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Aspiring Lawyers - Interviews & Vacation Schemes
Vacation Schemes Discussion
Vacation Scheme Application Advice
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<blockquote data-quote="Deleted member 69" data-source="post: 2834"><p>Application Advice</p><p></p><p>1. Focus, re-focus, then focus some more</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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. </p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p></p><p>2. Know yourself</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>3. Don’t rush</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p>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.</p><p></p><p></p><p>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!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Deleted member 69, post: 2834"] 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! [/QUOTE]
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