TCLA Direct Training Contract Applications Discussion Thread 2023-4

Status
Not open for further replies.

Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,394
20,068
@Jessica Booker hi! I have left this Q to the last moment so Im hoping you get to see this sometime today - when a firm asks 'describe a time you pushed yourself outside of your comfort zone' does this need to be academic or law related? or can I speak about a music performance? is it better if its a recent event?

thanks!
No - doesn’t need to be academic or within a legal setting. I would try to ensure it is fairly recent (say last 2-3 years) to show you have put yourself outside of your comfort zone more recently. It can really be any example but the emphasis pf the answer needs to be on how you explain why the situation was outside of your comfort zone and really putting the detail in the uncomfortable nature of doing that.
 

lawyerletsgo

Distinguished Member
Nov 26, 2023
63
46
No - doesn’t need to be academic or within a legal setting. I would try to ensure it is fairly recent (say last 2-3 years) to show you have put yourself outside of your comfort zone more recently. It can really be any example but the emphasis pf the answer needs to be on how you explain why the situation was outside of your comfort zone and really putting the detail in the uncomfortable nature of doing that.
thank you so much for your response - i really appreciate this!

I was thinking of focusing on why the situation was uncomfortable, why I chose to do it anyways and what skills I deployed or developed to succeed. is this sensible? is this a competency type Q?
 

Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,394
20,068
thank you so much for your response - i really appreciate this!

I was thinking of focusing on why the situation was uncomfortable, why I chose to do it anyways and what skills I deployed or developed to succeed. is this sensible? is this a competency type Q?
Yes - this is a very sensible approach to take. It is effectively a competency question as it is asking you to pull upon a previous example of where you have demonstrated something in particular.
 
  • 🏆
Reactions: lawyerletsgo

Jessica Booker

Legendary Member
TCLA Moderator
Gold Member
Graduate Recruitment
Premium Member
Forum Team
Aug 1, 2019
14,394
20,068
Hi @Jessica Booker, just found out that an assessment centre next week will involve a presentation, but no other information has been given about it - could you please help as to how i should prepare? 😭
I would stress many of these type of assessments you cannot prepare for as such, and this type of presentation/assessment is probably designed as such so that candidates cannot prepare.

You can consider what makes an effective presentation though. To me, this article is quite useful in explaining what typically makes an effective presentation: https://hbr.org/2020/01/what-it-takes-to-give-a-great-presentation
 

KBanana

Star Member
Premium Member
Mar 10, 2023
31
15
@Jessica Booker @Jaysen Hello! I have 2 questions:

1. According to Slaughter's website, a CV should not be more than 2 pages, would mine get overlooked if I condensed it down to 1 page?

2. In my CV, should I state factually what I have done (e.g. "carried out X") or should I also mention the skills that I developed (e.g. "Developed communication skills by carrying out X")? I am a bit worried about repeating myself here and in the 'why me' part of my cover letter, where I discuss the relevant skills I developed from my experiences. However, I also do not know if Slaughter and May uses some AI to scan through the CVs to look for the qualities they listed on their website and if they look at the CVs first rather than the cover letter.

Thank you!
 

Lawyering13

Star Member
Junior Lawyer
  • Mar 5, 2024
    26
    84
    @Jessica Booker @Jaysen Hello! I have 2 questions:

    1. According to Slaughter's website, a CV should not be more than 2 pages, would mine get overlooked if I condensed it down to 1 page?

    2. In my CV, should I state factually what I have done (e.g. "carried out X") or should I also mention the skills that I developed (e.g. "Developed communication skills by carrying out X")? I am a bit worried about repeating myself here and in the 'why me' part of my cover letter, where I discuss the relevant skills I developed from my experiences. However, I also do not know if Slaughter and May uses some AI to scan through the CVs to look for the qualities they listed on their website and if they look at the CVs first rather than the cover letter.

    Thank you!
    Slaughters explicitly ask you not to state skills as they are able to infer it from your job descriptions. So I would just put “Carried out X, achieved Y results” or something, and do two-three bullet points for each work experience.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: KBanana

    Jessica Booker

    Legendary Member
    TCLA Moderator
    Gold Member
    Graduate Recruitment
    Premium Member
    Forum Team
    Aug 1, 2019
    14,394
    20,068
    @Jessica Booker @Jaysen Hello! I have 2 questions:

    1. According to Slaughter's website, a CV should not be more than 2 pages, would mine get overlooked if I condensed it down to 1 page?

    2. In my CV, should I state factually what I have done (e.g. "carried out X") or should I also mention the skills that I developed (e.g. "Developed communication skills by carrying out X")? I am a bit worried about repeating myself here and in the 'why me' part of my cover letter, where I discuss the relevant skills I developed from my experiences. However, I also do not know if Slaughter and May uses some AI to scan through the CVs to look for the qualities they listed on their website and if they look at the CVs first rather than the cover letter.

    Thank you!
    1) not a problem if it is only one page - they are just strict on the two page rule and therefore it should not be over this amount

    2) from what I have heardabout Slaughter's view on this, you state factual responsibilities, outcomes and achievements. In the vast majority of cases, the person reading your CV will be able to infer the skills if you focus on these aspects.

    I am not sure whether the AI point is true/accurate - I'd be super surprised to hear if this is the case. From what I have heard, they review both documents together.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: KBanana

    futuretraineesolicitor

    Legendary Member
    Forum Winner
    Dec 14, 2019
    997
    462
    Hi @Jessica Booker for "Please use the space below to provide details of any careers events you have attended e.g. insight days, workshops, presentations etc. These do not need to be White & Case specific. (Max. 350 words)", is it better to:

    1. Give a long list of events with no explanation to meet the word count
    2. Explain 4-5 events in depth to meet the word count
    3. mix of 1 & 2?

    Thanks in advance.
     
    Status
    Not open for further replies.

    About Us

    The Corporate Law Academy (TCLA) was founded in 2018 because we wanted to improve the legal journey. We wanted more transparency and better training. We wanted to form a community of aspiring lawyers who care about becoming the best version of themselves.

    Newsletter

    Discover the most relevant business news, access our law firm analysis, and receive our best advice for aspiring lawyers.