Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello Everyone, hope you all are well. Can you tell me if there are more groups/websites wherein I can find Interview questions for Links.
Thank You.

 

[Adam Gilchrist]

Hello Everyone, hope you all are well. Can you tell me if there are more groups/websites wherein I can find Interview questions for Links.
Thank You.

Glassdoor has some, although you need to sign up to the website to see them. From what I recall, most of the questions there are also listed on the relevant sub forum here too though.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello Everyone, hope you all are well. Can you tell me if there are more groups/websites wherein I can find Interview questions for Links.
Thank You.

Some websites that might be of use:

https://www.thecorporatelawacademy.com/experience/linklaters-interview/

https://www.chambersstudent.co.uk/linklaters/true-picture/255/1##bonus

https://www.wikijob.co.uk/content/interview-advice/company-interview-questions/linklaters

https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/linklaters-interview-advice/

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=780566

 

[Manifesting]

you don’t need to explain the competencies developed - your reader is intelligent, in most cases they can infer what skills you would have developed. It’s only going to be the unusual that might need explaining - but even then I think it can be done in a super concise manner way which wouldn't take up 300 words.

Doing things on your own isn’t looked down upon.

Generally you want to demonstrate as many strings to your bow as possible.

Hi Jessica, I wanted to ask a clarifying question about this advice.

For essay questions (between 250-300 words) on extracurricular activities/ interests/ positions of responsibility, would you advise giving a well-rounded answer detailing many things that we have done? Or is it fine to focus on a few things and share them in more detail?

In the past, I've highlighted a few of my activities (2-3) and written a paragraph each about them. These responses don't get close to showcasing the amount of things I've led or been involved with but through cutting them out, I'm able to show more depth and show how I built my interests and gained more responsibility over time.

One criticism a friend gave me for an application in the past was that they struggled to connect the dots and see consistent themes and interests throughout my application and, as a result, felt that my thoughts were are scattered all over the place. Obviously, they weren't a recruiter but this advice really stayed with me and has made me scared to talk about more than 2-3 activities.

 

[Numerius Negidius]

Hi Jessica, how would you approach the question "Please explain how you think you would benefit from attending this Open Day" (Herbert Smith Freehills)? Should my approach be largely the same as if the question were phrased "Why HSF"?

 

[LegalQ]

• If you are only looking for interim work, only apply for interim roles/jobs. Too many people will apply to permanent jobs and it will be pretty obvious that this isn't something you want to do long term. There is just very little point applying for those roles

• Set up job alerts on LinkedIn and if you are interested in law, then Law Gazette's job board too - to me these are the best sites rather than signing up to something like Reed or Indeed where you will just get bombarded with irrelevant jobs.

• Consider other roles within law firms: business development, CSR/pro bono teams, event Grad Rec can often take on junior/administrative roles on an interim basis. I have had part-time LPC students working in my Grad Rec teams before

• Consider signing up with a temp paralegal agency. I can't really recommend any as I haven't utlised one in ages and it will also depend on your location, but temp paralegal roles tend to be a good way of getting your foot in the door. I have seen many temp paralegals impress, then receive a paralegal fixed term contract, and then for those people to get training contracts either at the same firm or at a similar firm

• Think about utilising your particular unique skill set. If you have a fluency in a language, this will be a clear advantage in a role that requires that language skill. Sometimes paralegal roles may want someone with more of a tech or science background depending on the type of work you will be doing/the clients you will be working for. You can set up job alerts with key words that include these things - the more targetted you are, the better.

• Look at opportunities in in-house departments or in different types of legal services (like the role Alice mentioned in one of the threads the other day). Sometimes start-up companies won't post on major job boards, so this may require a bit more digging around or visiting their indiviudal websites if you have time.

• Follow the right people on LinkedIn - people tend to share and link opportunities that come up

• If you are only looking for interim work, only apply for interim roles/jobs. Too many people will apply to permanent jobs and it will be pretty obvious that this isn't something you want to do long term. There is just very little point applying for those roles

• Set up job alerts on LinkedIn and if you are interested in law, then Law Gazette's job board too - to me these are the best sites rather than signing up to something like Reed or Indeed where you will just get bombarded with irrelevant jobs.

• Consider other roles within law firms: business development, CSR/pro bono teams, event Grad Rec can often take on junior/administrative roles on an interim basis. I have had part-time LPC students working in my Grad Rec teams before

• Consider signing up with a temp paralegal agency. I can't really recommend any as I haven't utlised one in ages and it will also depend on your location, but temp paralegal roles tend to be a good way of getting your foot in the door. I have seen many temp paralegals impress, then receive a paralegal fixed term contract, and then for those people to get training contracts either at the same firm or at a similar firm

• Think about utilising your particular unique skill set. If you have a fluency in a language, this will be a clear advantage in a role that requires that language skill. Sometimes paralegal roles may want someone with more of a tech or science background depending on the type of work you will be doing/the clients you will be working for. You can set up job alerts with key words that include these things - the more targetted you are, the better.

• Look at opportunities in in-house departments or in different types of legal services (like the role Alice mentioned in one of the threads the other day). Sometimes start-up companies won't post on major job boards, so this may require a bit more digging around or visiting their indiviudal websites if you have time.

• Follow the right people on LinkedIn - people tend to share and link opportunities that come up

This is really useful! Thank you, Jessica.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica, I wanted to ask a clarifying question about this advice.

For essay questions (between 250-300 words) on extracurricular activities/ interests/ positions of responsibility, would you advise giving a well-rounded answer detailing many things that we have done? Or is it fine to focus on a few things and share them in more detail?

In the past, I've highlighted a few of my activities (2-3) and written a paragraph each about them. These responses don't get close to showcasing the amount of things I've led or been involved with but through cutting them out, I'm able to show more depth and show how I built my interests and gained more responsibility over time.

One criticism a friend gave me for an application in the past was that they struggled to connect the dots and see consistent themes and interests throughout my application and, as a result, felt that my thoughts were are scattered all over the place. Obviously, they weren't a recruiter but this advice really stayed with me and has made me scared to talk about more than 2-3 activities.

There is no set answer to this unfortunately - it ultimately comes down to the individual applicant and even each application they make.

My advice is to not think of application questions in isolation. Instead think about how your answer fits into the wider application and the evidence you have elsewhere. This means for one person, showing depth of explanation may make sense, while for the next showing variety with less detail makes sense.

I wouldn’t necessarily worry about whether points “link up” as your friend suggested. Instead, I would think about the following:

- are you going to show you kept yourself busy

- are you going to show that you stick to things or that you jump from one thing to the next with very little commitment

- are you going to be able to show a variety of skills

- is there a risk that you look one dimensional or that you are a jack of all trades but a master of none

- do you show a variety in skills/attitudes, rather than achievements

- is evidence lacking elsewhere in the application? Can you compensate for it in this section if it is?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica, how would you approach the question "Please explain how you think you would benefit from attending this Open Day" (Herbert Smith Freehills)? Should my approach be largely the same as if the question were phrased "Why HSF"?

No - they are very different questions.

the first is about the benefit to you of attending the open day with them. Why HSF would be much more about why you are interested in the firm.

 

[Lawgrad98]

On A&O's application form they ask that 'I acknowledge that I am only permitted to apply once in any 12 month period for either a Training Contract or a Vacation Scheme. Please note that you are eligible to apply to multiple regional offices in the same year, but must make the relevant recruitment teams aware.'

I applied to them in the last cycle but this was less than 12 months ago (approximately 10 months ago), does this mean I am not eligible to apply?

 

[Jessica Booker]

On A&O's application form they ask that 'I acknowledge that I am only permitted to apply once in any 12 month period for either a Training Contract or a Vacation Scheme. Please note that you are eligible to apply to multiple regional offices in the same year, but must make the relevant recruitment teams aware.'

I applied to them in the last cycle but this was less than 12 months ago (approximately 10 months ago), does this mean I am not eligible to apply?

If the wording says 12 months, you need to wait another 2 months before you can apply unfortunately.

 

[Sam55]

Hi Jessica,

What is the best way to approach the ‘why you’ part of a cover letter? Should we take the STAR approach and, if so, should we use one example that showcases multiple qualities?

Thanks!

 

[Alice G]

Hi Jessica,

What is the best way to approach the ‘why you’ part of a cover letter? Should we take the STAR approach and, if so, should we use one example that showcases multiple qualities?

Thanks!

You want to try to draw out your skills and attributes which make you a good candidate for a training contract and use examples as evidence to support your claim. You can use STAR for the example but I’ve not always strictly adhered to this. I’ve just tried to use my judgement as to what’s best and what approach enhances my writing and communication best.

 

[Hermes123]

It is a bit of a grey area (I had to look it up to check what it was). I suspect it is one of those things where some people would argue one way, and other people the other.

As I understand it, as you are not naming an individual person by their personal name, it’s faithfully. But happy for people to tell me if it’s different - the person who reviewed your application could be right!

@Jaysen / @Alice G - thoughts on this one?

Thank you, Jessica (and thanks to Alice and Jaysen for sharing your thoughts as well).

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

What is the best way to approach the ‘why you’ part of a cover letter? Should we take the STAR approach and, if so, should we use one example that showcases multiple qualities?

Thanks!

A "why you" doesnt need STAR. I think too many people hang on the STAR thinking its the answer to everything.

It is up to you whether you want to use one example or multiple examples. One example could leave you looking slightly more one dimensional though.

The risk with STAR is that if you adhere to it strictly, then describing mulitple examples would just be long winded.

For many cover letters, S or T plus R are sufficient - you often don't need to go into the detail of the A in a cover letter (which is usually the most important part of the STAR format, and so why I say STAR isn't necessary in a cover letter!).

 

[Sam55]

A "why you" doesnt need STAR. I think too many people hang on the STAR thinking its the answer to everything.

It is up to you whether you want to use one example or multiple examples. One example could leave you looking slightly more one dimensional though.

The risk with STAR is that if you adhere to it strictly, then describing mulitple examples would just be long winded.

For many cover letters, S or T plus R are sufficient - you often don't need to go into the detail of the A in a cover letter (which is usually the most important part of the STAR format, and so why I say STAR isn't necessary in a cover letter!).

Ok thank you- your advice is really appreciated as always!

 

[33c]

@Jessica Booker
I was wondering if you could give me some guidance about how to write about positions of responsibility. Is it better to write about 3 in detail or more in less detail. What exactly would I include here?

Also, re work experience sections of applications, what exactly should I include here? Should I link it to the firm?

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker
I was wondering if you could give me some guidance about how to write about positions of responsibility. Is it better to write about 3 in detail or more in less detail. What exactly would I include here?

Also, re work experience sections of applications, what exactly should I include here? Should I link it to the firm?

No one size fits all approach here unfortunately. It will depend on what your individual experiences are and also when you did them.

Think of it this way though:

- will I look like I have kept myself busy and have taken different opportunities up
- will a longer description show a range of skill sets that won't be shown if I just skim over the detail of larger

There is also potentially a compromise. You could describe one or two in more detail and then list out the ones you think are less relevant/older/less impressive.

 

[33c]

No one size fits all approach here unfortunately. It will depend on what your individual experiences are and also when you did them.

Think of it this way though:

- will I look like I have kept myself busy and have taken different opportunities up
- will a longer description show a range of skill sets that won't be shown if I just skim over the detail of larger

There is also potentially a compromise. You could describe one or two in more detail and then list out the ones you think are less relevant/older/less impressive.

Thanks Jessica!

 

[A friendly human]

another question about hsf haha

is using 150/300 words on their app for why youre specifically attracted to their disputes practice over other disputes practices too much

my fear is that im narrowing my interest in the firm to just one department and one seat in the tc

 

[Jessica Booker]

another question about hsf haha

is using 150/300 words on their app for why youre specifically attracted to their disputes practice over other disputes practices too much

my fear is that im narrowing my interest in the firm to just one department and one seat in the tc

Doesn't sounds like an issue to me. Depends on the rest of the 150 words and how you use them though.