General Discussion Thread 2020-21

[jan28]

V&E VS offer received on Monday! They've cancelled their summer scheme and created an online version.

Congratulations! Have they explained what this will entail?

 

[W]

V&E VS offer received on Monday! They've cancelled their summer scheme and created an online version.

Congrats! I wonder how that works

 

[ZC]

Congratulations! Have they explained what this will entail?

Congrats! I wonder how that works

They've explained that it's more 'in your own time' to complete work over the two weeks with frequent video conference calls.

 

[W]

They've explained that it's more 'in your own time' to complete work over the two weeks with frequent video conference calls.

Cool, sounds interesting

 

[Alice G]

They've explained that it's more 'in your own time' to complete work over the two weeks with frequent video conference calls.

that sounds really cool and really impressed they're doing this! Congratulations on the scheme!

 

[Andre]

How would you answer the question - "Tell me about a time your organisational skills let you down"

 

[Alice G]

How would you answer the question - "Tell me about a time your organisational skills let you down"

it is a competency question so you need to draw on your own experience and talk about a time when you perhaps nearly missed a deadline or something like that because your organisation skills missed the mark. You just need to cast your mind back and consider when poor organisation might have hindered you or a task or a group project.

 

[Jessica Booker]

What Alice said + key part is thinking about what you learnt from the experience and how you can show you wouldn’t let it happen again

 

[Andre]

it is a competency question so you need to draw on your own experience and talk about a time when you perhaps nearly missed a deadline or something like that because your organisation skills missed the mark. You just need to cast your mind back and consider when poor organisation might have hindered you or a task or a group project.

That is helpful - I am a bit unsure of how to prep for Dentons TI...

 

[Dheepa]

Hey guys! For those who haven't seen it yet, The Lawyer just posted this article https://www.thelawyer.com/a-broken-...news&adg=B56910B0-86C7-4755-AED8-84F6AAA9458F on how COVID-19 is affecting qualification and TC prospects. Posting just cause I thought it was a pretty informative read.

 

[Zoo]

Hey guys! For those who haven't seen it yet, The Lawyer just posted this article https://www.thelawyer.com/a-broken-...news&adg=B56910B0-86C7-4755-AED8-84F6AAA9458F on how COVID-19 is affecting qualification and TC prospects. Posting just cause I thought it was a pretty informative read.

Thanks for this! Really interesting

 

[AY]

Browne Jacobson rejection post online test. ( Also SM&B not having a vacation scheme this year (this may change), but everyone who has applied will be put forward for next years VS.

 

[Jessica Booker]

One thing I need to stress to everyone is firms do not all have the same policies/processes/approaches etc.

Anytime someone asks me how a specific firm will respond to a specific situation, I can’t answer that question. If you want that answer, you should speak to the firm directly.

 

[W]

Hi Jes

One thing I need to stress to everyone is firms do not all have the same policies/processes/approaches etc.

Anytime someone asks me how a specific firm will respond to a specific situation, I can’t answer that question. If you want that answer, you should speak to the firm directly.

Hi Jessica, it does seem some firms have not been entirely clear on what the next steps are (understandably so) and when emailing or calling to ask for an update, some do not respond.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi Jes

Hi Jessica, it does seem some firms have not been entirely clear on what the next steps are (understandably so) and when emailing or calling to ask for an update, some do not respond.

not surprised to hear this at all.

1) with what’s going on, they don’t necessarily know themselves what the next steps are

2) I need to be frank and honest with you - they have bigger priorities right now that updating applicants. They are dealing with people who are due to qualify, they are dealing with concerned future trainees not sure what’s happening with the GDL/LPC. They are dealing with checking in with their current trainees much more frequently.

And this could all be when their own team is sick/ or their family are sick/or they have additional caring responsibilities. Even if they have got the answers, they may not have the man power to get back to you as they would normally like.

I get not hearing anything causes anxiety, but in the grand scheme of things unfortunately this is not important right now.

 

[Charles]

Has anyone heard from Baker McKenzie - for those that applied for the TC

 

[D95]

Within the space of one hour I received emails from two law firms that they are putting their trainee recruitment on hold for now.

I fully appreciate that these are strange times that we are living in and that these particular firms were more niche but all the same it is a bit sad for me after having invested my time in applications + also going through the first stage interview in one of them (well, the sliver lining is that they are going to keep my details on their files for when they resume recruitment).

This just adds to my spring VS being cancelled altogether and "further information to follow" so I guess here's that....I think I am going to treat myself to some comfort food + Bridget Jones tonight

 

[Sam55]

Has anyone heard from Baker McKenzie - for those that applied for the TC

Yeah have done WG and VI!

 

[Alice G]

Within the space of one hour I received emails from two law firms that they are putting their trainee recruitment on hold for now.

I fully appreciate that these are strange times that we are living in and that these particular firms were more niche but all the same it is a bit sad for me after having invested my time in applications + also going through the first stage interview in one of them (well, the sliver lining is that they are going to keep my details on their files for when they resume recruitment).

This just adds to my spring VS being cancelled altogether and "further information to follow" so I guess here's that....I think I am going to treat myself to some comfort food + Bridget Jones tonight

I know it is massively disappointing but what I would say is saying it is 'on hold' is actually still relatively vague phrasing in my opinion. I guess they have left it relatively open-ended so they can decide what is best to do when things become more certain. Perhaps that is just the way I have read it but I wouldn't lose faith just yet

Your Friday night sounds fantastic though - definitely do treat yourself to a night off to relax

 

[D95]

I know it is massively disappointing but what I would say is saying it is 'on hold' is actually still relatively vague phrasing in my opinion. I guess they have left it relatively open-ended so they can decide what is best to do when things become more certain. Perhaps that is just the way I have read it but I wouldn't lose faith just yet

Your Friday night sounds fantastic though - definitely do treat yourself to a night off to relax

Yeah, that's my reading of it as well - hopefully they will resume recruitment in summer / autumn - I have been waiting for my TC for some time now so I guess a few months would not make that much of a difference, it's just that both emails came within one hour and so slight disappointment appeared