Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[D95]

Things like this really annoy me! Who on earth told you that not being at a RG uni would be an issue and that you should avoid certain firms? Please can you go and tell them to shut down their own dreams before trying to (wrongly) shut down others’.

If the comments have come from forums like TSR, you have to take them with a massive pinch of salt.

*making a mental note to stop reading TSR and Legal Cheek comments section*

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

*making a mental note to stop reading TSR and Legal Cheek comments section*

Thank you!

Definitely take Legal Cheek comments section with a pinch of salt. People on there take trolling to a whole new level. They are purposely rude and condescending - it’s the same with ROF - they are often people not happy with their life and having to take it out anonymously on a forum to keep their own sanity and boost their own ego. They often haven’t got a clue what they talking about and often have their own agenda.

TSR is sometimes more helpful but still has a habit of fixating on certain stats, often which don’t tell the full picture.

Don’t let people tell you that you can’t do it. There’s enough people out there who go against what they are suggesting is true - from what you’ve said there’s nothing to suggest you couldn’t be the next person to prove them wrong

 

[Tcapplicant]

Undoubtedly the majority of your application will be the same. But revisit certain sections and critically evaluate whether you have better examples to use since your last application and review any career motivational aspects as to what has changed or been solidified since your last application.

That's great Jessica, thank you! Do you think its still ok to talk about attending their Open Day even though it was last year as a reason for wanting to join the firm?

 

[Jessica Booker]

That's great Jessica, thank you! Do you think its still ok to talk about attending their Open Day even though it was last year as a reason for wanting to join the firm?

Didn’t you learn more from the internship though? Or did it not solidify that decision?

 

[Lawbour]

Hi Jessica,

How reasonable do you think it is for me to apply for London Law firms (CMS, Macfarlanes for example) despite having a lot of 2.2s in my undergrad degree (I ended up with 65% overall). I've checkeda lot of firms' websites and they all only ask for a 2.1 overall but I'm aware that they do check your individual module grades

 

[gricole]

Why do firms ask whether you have previously applied for them?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Why do firms ask whether you have previously applied for them?

Multiple reasons:

They don’t want you to apply for the same vacancy in the same cycle

They want to understand what other roles you may have applied to within the organisation

If you have applied before, they want to be able to see what may have changed since your last application

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

How reasonable do you think it is for me to apply for London Law firms (CMS, Macfarlanes for example) despite having a lot of 2.2s in my undergrad degree (I ended up with 65% overall). I've checkeda lot of firms' websites and they all only ask for a 2.1 overall but I'm aware that they do check your individual module grades

Few questions to answer this:

At what stage were your 2.2s (year 1, year 2, final year)?

Were the 2.2s in modules that could be considered more tied to the type of work that they do?

How many is “a lot”? Are they in a majority?

How would you rate the relative strength of the rest of your application form?

 

[PSM]

Hi Jessica,

How reasonable do you think it is for me to apply for London Law firms (CMS, Macfarlanes for example) despite having a lot of 2.2s in my undergrad degree (I ended up with 65% overall). I've checkeda lot of firms' websites and they all only ask for a 2.1 overall but I'm aware that they do check your individual module grades

If it helps, I got a few 2:2s in my first and second year (nowhere near majority though) finished with 65% overall and managed to get onto CMS' vac scheme last year. It is definitely possible so do not let it deter you!!

 

[Helena]

Multiple reasons:

They don’t want you to apply for the same vacancy in the same cycle

They want to understand what other roles you may have applied to within the organisation

If you have applied before, they want to be able to see what may have changed since your last application

Hi Jessica , can I ask you for clarification on your second point when you say other roles you may have applied to. Is it a problem if you have applied for a paralegal role for example?

 

[gricole]

Multiple reasons:

They don’t want you to apply for the same vacancy in the same cycle

They want to understand what other roles you may have applied to within the organisation

If you have applied before, they want to be able to see what may have changed since your last application

Would you be viewed negatively if you have applied for the same position before assuming it's not in the same cycle? I reached the VI stage three times last year but did not get through and I am wondering if I will be viewed negatively for applying again. Do I need to re-write my applications since they were successful at the first stage? Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica , can I ask you for clarification on your second point when you say other roles you may have applied to. Is it a problem if you have applied for a paralegal role for example?

Not necessarily a problem - just something they would like to know

 

[Jessica Booker]

Would you be viewed negatively if you have applied for the same position before assuming it's not in the same cycle? I reached the VI stage three times last year but did not get through and I am wondering if I will be viewed negatively for applying again. Do I need to re-write my applications since they were successful at the first stage? Thank you!

You need to update your application. It doesn’t all have to change, but if you didn’t get past video interview stage last time and you are applying with the same application, an assumption could be made that you are likely to not get passed the video interview again.

Generally not an issue if you have applied before - a few firms explicitly state you can’t reapply though.

 

[gricole]

Thank you Jessica. Can you share your view on law fairs? What do you expect to happen at events as these? What are the definite "Dont's"? Is it a myth or reality that firms keep a track of people they liked at these events? Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you Jessica. Can you share your view on law fairs? What do you expect to happen at events as these? What are the definite "Dont's"? Is it a myth or reality that firms keep a track of people they liked at these events? Thank you!

Seriously wouldn’t worry about them. Firms need to be more worried about how they come across more than how candidates come across

It’s just an opportunity to have a conversation and get your questions answered. Don’t even worry if they are the basic questions - that is what the representatives are there to do, answer YOUR questions and promote their opportunities.

Some firms do track people that make an impression at these events though. They often do the same at evening presentations and other careers events. This doesn’t really mean an awful lot though - at best it may take a very borderline application and swing it into the “yes” pile at an application review stage, but it’s unlikely to provide you with any further “advantage” and won’t mean you can get away with a substandard application/assessment.

If you are trying to be the person flagged as someone who made an impression - just come in with genuine questions and listen attentively to what the person is telling you. No question is out of bounds as such, but just think about who you are asking the question to - a trainee will be able to answer different questions compared to the recruiter.

Try not to over think it or try to hard - it’s those who purposely come in with an agenda of trying to get on the “impressed” list that often come across as the most annoying candidates

 

[Helena]

Thank you. So if you are working already in a firm, this would simply be logged and you would not be at a disadvantage if already working there?

Not necessarily a problem - just something they would like to know

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you. So if you are working already in a firm, this would simply be logged and you would not be at a disadvantage if already working there?

If you are working already at the firm, then it would be flagged up whether that question existed or not!

Generally you are not at a disadvantage - some firms randomly still have a “paralegals can’t apply for TCs” rule though (never understood that one).

 

[Helena]

If you are working already at the firm, then it would be flagged up whether that question existed or not!

Generally you are not at a disadvantage - some firms randomly still have a “paralegals can’t apply for TCs” rule though (never understood that one).

No me neither. That is really odd.

 

[Jessica Booker]

No me neither. That is really odd.

I think it was to ensure people were joining as career paralegals rather than trying to get their foot in the door and expecting a step up into a TC.

Managing Paralegal’s expectations on TCs is a bit of a minefield - typically because there are so many paralegals and other administrative roles filled by people aiming for a TC (don’t think that means there should be a blanket ban though).

 

[Lawbour]

Few questions to answer this:

At what stage were your 2.2s (year 1, year 2, final year)?

Were the 2.2s in modules that could be considered more tied to the type of work that they do?

How many is “a lot”? Are they in a majority?

How would you rate the relative strength of the rest of your application form?

so they were in every year pretty much. They were in modules that are not really relevant to the law firms (like Criminal law and Jurisprudence) and they were all 58 or 59% other than Juris which was 56%. The majority of my grades are 2.1s and I also have four 1st.

In terms of my application, I think it is ok... I have quite a few extracurriculars, I did a vac scheme this summer (this was before I had my 3rd-year results) and I make sure I have spoken to the firms so that my application is more personable.