Ask TCLA's New Community Managers Anything!

[AvniD]

Hello, guys. Hope you all are doing well. Could you please help me out with a WG question here. My answer would be "ID"/ "FALSE" since "cross cultural business training workshops" doesn't cross-over with the legal rules and regulations for doing business even if we apply our common knowlege which is allowed for this section.

Secondly, the managers here said that "these skills could be applied immediately" but do managers of companies really apply legal rules and regulations immediately? I have no idea how this makes sense. Could you please help @George Maxwell @AvniD @Dheepa

@futuretraineesolicitor I completely agree with the detailed explanation provided by @George Maxwell! My only add-on is that simply put, the statement contradicts the information provided enough for it to be 'probably false' but insufficiently for it to be definitely 'false'. My first instinct was to go with false as well, but then something kicked in reminding me that WG tests generally need you to be very precise. So if you have even a slight doubt about whether something is definitely false then it's always better to stick with probably false, which I pivoted to eventually with this question.

Lastly, very well done for posting here in the forum and seeking support- it's very admirable 👏 👏 👏Please do reach out to us if you have any other questions!

 

[DTB]

Hi @YB,

So first of all, I want to congratulate you for getting to the AC stage. I remember getting an email from HSF confirming my invitation to their AC and I remember how excited I was. It is no small achievement. It goes without saying, but please do let me know if you would like any further guidance in the lead up to your interview (or beyond!).

Secondly, thank you for your question. I had a really enjoyable interview with HSF. My interviewers were people that I genuinely liked and respected.

I had three interviews:

-For the competency interview, in preparation I drilled down into why I wanted to be a commercial lawyer, why I had applied to HSF and why I thought that I would suit the firm (and why I would be a capable trainee!). I also made sure that I knew my application back-to-front.

-For the scenario and case study interviews, I made sure that I was comfortable using and discussing commercial terms. I also did a few mock interviews with friends and family. I made sure that I was asked, amongst other things, consultancy-style questions (such as market sizing questions if you are familiar with these?). The MBB firms (Mckinsey, BCG and Bain) each have useful resources on their websites which I would really advise taking a look at. Just as an example, BCG's is here. The subject matter will be different from your interview, but these will give you an idea of what to expect.

As a piece of general advice, show enthusiasm and interest. Your interviewers will want to know how you think. Focus on relaying your thoughts in a clear, logical manner that is easy to follow and understand.

Very happy to answer any follow ups you might have!

Thank you so much for this George! This is very great advice Since I forwarded my application from last year due to personal reasons I wanted to ask your advice on this matter - I was wondering if its okay if I can drop you a message about this? @George Maxwell

 

[small_turtle]

Hi all,

I could really use your advice! I received a TC offer from a City international firm ('firm A'). However, I made a direct TC application to another firm (preferred firm - 'Firm B'). Firm B just emailed me asking if I received a TC offer from the other vac schemes I did, and to provide as much information as possible.

I would love a TC from firm B; however, how do I mention it politely in the email that I would pick Firm B over the other firm I received an offer from? Or do I just mention that 'yes, I received a TC following my VS at firm B'?

@George Maxwell @AvniD @Dheepa @Jaysen any advice?

Thank you!

is it also better for me to reply them tonight (they sent me the email at around 12pm, but i've just seen it now), or on Monday? Would it make a difference? Thank you!

 

[Dheepa]

Hi all,

I could really use your advice! I received a TC offer from a City international firm ('firm A'). However, I made a direct TC application to another firm (preferred firm - 'Firm B'). Firm B just emailed me asking if I received a TC offer from the other vac schemes I did, and to provide as much information as possible.

I would love a TC from firm B; however, how do I mention it politely in the email that I would pick Firm B over the other firm I received an offer from? Or do I just mention that 'yes, I received a TC following my VS at firm B'?

@George Maxwell @AvniD @Dheepa @Jaysen any advice?

Thank you!

Personally, I don't think you need to mention that you'd rather accept firm B's offer. I really do think it's just a case of the firm needing as much information as possible. For context, I made a direct TC application to one firm and did disclose that I had secured TC offers elsewhere and still progressed. If your application is strong I think you will progress regardless and the fact that you have secured TC offers will only help convey your strength as an applicant.

 

[small_turtle]

Personally, I don't think you need to mention that you'd rather accept firm B's offer. I really do think it's just a case of the firm needing as much information as possible. For context, I made a direct TC application to one firm and did disclose that I had secured TC offers elsewhere and still progressed. If your application is strong I think you will progress regardless and the fact that you have secured TC offers will only help convey your strength as an applicant.

thanks @Dheepa ! I'll email them on Monday and I hope I progress!

 

[George Maxwell]

thanks @Dheepa ! I'll email them on Monday and I hope I progress!

@small_turtle, do let us know how it goes! We are rooting for you

 

[George Maxwell]

Thank you so much for this George! This is very great advice Since I forwarded my application from last year due to personal reasons I wanted to ask your advice on this matter - I was wondering if its okay if I can drop you a message about this? @George Maxwell

Hi @YB,

Yes absolutely. If you would like to discuss something personal of course you can message me. Very happy to help!

 

[small_turtle]

This may sound so dumb, but will the grad rec team be very annoyed that you telephoned them about 7 times (but all went to an auto-generated voice mail)?

 

[Jessica Booker]

This may sound so dumb, but will the grad rec team be very annoyed that you telephoned them about 7 times (but all went to an auto-generated voice mail)?

No - nothing to worry about here unless you left seven messages.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello, guys. Probably a very trivial question but do you use the "justify" formatting to input your written answers/ work ex entries into apps that use software like Taleo? In my google document, everything looks perfectly aligned but when I copied and pasted the text, the alignment went a little crazy. Should I worry about this? I guess Taleo doesn't even recognise different fonts, bolds etc.

Thank you so much.

 

[AvniD]

Hello, guys. Probably a very trivial question but do you use the "justify" formatting to input your written answers/ work ex entries into apps that use software like Taleo? In my google document, everything looks perfectly aligned but when I copied and pasted the text, the alignment went a little crazy. Should I worry about this? I guess Taleo doesn't even recognise different fonts, bolds etc.

Thank you so much.

Try downloading your document as a Word doc? Sometimes the Google to Word formatting gets messed up when you download a document and fixing it in Word could help retain the formatting once you input it in Taleo.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Try downloading your document as a Word doc? Sometimes the Google to Word formatting gets messed up when you download a document and fixing it in Word could help retain the formatting once you input it in Taleo.

I'm sorry but I didn't get you. Please correct me if I'm wrong but you're saying that I should type out all my answers on a google doc document, justify the text and download the file as a word document. Then, I should copy the text from the word doc and paste it into Taleo. Is that what you meant?

 

[AvniD]

I'm sorry but I didn't get you. Please correct me if I'm wrong but you're saying that I should type out all my answers on a google doc document, justify the text and download the file as a word document. Then, I should copy the text from the word doc and paste it into Taleo. Is that what you meant?

If your current document is a Google doc-

1. Download it as a Word doc
2. Check to see if the text is justified
3. If the text is not justified, fix this in Word
4. Copy the fixed text from Word and paste in Taleo

No guarantees that this will work, but it helped me whenever my text was appearing misaligned in Taleo!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hello, guys. Probably a very trivial question but do you use the "justify" formatting to input your written answers/ work ex entries into apps that use software like Taleo? In my google document, everything looks perfectly aligned but when I copied and pasted the text, the alignment went a little crazy. Should I worry about this? I guess Taleo doesn't even recognise different fonts, bolds etc.

Thank you so much.

If you can’t format the text in the form (eg change the formatting as you complete the form), it’s unlikely that formatting will be stored beyond paragraph spacing.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

If you can’t format the text in the form (eg change the formatting as you complete the form), it’s unlikely that formatting will be stored beyond paragraph spacing.

Thank you so much @Jessica Booker @AvniD

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello, guys. Hope you all are doing well. Could anyone please tell me, what is the difference between the role of Private Equity guys vs. Management Consultants? From what I understand, the PE guys are directly responsible to improve the profitability of their portfolio companies and management consultants on the other hand are just called when the company is looking to navigate through tough times/ a deep problem.

Thanks.

 

[AvniD]

Hello, guys. Hope you all are doing well. Could anyone please tell me, what is the difference between the role of Private Equity guys vs. Management Consultants? From what I understand, the PE guys are directly responsible to improve the profitability of their portfolio companies and management consultants on the other hand are just called when the company is looking to navigate through tough times/ a deep problem.

Thanks.

From this article-

Consultants must be able to examine complex management structures and identify areas where efficiency can be improved. Moreover, they must frame their findings in language that resonates with C-suite employees, many of whom are married to a certain way of thinking and reticent about accepting outside ideas.

Private equity requires many of the same skills. The job entails using financial leverage to make equity investments in private companies or to conduct leveraged buyouts of public companies, thus turning them private. Excellent problem-solving abilities are needed to identify top investment opportunities. Additionally, with millions of dollars on the line in nearly every investment deal, strong quantitative skills are a must in private equity.

From my understanding of this article, management consultants are concerned with the management structures of an organisation, whereas those working in private equity use their numerical skills, among others, to identify where, how much and in what way they should make equity investments. Does this make sense?

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

From this article-

Consultants must be able to examine complex management structures and identify areas where efficiency can be improved. Moreover, they must frame their findings in language that resonates with C-suite employees, many of whom are married to a certain way of thinking and reticent about accepting outside ideas.

Private equity requires many of the same skills. The job entails using financial leverage to make equity investments in private companies or to conduct leveraged buyouts of public companies, thus turning them private. Excellent problem-solving abilities are needed to identify top investment opportunities. Additionally, with millions of dollars on the line in nearly every investment deal, strong quantitative skills are a must in private equity.

From my understanding of this article, management consultants are concerned with the management structures of an organisation, whereas those working in private equity use their numerical skills, among others, to identify where, how much and in what way they should make equity investments. Does this make sense?

Thank you so much for going out of your way to help me. Just a follow-up question, please. Do you think we should talk about our interest in Private Equity if the firm that we're applying to is not a market leader/ Band 1 rated in PE (it's band -2 actually)? Does this give the impression that we didn't research the firm well enough?

Thanks.

 

[AvniD]

Thank you so much for going out of your way to help me. Just a follow-up question, please. Do you think we should talk about our interest in Private Equity if the firm that we're applying to is not a market leader/ Band 1 rated in PE (it's band -2 actually)? Does this give the impression that we didn't research the firm well enough?

Thanks.

If it's one of their practice areas, please do feel free to talk about it as it shows you have researched the firm and linked your interests to them!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you so much for going out of your way to help me. Just a follow-up question, please. Do you think we should talk about our interest in Private Equity if the firm that we're applying to is not a market leader/ Band 1 rated in PE (it's band -2 actually)? Does this give the impression that we didn't research the firm well enough?

Thanks.

Band 2 is still very good, so I wouldn’t worry about that minor difference.