Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[RS Sinatra]

Hi!

How do I answer the question 'Why do you think you will be a good commercial solicitor? ' do I have to include my motivations for why commercial law or do I need to write about my qualities that I think will make me a good solicitor?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi!

How do I answer the question 'Why do you think you will be a good commercial solicitor? ' do I have to include my motivations for why commercial law or do I need to write about my qualities that I think will make me a good solicitor?

Thanks in advance!

I would focus more on your skills here.

 

[Lauren]

Should work experience of under a week be included in the work experience section?

Also if so, is it better to group this for example open days together and company presentations together?

Sorry if this is a very basic question, I am doubting myself after a graduate recruiter said it should only be over a week but I do feel I have learned a lot from shorter experiences too.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Should work experience of under a week be included in the work experience section?

Also if so, is it better to group this for example open days together and company presentations together?

Sorry if this is a very basic question, I am doubting myself after a graduate recruiter said it should only be over a week but I do feel I have learned a lot from shorter experiences too.

That’s just one recruiter’s opinion - there is no set rule really. I see plenty of experiences under a week included in work experience sections.

To me company presentations are definitely not work experience though and shouldn’t be in there. Listening to people talk for an hour or so can’t be claimed as work experience in anyway.

Open days are bit of a grey area - my personal view is that they still aren’t work experience, but plenty of people do include them in work experience sections.

You can demonstrate your learning from open days/events in other sections of your application though.

 

[Lauren]

Thank you, that's very helpful!

Would it be ok to group four virtual internship experiences in one work experience entry?

I assume these are classed as work experience but is it better to separate these out?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you, that's very helpful!

Would it be ok to group four virtual internship experiences in one work experience entry?

I assume these are classed as work experience but is it better to separate these out?

were they virtual in a sense that you still had real work to do? Or were they just simulations? If the later, group them together. If the former where you are working with associates/trainees and having responsibility for delivering real work to them, then split them out

 

[B1806]

Hi again @Jessica Booker and thanks for all the great advice!

I just had a query about an application question on Reed Smith's application form.
"Please give details of any prizes, awards or stipends etc. you have won or been granted, numbering them 1 to 5 (you need not include your degree here)."

I have listed 5 awards and scholarships, all of which I was awarded before my time at university. I was wondering whether I could perhaps replace one of the less impressive ones with the fact that I received the highest module mark in my first year at university for a particular module (or would that not count since there's no award attached to it?).

Thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi again @Jessica Booker and thanks for all the great advice!

I just had a query about an application question on Reed Smith's application form.
"Please give details of any prizes, awards or stipends etc. you have won or been granted, numbering them 1 to 5 (you need not include your degree here)."

I have listed 5 awards and scholarships, all of which I was awarded before my time at university. I was wondering whether I could perhaps replace one of the less impressive ones with the fact that I received the highest module mark in my first year at university for a particular module (or would that not count since there's no award attached to it?).

Thanks!

yes - that is fine. It doesn’t have to be a direct award as such, just something tangible and that can be proved (of which a highest module mark could be).

 

[Manifesting]

Hi again @Jessica Booker and thanks for all the great advice!

I just had a query about an application question on Reed Smith's application form.
"Please give details of any prizes, awards or stipends etc. you have won or been granted, numbering them 1 to 5 (you need not include your degree here)."

I have listed 5 awards and scholarships, all of which I was awarded before my time at university. I was wondering whether I could perhaps replace one of the less impressive ones with the fact that I received the highest module mark in my first year at university for a particular module (or would that not count since there's no award attached to it?).

Thanks!

I went to Reed Smith's Open Day and they mentioned that they are not "assessing" that question on prizes. They include this question as a way for you to show your personality and interests to give "flavor" (their words) for the interview stage. If I were you, I would aim to showcase unique aspects about you. That said, receiving the highest module mark is impressive and I would include that in the education description box.

 

[B1806]

I went to Reed Smith's Open Day and they mentioned that they are not "assessing" that question on prizes. They include this question as a way for you to show your personality and interests to give "flavor" (their words) for the interview stage. If I were you, I would aim to showcase unique aspects about you. That said, receiving the highest module mark is impressive and I would include that in the education description box.

Fair enough. The thing I removed to make way for the highest module mark thing were some prizes I won for national History competitions in high school in my home country. Should I remove the bit about the module mark (and move it to the "additional information about your undergraduate degree" box) and instead talk about the competitions? Note that I can sort of weave in the point about the competitions into another award (I was given a scholarship on the basis of winning those competitions so I can sort of subtly mention them without using them as a separate point).

yes - that is fine. It doesn’t have to be a direct award as such, just something tangible and that can be proved (of which a highest module mark could be).

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker. I hope you are well. I filled in my work experience chronologically but when I reviewed my application, my entries were no longer listed chronologically but randomly. May I ask if this should be an issue of concern? Thank you

no - I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

[Anilc]

Hi @Jessica Booker

I am a foreign lawyer practicing law in Turkey. My experience on legal field is limited, since I just got my license. But I have a good CV in translation business, including the biggest media companies in the world, and I have translated some books.

I'd like to take the SQE exams after the pandemic ends (I hope soon) and I want to work as a solicitor in England. But my researches suggest that even though it's possible to pass SQE, I can only add it to my CV and I shouldn't actually expect to have a chance working in England because my chances of getting work permit would be extremely low.

Before I want to plan my future and dedicate my time for this, I want to understand my chances of getting a work permit after passing the SQE -maybe by being sponsored by firms in England?- in England. How does this work for foreign lawyers?

What do you think about the chances of a Turkish lawyer finding work as a solicitor in England?

Thank you,

Best,

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker

I am a foreign lawyer practicing law in Turkey. My experience on legal field is limited, since I just got my license. But I have a good CV in translation business, including the biggest media companies in the world, and I have translated some books.

I'd like to take the SQE exams after the pandemic ends (I hope soon) and I want to work as a solicitor in England. But my researches suggest that even though it's possible to pass SQE, I can only add it to my CV and I shouldn't actually expect to have a chance working in England because my chances of getting work permit would be extremely low.

Before I want to plan my future and dedicate my time for this, I want to understand my chances of getting a work permit after passing the SQE -maybe by being sponsored by firms in England?- in England. How does this work for foreign lawyers?

What do you think about the chances of a Turkish lawyer finding work as a solicitor in England?

Thank you,

Best,

The work permit process is literally changing as we speak and the UK government hasn’t provided a lot of information about it yet.

The good news is that the visa system is going to get easier for someone like you, but it will still be costly (about £5,000-8,000 for the firm) and you will have to meet the points based criteria too (this isn’t down to the firm alone, it’s down to your personal circumstances).

“Chances” are unfortunately impossible for me to define as it will depend on who you are applying to, the roles you are applying to (and how much they pay) and your own personal circumstances.

 

[Anilc]

The work permit process is literally changing as we speak and the UK government hasn’t provided a lot of information about it yet.

The good news is that the visa system is going to get easier for someone like you, but it will still be costly (about £5,000-8,000 for the firm) and you will have to meet the points based criteria too (this isn’t down to the firm alone, it’s down to your personal circumstances).

“Chances” are unfortunately impossible for me to define as it will depend on who you are applying to, the roles you are applying to (and how much they pay) and your own personal circumstances.

Hi Jessica,

Thank you very much for your fast reply,

About the "chances" part, as long as expecting to find work as a solicitor in England after the SQE is not a "fantasy" I am okay with any chances. And judging from your reply, it's not a fantasy and it can be done, so, I am okay with it.

Thank you for your help.

Best,

 

[MZ]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I apologize if this has been asked before but I was wondering if I should send a follow-up email to a firm after my interview to thank them for interviewing me and just say I enjoyed meeting them? Most "interview tips" websites online strongly recommend this and say it builds a more personal connection/makes you stand out more in their minds but I think this is more of an American thing and I'm not sure it would apply to a big law firm interviewing so many candidates (especially since they're very busy at the moment). Should I send a follow-up thank you email to the grad rec member who interviewed me/was replying to my emails beforehand or will it not make any difference to their impression of me?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I apologize if this has been asked before but I was wondering if I should send a follow-up email to a firm after my interview to thank them for interviewing me and just say I enjoyed meeting them? Most "interview tips" websites online strongly recommend this and say it builds a more personal connection/makes you stand out more in their minds but I think this is more of an American thing and I'm not sure it would apply to a big law firm interviewing so many candidates (especially since they're very busy at the moment). Should I send a follow-up thank you email to the grad rec member who interviewed me/was replying to my emails beforehand or will it not make any difference to their impression of me?

You can do if you want to, but it won't do anything more than just demonstrate you are polite (which hopefully you have demonstrated from the interview itself anyway).

You won't build a personal connection by saying thank you - you will have done that from the interview itself.

 

[Helpme12345]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I was wondering how important it is for you to meet the firms you're applying to. I'm currently writing my application to White & Case and they have a section where you detail your participation in careers events etc. I went to events while at uni but have changed the firms I'm applying to since then and wonder whether this will mark me down a lot?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I was wondering how important it is for you to meet the firms you're applying to. I'm currently writing my application to White & Case and they have a section where you detail your participation in careers events etc. I went to events while at uni but have changed the firms I'm applying to since then and wonder whether this will mark me down a lot?

If you have a good application, you won't be marked down. But they may just critically evaluate your motivations for applying to them a little more carefully, so I would ensure the "why the firm" part of your application is as strong/detailed/specific as it can be.

 

[Lauren]

I was wondering about capitalisations in applications.

Am I right in thinking "barrister" is lowercase?

What about "defendant"? In the context of "drafted a letter to the Defendant's solicitor"?

 

[Jessica Booker]

I was wondering about capitalisations in applications.

Am I right in thinking "barrister" is lowercase?

What about "defendant"? In the context of "drafted a letter to the Defendant's solicitor"?

Depends on context. Defendant’s would be lowercase in that instance though. The attachment might help explain