Log in
Register
Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
Log in
Register
Search
Search titles only
By:
Search titles only
By:
More options
Toggle width
Share this page
Share this page
Share
Facebook
Twitter
Reddit
Pinterest
Tumblr
WhatsApp
Email
Share
Link
Menu
Install the app
Install
Forums
Law Firm Events
Law Firm Deadlines
TCLA TV
Members
Leaderboards
Premium Database
Premium Chat
Commercial Awareness
Future Trainee Advice
Forums
Aspiring Lawyers - Interviews & Vacation Schemes
Interviews Discussion
How to Explain Rejections in Interviews?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="James Carrabino" data-source="post: 89136" data-attributes="member: 16764"><p>Just to add to what [USER=2672]@Jessica Booker[/USER] has said - first of all, don't worry at all about this! I have two questions and answers for you:</p><p></p><p>Q1. Is someone who has done vacation schemes in previous cycles a better or worse candidate than someone without any legal work experience? </p><p>A: They're undoubtedly a better candidate, provided they can write and talk coherently about what they enjoyed and learnt from their vacation schemes.</p><p></p><p>Q2. Is someone who has done vacation schemes and converted them going to be in the application pool competing against you? </p><p>A: For the most part, no - they will have accepted their TC and stopped applying to more firms.</p><p></p><p>So, on the whole, it is certainly a positive thing that you have done vac schemes and the firm is going to know that people get rejected post-VS all the time, so I wouldn't shy away from talking about your vac schemes in an interview. It's really no big deal AS LONG AS you have grown and improved since then and have an answer prepared for when they ask (they may not even ask - they will know that you could have been rejected for any number of random reasons and so there's no need to really discuss it).</p><p></p><p></p><p>Regardless, let's now think about what you could say if you are asked:</p><p></p><p>You have probably grown and improved as an applicant simply by doing those schemes, and honestly you could start by saying that you think the firms were looking for a candidate with more legal work experience, who consequently <em>knew for certain </em>that commercial law was right for them. No firm wants to hire someone who might leave directly post-TC. This is a nice answer because you are being open about a short-coming you had at the time of the vac scheme but you are also clearly demonstrating that by virtue of having completed the vac scheme, you no longer have this short-coming to the same extent. The more vac schemes you have done (the fact they were unsuccessful doesn't matter), the easier it is for you to convince the interviewers that you know commercial law is right for you and that you now have the requisite experience to excel as a trainee.</p><p></p><p>It is also worth having something to mention that you worked on outside of the schemes, be it commercial awareness, teamwork, writing or any other skill that could have been tested on a vac scheme. If you could give a compelling explanation for how you enhanced one of those skills then I am sure that would impress the interviewers. </p><p></p><p>Additionally, if the firms you did vac schemes at are quite different from the firm you are interviewing with, you could explain why the firms were not a good fit and how you have now become a more knowledgeable applicant with regard to the kinds of firms that suit you. The one thing I would be careful of here is to appear to be ragging on the firms that rejected you - this doesn't look very professional and may make the interviewers question whether the fault is really with the internationally reputed firm or with you...</p><p></p><p>I hope all of this helps - let me know if you'd like me to clarify anything <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="James Carrabino, post: 89136, member: 16764"] Just to add to what [USER=2672]@Jessica Booker[/USER] has said - first of all, don't worry at all about this! I have two questions and answers for you: Q1. Is someone who has done vacation schemes in previous cycles a better or worse candidate than someone without any legal work experience? A: They're undoubtedly a better candidate, provided they can write and talk coherently about what they enjoyed and learnt from their vacation schemes. Q2. Is someone who has done vacation schemes and converted them going to be in the application pool competing against you? A: For the most part, no - they will have accepted their TC and stopped applying to more firms. So, on the whole, it is certainly a positive thing that you have done vac schemes and the firm is going to know that people get rejected post-VS all the time, so I wouldn't shy away from talking about your vac schemes in an interview. It's really no big deal AS LONG AS you have grown and improved since then and have an answer prepared for when they ask (they may not even ask - they will know that you could have been rejected for any number of random reasons and so there's no need to really discuss it). Regardless, let's now think about what you could say if you are asked: You have probably grown and improved as an applicant simply by doing those schemes, and honestly you could start by saying that you think the firms were looking for a candidate with more legal work experience, who consequently [I]knew for certain [/I]that commercial law was right for them. No firm wants to hire someone who might leave directly post-TC. This is a nice answer because you are being open about a short-coming you had at the time of the vac scheme but you are also clearly demonstrating that by virtue of having completed the vac scheme, you no longer have this short-coming to the same extent. The more vac schemes you have done (the fact they were unsuccessful doesn't matter), the easier it is for you to convince the interviewers that you know commercial law is right for you and that you now have the requisite experience to excel as a trainee. It is also worth having something to mention that you worked on outside of the schemes, be it commercial awareness, teamwork, writing or any other skill that could have been tested on a vac scheme. If you could give a compelling explanation for how you enhanced one of those skills then I am sure that would impress the interviewers. Additionally, if the firms you did vac schemes at are quite different from the firm you are interviewing with, you could explain why the firms were not a good fit and how you have now become a more knowledgeable applicant with regard to the kinds of firms that suit you. The one thing I would be careful of here is to appear to be ragging on the firms that rejected you - this doesn't look very professional and may make the interviewers question whether the fault is really with the internationally reputed firm or with you... I hope all of this helps - let me know if you'd like me to clarify anything :) [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Our company is called, "The Corporate ___ Academy". What is the missing word here?
Post reply
Forums
Aspiring Lawyers - Interviews & Vacation Schemes
Interviews Discussion
How to Explain Rejections in Interviews?
Top
Bottom
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
Accept
Learn more…