TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2023-24

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axelbeugre

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What do I say when a firm says "Tell us about yourself"?
This is an interesting question that many firms tend to ask and I understand the difficulty in answering this question. I myself struggled immensely in replying to this question when I was applying last year. However, along the way I tried to use a structure that worked for me that consisted of:

1. Talk about your background/interests. This meant talking about my background, my academic qualifications and interests as well as any interesting extracurricular and/or professional experiences I had at the time and how all those made me understand why I was interested in the law, and specifically commercial law. (I think the key here is to connect your story to the subject matter of the application which is being a commercial lawyer).

2. Be concise in your answer. I know it can be quite tempting to write a long paragraph about yourself, highlighting the most impressive aspects, but it is important to pick and choose wisely. Only talk about the main experiences that you potentially would want to talk about in an interview and do not go over the word count.

3. Highlight the skills learned. It is important to highlight the skills that certain experiences, whether academic, extracurricular or professional distinguish you from your peers and how you would use them to succeed as a lawyer.

These are some of the tips that helped me when I was applying so I hope they can help you too. What I would keep in mind is that you should write whatever you feel comfortable sharing and what you think makes you stand out. As long as something makes you almost unforgettable to graduate recruitment, I would say it is worth sharing. Examples of this can be:
  • you play a musical instrument/ you play a competitive sport and you won some prizes or awards,
  • you had an interesting volunteering experience internationally
  • you speak multiple languages
  • you worked in fascinating International organisations etc,
All these examples (plus more) will be worth mentioning in this question, in my opinion.
I hope that helps and good luck with you applications! @The6FigureSuccessfulSolicitor
 

Jessica Booker

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Hi, I am applying to a firm that I applied to last year and got to the interview stage. I was wondering, how much of my application should change or remain the same ?
I would change and update as much as possible to show how you have changed as an applicant. If nothing much changes, then the recruiter is likely to think that the outcome from the recruitment process is unlikely to change too.
 
Aug 28, 2023
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This is an interesting question that many firms tend to ask and I understand the difficulty in answering this question. I myself struggled immensely in replying to this question when I was applying last year. However, along the way I tried to use a structure that worked for me that consisted of:

1. Talk about your background/interests. This meant talking about my background, my academic qualifications and interests as well as any interesting extracurricular and/or professional experiences I had at the time and how all those made me understand why I was interested in the law, and specifically commercial law. (I think the key here is to connect your story to the subject matter of the application which is being a commercial lawyer).

2. Be concise in your answer. I know it can be quite tempting to write a long paragraph about yourself, highlighting the most impressive aspects, but it is important to pick and choose wisely. Only talk about the main experiences that you potentially would want to talk about in an interview and do not go over the word count.

3. Highlight the skills learned. It is important to highlight the skills that certain experiences, whether academic, extracurricular or professional distinguish you from your peers and how you would use them to succeed as a lawyer.

These are some of the tips that helped me when I was applying so I hope they can help you too. What I would keep in mind is that you should write whatever you feel comfortable sharing and what you think makes you stand out. As long as something makes you almost unforgettable to graduate recruitment, I would say it is worth sharing. Examples of this can be:
  • you play a musical instrument/ you play a competitive sport and you won some prizes or awards,
  • you had an interesting volunteering experience internationally
  • you speak multiple languages
  • you worked in fascinating International organisations etc,
All these examples (plus more) will be worth mentioning in this question, in my opinion.
I hope that helps and good luck with you applications! @The6FigureSuccessfulSolicitor
Thank you!
 
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