Crisis of confidence + working full time while applying

[cgs97]

After finishing the GDL and several years of applications, I finally got a vacation scheme this year, which I was so proud of and thoroughly enjoyed. However, I got rejected from their training contract after an interview, and I can't help but feel like I'm back to square one... I've recently started a full time job (non legal admin role), and the hours are pretty long, I'm commuting and I'm left with very little free time (or energy) as a result. I'd applied for a few virtual open days/law fairs etc over the next few months as I thought these things would help me stand out a bit more, but now I'm unable to attend them due to my job. I'd be more than willing to use my holiday for law-related things, but I'm not able to take holiday until November/December, plus I'd like to save some of it to potentially do some vacation schemes. I just can't help but feel that there's no point in even trying - I barely have the time to apply, let alone do 'extra' things, I'm not even doing a legal job right now, and I can't see what would make me stand out amongst the sea of dedicated law undergrads. Has anyone got some words of wisdom/encouragement?

 

[Manifesting]

Hi there!

You've got this! The fact that you've already gotten a vacation scheme is really impressive and it's going to make you stand out even more in this cycle. Did you receive feedback from the firm that you can work on throughout this cycle?

Take the time to jot down how your current role is preparing you for trainee solicitor roles. Seeing how transferable many of those skills are will hopefully help you appreciate that you are a competitive applicant. Not everyone applying has had a full-time job and, in my opinion, there is so much more you learn in those than you can in shorter schemes and internships.

Be mindful and intentional with your application choices this cycle. Really ask yourself why do you want to practice law, what areas are you interested in, and what type of firm are you interested in. Your answers should narrow down the number of firms you are interested in and enable you to write very tailored and high quality applications.

The good thing is that good application take a long time and you'll want to break your time up anyway. I suggest making a schedule with the deadlines with your target submissions, that way you can visualize how much time you have and break up to-dos by tiny chunks.

One associate at top firm, who spent years as a busy paralegal and an applicant for schemes and contracts, told me that they took a week for each application. They would research and jot down bullet points throughout their commutes and free time during the week, put the application together on a Saturday, receive feedback from friends the next day and then submit their application.

 

[Las123]

I agree with all of the advice above. Just to add to that, I think that in terms of experience and extracurriculars, quality > quantity. So even if you cannot attend as many or even any law fairs or open days, I think it is so impressive that you’ve got a VS on your CV, and your current role sounds demanding- so you clearly have the resilience, time-management skills etc that law firms look for! Leverage the experience you do have, because even if it looks trivial to you, it may not actually be the case. It is all about how you convey what your experience has brought out in you, and your experience is just as valuable as anyone else’s!

Do think carefully about which law firms you wish to apply to so you’re able to really dedicate time to those. Perhaps have a schedule where you prioritise those applications and allocate more spare time to them. And good luck with applying, I am sure your hard work will pay off!

 

[Alice G]

After finishing the GDL and several years of applications, I finally got a vacation scheme this year, which I was so proud of and thoroughly enjoyed. However, I got rejected from their training contract after an interview, and I can't help but feel like I'm back to square one... I've recently started a full time job (non legal admin role), and the hours are pretty long, I'm commuting and I'm left with very little free time (or energy) as a result. I'd applied for a few virtual open days/law fairs etc over the next few months as I thought these things would help me stand out a bit more, but now I'm unable to attend them due to my job. I'd be more than willing to use my holiday for law-related things, but I'm not able to take holiday until November/December, plus I'd like to save some of it to potentially do some vacation schemes. I just can't help but feel that there's no point in even trying - I barely have the time to apply, let alone do 'extra' things, I'm not even doing a legal job right now, and I can't see what would make me stand out amongst the sea of dedicated law undergrads. Has anyone got some words of wisdom/encouragement?

Hi there,

I am so sorry you feel this way but I truly empathise. To get the vac scheme, to give it everything and really enjoy it and then not convert to a TC is devastating. I've been there and it is truly demoralising. But you really do need to give yourself a huge amount of credit for getting so far. Think about how many people made applications for that vac scheme and you managed to secure it! That is a huge achievement and a testament to how close you are to your goal. I agree with what has been said above - prioritise the events and things which are most important to you this year - it isn't easy balancing applications and a job so you should be really proud of yourself for this too.

I look at the setbacks I had now and I feel grateful to have had them - they helped me to build my resilience so much more and they made me even more grateful for my TC. This will happen for you and you have come so far - just take each step as it comes and trust in the process, however much you feel it is against you sometimes.

Wishing you all the best and we are all rooting for you!

 

[Helena]

I can only echo what Alice has said. I think in the main most people go though several application cycles. I was on my third before the tide changed. Whilst I completely understand your feelings of despondency and hurt after rejection, think how far you have come. Securing a Vac scheme is a huge undertaking and you should give yourself the credit you deserve for achieving this. In time, you will understand and know that everything has happened for a reason. Perhaps it wasn't the firm for you and a firm more suited to you and your needs is there. You are clearly an outstanding candidate - the VS is testament to this. Don't give up. I know I wanted to so many times, but somewhere that sense of resilience makes you carry on and you too will achieve your coveted TC.
Wishing you all the best - those who weather the storm always pull through.

 

[NickMcK]

As others have said, you're already a winner for getting the vac scheme and we're all sure you can do it again and turn it into a TC!

I worked full-time whilst also studying the GDL and doing apps last year and some things that helped me get through it were:

1. Being disciplined with regular but consistent application work. This helped both to get the applications done and to give myself a break from feeling like I should being 'working' on getting a TC all the time.
   1. This included doing regular but smaller amounts of application work rather than lumping it all together in one go. For me, this meant that Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings were my application 'sessions' where I would do research or write applications.
   2. For you, this could be 30 minutes of your commute in the mornings to work. Whatever works for you but provided you get into the routine of doing this work it will all add up and you'll see progress.
   3. But don't worry too much if life gets in the way and you need to grab 10-15 minutes on trains, in cafes in between meetings etc.
2. Being strict with the number of applications I could apply to. It may seem counter-intuitive but its worth spending quite a bit of time at the start of the application cycle picking your shortlist of firms to apply to rather than keeping a longlist of 40-50 firms you would 'like' to apply to in the back of your mind.
   1. A partner at a firm very wisely told me to start with a longlist of around 40-50 and get this down to no more than 10-12. It's a tough process as there are so many firms that seem appealing at the outset but this worked for me. Quality over quantity. By doing this you'll also go through the process of removing firms you aren't a good fit for and save yourself wasting time applying for the ones you don't really care for but feel you 'should' apply to.
   2. If you find it tough to go from 50 to 10 then start with a list of 50, narrow that down to 20 'potentials' and then pick your top 10. This might also be worthwhile having during the pandemic as recruitment processes are so volatile at the moment and last cycle some firms suddenly stopped recruiting mid-cycle so people were caught out having written half an application when recruitment stopped.
3. Your current job is an asset and not a burden. Simply by having that job you have shown you can get through a competitive recruitment process. Every day will give you experience that can be applied to application and interview questions and show you can work as a professional. I come from a non-law career and it was this experience that made me stand out from students with traditional and similar experiences. We put so much pressure on TCs that we often forget that applying for other jobs is also a tough and competitive process!
4. Assessing flexibility in my current job.
   1. Can you adjust your hours to work earlier one morning and attend a careers fair in the afternoon? That will save you some annual leave. Likewise, can you take half-days rather than full days of annual? I worked some of this out and then had a chat with my manager who was keen to be flexible provided I got the job done. This is even easier now that TC recruitment events are being held online so you can just work a bit earlier or later and attend a virtual event for an hour or so rather than lose a day travelling to London.
   2. Can you also frame some of the events/opportunities as revenant to your work? I attended a few webinars hosted by law firms that related to my role but also gave me an insight into how a firm I wanted to apply to works - my manager was happy to see a member of their team taking their development into their own hands, usually businesses have to pay for this and force people to attend training! These are also great things to put down on questions related to demonstrating you have researched a firm.
   3. Also: Virtual vac schemes seem to be shorter than in-person ones. Which is great for people like us as only using 4 days annual leave is much less of an issue than having to use 10!
5. Finally, not beating myself up if I slip up. We're in a global pandemic and you're working full-time trying to do one of the toughest things you can do as a professional, it's going to be stressful no matter what! So make sure you regularly check-in with yourself and your friends/family to remember this and see the amazing progress you're making.

Good luck! Keep us updated as you get on and message me if you'd like any more help on framing your current job for applications, cvs and interviews. Happy to share my experience.

 

[Jaysen]

As others have said, you're already a winner for getting the vac scheme and we're all sure you can do it again and turn it into a TC!

I worked full-time whilst also studying the GDL and doing apps last year and some things that helped me get through it were:

1. Being disciplined with regular but consistent application work. This helped both to get the applications done and to give myself a break from feeling like I should being 'working' on getting a TC all the time.
   1. This included doing regular but smaller amounts of application work rather than lumping it all together in one go. For me, this meant that Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings were my application 'sessions' where I would do research or write applications.
   2. For you, this could be 30 minutes of your commute in the mornings to work. Whatever works for you but provided you get into the routine of doing this work it will all add up and you'll see progress.
   3. But don't worry too much if life gets in the way and you need to grab 10-15 minutes on trains, in cafes in between meetings etc.
2. Being strict with the number of applications I could apply to. It may seem counter-intuitive but its worth spending quite a bit of time at the start of the application cycle picking your shortlist of firms to apply to rather than keeping a longlist of 40-50 firms you would 'like' to apply to in the back of your mind.
   1. A partner at a firm very wisely told me to start with a longlist of around 40-50 and get this down to no more than 10-12. It's a tough process as there are so many firms that seem appealing at the outset but this worked for me. Quality over quantity. By doing this you'll also go through the process of removing firms you aren't a good fit for and save yourself wasting time applying for the ones you don't really care for but feel you 'should' apply to.
   2. If you find it tough to go from 50 to 10 then start with a list of 50, narrow that down to 20 'potentials' and then pick your top 10. This might also be worthwhile having during the pandemic as recruitment processes are so volatile at the moment and last cycle some firms suddenly stopped recruiting mid-cycle so people were caught out having written half an application when recruitment stopped.
3. Your current job is an asset and not a burden. Simply by having that job you have shown you can get through a competitive recruitment process. Every day will give you experience that can be applied to application and interview questions and show you can work as a professional. I come from a non-law career and it was this experience that made me stand out from students with traditional and similar experiences. We put so much pressure on TCs that we often forget that applying for other jobs is also a tough and competitive process!
4. Assessing flexibility in my current job.
   1. Can you adjust your hours to work earlier one morning and attend a careers fair in the afternoon? That will save you some annual leave. Likewise, can you take half-days rather than full days of annual? I worked some of this out and then had a chat with my manager who was keen to be flexible provided I got the job done. This is even easier now that TC recruitment events are being held online so you can just work a bit earlier or later and attend a virtual event for an hour or so rather than lose a day travelling to London.
   2. Can you also frame some of the events/opportunities as revenant to your work? I attended a few webinars hosted by law firms that related to my role but also gave me an insight into how a firm I wanted to apply to works - my manager was happy to see a member of their team taking their development into their own hands, usually businesses have to pay for this and force people to attend training! These are also great things to put down on questions related to demonstrating you have researched a firm.
   3. Also: Virtual vac schemes seem to be shorter than in-person ones. Which is great for people like us as only using 4 days annual leave is much less of an issue than having to use 10!
5. Finally, not beating myself up if I slip up. We're in a global pandemic and you're working full-time trying to do one of the toughest things you can do as a professional, it's going to be stressful no matter what! So make sure you regularly check-in with yourself and your friends/family to remember this and see the amazing progress you're making.

Good luck! Keep us updated as you get on and message me if you'd like any more help on framing your current job for applications, cvs and interviews. Happy to share my experience.

Brilliant advice and a huge shoutout to you for taking the time to share such useful information. Thank you!

 

[cgs97]

Thank you so much to absolutely everybody who took the time to reply, your messages were all so thorough and I'm so grateful for the words of support. I genuinely teared up a bit reading this thread, and it's given me the boost I really needed to get back on the horse and try again! It's not going to be the easiest cycle, but hey, hopefully it'll be my last... I really appreciate this community and the support given both on this post and throughout TCLA.