Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[LegalNim]

Ok. Go to bed now try to get a good nights sleep. Prepare in the morning as you would do normally but try to call from 8.30am onwards.

If you haven’t email them asking for the links already, also do that now in case they are picking up emails super early tomorrow morning.

Thank you - I have so much more to prep before tomorrow because I've had a bit of a busy week what with BoJo's announcements and everything (and another job interview on Friday). I emailed a few hours ago but I will try calling in the morning - thank you so much.

 

[LegalNim]

Ok. Go to bed now try to get a good nights sleep. Prepare in the morning as you would do normally but try to call from 8.30am onwards.

If you haven’t email them asking for the links already, also do that now in case they are picking up emails super early tomorrow morning.

THEY REPLIED!!!!! All in and sorted and good

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica!

I don't know how but I just managed to send an email to GR with an error. Somehow I wrote down "Thank you for email" instead of "Thank you for YOUR email". Do you think that they may cancel my AC because of this error? 😭

No. I suspect if you look hard enough there’s mistakes in their Comms to you.

If an opportunity was taken away every time there was an error in something as minor as an email saying thank you, there would be no lawyers.

 

[Jessica Booker]

THEY REPLIED!!!!! All in and sorted and good

Grad Rec replying to emails this late at night. Shows the work they are putting in.

 

[Deleted member 8227]

You are applying for the same vacancy/intake?

No so i applied in the winter TC window but would rather withdraw my application and apply for the summer TC window. Does that count as being in the same cycle even if I withdraw before a decision?

 

[Jessica Booker]

No so i applied in the winter TC window but would rather withdraw my application and apply for the summer TC window. Does that count as being in the same cycle even if I withdraw before a decision?

But I am assuming that is for the same training contract start date?

 

[Deleted member 8227]

But I am assuming that is for the same training contract start date?

Yes I think so. Would it just be advisable to apply in the next academic year if it is?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Yes I think so. Would it just be advisable to apply in the next academic year if it is?

I think there is a risk you’ll just be flagged as a duplicate applicant even if you withdrew your application. You also can’t be 100% sure your application hasn’t been reviewed. It could have been reviewed and just not a decision made.

 

[Deleted member 8227]

I think there is a risk you’ll just be flagged as a duplicate applicant even if you withdrew your application. You also can’t be 100% sure your application hasn’t been reviewed. It could have been reviewed and just not a decision made.

Okay I think i'll just leave it then. Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica! I did a written test as part of a vac scheme application. They asked us specifically in the instructions not to use our own name on the test document. I've just realised that I did in fact sign off the document with my name

As frustrating as it is, I know there's not a lot I can do about it now. However, I am debating emailing grad rec, not to correct the mistake per se, but rather to give them the opportunity to remove my name so it can be judged blind (as it was meant to be). Is there a risk that I would be drawing their attention to a problem that they wouldn't otherwise notice?

Just leave it.

They will be aware of the issue but nothing can be done to change it at this stage.

 

[Anon 11031]

Hi Jessica,

I wrote a thread detailing some mitigating circumstances that I want to disclose on my TC applications. How much detail should I look to go into? I'd really value your insight!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

I wrote a thread detailing some mitigating circumstances that I want to disclose on my TC applications. How much detail should I look to go into? I'd really value your insight!

Feel free to PM me with further detail. It's very hard to give guidance on this as ext cirs are always so different from one person to the next

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hi @Jessica Booker. Hope you are doing well. What according to you are ways in which international students who have never studied/worked in the UK demonstrate their willingness to commit to a career in the UK. I really feel this is one question that can be asked at the outset but I can't think of even one way to demonstrate this substantially. In the past I have attended a number of events by Linklaters during the milkround period, completed their Forage internship but that's pretty much it. I don't think this is enough evidence.

Thank You.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker. Hope you are doing well. What according to you are ways in which international students who have never studied/worked in the UK demonstrate their willingness to commit to a career in the UK. I really feel this is one question that can be asked at the outset but I can't think of even one way to demonstrate this substantially. In the past I have attended a number of events by Linklaters during the milkround period, completed their Forage internship but that's pretty much it. I don't think this is enough evidence.

Thank You.

It is tricky and unfortunately I don't think there really is an answer to it beyond showing your research and willingness to engage in UK matters.

Unless you spend time in the UK, that's all you can do.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker, hope you're well!

I was wondering, if you are in a partner interview and they tell you they are going to tell HR to say yes to you, how high is the possibility of still getting rejected? Basically if HR are not in the room and are given a result one way by the partner/interviewers, do they ever override that for any reason? For example if they don't like your profile as much.

Hard to say to be honest. They really shouldn't be saying stuff like that in an interview.

HR could override a decision. For instance what would happen if two interviewers did this on the same day and there was only one role?

Obviously it's positive feedback from one person, but depending on how other candidates have got on or how you have done in other assessments, one person’s opinion of another from a 30-60 minute conversation could mean very little.

 

[CT]

Hi Jessica. Sorry for this question but do you have any advice on how long the answer for simple questions (eg. why law, why us) should be in the interview?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica. Sorry for this question but do you have any advice on how long the answer for simple questions (eg. why law, why us) should be in the interview?

There's no set answer to this unfortunately. Some questions could be asked in one sentence for one candidate, for the next it could be quite detailed and long.

Usually in an hour interview, you will only be answering questions for about 30 minutes once you take out introductions, wrapping up the interview and them asking you questions, and you asking them questions at the end. They are also probably going to ask you at least 7 or 8 questions during that time, meaning you will only really have 3-4 minutes on average for each question, and that's not factoring in your interviewer asking follow up questions your interviewers may want to ask you. So you haven’t really got a lot of time really.

But also remember your interviewers aren’t going to remember every detail you say, so what’s the most relevant/important parts of what you want to say, rather than saying everything.

 

[CT]

There's no set answer to this unfortunately. Some questions could be asked in one sentence for one candidate, for the next it could be quite detailed and long.

Usually in an hour interview, you will only be answering questions for about 30 minutes once you take out instructions, wrapping up the interview and them asking you questions. They are also probably going to ask you at least 7 or 8 questions during that time, meaning you will only really have 3-4 minutes on average for each question, and that's not factoring in your interviewer asking follow up questions your interviewers may want to ask you. So you haven’t really got a lot of time really.

But also remember your interviewers aren’t going to remember every detail you say, so what’s the most relevant/important parts of what you want to say, rather than saying everything.

Thank you so much!

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello @Jessica Booker, hope you are doing well. I wanted to ask you, can I use an internship experience at TT&A (Links' best friend Indian firm) in FBD's personal statement to say that I've tried my best to get the closest to working with city law firms. Would that reflect in a negative way because TT&A is actually Links' best-friend firm and not FBD's?

Secondly, at present there are only 2 Indian firms which have a best-friends relationship with city firms. One is TT&A and the other is Indian Law Partners which is Ashrust's best-friend. In the past, there were two more firms which were CC's and A&O's best-friends but their relationship ended in 2011. So, does it still count if we intern at those firms who were best-friends 9 years ago or should I only focus on which firm shares that relationship presently?

Thank You.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello @Jessica Booker, hope you are doing well. I wanted to ask you, can I use an internship experience at TT&A (Links' best friend Indian firm) in FBD's personal statement to say that I've tried my best to get the closest to working with city law firms. Would that reflect in a negative way because TT&A is actually Links' best-friend firm and not FBD's?

Secondly, at present there are only 2 Indian firms which have a best-friends relationship with city firms. One is TT&A and the other is Indian Law Partners which is Ashrust's best-friend. In the past, there were two more firms which were CC's and A&O's best-friends but their relationship ended in 2011. So, does it still count if we intern at those firms who were best-friends 9 years ago or should I only focus on which firm shares that relationship presently?

Thank You.

Of course - there wouldn’t be any negative issues there.

Any large commercial law firm in India that is working on international matters will be good enough. It doesn’t have to be a partner firm. The importance is really the work they do, not the relationship.

The only way a “best friends” relationship would help is if a partner in the Indian firm put in a strong recommendation to a partner in the London office.