Vacation Scheme Application Advice - Enter your competition responses here!

yanerlim

Valued Member
Sep 4, 2018
113
174
Per @Jaysen 's request, I have decided to start a thread on offering advice to all prospective vac schemers on how to write a strong application. This is my approach to writing a strong application. There are several different categorisations of questions in these applications, and I will write down my approach accordingly.

1. Commercial Questions:
- Avoid very general topics (This is why I avoided general Brexit discussions), because general topics mean a lack of personalisation for the firm you are applying to, and also mean there is a very large scope of research to be done. The more general it is, the more things you need to cover. And often, it is not rewarding because this general topic does not even tailor to the firm you are applying to. (For instance, why focus on Brexit when you can focus on China's trade policies if the firm you are applying to has a strong presence in China?)

- Research thoroughly but don't research without a purpose. What is the purpose of bringing this topic up? Always link it back to the firm and how it impacts the firms and its clients. Why should the firm care about this?

- Don't only state facts, show your thinking process and demonstrate your critical thinking on this issue. In my opinion, commercial questions are the best way to demonstrate to the firm how interested you are in their firm.

2. Why This Firm?:
-I view this as analogous as courting a guy/girl, you want to show certain values that impress them, knowing their favourite food/colour/music etc. It is easy to state facts but difficult to show how you care about their interests. Back to the guy-girl scenario, it is great to show that you know they like jazz but how do you impress them or let them know your interests are aligned? This applies to the firms you apply to too.

- Research thoroughly, and don't select information that is too old. You need to be updated and understand the current "trend" of the firm. Did it just undergo a merger? Is the industry it is working in trouble because of new regulations?

3. Why Law?:
- Understand that you are competing with so many candidates who have gone through the same academic path as you. This question is an opportunity for you to set yourself apart from other candidates. This is the same reason why I rarely mention my academic achievements in law is why I become interested in law.

- Use your work experience to show how they cement your opinion on a career in Law.

- Think outside of yourself, what is it that lawyers are doing now that interest you?

3. Competency Questions:
- Use the STAR approach to structure your answers

-Quantify your results

- Have a few stories in the bag for both applications and interviews

-Really think hard about what you have done and never EVER diminish your accomplishments. People are often their harshest judges, don't undersell yourself. Think of every little impact you have made and work you have undertaken which made you a valuable member of the team.

4. Situational Judgment Questions:
- This is rare, but they still exist in applications. Imagine yourself as a trainee and don't make sweeping remarks such as " I will make time for this task" -- How do you make time? What concrete steps are you going to take?

- Always ask for help and run things by your supervisor! Speaking to a few friends who have been trainees, this is often the best solution to things instead of taking the responsibility and burden of a whole task alone.


These are all the questions I can think of. Leave comments below or message me and I will help you as much as I can! I would also like to hear some ideas from all of you and expand more questions or points I have missed out.

All the best in your applications!
 

Chido

Active Member
Sep 3, 2018
16
51
Competition entrants: please post your answer to the question: "What is your best piece of advice for students about writing a successful training contract application?" as a reply to this thread.

You can read more information here: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/forum/threads/free-tcla-premium-competition.580/.

Hi Yanerlim and Nicole,

The best piece of advice for students about writing a successful training contract application was advice I received from an trainee solicitor who works at Simmons and Simmons who I met at the SEO SpeedNetworking event that occurred on Friday 28th September 2018. The trainee said, before starting out an application at any law firm, you have to be 100% sure that if you received an offer from that firm you would accept it without hesitation. It has to be an instinctive YES!This is because training contract applications require a lot investment in terms of time, research and effort. It truly is hard work. That is why he suggested that students created an effective strategy of only applying to firms in which they would actually want to work at. This means that they can produce the best applications that they possibly can for a few firms that are really part of their top choices.

Thank you,
Chido
 

Nicole

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Feb 28, 2018
233
224
Hi Yanerlim and Nicole,

The best piece of advice for students about writing a successful training contract application was advice I received from an trainee solicitor who works at Simmons and Simmons who I met at the SEO SpeedNetworking event that occurred on Friday 28th September 2018. The trainee said, before starting out an application at any law firm, you have to be 100% sure that if you received an offer from that firm you would accept it without hesitation. It has to be an instinctive YES!This is because training contract applications require a lot investment in terms of time, research and effort. It truly is hard work. That is why he suggested that students created an effective strategy of only applying to firms in which they would actually want to work at. This means that they can produce the best applications that they possibly can for a few firms that are really part of their top choices.

Thank you,
Chido

Great one Chido! Thank you for our first submission :)
 
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My best piece of advice is to avoid taking a scattergun approach towards applications. You will need to do in-depth research for all the firm's you apply to while also studying/working at the same time. The more firms you apply to the less likely you'll be able to research them all in depth. Law firms will easily spot a generic application.

You can use the Corporate Law Academy's firm overview document to structure your research.

You should know exactly what differentiates the firms you apply to from other firms. You should also try to find out what sort of firm you wish to build your career in, e.g. magic circle, US or regional firms.

Finally, you should practice common questions that law firms ask at interview (see TCLA's 175 questions guide) and use your university careers service to arrange mock interviews. Make sure you don't memorise all your answers but instead broadly know how you will structure your answers. Practice makes perfect.

Good Luck!
 

Daniel Boden

Legendary Member
Trainee
Highest Rated Member
  • Sep 6, 2018
    1,537
    3,856
    The best piece of advice I have heard about writing a successful vacation scheme and/or training contract application was from a future trainee solicitor at Weil, Gotshal & Manges at a law dinner at the University of Nottingham.

    He emphasised that, firstly, it is crucial that you give yourself enough time to complete the application. A good application takes a lot longer than most people expect - don't be in a rush to start and submit it as soon as possible! This is because your answers to some of the more subjective questions may change after you think about it for a while and thus you want to give yourself enough time to go over and think about the application.

    Another thing he said he found helpful was trying to answer the question 'why am I the best person for this job?' as it will help you tailor your application, and draw out the most important skills that show that you are suited to work in a law firm. A lot of people have similar achievements on their applications he said, but the candidates that really stand out are not necessarily the ones with the highest achievements, but rather the most relevant achievements. A good tip he offered was to note down all the things you want to include in the application (no matter how big or small the achievement) and then cross-check how they relate to the key skills that the firm is looking for. If you can then, using the STAR method, link your skills together in line with the firm's key competencies then you will have shown that you have thought about why you want to work at that specific firm and will be off to a very good start!

    Thanks guys - I hope this is helpful to people!
     

    Hazal

    Legendary Member
    Future Trainee
    Sep 25, 2018
    186
    399
    In response to: "What is your best piece of advice for students about writing a successful vacation scheme or training contract application?"

    The simple answer is:

    Do your research!

    The longer answer is:

    After applying to vac schemes and TCs for around 6 months and attending multiple events/open days, I have seen success in my applications most consistently when I've truly conducted an in-depth research into a law firm. Law firms all talk about non-specific applications and applications that show that they've gone a step forward. The steps I take to show this include:

    • Start with insight articles into your chosen firm. So, look at Chambers Student's "True Picture" and Legal Cheek's "The Firms Most List". From these insights pick out things such as what kind of work the firm does, the culture of the firm (directly communicated to these sites by the firm's trainees who are at the heart of that culture), the social life of the firm (i.e. can you expect a social life according to their work/life balance expectations), what the training is like there and what the reputation of the firm is. This step will help you to get to grips with a firm and flesh out what kind of place it is to work in. You will gradually see what is said here, corroborated elsewhere in your research, such as in a firm's awards.
    • After collating such a list, move on to the firm's rankings. Look at ChambersUK and Legal500. Both websites rank the departments/services of most firms and give a little insight into their departments and what kind of work they have done for their clients. Knowing what a firm is good at places you in good stead, particularly if you can identify which ones you're particularly interested in. What I usually do is find their tier 1 and 2 rankings (3 if you're keen) and note down the ones I am drawn to. Whenever a question comes up about "why us/this law firm" I always cite rankings when I talk about which sector/service I am interested in gaining experience in.
    • Next, find the firm's graduate website and graduate brochure. Pick out any words that they keep repeating. It is likely that they might score you on such a skill/strength as "innovative" or "straight-talking". It wouldn't do any harm to cater towards buzzwords when answering competency-based questions. This could also add to your previous picture of the culture of the place.
    • Supplement the previous stage with their official website. Find their awards and look at their news page. You can get a taste for their future business aspirations (are they opening up a legal tech hub?). Awards also show where they assign value in terms of where they are putting in the effort. Firms such as Reed Smith and Simmons & Simmons receive diversity/LGBT awards whereas Jones Day are known for their M&A and Client Service awards. Do these matter to you? If so, mention them in your application (or, in the interest of word count, keep them in mind for a possible future interview)
    BONUS: Some firms have "hints and tips" pages for what exactly they are looking for in your application. E.g. something as small as "use bullet points/don't use bullet points". Don't hinder your chances by not looking for this before you start.

    After conducting such in-depth research, you'll feel more confident about who a firm is, beyond what they say they are. Almost always you'll start perking up at specific pieces of information you'll find and this will be the bare-bones of your answer to "why us". In terms of other questions you'll need to answer for firms, make sure specific competency questions are answered using the STAR method (see here) and try and relate the skills/strengths you've touched upon to the firm itself (e.g. if HSF like teamwork, say why your specific experience lends itself to that). For commercial based questions, on the other hand, the same depth of research applies as above. Treat it like a mini academic essay.

    TL/DR: The BEST, shortest piece of advice I achieved was from Reed Smith. If you don't have at least 2 specific facts/statistics relating to the firm, in EACH question, you haven't made it specific enough.
     
    Last edited:

    Nicole

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Feb 28, 2018
    233
    224
    My best piece of advice is to avoid taking a scattergun approach towards applications. You will need to do in-depth research for all the firm's you apply to while also studying/working at the same time. The more firms you apply to the less likely you'll be able to research them all in depth. Law firms will easily spot a generic application.

    You can use the Corporate Law Academy's firm overview document to structure your research.

    You should know exactly what differentiates the firms you apply to from other firms. You should also try to find out what sort of firm you wish to build your career in, e.g. magic circle, US or regional firms.

    Finally, you should practice common questions that law firms ask at interview (see TCLA's 175 questions guide) and use your university careers service to arrange mock interviews. Make sure you don't memorise all your answers but instead broadly know how you will structure your answers. Practice makes perfect.

    Good Luck!

    Congratulations to the following students for winning TCLA Premium: @Hazal Kirci, @Chido, @Daniel Boden and JA (sorry I can't tag you JA as the username is too short so I have quoted your post instead!). Thank you so much for taking the time to share your advice in this thread. You are very kind people!

    Please request access to the TCLA Premium group and we will approve your membership :)
     

    Salma

    Legendary Member
    Feb 28, 2018
    650
    712
    Congratulations to the following students for winning TCLA Premium: @Hazal Kirci, @Chido, @Daniel Boden and JA (sorry I can't tag you JA as the username is too short so I have quoted your post instead!). Thank you so much for taking the time to share your advice in this thread. You are very kind people!

    Please request access to the TCLA Premium group and we will approve your membership :)

    Congrats guys! Loved reading your posts
     

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