Optimal Number of Work Experience

[intllawstudent]

Hi! I see a lot of discussions on how to write the work experience section but I'm just wondering:-
(1) How many work experiences will be optimal?

I see there's no rule of thumb, but I wonder if it's like "less is more" and better be selective and tailor to the firm's specific expertise, or show more experiences to stand out (when everyone is very hard-working and has rich experience)

For context, I have experience in vacation schemes, off-cycle law firm internships, and mini-pupillage. But they are all overseas so, outside those in international law firms, I'm unsure how much help they are of.

(2) Should I put down my non-law experience when I can put down another law experience instead?

I think many firms do say that non-law internships are as important (or even more so) than law internships, but there was one time I got an auto-rejection message saying "some candidates stood out with more relevant work experience". I'm unsure if the non-law experience dilutes my profile.

Thank you and discussions welcomed!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi! I see a lot of discussions on how to write the work experience section but I'm just wondering:-
(1) How many work experiences will be optimal?

I see there's no rule of thumb, but I wonder if it's like "less is more" and better be selective and tailor to the firm's specific expertise, or show more experiences to stand out (when everyone is very hard-working and has rich experience)

For context, I have experience in vacation schemes, off-cycle law firm internships, and mini-pupillage. But they are all overseas so, outside those in international law firms, I'm unsure how much help they are of.

(2) Should I put down my non-law experience when I can put down another law experience instead?

I think many firms do say that non-law internships are as important (or even more so) than law internships, but there was one time I got an auto-rejection message saying "some candidates stood out with more relevant work experience". I'm unsure if the non-law experience dilutes my profile.

Thank you and discussions welcomed!

Ultimately the more the better really, although longevity in roles will be valued more than doing lots of short term roles unless they are internships or seasonal roles.

You ultimately want to show you have kept yourself busy and have not shied away from work.

All your international experiences are as relevant as opportunities in the U.K.

Personally I would suggest including both non-law and law work experience for these reasons.

Only time it becomes an issue of choosing is when you are limited to a number of work experience entries. In these instances, choose a mixture of roles that show pursuit of a legal career, those that have had the most levels of responsibility (especially over a significant period of time), the ones that pushed you and developed your skill set the most.

 

[AvniD]

Hi! I see a lot of discussions on how to write the work experience section but I'm just wondering:-
(1) How many work experiences will be optimal?

I see there's no rule of thumb, but I wonder if it's like "less is more" and better be selective and tailor to the firm's specific expertise, or show more experiences to stand out (when everyone is very hard-working and has rich experience)

For context, I have experience in vacation schemes, off-cycle law firm internships, and mini-pupillage. But they are all overseas so, outside those in international law firms, I'm unsure how much help they are of.

(2) Should I put down my non-law experience when I can put down another law experience instead?

I think many firms do say that non-law internships are as important (or even more so) than law internships, but there was one time I got an auto-rejection message saying "some candidates stood out with more relevant work experience". I'm unsure if the non-law experience dilutes my profile.

Thank you and discussions welcomed!

Completely agree with Jessica!

I was once told by my careers service that because trainees are new entrants to the profession, all work experience, whether paid, unpaid, law-related, non-law, voluntary or application-based should be included in your application form so that the firm is able to get a good idea of your personality, motivations, skills and character traits. Specialising and narrowing your CV at this stage is not necessary and having more o talk about can actually be a good thing!

 

[intllawstudent]

Thank you both!

Completely agree with Jessica!

I was once told by my careers service that because trainees are new entrants to the profession, all work experience, whether paid, unpaid, law-related, non-law, voluntary or application-based should be included in your application form so that the firm is able to get a good idea of your personality, motivations, skills and character traits. Specialising and narrowing your CV at this stage is not necessary and having more o talk about can actually be a good thing!

Ultimately the more the better really, although longevity in roles will be valued more than doing lots of short term roles unless they are internships or seasonal roles.

You ultimately want to show you have kept yourself busy and have not shied away from work.

All your international experiences are as relevant as opportunities in the U.K.

Personally I would suggest including both non-law and law work experience for these reasons.

Only time it becomes an issue of choosing is when you are limited to a number of work experience entries. In these instances, choose a mixture of roles that show pursuit of a legal career, those that have had the most levels of responsibility (especially over a significant period of time), the ones that pushed you and developed your skill set the most.

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hello, @AvniD @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. I had a question about work experience entries so I thought of using this thread. Could you please tell me, how can I write about a variety of things under a legal internship work experience entry? The problem that I am facing is that I cannot number the different tasks nor use bullet points in the work experience box (please correct me if I am wrong here). I want to write something like this:

"Some of the key tasks included:
1: Researching on xyz.
2: Preparing a short-note on abc
3: Proofreading abc
4: Going through a company's lending documents to locate whether a prior approval of the bank would be required in case of a change of control."

My question is, can I use a numbered list in my work experience entry as I have used above? My guess is that I cannot since it risks the formatting but I'd be grateful if you could suggest any alternative approach.

Thanks.

 

[AvniD]

Hello, @AvniD @Jessica Booker hope you are doing well. I had a question about work experience entries so I thought of using this thread. Could you please tell me, how can I write about a variety of things under a legal internship work experience entry? The problem that I am facing is that I cannot number the different tasks nor use bullet points in the work experience box (please correct me if I am wrong here). I want to write something like this:

"Some of the key tasks included:
1: Researching on xyz.
2: Preparing a short-note on abc
3: Proofreading abc
4: Going through a company's lending documents to locate whether a prior approval of the bank would be required in case of a change of control."

My question is, can I use a numbered list in my work experience entry as I have used above? My guess is that I cannot since it risks the formatting but I'd be grateful if you could suggest any alternative approach.

Thanks.

Hi @futuretraineesolicitor, I would refrain from writing about your work experience in bullet points unless the firm has specifically asked you to do so. In the absence of being able to use points or numbers, I would simply list the tasks you did in plain sentences with commas. This should be perfectly acceptable!

 

[futuretraineesolicitor]

Hi @futuretraineesolicitor, I would refrain from writing about your work experience in bullet points unless the firm has specifically asked you to do so. In the absence of being able to use points or numbers, I would simply list the tasks you did in plain sentences with commas. This should be perfectly acceptable!

Thank you so much for your response, Avni.