TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2021-22 (#1)

[BM99]

When did you complete the second stage if you don’t mind me asking?

I did it on 25/2. How about you?

 

[psr23]

I did it on 25/2. How about you?

Yesterday! But it didn’t go well haha

 

[BM99]

Yesterday! But it didn’t go well haha

Well they said that they will assess you holistically throughout the whole recruitment process. So the interview will not be the single assessment they rely on.

 

[psr23]

Well they said that they will assess you holistically throughout the whole recruitment process. So the interview will not be the single assessment they rely on.

Oh I didn’t know that, thank you!

 

[User1726]

Anyone have any experience with the Ashurst test?

 

[Asil Ahmad]

I had a final interview for a vac scheme today and one of the interviewers was incredibly rude - told me my previous experience in due diligence was irrelevant and that I shouldn't draw on it because most due diligence reports he reads are overall shoddy work anyway. He also asked me a few questions and when I would be halfway through my answers he'd just go "WRONG. Try Again." and told me that in his team he advises people to "Think 10 times and reply once, which is something you obviously don't know how to do'. My answers weren't bad because I'd prepped them in advance and were absolutely relevant - they've gotten me multiple vac schemes before.

I just don't know what to do or what to think. A friend of mine had the same interview before me and he didn't have the same experience at all. I'm just really upset and disheartened.

He might have had a bad day but am sorry to hear that and don't let it get to you and you should contact grad rec I think and tell them about it as it could affect your chances of getting that VS or offer.

 

[Scandi]

Hi. Maybe a silly question, but are written exercises on ACs usually by computer and not by hand? Would, of course, make a big difference in terms of efficiency, etc.

 

[Law1099]

I had a final interview for a vac scheme today and one of the interviewers was incredibly rude - told me my previous experience in due diligence was irrelevant and that I shouldn't draw on it because most due diligence reports he reads are overall shoddy work anyway. He also asked me a few questions and when I would be halfway through my answers he'd just go "WRONG. Try Again." and told me that in his team he advises people to "Think 10 times and reply once, which is something you obviously don't know how to do'. My answers weren't bad because I'd prepped them in advance and were absolutely relevant - they've gotten me multiple vac schemes before.

I just don't know what to do or what to think. A friend of mine had the same interview before me and he didn't have the same experience at all. I'm just really upset and disheartened.

Some lawyers are just not nice people lol. I’ve turned down jobs because of how I didn’t like the interviewer. Don’t be upset. It’s clearly not a reflection on you if you’ve got success elsewhere.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I had a final interview for a vac scheme today and one of the interviewers was incredibly rude - told me my previous experience in due diligence was irrelevant and that I shouldn't draw on it because most due diligence reports he reads are overall shoddy work anyway. He also asked me a few questions and when I would be halfway through my answers he'd just go "WRONG. Try Again." and told me that in his team he advises people to "Think 10 times and reply once, which is something you obviously don't know how to do'. My answers weren't bad because I'd prepped them in advance and were absolutely relevant - they've gotten me multiple vac schemes before.

I just don't know what to do or what to think. A friend of mine had the same interview before me and he didn't have the same experience at all. I'm just really upset and disheartened.

Hi @ofm - I am sorry to hear you have had this experience. I can understand it can be upsetting. Hopefully the community here at TCLA can provide you with some support on this.

In the past, I have tried to provide balance when we have had similar posts to this or people have privately messaged me with concerns of their interviewers being rude. Many times I can justify some behaviours on some level or can explain how certain things might have been misconstrued by the candidate and that the intentions of the interviewer were probably not what the candidate thought they were.

I know @AvniD has provided some excellent advice on these types of situations before. One of her excellent points was to at least sleep on it and try to reflect on it with a fresh and open mind. Sometimes you can get caught up in the raw emotion of the situation when it has only just happened and maybe feel particularly riled by the situation right now, whether rightly so or not. Just taking some time to step away from your current feelings about it and try to look at it from a more pragmatic point might be helpful, both for what you consider your next steps to be and/or how you are feeling. I'd also try to look beyond the worst interactions and try to see if there is anything positive you could take from the interviewer. If you still feel this strongly (or even more so) once you have taken these steps, I'd be happy to provide guidance on what you could do next.

On this occasion (caveat that by saying this is based on only hearing your story from you and the limited information you have provided), I feel what you have said is pretty damning. Even if this is some kind of reverse psychology approach to see how resilient you are or how you deal with challenging conversations/someone challenging your viewpoint, the ways in which they have approached this isn't necessarily productive in an interview setting.

There are some parts of this that I could justify as interviewer behaviour. Interrupting someone and telling them they are wrong will be something that happens (I have done it!). The bit that gets me is the "which is something you obviously don't know how to do" comment - that is a shitty (excuse my language) thing to say to anyone if that is what they said. It's also ridiculously presumptuous. If I was the graduate recruitment person at the firm, I would want to know this was going on. Depending on the firm's culture they either know this happens (and put up with it) or this is something they wouldn't deem acceptable (and they may not rely on that interviewer again).

Feel free to PM me (and you can send it to @AvniD too) if you want to discuss this outside of the forum - although if you want to keep chatting on here you are more than welcome to as well. Avni and I can provide our thoughts as to what you might want to consider next.

What I would stress is that although this is disheartening and upsetting, this is just one person's opinion. And by the sounds of it, they are the anomaly if you have secured multiple vacation schemes previously.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hi. Maybe a silly question, but are written exercises on ACs usually by computer and not by hand? Would, of course, make a big difference in terms of efficiency, etc.

Increasingly done via a computer these days to reflect the realities of work, but it isn't unknown for them to still be hand written, especially if they are testing language/grammar/spelling etc (and they don't want you to use something like Word that will correct these things).

 

[JSM123]

I had a final interview for a vac scheme today and one of the interviewers was incredibly rude - told me my previous experience in due diligence was irrelevant and that I shouldn't draw on it because most due diligence reports he reads are overall shoddy work anyway. He also asked me a few questions and when I would be halfway through my answers he'd just go "WRONG. Try Again." and told me that in his team he advises people to "Think 10 times and reply once, which is something you obviously don't know how to do'. My answers weren't bad because I'd prepped them in advance and were absolutely relevant - they've gotten me multiple vac schemes before.

I just don't know what to do or what to think. A friend of mine had the same interview before me and he didn't have the same experience at all. I'm just really upset and disheartened.

Honestly interviewers are humans to - and that means you can unfortunately get some that aren’t too nice. I had a very unpleasant and rude interview at a firm a few weeks back and my feedback was absolutely brutal with the call from grad rec effectively saying I had a really long road ahead to develop my skill set. I had the pleasure at the end of the call to say I already had multiple offers from other firms and hear the 10 second silence at the end of the line I’m mentioning this only because if I had that feedback at the beginning of the cycle and not after I had received offers my confidence would have been absolutely shot. Therefore I think it’s really important to keep in mind how it’s sill a very subjective and human process - some people are not always going to get on with you but be absolutely confident that you wouldn’t have received offers from places if you were not already a strong candidate

 

[srcfaulk]

No if they interview you tomorrow they will give you an offer tomorrow after the interview which is why they don't review all applications.

Do the Travers recruitment team really not review all the apps Asil Ahmad? Where did you hear that if you don't mind me asking

 

[aspiringlawyer123_]

@George Maxwell - I have an upcoming vac scheme and HSF and was wondering if you have any tips on preparing for the HSF vac scheme/interviews on the scheme?

 

[ellwilsen]

has anyone ever had any luck with two firms allowing them to do a week at each (rather than a two week scheme) where the dates of both schemes are the same? :/

 

[Jessica Booker]

has anyone ever had any luck with two firms allowing them to do a week at each (rather than a two week scheme) where the dates of both schemes are the same? :/

It is unlikely both firms will allow you to only do one week each. It is best to ask if there are alternative vacation scheme dates

 

[Abii]

Has anyone ever had a law firm call them to bring an interview forward before?

It happened to me earlier today - I had asked for my AC to be after the 18th due to exams. However the law firm called me today to ask if there is anyway I could do the interview earlier as they recruit on a rolling basis and wanted to be able to guarantee they still had available VS slots when I interviewed. Just want to get a gauge of how normal this is.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Has anyone ever had a law firm call them to bring an interview forward before?

It happened to me earlier today - I had asked for my AC to be after the 18th due to exams. However the law firm called me today to ask if there is anyway I could do the interview earlier as they recruit on a rolling basis and wanted to be able to guarantee they still had available VS slots when I interviewed. Just want to get a gauge of how normal this is.

Pretty normal from my perspective. They a are doing the right thing by telling you the reasons for this. They are still giving you the option to stick to the later date too - they are just saying there is a risk they may have offered all their VS spots by that point.

 

[AvniD]

Hi guys I really need some advice! I applied for a vac scheme with a firm (application and video interview), I have just had an email saying my application was unsuccessful for the vac scheme but that I have been shortlisted to be considered for an assessment centre for a direct TC application with the firm.

They have asked me to reply confirming if I want to be considered, but the email also says this:

'If there is a reason you would rather we didn’t shortlist your application (and instead let you apply again) please do let us know and we can accommodate this too.'


The thing is, if I did reapply and re-do the video interview, I think I could do better than I originally did because I wasn't that prepared, but that also risks withdrawing my current application only to not be progressed at all!

What would you guys do?

I'd say yes to the direct TC route as I doubt that you would've been considered for it if your VS VI performance was less than adequate for the firm. In any case it seems like you application will be withdrawn anyway if you say no to the direct TC so I don't see a point in turning it down.

 

[Abii]

Pretty normal from my perspective. They a are doing the right thing by telling you the reasons for this. They are still giving you the option to stick to the later date too - they are just saying there is a risk they may have offered all their VS spots by that point.

Thanks! I brought it forward as early as I could. Not as early as they wanted but the suggested dates would be when I was actually sitting proctored exams and I cannot be in two places at once! Instead I brought it forward to a day where I have a 24 hour take away assessment so I'll just do the that in the evening/night after the AC.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thanks! I brought it forward as early as I could. Not as early as they wanted but the suggested dates would be when I was actually sitting proctored exams and I cannot be in two places at once! Instead I brought it forward to a day where I have a 24 hour take away assessment so I'll just do the that in the evening/night after the AC.

Phew! You have a lot on your plate. Hope all the assessments, both AC and academic go well for you. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help with your preparations.