Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Sorry, the different email question at the end of the post was what I was responding to.

You could ask the firm to confirm whether it was your CAPP/WG or your application that made the decision.

Thank you so much, but I wonder if they'll respond given that they've already stated in the PFO mail that they are not going to give out any feedback.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you so much, but I wonder if they'll respond given that they've already stated in the PFO mail that they are not going to give out any feedback.

Is there any harm in asking?

You could always try to ask via a subject access request if you were very keen to find out.

 

[somerandomlawyer]

Hi Jessica, I'm a future trainee due to start a training contract in 2023 at a firm with a large trainee intake (>50 per year). I'm in a bad place mentally and for this and other reasons I am thinking about delaying graduation for a year. What is holding me back is the fear that this will lead to me losing my TC. Do you have any advice on how to approach my firm to ask for a deferral and whether it's realistic to get a deferral?

 

[EVjuji]

Hi @Jessica Booker , I have a telephone interview next week. For "why the firm" and "why law"-questions is it better to mention a lot of different points or focus on 3-4 points but explain them in depth?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica, I'm a future trainee due to start a training contract in 2023 at a firm with a large trainee intake (>50 per year). I'm in a bad place mentally and for this and other reasons I am thinking about delaying graduation for a year. What is holding me back is the fear that this will lead to me losing my TC. Do you have any advice on how to approach my firm to ask for a deferral and whether it's realistic to get a deferral?

Sorry to hear about your current situation. You really need to do what is best for your mental health and exploring your options here is important to work out what is going to be best for you longer term.

What I will stress is that it is highly unlikely you will lose your TC just by enquiring as to whether a deferral is possible.

At worst, the firm will not be able to provide you with a deferral and then you will need to consider whether you can/should delay your graduation this year and weigh up your options from there. They may not be able to offer it if their other intakes are full for instance. However, they are highly unlikely to rescind your offer just by you enquiring as to whether a deferral is possible. If you explained your reasons for wanting a deferral and they rescinded the offer, the firm would be on exceptionally dodgy grounds because of disability discrimination.

I would call your main point of contact at the firm and explain that you would like to understand whether a deferral is possible and if so, what is the process. It is likely that they will want to understand your reasons for deferring though, and I think it is best to be honest with them and explain to them your current situation. These days the vast majority of firms will take mental health seriously and will understand that these things happen. They might even be able to provide you with some form of support - in the past some of the firms I worked for gave future trainees the same access to support mechanisms that they did with employees. They will probably want to know you have factored in other considerations into this decision (e.g. you have spoken to your university and have considered any financial implications).

In short, the worst that can happen at the moment is the firm cannot offer a deferral. That puts you in no different position than you are now. However, by having the conversation, not only may you get the deferral but you could also get other support from the firm too.

Whether it is feasible or not is a real unknown and only the firm will be able to guide you on this. If it is deferring to an intake that they are still recruiting for, it might be easier. But there are a lot of considerations that go into moving people across intakes and it won't just be dependent on your individual circumstances. When you do ask, the firm may need time to consider it and may need to come back to you at a later date once they have had conversations with other people.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker , I have a telephone interview next week. For "why the firm" and "why law"-questions is it better to mention a lot of different points or focus on 3-4 points but explain them in depth?

Definitely the latter in my opinion. Pick your most important/relevant points and focus on explaining them - why are they important to you/how will they benefit you as a trainee rather than just explaining what they are.

 

[M991]

Hi @Jessica Booker!

This may be a bit dumb question, but if I were told by HR that they will get back to me "as soon as possible" post AC, when is it appropriate to send them an email asking for an update or at least a timeframe specifying by when I should hear back - perhaps 2 weeks?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker!

This may be a bit dumb question, but if I were told by HR that they will get back to me "as soon as possible" post AC, when is it appropriate to send them an email asking for an update or at least a timeframe specifying by when I should hear back - perhaps 2 weeks?

Yes, think this is appropriate. I’d take as soon as possible as a week but these things can be delayed and so two weeks seems reasonable on this occasion

 

[corplaw0702]

Hi @Jessica Booker ! I recently got my offer letter for a vacation scheme in the summer, and one of the conditions was a satisfactory academic reference. I've signed the offer letter and sent it back, asking when and how they would like my academic reference. They haven't responded, but I am assuming that they have seen my acceptance letter sent back to them as they haven't chased me about anything. Can I expect this to happen later on in the onboarding process? Thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker ! I recently got my offer letter for a vacation scheme in the summer, and one of the conditions was a satisfactory academic reference. I've signed the offer letter and sent it back, asking when and how they would like my academic reference. They haven't responded, but I am assuming that they have seen my acceptance letter sent back to them as they haven't chased me about anything. Can I expect this to happen later on in the onboarding process? Thanks!

It is likely that any reference checks will be done with the information you have already given, or the firm will contact you by or the necessary details when they need them.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello, @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me, where can I find more information about the lateral hiring process of the MC firms? There is absolutely nothing about this on the forum and even the firms' websites are not of any help. Also, how much experience do we need to have a fair chance and what departments hire the most? Just clueless about how the whole process works.

Thanks.

 

[M991]

Hi @Jessica Booker!

I have received a VS offer via email, but the firm did not mention any deadline for accepting it (and I have one more interview this Friday). Shall I just kindly ask when the deadline is, or should I explain that I am interested, but I have another interview, etc. ?

Thank you so much!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker!

I have received a VS offer via email, but the firm did not mention any deadline for accepting it (and I have one more interview this Friday). Shall I just kindly ask when the deadline is, or should I explain that I am interested, but I have another interview, etc. ?

Thank you so much!

How long have you had the offer for?

 

[M991]

How long have you had the offer for?

I received it earlier today.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello, @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. Could you please tell me, where can I find more information about the lateral hiring process of the MC firms? There is absolutely nothing about this on the forum and even the firms' websites are not of any help. Also, how much experience do we need to have a fair chance and what departments hire the most? Just clueless about how the whole process works.

Thanks.

I am not aware of any centralised resources for this particular topic. You might find some information on the Law Society website or main publications like Law Gazette or the Lawyer though.

For associate hiring, specific requirements are usually outlined for each/individual role. You will typically need a certain level of PQE (post qualified experience) and this will be listed in a number of years. NQ hires are rare as they will typically be hired from their own trainee intakes. When they do happen you’ll need an equivalent training contract with a competitor firm, with at least one seat in the practice area the role is in.

For PQE roles, the firm may often ask for specific experience, such as working with a certain size/complexity of clients or deals, or having knowledge of specific sectors. The more junior you are, the more your training contract seats will be of interest.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

I am not aware of any centralised resources for this particular topic. You might find some information on the Law Society website or main publications like Law Gazette or the Lawyer though.

For associate hiring, specific requirements are usually outlined for each/individual role. You will typically need a certain level of PQE (post qualified experience) and this will be listed in a number of years. NQ hires are rare as they will typically be hired from their own trainee intakes. When they do happen you’ll need an equivalent training contract with a competitor firm, with at least one seat in the practice area the role is in.

For PQE roles, the firm may often ask for specific experience, such as working with a certain size/complexity of clients or deals, or having knowledge of specific sectors. The more junior you are, the more your training contract seats will be of interest.

Thank you so much.

 

[lisa0410]

Hi @Jessica Booker - I have recently accepted a TC offer and I was wondering if it would seem strange to ask for feedback on my AC/final interview? Would this be a really odd thing to do? I would just really like to know what the firm thinks I can improve on given I’ll be training there! Thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker - I have recently accepted a TC offer and I was wondering if it would seem strange to ask for feedback on my AC/final interview? Would this be a really odd thing to do? I would just really like to know what the firm thinks I can improve on given I’ll be training there! Thanks!

It isn't an odd thing to do - I have done this many times ahead of someone joining as a trainee or vacation scheme student. Just try to give your firm as much time as possible to provide it to you.

 

[lisa0410]

Thanks so much @Jessica Booker !

 

[djqb]

Hi @Jessica Booker should I be reaching out to my interviewers after an assessment centre to connect via LinkedIn, or would that be too much?

Or is it ok to do this after I've received an outcome? I have no idea how to go about this/what the etiquette is