Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hi @futuretraineesolicitor,

Just some thoughts on the above:

1a. I think this depends on how much you have to talk about. It would be helpful to describe, briefly/to give context for specific achievements (unless they are self-explanatory). It really is a matter of word count and how many achievements you have to talk about.

1b. I would think a TCLA scholarship would be suitable. Which scholarship are you referring to specifically?

2. This is dependent on whether or not you have done a qualifying law degree at undergraduate. If you have not done one, then you will not be exempt.

3. Without context I am a little unclear why N/A fits best here.

4. I would detail that you have sent GR an attachment detailing your mitigating circumstances. Then give a brief summary of what your MCs are.

5. This really is a matter of your personal preference. You will be able to, I would have thought, change this preference later down the line, so I would not stress too much about it!

Hope that helps

Hey @George Maxwell thank you for your answer. For 1(b), I am talking about the TCLA Premium Scholarship which was given to me based on my answer to "How would these courses help you in your commercial law journey and what have you done so far for this goal?"

However, I am still unclear about what I should write for point 3. I'm just aware that the firm will start will the PGDL route September onwards and I'm not aware of any choice being given other than following the PGDL + CCP route.

Thanks.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @futuretraineesolicitor,

Just some thoughts on the above:

1a. I think this depends on how much you have to talk about. It would be helpful to describe, briefly/to give context for specific achievements (unless they are self-explanatory). It really is a matter of word count and how many achievements you have to talk about.

1b. I would think a TCLA scholarship would be suitable. Which scholarship are you referring to specifically?

2. This is dependent on whether or not you have done a qualifying law degree at undergraduate. If you have not done one, then you will not be exempt.

3. Without context I am a little unclear why N/A fits best here.

4. I would detail that you have sent GR an attachment detailing your mitigating circumstances. Then give a brief summary of what your MCs are.

5. This really is a matter of your personal preference. You will be able to, I would have thought, change this preference later down the line, so I would not stress too much about it!

Hope that helps

George’s advice is spot on here and N/A is the most appropriate option for 3) if you are not going to self fund the course.

 

[Lastseasonwonder]

My advice is to look at how the firm writes it in body copy on their website (eg not in headings/titles) and mirror that, but it does really depend in the context of how you write it. The above example isn’t capitalised, while if you said someone’s job title “Joe Bloggs, Real Estate” it would be.

The only way you will be disadvantaged is if you feel you would fall into any of the categories, and therefore wouldn’t be flagged. This could be anything from the postcode you live in, to the school you attended, through to the specific questions asked (like have you been a carer, did you work during term time etc).

Thanks for your response, @Jessica Booker.

Regarding the second point, it then seems the Rare system is a win, win - if I don't fall within any of the categories it is what it is kind of thing, but if I do then it is an advantage?

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me if I should capitalise the names of competitions that I've participated in. For example, is "XYZ University Legal Opinion Writing Competition 2019", "ABC University Company Law Quiz Competition 2021" okay?

Thanks in advance.

 

[George Maxwell]

Hello @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me if I should capitalise the names of competitions that I've participated in. For example, is "XYZ University Legal Opinion Writing Competition 2019", "ABC University Company Law Quiz Competition 2021" okay?

Thanks in advance.

Again to give my thoughts: yes that looks fine @futuretraineesolicitor

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me if I should capitalise the names of competitions that I've participated in. For example, is "XYZ University Legal Opinion Writing Competition 2019", "ABC University Company Law Quiz Competition 2021" okay?

Thanks in advance.

Yes - they should be capitalised as they are titles.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thanks for your response, @Jessica Booker.

Regarding the second point, it then seems the Rare system is a win, win - if I don't fall within any of the categories it is what it is kind of thing, but if I do then it is an advantage?

It basically acts as a flagging system to contextualise your previous achievements. If your application had spelling errors or poor motivational answers, the system doesn’t compensate for that. But what it does do is flag to the recruiter that you are likely to have been disadvantaged when it comes to factors that have influenced your opportunities in life. It just creates a bit of a sense check for recruiters when someone’s academic or work experience profile isn’t as strong as the average applicant but is much stronger than the average applicant from that background.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Again to give my thoughts: yes that looks fine @futuretraineesolicitor

Thanks again, @George Maxwell .

 

[Casual]

Hello @Jessica Booker.

A few firms mention that they screen applications on a rolling basis and allocate spaces after the deadline. Does that mean there is no advantage to submitting the applications for such firms earlier?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello @Jessica Booker.

A few firms mention that they screen applications on a rolling basis and allocate spaces after the deadline. Does that mean there is no advantage to submitting the applications for such firms earlier?

If they allocate interview slots after the deadline, then yes no disadvantage. If they mean allocating roles, then there could be a slight disadvantage as interview slots could be booked up.

 

[iE2000]

Hi @Jessica Booker ,

Hope you're doing well. I'm writing up my answers for the Taylor Wessing application and I was wondering if you could help me in interpreting these questions, clarifying what the recruiters may be looking for in my answer, as well as any advice on how I can stand out. Thank you!

We strive for excellence for our clients and people. What will drive you to deliver excellent client service? (250 words max) * (Note from me: I recall that excellence is one of Taylor Wessing's six values)

Working with innovative and fast paced clients means our lawyers must display more than just legal expertise. What other key attributes would you bring to the firm and why are these important? (250 words max) *

Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. Why is inclusion important to the success of Taylor Wessing? (250 words max) *

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker ,

Hope you're doing well. I'm writing up my answers for the Taylor Wessing application and I was wondering if you could help me in interpreting these questions, clarifying what the recruiters may be looking for in my answer, as well as any advice on how I can stand out. Thank you!

We strive for excellence for our clients and people. What will drive you to deliver excellent client service? (250 words max) * (Note from me: I recall that excellence is one of Taylor Wessing's six values)

Working with innovative and fast paced clients means our lawyers must display more than just legal expertise. What other key attributes would you bring to the firm and why are these important? (250 words max) *

Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. Why is inclusion important to the success of Taylor Wessing? (250 words max) *

I wouldn’t try to overthink these questions - what they are looking for isn’t anything hidden or purposely tricky.

The first is about what you think will drive you if you were to work at the firm, the second is about demonstrating your unique skill set, and the third is trying to see whether you can demonstrate your understanding of why diversity is important.

For the first question, you’ll need to analyse what motivates you on a day to day basis. Not everything is going to be amazing, interesting or successful, and you’ll need you own drive and motivation to get through difficult and stressful times, and so the firm wants to understand there will be enough driving you forward to succeed if you worked there.

Think of the second question as an elevator pitch. It’s your opportunity to sell you and your USPs as a candidate. Think about what the firm might value and try to align your strengths to that where you can (but don’t try to completely fit into what you think the firm wants - this is about selling your individuality).

The firm clearly values diversity and so wants to understand that you value it to by showing your knowledge of diversity matters. You’ll probably want to read up on the firm’s diversity strategies and think about why the firm has implemented them (eg what are the benefits to the firm).

 

[Lastseasonwonder]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

A cover letter includes: (1) why (commercial) law; and (2) why [FIRM]; and (3) why me. For the third part, do I need to find out what the firm (specifically) looks for in its trainees and then match my experiences with that? How do I approach the why me bit? I have a lot of experiences but how do I know which ones I should talk about?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker,

A cover letter includes: (1) why (commercial) law; and (2) why [FIRM]; and (3) why me. For the third part, do I need to find out what the firm (specifically) looks for in its trainees and then match my experiences with that? How do I approach the why me bit? I have a lot of experiences but how do I know which ones I should talk about?

I would try to align it to what the firm looks for in its hires or the firm’s values more broadly where possible, but still making sure you focus on your strengths - fitting to this shouldn’t be at the expense of showing your key strengths and your actual character. With a cover letter, remember the evidence is elsewhere (typically in the CV or online application form) so you don’t have to repeat matters that have already been described elsewhere.

It’s not about claiming everything - it’s about what you think your key messages are based on the combination of your strengths and what the firm is looking for.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me where I can find information that goes over how many international students each firm takes per trainee cohort? There is some information as a pie chart for a few firms on Legal Cheek but it isn't there for most firms that I'm interested in. Also, the pie just says "International" and doesn't go into much detail regarding where these students are from. I know this information might not be available online but what is the closest that I can get to this?

Thanks.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me where I can find information that goes over how many international students each firm takes per trainee cohort? There is some information as a pie chart for a few firms on Legal Cheek but it isn't there for most firms that I'm interested in. Also, the pie just says "International" and doesn't go into much detail regarding where these students are from. I know this information might not be available online but what is the closest that I can get to this?

Thanks.

This information isn’t readily available unfortunately. The Legal Cheek information is probably the best source. You could always email the firms you are interested in and ask them directly.

 

[AP2000]

Hey @Jessica Booker ! As regards the "Please outline your most significant achievement to date and how this was achieved" question, does the achievement we choose have to be the result of a longer process or a series of defined steps? My most significant achievement is winning an important essay competition which opened the doors to speaker roles at a number of conferences and interviews where I could promote a cause I am passionate about and which also links to the firm I'm applying to. I am worried though that since I can't talk in detail about how I won the competition I would not be answering the full question.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hey @Jessica Booker ! As regards the "Please outline your most significant achievement to date and how this was achieved" question, does the achievement we choose have to be the result of a longer process or a series of defined steps? My most significant achievement is winning an important essay competition which opened the doors to speaker roles at a number of conferences and interviews where I could promote a cause I am passionate about and which also links to the firm I'm applying to. I am worried though that since I can't talk in detail about how I won the competition I would not be answering the full question.

From what you have said, I am not overly convinced the achievement is the essay competition. If anything the achievement seems to be more tied to promoting the cause.

The achievement can be anything though - it doesn’t need lots of steps. It just needs to show one or more of the following - dedication, excellence, perseverance, benefiting others, creativity.

 

[AP2000]

From what you have said, I am not overly convinced the achievement is the essay competition. If anything the achievement seems to be more tied to promoting the cause.

The achievement can be anything though - it doesn’t need lots of steps. It just needs to show one or more of the following - dedication, excellence, perseverance, benefiting others, creativity.

@Jessica Booker I hadn't thought about that- you are right, it's more about the cause than anything else. Thank you so much for your insight!

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me, is it okay to talk about the achievements in the Freshfields' cover letter if we have already listed them in the "scholarships/awards etc." section? Obviously, I will go into a lot more detail in the cover letter.

Thanks.