TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[wqueens8]

Anyone applying/applied for bakers? I'm unsure how to go about the first question, discussing a topic you're passionate about and how it's impacted you personally or professionally.

I've heard some firms in the past say they like when you go a bit out there, say you're really passionate about dodgeball or something. But with the wording of this "a topic" I'm more inclined to go for something a bit more generic.

 

[Tcvspfo]

PWC VI invite. Any insights will be great its my first time applying for them.

 

[RonRod13]

Have Bird and Bird sent out WG invites already?

 

[LawyerUpPal]

Maybe three months is an extreme example. How do I avoid getting frustrated by delays? I already feel like I’m playing catch up with my career and am in a hurry to start. Was it wrong to call out a firm for a three month wait post-VS?

The first thing you have to do is manage your own emotions. I have always found that emailing people and cc'ing others, presumably in senior positions, is incredibly passive-aggressive and wastes their time. I would say that you have to develop the skill of talking yourself down in your head from doing impulsive things. This career is full of frustrating moments; how you manage frustrating moments now will dictate how well you do in the future. I had this very experience at Stephenson Harwood this year where, after my VS, I waited almost 3 months after being rescheduled several times (sometimes 30 minutes after the appointment was to occur) to get feedback. I was VERY annoyed; anyone who has dealt with SH knows GR is beyond disorganised. It crossed my mind to email the partner who interviewed me, but I thankfully did not. Turns out they were incredibly short-staffed- of the four people who work in grad rec, two were on maternity leave, and one had an accident and was hospitalised, so only one person was doing the work of 4. Ultimately, I was glad that I had talked myself down and waited. Also, the way Grad Rec staff move around, you are bound to run into these people at multiple firms and don't want to create negative interactions with them.

 

[TrainingContract2024]

I did it last time and it was horrible.

is it like Watson Glaser?

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

Have Bird and Bird sent out WG invites already?

yeah I applied Wednesday night and got it Thursday afternoon

 

[mfuturetrainee]

has links wvs already handed out their AC invites?

 

[bella98]

yeah I applied Wednesday night and got it Thursday afternoon

Is this for the spring vacation scheme or something else?

 

[sammm10101]

I’ve got my first ever open day tomorrow following a competitive application process, with interactive elements and skill sessions and stuff like that, and I was just wondering whether anyone had any advice over what to expect/ what not to do/ how to make a good impression with everyone?

I’m super excited ! but also quite nervy ahah

 

[James Wakefield]

is it like Watson Glaser?

Best way of describing it is like a Watson Glaser on steroids! You can’t go back and review your answers (it seems).

I like the WG, but the Addleshaw Goddard test is tough.

 

[studentdelaw786]

is Davis Polk’s Insight Day app rolling or non-rolling?

 

[TrainingContract2024]

Best way of describing it is like a Watson Glaser on steroids! You can’t go back and review your answers (it seems).

I like the WG, but the Addleshaw Goddard test is tough.

haha I see, thank you! 😂

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

Why would you like to pursue a career as a solicitor at Covington, and how do you see yourself contributing to the firm's success?​

How are people approaching this? Second part has stumped me a bit

 

[sammm10101]

Why would you like to pursue a career as a solicitor at Covington, and how do you see yourself contributing to the firm's success?​

How are people approaching this? Second part has stumped me a bit

I'd take it as identifying what makes you uniquely suitable for the role, where you have showcased their values and things like that, and how you could apply your skills once hired. The two parts of the question really feed into one another imo

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi @Andrei Radu! Your tips on the forum have been super useful! I was wondering whether you could share some advice about asking the "Why me" question? How would you structure the answer? My issue is that, in a VI or interview situation, I don't know what competency questions will be asked later. How would I avoid picking qualities / using examples that I might use later in the interview? Thank you!

Hi @MayaM0921 , @Andrei Radu would be able to tell you more, but just to make a note on the last part of your question - it’s totally fine to repeat qualities and examples across multiple interviews for the same firm. Additionally, it is unlikely that your interviewer for an AC would have watched your video interview beforehand.

 

[Audric_T]

Hi All,

I hope you are doing well.

Apologies for reaching out unexpectedly, but I noticed your comment mentioning that DLA Piper informed you of passing the test. I wanted to ask if this was in reference to the Watson Glaser test.

If so, could I kindly ask how long after completing the test you were notified of your results (the pass)?

Additionally, would you be willing to share your outcomes in the various areas (e.g. Strength to Leverage, Further Exploration, Opportunity for Development)? It would be helpful for me to have a point of reference as I gauge my own likelihood of passing.

Happy to share my results (did the test today) if it helps?

This is my first year submitting applications, and I must admit I’m feeling a bit nervous.

Thank you so much for your time and assistance.

Kind regards, Audric

 

[marisachr]

Can anyone who has passed an Amberjack assessment offer some advice? The SJT part is the one I am always weakest at, with scores like 5,7,5. Any tips on how to get better and selecting the ''right'' answers would be immensely appreciated!

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi @MayaM0921 and thanks for the kind words ! To firstly deal with the structure of the 'Why you?' answer, I think what you want is something like this:

1. Give a high level summary of what your answer will be, something like 'There are three reasons why you should offer me a place: my critical thinking skills, my organizational skills, and my teamwork abilities, all of which are essential for a trainee solicitor'.
2. Take the first skill/ability/attribute that you mentioned, and explain to the firm how an experience or achievement of yours demonstrates it. Use the STAR structure when walking the interviewer through the experience.
3. Explain how the skill/ability/attribute is relevant for the job of a trainee solicitor.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the other skills/abilities/attributes.
5. Conclude by once again giving a short summary of what your answer has been, something like 'So, to conclude, my experiences demonstrate I possess excellent critical thinking, organizational and teamwork skills, and this makes me an ideal fit for the job'.

As for the second part of your question (regarding what skills/examples to pick) I think you have to be strategic in balancing both trying to have the most convincing possible 'why me' answer and in not boxing yourself in a position where you will be forced to repeat yourself. My strategy was to first come up with the best possible answer I could for the 'Why the firm' question, then the best possible answer for the 'Why the firm' question, then the best possible answer to the 'Why commercial law', and only then draft my 'Why you?' answer. This was because I found that only a few of my experiences and achievements, could be connected to firm USPs, slightly more could be connected to my why commercial reasoning, but a lot of them could be used for showcasing a relevant skill or attribute.

Beyond that, in drafting my 'Why you' answer I would just use the most impressive leftover experiences, and maybe reference one or two of the experiences in the 'Why commercial law' or 'Why firm' answers if particularly impressive. While you could still be asked a competency question in the interview that forces you to be repetitive, there's no way to eliminate that risk, as there's no way of predicting what competency you will be asked about. However, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Firstly, the interviewers know candidates will not have an unlimited list of experiences to leverage, and will definitely not mind repeating one if you also consider it and discuss it from a different angle. Secondly, while this was something I worried about a lot before my interviews (as at least compared to some of my peers, my CV was not as full) in practice it was not a situation I often found myself in. If anything, the opposite happened more, in that I would not get to speak about more than 2-3 experiences and sometimes I would finish the interview without having mentioned some of my most impressive achievements.

Hi @desperateTCseeker1998 , @Andrei Radu made a really helpful post on this earlier, which I have linked above. It appears the question is a hybrid between ‘why the firm’ and ‘why you’. In answering the ‘why you’ arm, there are multiple things you could cover, as you could touch on any skills or experiences that are in line with that of a trainee, and which would ultimately help you contribute to the firm’s success long term. For example, have you worked with a business? What skills did you develop? Any challenges along the way? How did you overcome them? Have you worked to build your commercial awareness? How would you use this to contribute to the firm’s long term growth strategy? Have you had a look at this strategy on their publications? Could you link the two together? Thus, you could use an example of an experience you successfully went through and showcase how you could use comparable methods to contribute to Covington’s growth. Although often overlooked, another way you could contribute to the firm’s success is by showing in the application that you understand what it takes to be a commercial lawyer. This is where correlating between different skills and experiences come into play again. However, if ’why commercial law’ is a question on its own, then don‘t dwell on it here.

 

[Amma Usman]

Can anyone who has passed an Amberjack assessment offer some advice? The SJT part is the one I am always weakest at, with scores like 5,7,5. Any tips on how to get better and selecting the ''right'' answers would be immensely appreciated!

Hey @marisachr , good question. This is a tough one, particularly because competencies differ between firms and it is rather difficult to know which is the ‘right‘ answer. The truth is, often times there is no right answer. I’ve gone to several presentations by the providers of these SJTs which all say to trust your gut and intuition. Avoid spending too long on a question as this could make you run the risk of switching from the right answer, to the wrong one.

 

[Amma Usman]

On my Cover Letter for White & Case I mentioned that I was applying for the Spring Vacation Scheme however on the choice of options for my preferred scheme I somehow put Winter first and then Spring as my second option. Do you think I should email them stating my preference for the Spring scheme or will my application be acknowledged for the Spring over Winter Scheme anyway?

Hey @helloj , if spring is your first preference, I suggest reaching out to graduate recruitment with an update on the situation.