Simmons & Simmons Work Experience Section

[OVLD68]

Hi, I am currently filling out a Simmons & Simmons Vac application but I found the work experience section to be really odd. It only gives 4 boxes and then gives another blank box to put the rest of it in. I was unsure how to structure it. Am I expected to put my work experience on chronological order in the 4 initial boxes or should I put the experience most relevant to the job? Also, in the other box, shall I put my work experience in bullet point format or shall I do full paragraphs/Sentences?

 

[OVLD68]

Bump

 

[Zi48]

I put the 4 most relevant (I still put them in chronological order) and did full paragraphs in the other box.

*when I say relevant I mean in terms of skills, e.g. I put a non law related hospital job as there was more to show than a legal open day.

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi, I am currently filling out a Simmons & Simmons Vac application but I found the work experience section to be really odd. It only gives 4 boxes and then gives another blank box to put the rest of it in. I was unsure how to structure it. Am I expected to put my work experience on chronological order in the 4 initial boxes or should I put the experience most relevant to the job? Also, in the other box, shall I put my work experience in bullet point format or shall I do full paragraphs/Sentences?

Hi @OVLD68 , great question.

Some firms do put limits on how many experiences you can put in the boxes. In situations like this, I recommend inputting the key 4 experiences that are most relevant to the trainee solicitor role. It doesn’t have to be legal, just anything which can demonstrate a range of transferable skills.

For the other blank box, you can put in the other experiences which you feel are also directly relevant, outside the other four. However, take care in doing so as I’m sure the limitation of 4 key experiences is to ensure you focus on quality over quantity and really hit the nail on the head regarding your past experiences.

I also recommend putting them in chronological order. They will all otherwise be relevant to the job, but arranging them chronologically provides a better structure.

Additionally, if you are keen on putting extra experiences in the other box, I advise doing so in bullet points with a mixture of prose - as the 4 boxes should have already covered the main points.