Hiya!Hi!
Is anyone able to give me some advice with regards to how to answer a question on what makes me unique? I’m finding it difficult to think about what they may be looking for with regards to this and how to find what makes me unique.
Thanks
Hi!
Is anyone able to give me some advice with regards to how to answer a question on what makes me unique? I’m finding it difficult to think about what they may be looking for with regards to this and how to find what makes me unique.
Thanks
Thank you so much, this does put my mind at ease. It does feel like a bit of a rush and the pandemic has not helped. Trying to stay positive has started to feel like a chore haha but the tcla family definitely helps!Hiya,
It is definitely possible to get a vacation scheme in your third year and even after graduation. It may vary from firm to firm, but generally speaking I know many people who did vacation schemes and secured tcs in their final year and beyond, so I wouldn't worry too much on that element - there is no time limit, you will definitely be able to apply to a wide range of firms.
Paralegal work is a great idea as its a great way to gain experience working within the legal sector and in a similar capacity to a trainee. However, I do think that any other role, including those outside the legal sector, would be just as good as there is still a wide range of transferable skills and knowledge to be gained from almost any type of experience, volunteering or even through personal hobbies and skills.
All in all, as much as it can feel like there is such a rush ( trust me I was very guilty of that), I think its always important to remember that everyone has their own journey. Not getting a vacation scheme or tc in second year or even final year doesn't mean its all over and nor does it disadvantage you in anyway!
Hope this helps a bit & best of luck ❤️
Hi Bailey,
I wouldn't overthink this question too much. The firm just wants to get a better idea of your personality and what makes you stand out from the crowd.
Do you have any particular hobbies/interests/passions that aren't quite as common? Is there a particular cause/activity that you've been pursuing and remained dedicated too for a long time? Alternatively, have you ever set a personal goal for yourself, how did you go about achieving it and what was the outcome from it?
As Naomi has already said, you could also approach it from a skills point of view of. What your strengths are and what standout experiences have you had that demonstrates those strengths?
Hope that gives you some ideas! ☺️
Thank you both!Hiya!
I don't think there is a perfect answer that firm's who ask this question are looking for. The focus of this question is on you.
What are your biggest strengths/ best traits?
When have you been able to successfully rely on this strength/trait and how has it helped you overcome obstacles you have faced?
These are some of the questions I think I would focus on when trying to respond to this question. I think this is an easier and more introspective way to approach this question as it allows you to answer it honestly, rather than trying to objectively apply traits you think may be desirable to your own personality, which may not feel/ come accross as natural.
Hope this helps & best of luck ☺️
Strengths based interviews are highly unlikely to use competency questions (if they do it isn’t really a strengths based assessment). They tend to be forward looking questions rather than backwards looking , and also more reflective questions about how you feel about situations that would highlight a particular strength rather than focusing purely on what you would do in situations (or if relying on past examples, what you did).Hello,
I hope all 3 of you are well.
I have a Reed Smith assessment centre next week and appreciate some help on the strength-based interview. I could not find anything on TCLA for Reed Smith strength-based interview so am asking here.
Have any done an assessment centre at Reed Smith as I would appreciate some advice on it. As to whether I would also get competency questions in the strength-based interview and should I use STAR in the interview for my answers in strength-based interviews. Thank you for your help.
Hi Asil,Hello,
I hope all 3 of you are well.
I have a Reed Smith assessment centre next week and appreciate some help on the strength-based interview. I could not find anything on TCLA for Reed Smith strength-based interview so am asking here.
Have any done an assessment centre at Reed Smith as I would appreciate some advice on it. As to whether I would also get competency questions in the strength-based interview and should I use STAR in the interview for my answers in strength-based interviews. Thank you for your help.
Hi Asil - I'm not one of 'you 3' but recently looked at the Bright Network unit on strengths. It's presented by EY and is handy. https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/academy/module/learning-about-strengths/Hello,
I hope all 3 of you are well.
I have a Reed Smith assessment centre next week and appreciate some help on the strength-based interview. I could not find anything on TCLA for Reed Smith strength-based interview so am asking here.
Have any done an assessment centre at Reed Smith as I would appreciate some advice on it. As to whether I would also get competency questions in the strength-based interview and should I use STAR in the interview for my answers in strength-based interviews. Thank you for your help.
Strengths based interviews are highly unlikely to use competency questions (if they do it isn’t really a strengths based assessment). They tend to be forward looking questions rather than backwards looking , and also more reflective questions about how you feel about situations that would highlight a particular strength rather than focusing purely on what you would do in situations (or if relying on past examples, what you did).
Hi Asil,
I've not personally done the Reed Smith AC (congrats on securing it, by the way!) so I can't give specific advice on it. In any event, though, I think the STAR/ CAR response is generally the approach I've favoured for single-competency questions. In case you've not seen it already, one of my recent articles covers STAR/ CAR in quite some depth: https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....w-firm-interviews-monday-article-series.3286/
As Jess says, though, if it's strictly strength-based, this approach will be less-applicable.
Hi Asil - I'm not one of 'you 3' but recently looked at the Bright Network unit on strengths. It's presented by EY and is handy. https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/academy/module/learning-about-strengths/
Also, CAPP have some useful insights. https://www.strengthsprofile.com/. Plus, the Civil Service and GLD use them so you can find videos on Youtube.
Hope that helps.
Hi Abbie,Hi everyone!
I applied for a vacation scheme and was unsuccessful in getting through to the VI stage, but the grad recruitment team mentioned that they were impressed with my application, so recommended I consider making an application for their direct TC, as these applications do not close for a little while now.
It's the same application question for the TC app, so I was wondering if anyone would perhaps be able to read through my previous VS answer and offer any tips on where I might be going wrong, or where I could improve.
I'm really hoping to improve my application, as this is effectively a second chance, and I can appreciate I would normally have to wait until the next cycle to try again!
Thank you in advance
Clearly the posts today about this are making everyone super paranoid - the amount of PM’s and posts I have had today with pretty much this same question is almost scary.Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask regarding your own experiences with referencing pre-vac scheme or TC. In your experiences, do firms ask for references for all jobs listed on the app? Or do they check lets say employment history for the past 3 to 5 years? I am just concerned that I have listed an informal experience abroad I have almost no way to verify now (lost contact and have no documents).
Thanks.
In my experience, I've only ever been asked for one academic reference and one non-academic reference. I've not been asked to provide references for anything else 🙂Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask regarding your own experiences with referencing pre-vac scheme or TC. In your experiences, do firms ask for references for all jobs listed on the app? Or do they check lets say employment history for the past 3 to 5 years? I am just concerned that I have listed an informal experience abroad I have almost no way to verify now (lost contact and have no documents).
Thanks.
Hi Nicole ☺️Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask regarding your own experiences with referencing pre-vac scheme or TC. In your experiences, do firms ask for references for all jobs listed on the app? Or do they check lets say employment history for the past 3 to 5 years? I am just concerned that I have listed an informal experience abroad I have almost no way to verify now (lost contact and have no documents).
Thanks.