Vacation Scheme Application Advice

[Jaysen]

Hi all,

I have come across several exceptional vacation scheme applications during my recent reviews. I have asked these students to share their advice on applications in this thread, so you can learn how they developed their application technique.

If anyone else wants to share any application tips, please feel free to post here also.

Thanks,

Jaysen

 

[Deleted member 69]

Application Advice

1. Focus, re-focus, then focus some more

A year ago, I started writing applications that mentioned my ‘love for X’ or ‘passion for Y’ and how the firm was a ‘game-changer’ or was involved in ‘exciting deals’. This is fine. But, you won’t get an interview this way. Personally, I think the whole recruitment process is a huge learning curve and we all have to start somewhere. I certainly started from the bottom and learnt a huge amount from those applications. This is not to say that everyone does or should make those mistakes, and if you can learn from others and start writing great applications straight away that is fantastic. But I am a great believer in deferred gratification and think there is a lot to learn from the process, both about yourself and what you want to get out of a career in law.

For example, without making those mistakes, I wouldn’t have given myself the time to focus and then re-focus on certain parts of my application. This meant taking the time to really consider why I was interested in a career in law (being a non-law undergrad) and why commercial law in particular (this took me a long time, and even at interview I sometimes found I was struggling to answer this question). I then continued to research the particular parts of law that interested me, and the specific sectors and practice areas. This meant scrolling through information on websites, practical work experience, exposure to firms at open days and attending events and discussions on the university law society/club. From here, I found I was in a much stronger position to answer questions such as ‘why this firm’ or ‘why commercial law’, and was able to write a genuine and convincing answer. This, I believe, will set you up for success at interview.

I also had to really focus on my commercial awareness as History is not the best subject for keeping up to date with the business news. For this, my go to source of information was, and still is, the wake up to money podcast on BBC radio 5. I would highly recommend listening to the podcasts, even if it’s only a couple of times a week or while you get ready in the morning as background noise. I also listen to a bit of radio 4 for more current affairs/philosophical topics, and because I have a natural interest and find the content easier to digest. It is really important to use sources that you actually enjoy reading/listening/watching as this will bring a sense of individuality to your application, and this is what differentiates you from other applicants at the end of the day. As well as this, I would advise anyone to sign up to Finimize for a 3 minute daily run down of deals and events in the global economy as well as the £12 subscription of the economist.

I know this sounds like a lot, and at points of the year I did feel as though I was doing two degrees. However, what I found was that the more depth you go into, the more exposure you get to ‘niche’ parts of the market that others have perhaps missed/not spent the same amount of time researching. This means when it comes to writing an application and answering a question on ‘a commercial topic that interests you’, you will most likely stand out from other applicants in your answer.


2. Know yourself

What I mean by this is understand what interests you commercially and why you are really interested in law. Commercial awareness seems to impel people towards researching AI, Blockchain or Cryptocurrency just for the sake of it. Trust me when I say I have been there, tried it and failed. This will trip you up when you get to interview as your genuine interest just won’t come across. Partners can tell when someone is transparent, but equally they can tell when someone has a genuine interest in a topic. This is because you feel comfortable and happy to expand on the topic when questioned further. It is really powerful when it is natural, and this will only happen if you set yourself up for success at the application stage. By writing about topics that you actually enjoy reading about and have a natural interest in you will also find that your individuality will come across much more and you’ll have confidence in yourself and your application.

For me, this means talking about Africa, mentioning history and looking at a more macro picture. For others, it might mean talking about a certain theory and how it applies to X market/business or focusing on a specific sector or a specialist company. Be innovative with your answer and don’t be afraid to be brave.

Also, have a golden thread that you always come back to. There should be one thing that links the whole application nicely together and sums up your reasons for applying. Again, for me this is usually either Africa, history or disputes or a combination of the three.

3. Don’t rush

Finally, and possibly the hardest piece of advice for anyone to take on is not to rush. I mean two things when I say this. Firstly, and quite literally, don’t rush an application. I take about a week to submit an application from start to finish. There is no hard rule for the time you should spend writing an application, but I tend to look at it this way: If you think about the standard law firms are looking for, combine this with the word count of three/four questions plus the work experience and extra-curricular section, you are probably looking between 1500-2000 words of prose per application. If you think of that in academic terms, you would most likely not take 3-4 hours to research and write an essay of the equivalent length. Yes, you can pretty much copy and paste your work experience section when it’s done and you will naturally become more efficient at writing an application, but don’t rush the process. There is honestly no point sending off a rushed application for the sake of it, as the time spent could have been better used elsewhere. Whether this be socialising with your mates at the pub or working on your commercial awareness so to speak.

Secondly, there is no real rush to get a vacation scheme or training contract now. This was a very honest piece of advice shared by a partner. Law is a long-term career and she was adamant that if you have to take work as a paralegal for a bit before commencing a training contract then do it, and don’t think you’ve ‘failed’ or feel hard done by as a result. Go for it when you are at your best.


Overall, I would one hundred per cent advise anyone applying to be focused, both on writing the application itself and in terms of the self-discipline it takes to get to a place where you feel confident with an application. It is a tough process, but if you have the drive and determination you will get there. This means setting time aside to reflect and know yourself better, and constantly ask yourself ‘does my answer reflect me and does my personality come across?’. Finally, don’t feel compelled by everyone else that is on the conveyor belt from university to jobs in the City, there is plenty of time to work, so enjoy and make the most of the time you do have while you’ve got it!

 

[Nicole]

Amazing Maddie, thank you for sharing!

I think this was also supposed to be here:

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!

 

[Hazal]

How to write an answer to: "Please tell us about a [news] story that interests you"

Recently I answered a similar question to the above for a Winter vac scheme and wanted to share some tips for how I constructed my answer, especially if this is the kind of question that throws you off (i.e. "where do I start?!)

1) Have a look through TED, TEDx talks and podcasts on apps such as Spotify and Apple
The key to not making this a chore is to truly find something that interests you. You might be a music enthusiast. If so, great! If not, don't worry. If nothing is coming to mind, looking for external inspiration such as TED talks is a good place to start. I have the TED app and often go through and bookmark interesting videos such as "how Netflix changed entertainment" and "why it's too hard to start a business in Africa -- and how to change it". I find it easier to relax and absorb information enjoyably when it's a video but if you need to, only listen to the audio. Hopefully this will kickstart some ideas and help you form some opinions too.

2) Choosing the topic
Some considerations:
- Your topic doesn't need to have a commercial edge to it
- Try and choose something that doesn't directly relate to your degree to show you're capable of thinking beyond it
- Passion goes a long way - you'll feel more comfortable with your writing

3) Research
It shouldn't take too long to research your topic. Read a few articles for history/additional opinions. Supplement this with a few more videos if you like. While doing this, note down points of interest and why they interest you. Hopefully, a story will begin to form in your head. You won't need much as you're probably only filling 250-300 words.

4) Writing
The key with writing this question is to construct it like an article. You don't want to cite facts just like that. Start with your interest or start with an interesting point, even a quote that succinctly introduces what you want to talk about will work. For example, when I wrote about a specific tech company, I used a quote from an Economist article about how the company was on everyone's minds. Approach it as if you're writing the story for a newspaper/media publication. If you haven't got experience in this, have a look at how good articles are written. I recommend The Economist, The Guardian and your own student publication. After your first draft, ask for a friend's opinion and keep working at it till it reads well.

P.S. : See here for Jaysen's tips on how to answer "Introduce us to a topic you know about and explain why it interests you". This is where I started!

 

[P. Dybala]

This is wonderful, thank you so much.

 

[Jaysen]

Some quick advice for your vacation scheme applications:

Spend just as much time on the quality of your writing as you do on the content of your application.

The more applications I review, the clearer it becomes that good writing makes a good application. It says a lot about you, your personality and your technical ability.

 

[CF]

I have just come across this is a really useful post by Shearman & Sterling on Legal Cheek regarding application advice for anyone interested!

https://www.legalcheek.com/lc-caree...from-shearman-sterlings-whiteboard-wednesday/

 

[Lawgirlxo]

1. Be brave enough to be yourself: I’ve found myself trying to edit the answers to the app questions because it just seemed that people were firing off applications with spectacular answers. There’s no need to reference a deal or a practice area of a firm if neither of them interests you. True honesty can be perceived from a mile. Answer the questions without the aim of ‘outshining’ the other applicants. Focus on explaining your answers to the best of your ability and the rest will take care of itself. E.g, there was this app question that asked about the biggest technical innovation facing the legal industry in the next 5 years. I went with generational change. It doesn’t seem like a typical topic but I justified my answer and I went through to the interview stage.


2. Know your strengths and know them very well. Everyone has good communication skills, everyone is a team player and these days, most applicants are commercially aware. The question is what makes you stand out from the rest? I came across the CC application which asks for your greatest achievement. I started out by explaining what I thought they would want to hear – how I went above and beyond for a client and how this had a (very) huge impact on the collaborative project I was working on. But I couldn’t go on. I don’t really care about this and it certainly is not my greatest achievement. So, I’ve gone with something more personal. It does not even involve a team element, it's more of an ongoing achievement. I can tell that I am extremely proud of it because of how easily the words flowed when I was drafting my answer. Only time will tell if CC shares my enthusiasm about the achievement. All in all, I would say dig deeper to understand what makes you unique. Remember that the thing which makes you unique can equally be another person’s USP. But, that’s not your business and it certainly does not matter at all. When you find out what that is, try and find a way to inject it into your application (it can be done very subtly and then further expanded on during the interview.


3. Know how to sell yourself. There is great power in words. Most times, it's not what you write but how you write it. Pick your choice of words carefully and then determine how best to structure your sentences. I’ve read a fair number of applications and I can always get a sense of someone’s personality through their style of writing and choice of words. Make sure to highlight what YOU did and how you made an impact. That said, it's totally fine if the result was a group effort or if what you did was so collaborative that there was no scope to be independent. Be flexible.


4. Understand what interests you about commercial law. I don’t know if it is just me, but commercial law is such a broad, broad term. From my perspective, it can be broken down into: the practice areas (finance etc), sectors (energy, tech etc), clients (private equity firms, private investors, investment banks, high-end, top-end), business development (the creation of long-term value for an organisation through customers, relationships and markets) and so much more. Personally, I’m quite interested in business development and so I have a keen interest in understanding how a business maintains its competitive advantage and how companies carve out new paths to growth etc. This interest led me to the retail industry, which you may know is one sector that is currently facing disruption. Business development also applies to law firms themselves - they are businesses in their own right! Commercial law is literally commerce and law working together; you have to narrow this broad concept into more specific reasons as to why you want to pursue a career in the field.


5. Finally, take your time to produce a well-written application. It can take days, weeks and for some months (if you start super early).

 

[Jaysen]

1. Be brave enough to be yourself: I’ve found myself trying to edit the answers to the app questions because it just seemed that people were firing off applications with spectacular answers. There’s no need to reference a deal or a practice area of a firm if neither of them interests you. True honesty can be perceived from a mile. Answer the questions without the aim of ‘outshining’ the other applicants. Focus on explaining your answers to the best of your ability and the rest will take care of itself. E.g, there was this app question that asked about the biggest technical innovation facing the legal industry in the next 5 years. I went with generational change. It doesn’t seem like a typical topic but I justified my answer and I went through to the interview stage.


2. Know your strengths and know them very well. Everyone has good communication skills, everyone is a team player and these days, most applicants are commercially aware. The question is what makes you stand out from the rest? I came across the CC application which asks for your greatest achievement. I started out by explaining what I thought they would want to hear – how I went above and beyond for a client and how this had a (very) huge impact on the collaborative project I was working on. But I couldn’t go on. I don’t really care about this and it certainly is not my greatest achievement. So, I’ve gone with something more personal. It does not even involve a team element, it's more of an ongoing achievement. I can tell that I am extremely proud of it because of how easily the words flowed when I was drafting my answer. Only time will tell if CC shares my enthusiasm about the achievement. All in all, I would say dig deeper to understand what makes you unique. Remember that the thing which makes you unique can equally be another person’s USP. But, that’s not your business and it certainly does not matter at all. When you find out what that is, try and find a way to inject it into your application (it can be done very subtly and then further expanded on during the interview.


3. Know how to sell yourself. There is great power in words. Most times, it's not what you write but how you write it. Pick your choice of words carefully and then determine how best to structure your sentences. I’ve read a fair number of applications and I can always get a sense of someone’s personality through their style of writing and choice of words. Make sure to highlight what YOU did and how you made an impact. That said, it's totally fine if the result was a group effort or if what you did was so collaborative that there was no scope to be independent. Be flexible.


4. Understand what interests you about commercial law. I don’t know if it is just me, but commercial law is such a broad, broad term. From my perspective, it can be broken down into: the practice areas (finance etc), sectors (energy, tech etc), clients (private equity firms, private investors, investment banks, high-end, top-end), business development (the creation of long-term value for an organisation through customers, relationships and markets) and so much more. Personally, I’m quite interested in business development and so I have a keen interest in understanding how a business maintains its competitive advantage and how companies carve out new paths to growth etc. This interest led me to the retail industry, which you may know is one sector that is currently facing disruption. Business development also applies to law firms themselves - they are businesses in their own right! Commercial law is literally commerce and law working together; you have to narrow this broad concept into more specific reasons as to why you want to pursue a career in the field.


5. Finally, take your time to produce a well-written application. It can take days, weeks and for some months (if you start super early).

Fantastic advice. It shows exactly why your application was so strong!

 

[gricole]

1. Be brave enough to be yourself: I’ve found myself trying to edit the answers to the app questions because it just seemed that people were firing off applications with spectacular answers. There’s no need to reference a deal or a practice area of a firm if neither of them interests you. True honesty can be perceived from a mile. Answer the questions without the aim of ‘outshining’ the other applicants. Focus on explaining your answers to the best of your ability and the rest will take care of itself. E.g, there was this app question that asked about the biggest technical innovation facing the legal industry in the next 5 years. I went with generational change. It doesn’t seem like a typical topic but I justified my answer and I went through to the interview stage.


2. Know your strengths and know them very well. Everyone has good communication skills, everyone is a team player and these days, most applicants are commercially aware. The question is what makes you stand out from the rest? I came across the CC application which asks for your greatest achievement. I started out by explaining what I thought they would want to hear – how I went above and beyond for a client and how this had a (very) huge impact on the collaborative project I was working on. But I couldn’t go on. I don’t really care about this and it certainly is not my greatest achievement. So, I’ve gone with something more personal. It does not even involve a team element, it's more of an ongoing achievement. I can tell that I am extremely proud of it because of how easily the words flowed when I was drafting my answer. Only time will tell if CC shares my enthusiasm about the achievement. All in all, I would say dig deeper to understand what makes you unique. Remember that the thing which makes you unique can equally be another person’s USP. But, that’s not your business and it certainly does not matter at all. When you find out what that is, try and find a way to inject it into your application (it can be done very subtly and then further expanded on during the interview.


3. Know how to sell yourself. There is great power in words. Most times, it's not what you write but how you write it. Pick your choice of words carefully and then determine how best to structure your sentences. I’ve read a fair number of applications and I can always get a sense of someone’s personality through their style of writing and choice of words. Make sure to highlight what YOU did and how you made an impact. That said, it's totally fine if the result was a group effort or if what you did was so collaborative that there was no scope to be independent. Be flexible.


4. Understand what interests you about commercial law. I don’t know if it is just me, but commercial law is such a broad, broad term. From my perspective, it can be broken down into: the practice areas (finance etc), sectors (energy, tech etc), clients (private equity firms, private investors, investment banks, high-end, top-end), business development (the creation of long-term value for an organisation through customers, relationships and markets) and so much more. Personally, I’m quite interested in business development and so I have a keen interest in understanding how a business maintains its competitive advantage and how companies carve out new paths to growth etc. This interest led me to the retail industry, which you may know is one sector that is currently facing disruption. Business development also applies to law firms themselves - they are businesses in their own right! Commercial law is literally commerce and law working together; you have to narrow this broad concept into more specific reasons as to why you want to pursue a career in the field.


5. Finally, take your time to produce a well-written application. It can take days, weeks and for some months (if you start super early).

Thank you very much for your advice. I find business development really interesting as well! It is by far the most strategic aspect of law firms' operations. Can you elaborate on your interest in BD a bit more? Why would you choose to be a lawyer rather than a BD person?

 

[Lawgirlxo]

Thank you very much for your advice. I find business development really interesting as well! It is by far the most strategic aspect of law firms' operations. Can you elaborate on your interest in BD a bit more? Why would you choose to be a lawyer rather than a BD person?

So, I developed an interest in BD when I was representing a law firm as their campus ambassador. I enjoyed observing law firms competed against themselves (especially on campus). The interest just expanded from there.

On a wider scale, I like understanding how businesses compete; what are their strategies, what are the winners doing differently? How are companies maintaining their competitive advantage?

So lets take the banking sector for example: Santander's diversification overseas, especially in Brazil, has helped the bank to navigate tough conditions faced by its European rivals since the the financial crisis”. You have also probably heard of Goldman Sachs and its new retail bank, Marcus.

Next is the retail industry- there is an obvious widening gap between the winners and losers. Companies like amazon have mastered the art of being consumer-centric. Simple things like comparing Amazon’s home/locker delivery to the far-from-perfect delivery service of Hermes (which many retailers use). You can also consider how Amazon has almost diversified into every sector it possibly could. Again, the question is what is this company doing that others aren’t?

Last example is the automobile industry. Driverless and hybrid cars are gathering momentum. Even Dyson that I only knew for household appliances has joined the trend. Another e.g is Uber’s new monthly subscription service in the US ($14.99- $25 ish per month), which makes Lyft’s $300 monthly subscription ridiculous - both were introduced within days of each other.

How does all of this relate back to commercial law? Remember that some of these companies are clients of some law firms. Even if they are not, they are the competitors of law firms’ clients. To remain competitive, law firms must keep up with the changes facing clients’ industries so they can advise clients on how to remain competitive.

To answer your second question, I haven’t chosen the BD role itself simply because I like black letter Law. I want to be in the position to use the law to advance my clients’ business goals.

If a client wants to grow (open a new office in some country, lawyers provide advice on the regulations of that country, if a client wants to diversify by acquiring a new company, you have M&A lawyers, competition lawyers, IP lawyers etc.

Take Brexit for example, I imagine lawyers are helping clients with their supply chains, renegotiating clients’ contracts and helping clients to hedge market risk by using derivatives. All of this is ultimately to make sure that these businesses still remain competitive after Brexit; it is to ensure that their business strategy maximises profit.

P.S: How BD relates to law firms is a bit more fascinating. Questions like how Kirkland leads the market with 14 worldwide offices (ofc the US legal market plays a big part in this) vs Bakers with 77 (which is of US origin too); or how Slaughters, Macfarlanes and Travers are at (slightly) different ends of the market spectrum despite having the same global strategy. They are all doing well so it all works out for them!

Hope this helps!

 

[Maymoonah]

1. Be prepared to discuss whatever you have written in your application in an interview. This means that you should only focus on practice areas, deals, awards, firm research and even personal examples that you are genuinely interested in.

2. Make sure that you find the right balance between discussing firm research and linking things back to yourself. There is a risk that you could overdo this.

3. Ensure that you ask insightful questions at open days/networking events and use these insights in your application form. Discussing this for your firm research shows greater commitment than listing deals of the firm's website.

4. Always prioritise style, structure, grammar and punctuation. Recruiters are extremely particular about this. Get everyone you can to proofread your applications.