Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[AgentNilPois]

If you are making it to the next stage of the recruitment process they are seeing enough in your application to look beyond grades. Your answers are going to be the deciding factor beyond that point.

It’s probably worthwhile closely analysing what your triggers are. If you are not getting them in the work place, try to take the attitude of whatever assessment you are going into is just another piece of work you’d be doing in your day job.

Thanks Jessica, I really appreciate the responses.

 

[NaSa16]

Hi Jessica!
Firstly I want to thank you for how helpful you’ve been in this thread - just reading through your previous answers have been invaluable!

I have fortunately been invited for an interview for a training contract, with the application process only being the submission of a CV and a cover letter. I have achieved a 1st in both my first and second year whilst working at my part-time retail job (12 hours) for the past three years. I am a committee member of a society, however my legal experience is almost comical, having only attended an open court session at a coroner’s court nearly 3 years ago.

Will my lack of legal experience likely be a hinderance/a sticking point in my interview or will my retail experience make up for it?
Thanks in advance

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica!
Firstly I want to thank you for how helpful you’ve been in this thread - just reading through your previous answers have been invaluable!

I have fortunately been invited for an interview for a training contract, with the application process only being the submission of a CV and a cover letter. I have achieved a 1st in both my first and second year whilst working at my part-time retail job (12 hours) for the past three years. I am a committee member of a society, however my legal experience is almost comical, having only attended an open court session at a coroner’s court nearly 3 years ago.

Will my lack of legal experience likely be a hinderance/a sticking point in my interview or will my retail experience make up for it?
Thanks in advance

They are not necessarily interchangeable.

Your retail work experience will show a different skill set.

Legal work experience would show the potential career motivation more than any skill set to be honest. Just make sure any answers around your career motivation and understanding of the job are really strong, clear and realistic. That’s what an interviewer will be looking for in someone who hasn’t experienced the job (basically do you know what you are letting yourself in for, can you deal with the highs/lows it will bring, what are the bits of the job you are looking forward to/which bits aren’t you - is there enough of the good).

 

[NaSa16]

They are not necessarily interchangeable.

Your retail work experience will show a different skill set.

Legal work experience would show the potential career motivation more than any skill set to be honest. Just make sure any answers around your career motivation and understanding of the job are really strong, clear and realistic. That’s what an interviewer will be looking for in someone who hasn’t experienced the job (basically do you know what you are letting yourself in for, can you deal with the highs/lows it will bring, what are the bits of the job you are looking forward to/which bits aren’t you - is there enough of the good).

Thank you, this advice is much appreciated!

 

[AgentNilPois]

Hi Jessica,

What are your thoughts on those TC hopefuls, not wanting to fork out the cash for the expensive LPC, and holding out till the SQE comes in. Albeit its said to commence in 2021, but is there a dim or poor view taken of those paralegals and graduates who do not wish to spend the money on the LPC and take a financially reasonable approach of paying for the SQE.

I say this due to lack of confidence in my own ability to get a training contract as its been 3 years of searching for one and still don't have one yet, despite being a fee earning paralegal at a City firm.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

What are your thoughts on those TC hopefuls, not wanting to fork out the cash for the expensive LPC, and holding out till the SQE comes in. Albeit its said to commence in 2021, but is there a dim or poor view taken of those paralegals and graduates who do not wish to spend the money on the LPC and take a financially reasonable approach of paying for the SQE.

I say this due to lack of confidence in my own ability to get a training contract as its been 3 years of searching for one and still don't have one yet, despite being a fee earning paralegal at a City firm.

I don’t think firms look at it like that at all. As long as there’s logic and reasoning to your decision, they won’t mind which one it is.

Be careful not to end up in what will be “SQE purgatory” though. This is what happens in the accounting world - people are either over formally qualified and under experienced (and by that I mean they don’t have experience in the area they are trying to get into) or over experienced and under qualified. The SQE will be great as it provides more flexible but opportunities, but it will not mean people are employable at as qualified lawyer just by passing it (very similar to the ACCA, AAT and ACA qualifications in accounting).

 

[Helena]

Hi Jessica
In your experience do firms typically get in touch with referees before making you an offer? Is that normal practice?
Thank you

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica
In your experience do firms typically get in touch with referees before making you an offer? Is that normal practice?
Thank you

Depends on the firm and what kind of reference it is.

Know some do it before even inviting people to interviews - but that’s typically only academic references.

Most will request academic references at the point of inviting someone through to interview. Most times you get it back by the time you interview and then make a decision on that person.

Sometimes you don’t, and then you just weigh up whether you think it’s worthwhile waiting for them. I have waited when someone’s grades are slightly lower than I would normally look for, or if there was a slight question mark over the candidate that you want reassurance on. But when the candidate has smashed all the assessments you generally just offer anyway.

Most offers will have a “subject to references” term in it, so if there was anything really concerning coming out of the reference they could rescind the offer anyway.

Full reference and employment checks are typically only done once you accept the offer.

 

[Helena]

Thank you. Really useful.

Depends on the firm and what kind of reference it is.

Know some do it before even inviting people to interviews - but that’s typically only academic references.

Most will request academic references at the point of inviting someone through to interview. Most times you get it back by the time you interview and then make a decision on that person.

Sometimes you don’t, and then you just weigh up whether you think it’s worthwhile waiting for them. I have waited when someone’s grades are slightly lower than I would normally look for, or if there was a slight question mark over the candidate that you want reassurance on. But when the candidate has smashed all the assessments you generally just offer anyway.

Most offers will have a “subject to references” term in it, so if there was anything really concerning coming out of the reference they could rescind the offer anyway.

Full reference and employment checks are typically only done once you accept the offer.

 

[ELA]

Hi Jessica,

I wonder if it is common practice to include upcoming work experience in the work experience section of an application?

Thank you,
Elise

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

I wonder if it is common practice to include upcoming work experience in the work experience section of an application?

Thank you,
Elise

Yes, common and appropriate.

You just can’t go into any detail about it. In most cases, the description should be nothing (ie if you have to put dates in, there is no point in then saying, I will be attending this two week scheme in the summer of 2020).

The most you could put is the practice area you have been allocated to (if you know that).

 

[AgentNilPois]

I don’t think firms look at it like that at all. As long as there’s logic and reasoning to your decision, they won’t mind which one it is.

Be careful not to end up in what will be “SQE purgatory” though. This is what happens in the accounting world - people are either over formally qualified and under experienced (and by that I mean they don’t have experience in the area they are trying to get into) or over experienced and under qualified. The SQE will be great as it provides more flexible but opportunities, but it will not mean people are employable at as qualified lawyer just by passing it (very similar to the ACCA, AAT and ACA qualifications in accounting).

Could you provide a bit more info on how being over experience and under qualified could be a bad thing/or work to you disadvantage.

Perhaps it might be best to pack in paralegalling altogether and do something else in the meantime if either of those two situations could lead to poor career prospects?

 

[ELA]

Yes, common and appropriate.

You just can’t go into any detail about it. In most cases, the description should be nothing (ie if you have to put dates in, there is no point in then saying, I will be attending this two week scheme in the summer of 2020).

The most you could put is the practice area you have been allocated to (if you know that).

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Could you provide a bit more info on how being over experience and under qualified could be a bad thing/or work to you disadvantage.

Perhaps it might be best to pack in paralegalling altogether and do something else in the meantime if either of those two situations could lead to poor career prospects?

I don’t think packing in paralegal work is necessarily the answer either though.

With the SQE, you could easily gain the QWE but not pass the assessments. If you end up working for 5 years in SQE purgatory where you are doing the job of a Trainee but never qualify because you don’t pass SQE2, people are going to wonder why. But the same goes for if you pass SQE2 and don’t have any work experience.

This is what happens in accountancy A LOT - I can see law going the same way.

 

[Lumree]

Hi Jessica,

How much weight do recruiters give to the university you did your undergraduate degree at? For example, is a 2:1 from a Russell-group weighted the same as a non-Russell-group (or Oxbridge for that matter)?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

How much weight do recruiters give to the university you did your undergraduate degree at? For example, is a 2:1 from a Russell-group weighted the same as a non-Russell-group (or Oxbridge for that matter)?

There’s no weighting whatsoever

 

[Jessica Booker]

My last post may have seemed flippant and a lot of people question whether that’s the reality. However it is the reality....

What typically happens, is candidates from higher ranked universities typically have stronger applications as a whole compared to those from lower universities - and by this I mean collectively.

There are always individual exceptions to this, otherwise I wouldn’t have recruited people from Kingston, Northampton, London Met, Hertfordshire and definitely wouldn’t have actively recruited from places like City/Royal Holloway, Greenwich and Northumbria.

But generally the higher the university you go to the more:

• You achieve academically before you go there
• You typically have a profile that means just like you got into a highly competitive/high standard degree course, you also have that profile for a highly competitive/high standard career

• Also you get the osmosis effect of being around people who are also of the caliber. If you are in a cohort at uni who are all aiming for a TC at a MC firm, you pick up a lot more compared to a uni where you might be the only person aiming to work in a MC firm. That osmosis effect can help you submit a stronger application.

• You’ll probably have more informed careers advisors and lecturers too, plus law societies who have stronger connections to firms, and better alumni networks.

But again there are exceptions to all of this - especially now sharing information and the amount of opportunities to learn has grown (one of the key reasons I am on here!). So its not like your fate is sealed by going to a low ranked uni, it’s just probably a hell of a lot easier for you to learn from those around you at a more highly ranked one.

 

[Asmee DC]

Hi Jessica,

How do you suggest structuring or going about answering "Why do you want to become a solicitor?".

Thanks!

 

[ELA]

Hi again Jessica,

Am I right to think that it's okay to include law events/presentations/conferences we attended in the 'work experience' section of an application, when there is no other, more appropriate place to put them on the application form?

Thank you,
Elise

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi again Jessica,

Am I right to think that it's okay to include law events/presentations/conferences we attended in the 'work experience' section of an application, when there is no other, more appropriate place to put them on the application form?

Thank you,
Elise

They aren’t work experience so don’t include them there if you can - even a “is there any further information section” section is better than your work experience. If you do, put them all under one heading and probably as your last entry if you can.