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

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James Carrabino

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Hi everyone - I have just updated my Weekly Application Pitfalls thread for weeks 3-4 of December! Please view it here :)

My advice this week on things to watch out for is slightly lengthier than previous weeks and I invite you to take some time to cogitate on my suggestions in advance of the numerous January application deadlines. Please feel free to respond to the thread with any queries you may have.

TCLA's application review service is closed next week for Christmas. As a result, I will not be reviewing applications next week and so this post is meant to cover two weeks' worth of application pitfalls (I have been doing extra reviews this past week). I hope it serves as some useful food for thought over the coming weeks!

I will be back to the thread in the first week of January; in the meantime have a wonderful Christmas!
 
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Jessica Booker

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I sincerely believe that for the majority of firms which recruit on a rolling basis, it will not make a difference whether you apply on the application deadline or three months in advance.
To me, the indirect benefits of applying earlier are:

- You potentially have more choice of interview/assessment dates - good if you are busy with other commitments or other recruitment processes
- You get to spread out the "stress" and "effort" needed, which is probably better than having a peak of it when most applications close
- You might get an offer earlier (good in certain circumstances, like if you get multiple offers)

Standards won't be different in the earlier or later stages of an application window. You either meet the criteria or you don't and that will be consistent whether you apply on the first or last day of an application window.
 

bibss

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I ended up applying to 40 firms, around 25 of which I applied to in the month of January alone! Again, I do not recommend this approach as it was very tiring (I had little guidance at the time and this is the reason why I am so excited to be able to help TCLA members so that they do not make the same mistakes) but I think that you can work out how to efficiently conduct research and write an application answer such that you do not need to overthink every application.

Writing high-quality applications is important, but only up to a certain extent. There are diminishing marginal returns on the amount of time you put into each app. The only thing I would absolutely ensure you do is allow yourself a full hour to proofread everything before you submit. Silly errors like typos can sometimes lead to rejection (not all the time, but it is easy to do a really thorough proofread so just leave yourself the time to do it).

By the way, there are not many firms I would leave myself three hours to apply to 🤣 I think that I could probably have applied to some firms (such as Reed Smith, Clifford Chance, Linklaters or DLA Piper off the top of my head) in several hours as their application forms did not require firm-specific research and I had written many of the same commercial or motivational answers in previous applications. Usually I think a full day's work was enough for me to prepare and submit an average-length application. Some applications definitely took a lot more than that, but here was my average time spent at each stage of the application writing process:


I would spend 1-2 hours thoroughly searching the website and making bullet points of partners who have done interesting work, deals that I would like to have been involved with and more general opportunities which the firm affords trainees. It was a very formulaic process for me after I had done it a few times - when I finished my research I would then be able to use my bullet points to write out a good answer in 45 minutes or so. I would then come back to it at the end of the day (in the meantime I would write the answers to the other questions which would usually just involve editing or tailoring an answer I’d written for another firm) at which point I would change anything that did not sound right or add anything else I had thought of. I would say that for the average application I would spend a total of 3.5 - 4 hours on the firm-specific question, 2 hours on the other questions in total (assuming that you have to alter the word count to a pre-prepared answer or have to edit it to better answer the specific wording of the question at hand) leaving at least 1 hour to proofread. 6-7 hours of work is not too bad and it will often be less (for example, you may be able to literally copy and paste your other answers from another application if it is the exact same question and word count). It will sometimes be more if there are multiple firm-specific questions or a random question (for one firm I had to write about which historical event I would have liked to witness).

Basically once you have done all this I would give it a solid proofread, perhaps have a fresh pair of eyes check it over for typos as well and then click ‘send’. There is no need to agonise over whether you could have written a better sentence here or there - it really won’t make a difference. I found that there was little correlation between whether my application was successful and the amount of time I spent on the application beyond the 6-7 hours I needed to do a proper job of it.

This may not work for everyone and by all means spend longer on applications for your favourite firms, but I hope that this is a useful perspective for those of you who may have thought that you need to spend days or weeks tailoring your applications!
This is really useful stuff!! Thank you 😊😍
 

AvniD

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Hi everyone! Made it to the telephone interview with NRF. I’ve never had a telephone interview before- would appreciate any tips please.
Congratulations!! 🥳🥳🥳

https://classes.thecorporatelawacad...-guide-to-training-contract/lectures/35978368 ⬅️ I'd use this link to practice competency and character-based questions.

I'd also practice maintaining an even tone while speaking- you can do this either by recording yourself or practising with someone to guide you where you're rushing and how you can get back to an even delivery.

I'd also keep some notes handy for some key questions like why you, why commercial law, why this firm and also some common questions on time management, teamwork and leadership. Tagging @George Maxwell for his thoughts as well!

I got an email yesterday from Slaughter and May inviting me to interview. It is my first application cycle so I haven't done an interview before, any tips on the S&M interview would be appreciated!
Very, very well done! 👏👏👏

Including some links and tips below-
  • Jaysen's interview advice- https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....advice-sorry-for-another-thread.467/post-1803
  • Jacob's guide to interviews- https://www.thecorporatelawacademy....rviews-monday-article-series.3286/#post-61661
  • My top tips for an interview-
    • PRACTICE- This question bank was my holy grail and I practised almost every single question in it, even if it was just by making a quick mental note of how I would structure and deliver my answer. I would suggest practising with someone else so that they can tell you where your tone sounds off, where you're rushing and if you're delivering your content convincingly.
    • PREPARE- You should have solid, evidenced answers for why you, why commercial law and why this firm ready to go. Also consider preparing answers to common questions like Always link your motivations back to your research ➕ initiative to find out more about a career in commercial law experiences that demonstrate why you would make a good commercial lawyer at that firm.
    • PREDICT- Look at your application and try to predict what will jump out to an interviewer as being unique to you- certain work experiences, grades (good or bad!), breaks in your study/career, whether you're an international applicant, career changer, certain interests of yours etc. and prepare to answer questions related to that. This will help you appear less nervous and give confident answers in the interview 💪
I applied for a TC at Bakers in April this year and I wish to apply for a Summer VS within the next month, is this a long enough gap? Thanks!
Absolutely is as it's technically two different cycles! Please feel free to tag me in your posts here on the forum if you have any questions about the application that I may be able to help with! 😇
 

Jessica Booker

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Anyone know if the ‘preparation’ time given in VIs is recorded? Made an absolute fool of myself during the reed smith 60 second preparation and hoping that it’s not! If it is then I will know why when I am PFOd 😆😆
The preparation time is typically not recorded but look at the instructions carefully as I know a couple of organisations (not law firms) where it is recorded, just to ensure integrity in the process. However, if it is recorded they will tell you this.
 

mckelly

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Still haven't heard back from Slaughters for Summer VS. Interviews are meant to start next week, and all my friends have either been rejected or invited to interview. Not sure what to do. How common is it for an application to slip through and be forgotten about?
When did you apply to Slaughters? I still haven't heard back either
 

layk

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For those waiting for a response from CMS - I had a conversation with one of their graduate recruiters. They said that if you hadn't heard anything as of yet, there is no need to be worried. They will be dishing out more ACs in the upcoming weeks (most likely after new year) even to those who applied early on. They have also been sending out rejections as well - so in their words 'no news is good news'. Hope this is of use to some. :)
Could I ask whether it's still worth applying to CMS as it's so near the deadline?
 
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KS94

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    Not sure if this has been shared.

    Browne Jacobson have announced that they are hiring Trainees for March 2022 and will consider part-time LPC students.

    Academic requirements have been removed.

     

    Nicole15

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    I personally would include all of my work experience, depending on what it is. If it was a part-time volunteering role when you were 14 then perhaps you do not need to, but I would think that you should include your entire professional experience. I could be wrong about this so I will tag @Jessica Booker for her opinion!
    Thank you for this, James! :)
     
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