Navigating Work Experience

[jamescockayne]

Hi there,

I am currently in the process of completing the work experience section for an application.

I have a few key roles that I feel convey key skills and achievements. Beyond, them, I have a number of shorter work experience sections, usually relating to shadowing experience or volunteer roles where I highlight one key facet. For example, I was a social media volunteer for an asylum charity, and I wrote:

As a volunteer, I was responsible for researching and creating content on issues around asylum and immigration detention in the UK for the Forum’s thousands of social media followers. Requiring precise and compelling language skills, the role encouraged me to develop a clear and concise communication style; my posts had continued successful engagement. I believe I can transfer these written communication skills into my legal career.

Is it better to include shorter experiences where I had less tangible outcomes/ achievements if they convey a developed skill? Or should I just prioritise longer, more developed experiences?

Would be great to hear people's thoughts.

 

[Andrei Radu]

Hi there,

I am currently in the process of completing the work experience section for an application.

I have a few key roles that I feel convey key skills and achievements. Beyond, them, I have a number of shorter work experience sections, usually relating to shadowing experience or volunteer roles where I highlight one key facet. For example, I was a social media volunteer for an asylum charity, and I wrote:

As a volunteer, I was responsible for researching and creating content on issues around asylum and immigration detention in the UK for the Forum’s thousands of social media followers. Requiring precise and compelling language skills, the role encouraged me to develop a clear and concise communication style; my posts had continued successful engagement. I believe I can transfer these written communication skills into my legal career.

Is it better to include shorter experiences where I had less tangible outcomes/ achievements if they convey a developed skill? Or should I just prioritise longer, more developed experiences?

Would be great to hear people's thoughts.

Hi @jamescockayne I think unless you have a worry around there being a limited number of work experience entries on the application form, I would just include both the longer and the shorter experiences. While the impact of the latter may not be that great, I also cannot see how including them could hurt your chances in any way.

Regarding your social media volunteer work experience example, I think the answer is well-written. However, I think there may be scope for you to elaborate further and add more value to the application. In particular, I would review the answer using a STAR structure and ask myself the following questions:

1. Situation: can I add anything noteworthy about the context in which I got this job? Was it a competitive application process, and if so, what was the application process, and how come I was selected? also, did I have to balance my time in the role with any other significant responsibilities?
2. Task: did you have any specific targets you needed to meet in terms of content creation? was there any limitation in terms of what type of content you could create, or was it down to your discretion?
3. Action: what concrete steps did you take to ensure you succeeded at your job? how did you go about creating very high-quality content? did you change the previously established approach in any way, and did you have any innovative ideas?
4. Result: what were the exact numbers related to your performance - numbers of posts and engagement numbers? and how does this compare to the numbers of previous people in your position? also, were you ever praised by a supervisor or colleague for your efforts? and were you rewarded with more high-responsibility work or more discretion for dealing with existing responsibilities?

 

[Sad_Old_Grad]

Hi there, @Andrei Radu , I am currently working on my Clifford Chance application and have really struggled with the work experience section. I don't suppose you would mind providing me with some advice/feedback on the following couple of examples I have included? Thank you!

Role (junior legal assistant, non-UK organisation].

I liaised with foreign publications, museums, and archives to ensure the legal use of their materials in [organisation's] online resources. Drafting contractual agreements related to international copyright law provided me with first-hand experience in ensuring compliance with legal standards while navigating uncertain international legal issues across multiple languages. I was responsible for maximising the volume of material obtained at the most cost-effective rates, while ensuring all acquisitions were legally sound. This often involved extensive communication, as I needed to identify the rightful copyright holders, which was not always straightforward. In some cases, the relevant rights were held by private individuals rather than the associated museum or publication, necessitating careful investigation, followed by negotiations to ensure that our compensation and usage agreements aligned with the copyright holder’s expectations.

Role (intern)

I assisted a solicitor on a number of (primarily pro-bono) competition law cases. My role involved providing support to litigants in person by understanding the clients’ needs before advising them on which arguments to present at tribunals and the best techniques to observe during a cross-examination. This was underpinned by preparatory work in the form of legal research (finding relevant case law and using it for the construction of initial arguments) and assembling bundles. The work equipped me with essential client-facing skills, a meticulous approach to legal research, an appreciation of the importance of detail in complex legal matters, insights into the practicalities of dealing with actual legal cases, the skills to assume prime responsibility for the quality and content of my work, and a more thorough understanding of competition law. The main case in which I assisted involved a claim brought by the client against a wholesale supplier under the Competition Act 1998. My responsibilities included, inter alia, researching whether the terms and conditions attached to an invoice amounted to a Selective Distribution Agreement (SDA) and whether prohibiting sales through channels such as a second website without an SDA might be viewed as a hard-core restriction. The process resulted in a favourable outcome for the client, with the Tribunal finding unanimously that the supplier’s distribution system lacked transparency and employed some quantitative criteria, applied in a discriminatory manner