2020-21 Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion

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Roch1234

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Sep 14, 2018
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Has anyone not heard from TW? Assuming a PFO now...

Also, a quick q: do firms actually check when you amend your app? I just got an offer of postgrad study from Oxford (not my undergrad uni) which I would quite obviously like a couple of firms I'm at app stage with to see, but no idea if they actually get a notification or anything when I put it in the additional info
Theres still a few ACs taking place, so TW may be waiting till those are complete before getting back to everyone. (Although I have heard of some VC offers). Stay positive - you still have a good chance!
 

Kablahc

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  • Aug 31, 2020
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    An interviewer asked me if I had secured any VS. I panicked, lied and said I hadn't. Are there any implications for this?
    What a weird question of them to ask you!!!! I shouldn't think there would be. Unless you've posted about the VS on LinkedIn or anything there would be no way for them to see you lied.
     

    Jaysen

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  • Feb 17, 2018
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    Sorry I know this has been asked fairly recently but what are some recommendations of commercial awareness podcasts?

    Hey! Nothing wrong with asking, you might find these helpful:

     
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    Jessica Booker

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    Small correction, an SAR has to be completed in 30 days by law, and you can request the specific information you are looking for rather than everything, so it's unlikely that they'll be given more than their feedback if its all they ask for. However, if the firm is annoyed they can definitely give it in a user unfriendly format, but this is something that can be appealed to the ICO because the information has to be understandable per the statute and ICO guidance.
    30 days is the standard, but an organisation can request an additional two months fairly easily (which is pretty standard), especially under current conditions. Complex is quite easy to define given true variety of ways in which someone’s personal data could be stored in regards to recruitment (eg they may even need to request hand written notes from interviewers who are WFH).

    The assumption is that the “feedback” itself is in a user friendly format based on the data stored - trust me it rarely is from a candidate’s perspective!
     

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    BTC398TSLA

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    Mar 5, 2021
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    Hey as @rachelzane101 said, it depends on the firm. I’d recommend asking when you’ll hear back at the end of an interview if the recruiter/interviewer doesn’t mention it.

    Feel free to mention the name of the firm you’re waiting to hear from on this forum. Others who interviewed there could give an insight as to how long they waited. Hopefully that should help!
    Thanks for your help! It was for Boodle Hatfield, they said a couple of weeks at the interview. I looked at the forum and someone mentioned they were told they were successful last week. Not sure what that means for me haha.
     

    whisperingrock

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  • Sep 12, 2020
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    30 days is the standard, but an organisation can request an additional two months fairly easily (which is pretty standard), especially under current conditions. Complex is quite easy to define given true variety of ways in which someone’s personal data could be stored in regards to recruitment (eg they may even need to request hand written notes from interviewers who are WFH).

    The assumption is that the “feedback” itself is in a user friendly format based on the data stored - trust me it rarely is from a candidate’s perspective!
    Having dealt with several SARs myself, both as someone fulfilling it and someone requesting my data, a request as narrow as "my recruitment feedback" is not going to be considered complex enough to warrant a two month extension. One would expect a law firm to have a streamlined enough system to be able to supply SARs in a timely manner.

    I still don't think doing it is a good idea for the original asker, but it's not very likely that they'll be waiting more than one calendar month either way.
     
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    E1998

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    Feb 17, 2021
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    Hey! Nothing wrong with asking, you might find these helpful:

    Thank you so much!
     
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    MJ90

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  • Jan 9, 2020
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    TCLA squad I have a question: if you were rejected by a firm you really really liked post vac and they said on the feedback call ‘ you can apply next year’ , is it advisable to do so?
    Or is it just contributing to a waste of time/embarrassment that comes from you thinking you have a shot when you really don’t?

    It wasn’t a ‘you should apply’ more just a - ‘you can if you want’. 😅
     

    S87

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    TCLA squad I have a question: if you were rejected by a firm you really really liked post vac and they said on the feedback call ‘ you can apply next year’ , is it advisable to do so?
    Or is it just contributing to a waste of time/embarrassment that comes from you thinking you have a shot when you really don’t?

    It wasn’t a ‘you should apply’ more just a - ‘you can if you want’. 😅
    Well if they said that you can..Why not? Make sure to make substantial improvements to your app :)
     
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    whisperingrock

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  • Sep 12, 2020
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    TCLA squad I have a question: if you were rejected by a firm you really really liked post vac and they said on the feedback call ‘ you can apply next year’ , is it advisable to do so?
    Or is it just contributing to a waste of time/embarrassment that comes from you thinking you have a shot when you really don’t?

    It wasn’t a ‘you should apply’ more just a - ‘you can if you want’. 😅
    If they're already saying you can apply instead of telling you you can't, which a lot of firms disallow if you get a post VS/AC rejection, I don't see that there is any harm in trying. Depends on if the feedback you were given is something you think you can act on by the time you are reapplying next year.
     
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    Andrew M

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    Jan 7, 2020
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    TCLA squad I have a question: if you were rejected by a firm you really really liked post vac and they said on the feedback call ‘ you can apply next year’ , is it advisable to do so?
    Or is it just contributing to a waste of time/embarrassment that comes from you thinking you have a shot when you really don’t?

    It wasn’t a ‘you should apply’ more just a - ‘you can if you want’. 😅
    I would go for it! I do know trainees at firms who only converted a TC on their second go around, having been unsuccessful on their first vac scheme with the firm.
     
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    Jessica Booker

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    Having dealt with several SARs myself, both as someone fulfilling it and someone requesting my data, a request as narrow as "my recruitment feedback" is not going to be considered complex enough to warrant a two month extension. One would expect a law firm to have a streamlined enough system to be able to supply SARs in a timely manner.

    I still don't think doing it is a good idea for the original asker, but it's not very likely that they'll be waiting more than one calendar month either way.
    It isn’t the request that can make it complex, it’s how it is stored that can. I know a firm that had to request access to a building that had been in lockdown as they were still relying on paper folders for feedback and said they would fulfil it within 90 days as access to the building in itself needed sign off. I know another that had a nightmare of getting feedback documents from someone who was working from home and was isolating too!

    These things are sometimes straight forward (and should be) but often are not unfortunately. Many SARs are not specific enough or request all data, possible through naivety, and then it gets very complex, especially if you have external suppliers also holding lots of data on a candidate too (psychometric test platforms, video interview platforms, platforms like Topscore). That’s where the complexity often comes in from my experience.
     
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