Common mistakes on application forms.....

[Jessica Booker]

Been a while since we added to this thread!

Sometimes candidates submit applications to us that are really over the word count. Often, this is the case, where a candidate is trying to adapt a longer, existing answer to meet a question with a much shorter word count.

While I don't mind cutting things out, I would just flag that this often makes an application weaker than it can be. There's a big difference between reusing an application and cutting it down to fit the question, and rewriting an application answer from the ground up.

If you write an answer from the ground up, you have the opportunity to structure a new answer around your best achievements and really make every word count. However, if you're just cutting down an answer, you often lose the flow of your writing, and the ability to sell some of your achievements.

I don’t mind cutting an application down, but being wildly over also means I have to make a judgement as to what is most relevant and it shouldn’t be me that is making that decision in many cases. I could cut out a sentence that is actually the strongest part of someone’s motivation and just because it’s worded a certain way, I make a judgement to remove it because I have got to cut something to try and get it within the word limit.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just to add into this thread myself too, I have seen quite a lot of applications with unnecessary use of 'have' when the candidate is referring to the past tense. For example, 'I have played' would be best if trying to signal the number of years you have played a sport/instrument and do so still in the present tense but 'I have played' when seeking to situate something in the past tense is not necessary - you would simply need 'I played'.

I am getting a lot of these too.

“I had the opportunity to play”

and

“this enabled me to build”

Can easily be changed to

“I played”

and

“I built”

 

[Jessica Booker]

I might have said this before (so sorry for the repetition if I have).

One common mistake in applications I see is the use of AN and A in the wrong circumstances. I think a lot of people think it is just the usual think of if the word starts with a vowel it is AN and if it starts with a consonant it is A.

However, the differentiation is how the start of the word is prenounced. If it is prenounced with something that sounds like a vowel sound, then it is AN.

So some common mistakes I see in their correct form below are:

A university (as it is prenounced YOO-NEE-VER-SITY)
An honour (as it is prenounced ON-NER)
An SME (as it is prenounced ESS-EMM-E)

 

[Jessica Booker]

I am seeing this a lot in recent applications. Its not a mistake as such, just a way of making your sentences more clunky...

Using phrases like "I not only developed my teamworking skills, but also learnt how to manage my time effectively"

can jsut be simplified down to

"I developed my teamworking skills and learnt how to manage my time effectively".

 

[summer207]

Hi @Jessica Booker I wanted to ask if it’s necessary to mention a deal in a cover letter? I’ve spoken about the firm’s strong reputation for integration between international offices and tied it to two relevant experiences where I’ve worked with people from different countries. But I feel like I’m supposed to mention a deal that has displayed this? The firm has done a number of deals between its offices but there’s no particular deal that I want to mention. I’m not a fan of just mentioning it because if I’m invited to interview, there’s a possibility I’d have to discuss it in greater detail. Thank you!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi @Jessica Booker I wanted to ask if it’s necessary to mention a deal in a cover letter? I’ve spoken about the firm’s strong reputation for integration between international offices and tied it to two relevant experiences were I’ve worked with people from different countries. But I feel like I’m supposed to mention a deal that has displayed this? The firm has done a number of deals between its offices but there’s no particular deal that I want to mention. I’m not a fan of just mentioning it because if I’m invited to interview, there’s a possibility I’d have to discuss it in greater detail. Thank you!

No not necessary at all. In most cases it should actually be avoided unless you have a genuine reason for using it to explain your motivations (eg why did you pick that deal over all of the others you could have picked that the firm has worked on).

 

[BFK]

Another common mistake is not reading the question properly. Look at and highlight all the elements to a question so you can be sure you’re fully answering the question. If a firm asks you ‘what does exceptional client service look like for a future facing lawyer’, you need to make sure you a) address what is exceptional client service in each point you make and b) don’t forget they’re asking you to root this into what it means to be a future facing lawyer. The firm here is trying to get candidates to discuss the changes happening in the legal sector and how exceptional client service is going to evolve as a result. Don’t just discuss what your understanding of exceptional client service is because this isn’t what the question is putting to you.

Should I also try to incorporate the firms values and the motivation it gives them to provide exceptional service? or is that not answering the question?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Should I also try to incorporate the firms values and the motivation it gives them to provide exceptional service? or is that not answering the question?

There could be some correlation between values and being an exceptional lawyer, but as Alice has mentioned, those values will be in place for now so you’d have to ensure you looked at them from a “future facing” point rather than how the values motivate people to be exceptional lawyers now.

 

[Alice G]

Should I also try to incorporate the firms values and the motivation it gives them to provide exceptional service? or is that not answering the question?

@Jessica Booker is right and also you will hopefully be implicitly showing an awareness for the firm’s values by choosing the points you do because you’ll want to be trying to tailor your points to the firm in some way.

 

[BFK]

There could be some correlation between values and being an exceptional lawyer, but as Alice has mentioned, those values will be in place for now so you’d have to ensure you looked at them from a “future facing” point rather than how the values motivate people to be exceptional lawyers now.

Thank you very much for your answer

 

[BFK]

@Jessica Booker is right and also you will hopefully be implicitly showing an awareness for the firm’s values by choosing the points you do because you’ll want to be trying to tailor your points to the firm in some way.

Thank you very much for your answer