u...ormation/miscellaneous/skills-and-attributes/

You will likely be asked about these in applications/ interviews.

Do you think if i'm successful in becoming a first year rep, do something in the pro-bono society as well as some mooting and the standard open days, that i would be a competitive applicant for first-year schemes like SPARK (or just any first year work experience)? I'm quite strong academically, but i know that's a prerequisite rather than an advantage for these schemes. Bearing in mind as of right now i have done nothing outside of academics, and i mean that literally.

 

[Badawy]

Do you think if i'm successful in becoming a first year rep, do something in the pro-bono society as well as some mooting and the standard open days, that i would be a competitive applicant for first-year schemes like SPARK (or just any first year work experience)? I'm quite strong academically, but i know that's a prerequisite rather than an advantage for these schemes. Bearing in mind as of right now i have done nothing outside of academics, and i mean that literally.

Hey! I did two first-year schemes at magic circle law firms last year (not SPARK though!)

Any experience where you are demonstrating responsibility and exhibiting skills that would be transferrable to a trainee is valuable. Think about organisation, teamwork, resilience, attention to detail, interpersonal skills, communication, and so on.

Becoming a first-year rep would be great, but it does not necessarily have to be for the law society! Mooting, open days, and so on are great experiences but honestly, I had none of these things. All I had was retail work and that was well received.

My advice would be:
- Get involved with all aspects of university. Societies (sport, academic, niche)
- Read a lot about commercial law (being on TCLA is an excellent starting point)
- Attend as many law events as you can - law firm presentations, open days, fairs, etc.
- Volunteer somewhere, somehow (does not have to be legal)
- Join diversity / social mobility organisations (Rare, AS, SEO, UpReach, etc.) if eligible
- While SPARK's applications are open now, most first-year schemes open up after the new year. So you have a solid term + Christmas to gain experience for those other firms.
- Don't forget to have a good time, be open-minded, and take up any opportunity that comes your way. You only get your first few weeks at university once - while it's important to fixate on your career goals, it might actually be counterproductive. It could stop you from putting yourself out there, meeting new people, and seizing opportunities that were not previously available to you!

 

[123Law1234]

Do you think if i'm successful in becoming a first year rep, do something in the pro-bono society as well as some mooting and the standard open days, that i would be a competitive applicant for first-year schemes like SPARK (or just any first year work experience)? I'm quite strong academically, but i know that's a prerequisite rather than an advantage for these schemes. Bearing in mind as of right now i have done nothing outside of academics, and i mean that literally.

I think if you are successful in them then you should have enough to write a good application. I think the main thing is just looking at the competencies now and trying to find a good example for each of them. Then you can see where you may need to improve and gain more experience. Also, find out which schemes are rolling and which ones are non-rolling. Where they are done on a rolling basis you should aim to apply as soon as you can.