Taking advantage of work experience section

[Lumree]

Just curious what people do with the work experience section? At the moment, I show not tell what I did and highlight my impact.

Do others explicitly mention what skills they developed and relate that to the firm? When I try this, I often feel it comes off as forced and the law firm’s name could be easily replaced with another!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Just curious what people do with the work experience section? At the moment, I show not tell what I did and highlight my impact.

Do others explicitly mention what skills they developed and relate that to the firm? When I try this, I often feel it comes off as forced and the law firm’s name could be easily replaced with another!

Hi,

In terms of my own approach to this section of the application, I generally gave a very brief outline of the experience through the lens of personal impact and skills gained. Personally I didn't use this section to make references to the specific place to which I was applying. Eg:
"Lawyer McLawFirm LLP Vacation Scheme 2019
"I spent two weeks in the London office, shadowing partners in XXX and YYY seats. I attended multiple personal development workshops and networking events and carried out tasks such as [vacation scheme tasks- negotiation exercises, bundling, case chronologies, due diligence, drafting directions to court]. Through these, I developed my drafting skills and also increased my knowledge on [e.g., the litigation process/ process and timeline of a deal/ practical implications of tax law/ things which are relevant to the tasks you earlier discussed]".

Typically, I opt to keep each description relatively brief because I feel it gives me more to bring up at interview; similarly, I also know many people who put fairly detailed descriptions of work experience in applications, relate it to firms etc- I think it's a fairly personal thing and there isn't necessarily a definite right or wrong. My perception (someone like @Jessica Booker may be able to confirm or correct this) that they're more assessing work experience from the perspective of ensuring you're a well-rounded candidate who's done more than just gone to school and uni; also to see that a candidate has actually got a legitimate claim to having learned the skills they profess to possess than anything else.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Just curious what people do with the work experience section? At the moment, I show not tell what I did and highlight my impact.

Do others explicitly mention what skills they developed and relate that to the firm? When I try this, I often feel it comes off as forced and the law firm’s name could be easily replaced with another!

I wouldn’t feel the need to link it back to the specific firm in terms of skills. It’s generally obvious.

 

[Lumree]

Thanks both @Jessica Booker @Jacob Miller !

 

[Jacob Miller]

Thanks both @Jessica Booker @Jacob Miller !

No probs, best of luck

 

[Legal_rawn]

Hi I had a question sort of on this topic so thought I’d place it in this thread! I did two work experiences this summer both were formally ones where I’d applied for a formal scheme etc. The problem im having is that because they were virtual I didn’t really get to do any actual work so it’s really difficult to fill this section out. I gave a couple of presentations but I don’t feel like it seems like it was proper experience! Any advice on how to phrase this sort of example would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi I had a question sort of on this topic so thought I’d place it in this thread! I did two work experiences this summer both were formally ones where I’d applied for a formal scheme etc. The problem im having is that because they were virtual I didn’t really get to do any actual work so it’s really difficult to fill this section out. I gave a couple of presentations but I don’t feel like it seems like it was proper experience! Any advice on how to phrase this sort of example would be greatly appreciated!

Hey Rhiannon,

Totally get where you're coming from, writing about virtual things can be much harder due to the issues you cite. I would personally consider things a little more holistically- what did you learn overall? Remember you still pick up skills from things like giving presentations etc. The aim is just to show what you've gained and learned

 

[Numerius Negidius]

Thought I'd leave my question here as well. What is the view on putting ECs in work experience? I have a lot of ECs and spend lots of time on them, and I feel that I'm leaving lots of detail out when I try to fit everything in a 250-word "list your ECs" question. And is doing this more acceptable if there is no question for ECs at all?

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thought I'd leave my question here as well. What is the view on putting ECs in work experience? I have a lot of ECs and spend lots of time on them, and I feel that I'm leaving lots of detail out when I try to fit everything in a 250-word "list your ECs" question. And is doing this more acceptable if there is no question for ECs at all?

Generally no. Heard of one firm that says you can do it (on this forum) but it’s not work experience and generally can give a negative impression that you are not sticking to what the application form is asking.

250 words is actually quite a lot to talk about your ECs. Just list them out if you have a lot of them or choose which ones are not as relevant.

Let’s put it the other way around, if you had lots of jobs, you wouldn’t expect someone to list those jobs in their extra curricular section, just because they ran out of room. The individual would have to just make a decision on what is more/less relevant.

If a firm doesn’t ask you about your ECs it is highly likely the case that they don’t care for them.

 

[Dheepa]

Hi @Lumree

I actually used to go pretty all out with the work experience section, I've provided you with an example here:

I was placed in the Finance department. I assisted my supervisor with drafting advice to an energy company on compliance with loan provisions for their tax-restructuring scheme. I reviewed multiple project financing loan documents, identified key clauses and summarized the impact of these clauses on the proposed restructuring scheme. I familiarized myself with complex financing terms within a few hours demonstrating my ability to learn on the job and work under pressure. My analytical ability was crucial in helping me identify clauses and relate them back to the potential risks the clients could face. I also wrote a report summarizing key changes made in relation to replacement LIBOR and EURIBOR provisions. This enhanced my ability to summarize complex information succinctly. For the vacation scheme specific project, I worked with my team to identify the various legal issues within an acquisition deal before presenting our solutions to these issues to an associate.

I think Jessica is right about the skills you have being pretty obvious anyway, but this is how I chose to really emphasise some of them (attention to detail, working under pressure etc.) anyway. Building into something I said on a separate post, you can also see how I choose to mention the specifics of everything I've done - the industry the client was in, any commercial issues I was working with. It's a good way to direct any commercial awareness questions that might come up because I would always be asked about the green energy transition/LIBOR and I could pretty much expect it and prepare for it!

I don't think you necessarily need to do any of this but just thought I'd provide you with an example of what worked for me anyway!

Here's the post I'm referencing above:

Hiya,

Will keep my response pretty brief because I think Jacob and Naomi have covered most of it - especially agree with Naomi on building keeping up with CA into your routine + choosing certain industries you're interested in to keep up with in particular.

I just wanted to add some advice I've repeated quite a few times now on the forum which is that you should always look at your application first when it comes to thinking about what kind of commercial awareness questions might come up. I've done a lot of things in relation to the automobile industry in terms of work experience so I always get asked about what's happening in that industry. I also work part time in retail and one of the most recent questions I got asked was about the retail industry. If you've mentioned a deal or something, really look into that deal, what industry the deal involved what jurisdiction it involved and read into articles to do with those things. When I was at my first vac I did a lot of work on LIBOR and that always came up without fail at every interview, not because it is something partners expect everyone to know about but because I actively mentioned it in my work experience section. Partners generally don't try to catch you out by asking something completely out of the blue and in my experience they tend to stick to things you've mentioned in your app and use that as a way to test your CA. So while the resources both Jacob and Naomi have mentioned are excellent ways to develop the commercial awareness mindset and keep up with wider issues generally, there is a high chance that if you have already directed the partners in a certain direction with your application itself, they will stick to those topics. I'm aware this can be slightly unconventional advice but it's advice I'm giving because without fail the questions I encountered in all four interviews this app cycle were all based on things I had mentioned in my app.

My own favourite resources: FT Daily News Briefing podcast, TCLA's Commercial Newsletter, Bright Network's Commercial Round-up.

Here's some previous threads in the forum with some additional recommendations:

Podcasts - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....ial-awareness-podcast-thread.2182/#post-34835
Apps - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....-business-commercial-law-app.2604/#post-36552
Blogs - https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....gs-resources-are-you-reading.2553/#post-34794

Hope that helps!

 

[Lumree]

Hi @Lumree

I actually used to go pretty all out with the work experience section, I've provided you with an example here:

I was placed in the Finance department. I assisted my supervisor with drafting advice to an energy company on compliance with loan provisions for their tax-restructuring scheme. I reviewed multiple project financing loan documents, identified key clauses and summarized the impact of these clauses on the proposed restructuring scheme. I familiarized myself with complex financing terms within a few hours demonstrating my ability to learn on the job and work under pressure. My analytical ability was crucial in helping me identify clauses and relate them back to the potential risks the clients could face. I also wrote a report summarizing key changes made in relation to replacement LIBOR and EURIBOR provisions. This enhanced my ability to summarize complex information succinctly. For the vacation scheme specific project, I worked with my team to identify the various legal issues within an acquisition deal before presenting our solutions to these issues to an associate.

I think Jessica is right about the skills you have being pretty obvious anyway, but this is how I chose to really emphasise some of them (attention to detail, working under pressure etc.) anyway. Building into something I said on a separate post, you can also see how I choose to mention the specifics of everything I've done - the industry the client was in, any commercial issues I was working with. It's a good way to direct any commercial awareness questions that might come up because I would always be asked about the green energy transition/LIBOR and I could pretty much expect it and prepare for it!

I don't think you necessarily need to do any of this but just thought I'd provide you with an example of what worked for me anyway!

Here's the post I'm referencing above:

Thank you so much!

 

[E.TX]

Hi all, I thought my question would fit in this thread, but please let me know if there's another more suitable one.

I'm answering the question: 'please give details of your interest and activities, position of responsibility, skills and achievements'. Generally, I've adopted the STAR method to answer them by using a few of my extracurriculars, but I'm struggling to link it back to the firm. If I link it back to the firm's competencies, it feels too forced and bit lazy.

How do link it back to the specific firm? Their clients/projects/practice areas?

 

[Lumree]

Hi all, I thought my question would fit in this thread, but please let me know if there's another more suitable one.

I'm answering the question: 'please give details of your interest and activities, position of responsibility, skills and achievements'. Generally, I've adopted the STAR method to answer them by using a few of my extracurriculars, but I'm struggling to link it back to the firm. If I link it back to the firm's competencies, it feels too forced and bit lazy.

How do link it back to the specific firm? Their clients/projects/practice areas?

I personally don’t link it unless the question asks me to. I too feel it comes across as generic and forced. Others do link it though.

If there was an obvious link that doesn’t feel generic or forced, I would link it. For example if there’s some pro bono opportunity you’d be interested in at the firm because of your experience with X, then I’d mention that.

 

[Alice G]

Hi all, I thought my question would fit in this thread, but please let me know if there's another more suitable one.

I'm answering the question: 'please give details of your interest and activities, position of responsibility, skills and achievements'. Generally, I've adopted the STAR method to answer them by using a few of my extracurriculars, but I'm struggling to link it back to the firm. If I link it back to the firm's competencies, it feels too forced and bit lazy.

How do link it back to the specific firm? Their clients/projects/practice areas?

You don’t need to link it back

 

[lawstudent12345]

Hi, I know this is a fairly old thread but I wanted to ask one question - how should I go about describing certain tasks if they were very administrative, e.g. proof-reading? Is it alright to just say "I was tasked with proof-reading document X and editing the PowerPoint Slides for Webinar Y"? Do firms see this as a good thing or is it just a bit lame??

 

[Lumree]

Hi, I know this is a fairly old thread but I wanted to ask one question - how should I go about describing certain tasks if they were very administrative, e.g. proof-reading? Is it alright to just say "I was tasked with proof-reading document X and editing the PowerPoint Slides for Webinar Y"? Do firms see this as a good thing or is it just a bit lame??

Can you give an example? For example, a time you spotted a particular mistake or produced PowerPoint slides that had a meaningful impact on the project (I.e. X result)?

 

[lawstudent12345]

Can you give an example? For example, a time you spotted a particular mistake or produced PowerPoint slides that had a meaningful impact on the project (I.e. X result)?

Ah, good point. Will try to incorporate those - Thanks!

 

[Jacob Miller]

Hi, I know this is a fairly old thread but I wanted to ask one question - how should I go about describing certain tasks if they were very administrative, e.g. proof-reading? Is it alright to just say "I was tasked with proof-reading document X and editing the PowerPoint Slides for Webinar Y"? Do firms see this as a good thing or is it just a bit lame??

I agree with @Lumree here - it's really important to frame things in terms of positive impact and provable record.

Think of it this way: me saying to you "In this job I was tasked with X, Y and Z" doesn't actually tell you anything valuable, because it doesn't probe that I did those things, or that I did them to an excellent standard. Saying that, when carrying out your duties X, Y and Z you noticed an issue, managed to fix that issue and that fix had a positive net impact which can be measured by some tangible matrix, on the other hand, does.

As an assessor, that's what is the most important - anyone can be tasked with something, but you have to prove you did it and did it to a high standard.

 

[lawstudent12345]

Hi, I need some advice on something! I am considering taking on a new commitment in a university society that has a focus on Artificial Intelligence. I'm not sure whether to accept the role as I'm worried that I won't have time - juggling between schoolwork (it'll be my final year of uni) and other commitments. Ultimately I know I have to decide for myself, but one of my considerations is whether this will be useful on my CV under the extracurriculars section.

This is what I know:

• The purpose of the Events & Media team is to create education and engagement opportunities in AI.
• My responsibilities will include:
  • Organizing events
  • Recruiting speakers
  • Booking venue spaces
  • Creating social media posts & engaging the community
  • Producing newsletter content
  • Publishing long-form content

I would love to know if these would give me skills that law firms value! I know any sort of extracurricular activity / work experience is useful in some way but I need to know if these are particularly useful commercial law or not.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi, I need some advice on something! I am considering taking on a new commitment in a university society that has a focus on Artificial Intelligence. I'm not sure whether to accept the role as I'm worried that I won't have time - juggling between schoolwork (it'll be my final year of uni) and other commitments. Ultimately I know I have to decide for myself, but one of my considerations is whether this will be useful on my CV under the extracurriculars section.

This is what I know:

• The purpose of the Events & Media team is to create education and engagement opportunities in AI.
• My responsibilities will include:
  • Organizing events
  • Recruiting speakers
  • Booking venue spaces
  • Creating social media posts & engaging the community
  • Producing newsletter content
  • Publishing long-form content

I would love to know if these would give me skills that law firms value! I know any sort of extracurricular activity / work experience is useful in some way but I need to know if these are particularly useful commercial law or not.

I don’t think it’s necessarily directly useful for commercial law, but clearly it will be a great responsibility to have on your CV. I wouldn’t do it in the hope it builds out your CV, but if you have a genuine interest in the subject and want to take on the responsibility, then I personally think you should (unless you have other options).