How on earth do some people have 3 TC offers and further Vac Schemes lined up?

[TikiTaka18]

Hi guys,

I see some posts on LinkedIn that leave me absolutely gobsmacked.

There have been many occasions where I see the following on peoples' profiles:

• TC offer holder (Clifford Chance)
• TC offer holder (A&O)
• TC offer holder (Freshfields)
• Incoming vac scheme (Skadden)
• Incoming vac scheme (White & Case)

What do these guys do that gives them such an edge in succeeding? Some of them haven't even graduated, and they are already receiving 5+ offers.

I know the majority of candidates, including myself, work extremely hard for just one invite to an AC, let alone a TC offer.

It would be great to hear from everyone, particularly from candidates who have received offers such as those I've outlined above.

Tiki

 

[Jaysen]

I have in mind three people who secured 4+ training contract offers.

If I had to sum up a quality those candidates have, I'd say that in addition to everything you'd expect, they were very personable and had a lot of charisma. In other words, they could build a rapport with the person they were speaking with very quickly.

There are also plenty of people I know who have those qualities and yet are fighting for one training contract offer - so a lot of luck etc. plays into it too.

 

[TikiTaka18]

I have in mind three people who secured 4+ training contract offers.

If I had to sum up a quality those candidates have, I'd say that in addition to everything you'd expect, they were very personable and had a lot of charisma. In other words, they could build a rapport with the person they were speaking with very quickly.

There are also plenty of people I know who have those qualities and yet are fighting for one training contract offer - so a lot of luck etc. plays into it too.

When you say 'everything you'd expect', what do you mean?

 

[Jaysen]

When you say 'everything you'd expect', what do you mean?

- a 2:1 or above
- some form of legal work experience (or just a prior vacation scheme)
- a high level of commercial awareness
- strong application/interview technique

 

[Jessica Booker]

There are just some people who are exceptional candidates. They tend to be the people you just instantly gravitate to and admire. They tend to seem superhuman at times. But they are actually rare. You just see them a lot on LinkedIn as 1) they have a lot of connections and 2) lots of people want to comment of their posts to be associated with them.

Remember that although they have several TC offers, they can only accept one.

 

[TikiTaka18]

What do you think makes you want to gravitate to and admire them? Is this touching on Jason's point about being personable and having charisma?

Also, do you think it's more of a personality trait that makes such exceptional candidates (i.e. not something you can learn)?

 

[Jessica Booker]

What do you think makes you want to gravitate to and admire them? Is this touching on Jason's point about being personable and having charisma?

Also, do you think it's more of a personality trait that makes such exceptional candidates (i.e. not something you can learn)?

Aren’t there people you have met that you have just enjoyed being around or chatting to for no reason apart from the fact they seem like a really nice and intelligent person?

It’s a combination of personality traits, intelligence and attitude.

 

[Jony]

Hi guys,

I see some posts on LinkedIn that leave me absolutely gobsmacked.

There have been many occasions where I see the following on peoples' profiles:

• TC offer holder (Clifford Chance)
• TC offer holder (A&O)
• TC offer holder (Freshfields)
• Incoming vac scheme (Skadden)
• Incoming vac scheme (White & Case)

What do these guys do that gives them such an edge in succeeding? Some of them haven't even graduated, and they are already receiving 5+ offers.

I know the majority of candidates, including myself, work extremely hard for just one invite to an AC, let alone a TC offer.

It would be great to hear from everyone, particularly from candidates who have received offers such as those I've outlined above.

Tiki

Ahh ... the legendary Mary B

 

[Adam Gilchrist]

People have given you good reasons. The only one I would add are that some candidates come with the considerable advantage of having family or friends already in commercial law or banking. That means they already have a fairly good idea of how to write application answers, how to prepare for tests, how to act in interviews, how the whole process works, and so on, whereas most other people are playing catch-up. Two people I was at university with - whose profiles you may have seen - came from such backgrounds.

 

[mpongo]

I would be careful in supposing that these individuals will make better lawyers in the long run. Doing well on a vac scheme is very different to the reality of working life.

 

[Anon08]

There have been a fair number of good answers to this question - but I thought to pitch in with my own perspective.

By no means is this a general rule; however, it can be a snowball effect. That is to say, if you are successful in one process (whether that is to get a VS or a TC offer), then one is, I posit and assume, more likely to be successful in such processes at other firms. There may be three explanations (which are not necessarily mutually exclusive) for this:

1. The candidate has now learnt what works in the assessment process. This can include applications, online tests, video interviews, and, arguably, the most important, the final AC/interview(s). 'What works' can mean many things, including the content of answers, structure, timing, tone, personality, and so on. This is where, I think, @Jaysen and @Jessica Booker's answers may factor in.
   
   
2. The candidate can mention their prior VSs/TC offers in the other firms' application process (in the context of competencies, work experience, motivation questions, etc.). This may give them stronger, more applicable examples/evidence to draw upon (not necessarily, it depends on how the candidate leverages it). Done correctly, and this can further strengthen an already strong candidate's chance of success.
   
   
3. From the outset of firms' application processes, the candidate marks themselves out as one to watch. Look at it from a law firm's perspective - if a candidate shows up with a handful of prior VS experiences/TC offers from top firms, then it is an obvious sign that this candidate is in demand and that this is someone the firm would want. However, law firms will still put such candidates through their paces to ensure that indeed this candidate is all that other firms think they are cracked up to be - so don't think they have an easy ride by any stretch (although, pursuant to (1) & (2), the candidate is inclined to be more successful).

I would just add that, for many of these candidates, it rarely comes overnight. They might amass these offers over the course of two application cycles, working their way up from First Year schemes, all the way to multiple TC offers. Furthermore, it isn't particularly fashionable (although I have seen some posts relating to this) to discuss one's rejections on LinkedIn - so consider the number of rejections that line the path that someone has trodden towards a TC, or even multiple TC offers. The point is that there are very few (although some exist) 'genius' candidates - for (a hyperbolic) example, a candidate who makes five applications to all the MC firms and receives TC offers at all five. Consequently, the vast majority of candidates have to go through the struggle of the application process!

As you've asked, I'll tell you a little bit about my experience. I achieved the following between August 2019 - January 2020:

• First Year Schemes (completed): (1) CMS, (2) Weil, Gotshal & Manges
• Vacation Schemes (offers): (1) CMS, (2) Weil, Gotshal & Manges
• Vacation Schemes (completed): (1) Bird & Bird, (2) Herbert Smith Freehills
• Training Contract Offers: (1) Herbert Smith Freehills, (2) Allen & Overy

I accept that I did not achieve 3+ training contract offers; however, I would like to think that I was relatively successful and that had I completed my other vacation schemes, I would have achieved offers there as well! Anyway, I believe that the three factors I've listed above, and perhaps what Jaysen and Jessica have written, played a role in my achievements.

I do hope that helps to answer your question, and if I can end with a final remark: this process does spur on tremendous personal development, should you be receptive to it. I personally don't believe anyone is born under a lucky star, and that working hard (whilst remaining receptive to feedback) is what produces results! So, don't give too much attention to others' accolades; instead, focus on yourself, your journey, and, naturally, your successes to come!

 

[Romiras]

Hi guys,

I see some posts on LinkedIn that leave me absolutely gobsmacked.

There have been many occasions where I see the following on peoples' profiles:

• TC offer holder (Clifford Chance)
• TC offer holder (A&O)
• TC offer holder (Freshfields)
• Incoming vac scheme (Skadden)
• Incoming vac scheme (White & Case)

What do these guys do that gives them such an edge in succeeding? Some of them haven't even graduated, and they are already receiving 5+ offers.

I know the majority of candidates, including myself, work extremely hard for just one invite to an AC, let alone a TC offer.

It would be great to hear from everyone, particularly from candidates who have received offers such as those I've outlined above.

Tiki

I've received multiple TC offers (4) and VS offers (10) (and some rejections). Prior to that, I was rejected from most of the first year schemes from the Magic Circle firms / US firms. I think there are clear things to 'check off', if you want to be a strong applicant in the online application form stage. However, beyond that, there's no precise magic formulation (at least from what I have seen from my friends, from those that I have coached and from my own experience). Those guidelines / things to check off that have been mentioned already in this thread are definitely good things to keep in mind when figuring out how you can broadly develop yourself (on paper and in person).

I, however, take the view that there is a bit of luck involved in the recruitment process, especially during the interview stage. When I received one offer, I was able to leverage it in future interview in multiple ways:

Firstly, I felt that the "negotiating" positions have slightly equalised, and depending on the offer you receive, it may very well put you in a superior position. This resulted in increased confidence (although be cautious of becoming arrogant), which allowed me to better represent myself and ask questions that I would have ordinarily have been hesitant to ask. Things like how the partnership is structured, how the progression of a fee earner is structured, and why the firm I'm interviewing at believes they are superior to the other offers I have (both as an enterprise and in terms of my own professional growth).

Secondly, I think there is an element of politics. Many of my friends (and myself) who received offers from top US firms and/or the Magic Circle found that subsequent interviewing firms were more ready to offer us training contracts. This could be explained by the fact that if another competitor firm has vetted the potential trainee, then they should be fairly safe to make such an offer, but it doesn't still quite explain why some people appear to be automatically given a training contract the day after the interview (when they typically advertise a much longer consideration period), or have 'upgraded' their vacation scheme offer (at a vacation scheme interview) to an immediate training contract offer. Another thought would be that they don't want to let a strong candidate go to a competitor, which is why the offering firm may take a bet/risk with being aggressive with their offer.

Lastly, when I had received my first offer, but notified the firm that I had other training contract interviews lined up, and as a result, I was provided even more access to the first firm's network of lawyers. I was able to have multiple calls with partners and associates about their practice area, training, etc. That kind of information allows you to understand what may make a firm 'good' (in their own eyes), which I could use to inform how I answer questions in my future interviews.

Overall, I don't think I felt that I was an exceptional candidate pre-offers that would net as many offers as I did, and I certainly don't think I underwent a metamorphosis in the short time span between my first offer and the next interview. I think if you've covered all the 'things to have' as discussed in this thread, sometimes it may require a little bit of luck for you to have a breakthrough and snowball.

I will admit, there are certainly people that are extremely exceptional, and for those types of candidates, I think luck is a negligible factor. They tend to have excellent, top of their cohort achievements, interpersonal skills, etc.

 

[Tavistocksfinest]

The most successful person I know is Mary B. But she has just grafted for months to make herself a better candidate, she doesn’t have any connections in the legal/financial world apart from the ones she’s made herself through her work.

I’ve been relatively successful in the cycle (not in the same quantities as others), and I would just echo what other people have said. It’s all about dedicating the time needed to every single application, and developing yourself as you prepare for these/interviews.