Ask A Graduate Recruiter Anything!

[gg332dd]

Hi Jessica,

I was wondering if law firms can see our answers to ‘ RARE contextual information ‘ and ‘equal opportunity’ questions?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

I was wondering if law firms can see our answers to ‘ RARE contextual information ‘ and ‘equal opportunity’ questions?

They will be able to see your Rare contextualised score or flag, but not the information behind it (e.g. the answers you provide). They also cannot see your equal opps questions. This is restricted to a very high level and small number of people who report on this information collectively across applicants. For instance, as a Grad Rec Manager, I could see this information if i really wanted to, but it was a pain in the backside to access individually (for which I didn't have the time nor the inclination when it came the reviewing applications). I only ever looked at the information collectively by recruitment stage.

 

[gg332dd]

They will be able to see your Rare contextualised score or flag, but not the information behind it (e.g. the answers you provide). They also cannot see your equal opps questions. This is restricted to a very high level and small number of people who report on this information collectively across applicants. For instance, as a Grad Rec Manager, I could see this information if i really wanted to, but it was a pain in the backside to access individually (for which I didn't have the time nor the inclination when it came the reviewing applications). I only ever looked at the information collectively by recruitment stage.

Thank you!

 

[IntrepidL]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I was wondering for interview questions where the firm asks about changes in recent legislation and how it might affect them/their client, how detailed should one's analysis be when answering the question? :/

I am intending to discuss a legislation which would have a direct impact on one of the firm's main clients and industry (which the firm is Tier-1 in) but my analysis is not extremely long.

 

[Mxkry]

Hi, Jessica

I often struggle for personal experiences to answer questions that ask about entrepreneurial spirit. The only thing I can think of that vaguely relates to the question is selling products on Ebay (or even further afield - selling goods at school), but not sure if these are valid experiences.

Thank you

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker, I was wondering for interview questions where the firm asks about changes in recent legislation and how it might affect them/their client, how detailed should one's analysis be when answering the question? :/

I am intending to discuss a legislation which would have a direct impact on one of the firm's main clients and industry (which the firm is Tier-1 in) but my analysis is not extremely long.

video interview or what would normally be a face to face interview?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi, Jessica

I often struggle for personal experiences to answer questions that ask about entrepreneurial spirit. The only thing I can think of that vaguely relates to the question is selling products on Ebay (or even further afield - selling goods at school), but not sure if these are valid experiences.

Thank you

sound like incredibly valid experiences (both of them).

 

[IntrepidL]

video interview or what would normally be a face to face interview?

Face to face interview

 

[kitty_kat]

Hi Jessica!

I have a Graduate Recruitment interview today for a vac scheme. Please may I know what good questions I should ask?

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Face to face interview

then it doesn’t necessarily need to be that detailed, your interviewer is likely to prompt you for more detail if they want it or lead you to think about the topic in another way.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica!

I have a Graduate Recruitment interview today for a vac scheme. Please may I know what good questions I should ask?

Thank you!

Genuine questions you want the answer to that you haven’t been able to find out on the website or marketing materials.

Don’t try to impress with your questions at the end, just use it as your opportunity to work out if the firm/opportunity is right for you.

 

[kitty_kat]

Genuine questions you want the answer to that you haven’t been able to find out on the website or marketing materials.

Don’t try to impress with your questions at the end, just use it as your opportunity to work out if the firm/opportunity is right for you.

Thank you Jessica!

 

[Mohammadz]

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for your endless support,

I would be grateful if you could provide me with examples, guidance or insights on how to answer this question,

1. As the world of law evolves, adaptability is a crucial attribute for future lawyers to have. Describe a time you had to demonstrate adaptability to reach a positive outcome. What role did you play in the scenario and what was the outcome? Did you do anything you would consider innovative as part of the solution? (250-word limit)

Thanks

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

Thanks for your endless support,

I would be grateful if you could provide me with examples, guidance or insights on how to answer this question,

1. As the world of law evolves, adaptability is a crucial attribute for future lawyers to have. Describe a time you had to demonstrate adaptability to reach a positive outcome. What role did you play in the scenario and what was the outcome? Did you do anything you would consider innovative as part of the solution? (250-word limit)

Thanks

It is difficult to give examples as they ultimately need to come from you. Think about any time you have either had to change your approach or attitude towards something to ensure success. It may be that you tried something and it didn't work and so you had to think of a better way of doing it. It could be that you did something that was outside of your comfort zone and therefore you had to adapt by learning something new or by feeling uncomfortable with going outside of your comfort zone. The "innovative" part is only a follow up question, and although it would be good to try and hit it in the same answer, the key to this is showing how you had to change (whether your approach, your thinking, your opinion, your skillset, your attitude) to ensure success

 

[Tasha]

Hi Jessica,

I was just wondering if experiences such as the Legal Cheek Virtual Winter Vacation Scheme and Bright Network's Internships should go under work experience in applications?

Also would firms not like them as they are non-competitive schemes?

Thanks

 

[ZaraB]

Hi @Jessica Booker and @Jaysen,

Happy new year to both of you.

I was wondering about the following question for Osborne Clarke:

What are the most important aspects of a career for you? What makes you feel motivated and fulfilled?

Is this one question in your opinion or are you expected to discuss different factors for both? For me, one of the most important aspects, which also makes me feel motivated and fulfilled is the firm's culture, which I was planning to talk about in my answer drawing on the experiences I have had with the firm. Do you think this is the correct approach?

 

[IceFloe]

Hi Jessica, How important is a written application in later stages of the application process?

If my written application gets me through to a video interview, will grad rec only considering at my video interview performance to assess whether I continue on to the next stage? Or will my written application also be considered?

Am I correct in assuming that at AC you pretty much have a clean slate?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

I was just wondering if experiences such as the Legal Cheek Virtual Winter Vacation Scheme and Bright Network's Internships should go under work experience in applications?

Also would firms not like them as they are non-competitive schemes?

Thanks

they are better than not having them.

They can be put in work experience sections but I would critically evaluate whether you actually have stronger examples.

 

[Emily K]

Hi Jessica,

For the Kirkland & Ellis application, there is a question which asks 'is there anything else you would like to add in support of your application?' with a 200 word limit. Considering they already ask for a CV, cover letter, three application questions and a work experience section, I'm not sure I have much left to add unless I go into more detail about experiences I have mentioned elsewhere (which I can do, but not sure if it's what they're asking for!). Do you think I should do this or would I be better just leaving it blank?

Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jessica,

For the Kirkland & Ellis application, there is a question which asks 'is there anything else you would like to add in support of your application?' with a 200 word limit. Considering they already ask for a CV, cover letter, three application questions and a work experience section, I'm not sure I have much left to add unless I go into more detail about experiences I have mentioned elsewhere (which I can do, but not sure if it's what they're asking for!). Do you think I should do this or would I be better just leaving it blank?

Thank you!

No - don’t go into further detail. This section is for anything that doesn’t naturally fit into the other sections of the form. For instance if you need to explain your grading (might be relevant this year if you received forms of compensated grades because of Covid) , you need to explain gaps in time on your application, if you need to explain mitigating circumstances etc - this is the question to do it in.