TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[bella98]

yeah I applied Wednesday night and got it Thursday afternoon

Is this for the spring vacation scheme or something else?

 

[sammm10101]

I’ve got my first ever open day tomorrow following a competitive application process, with interactive elements and skill sessions and stuff like that, and I was just wondering whether anyone had any advice over what to expect/ what not to do/ how to make a good impression with everyone?

I’m super excited ! but also quite nervy ahah

 

[James Wakefield]

is it like Watson Glaser?

Best way of describing it is like a Watson Glaser on steroids! You can’t go back and review your answers (it seems).

I like the WG, but the Addleshaw Goddard test is tough.

 

[studentdelaw786]

is Davis Polk’s Insight Day app rolling or non-rolling?

 

[TrainingContract2024]

Best way of describing it is like a Watson Glaser on steroids! You can’t go back and review your answers (it seems).

I like the WG, but the Addleshaw Goddard test is tough.

haha I see, thank you! 😂

 

[desperateTCseeker1998]

Why would you like to pursue a career as a solicitor at Covington, and how do you see yourself contributing to the firm's success?​

How are people approaching this? Second part has stumped me a bit

 

[sammm10101]

Why would you like to pursue a career as a solicitor at Covington, and how do you see yourself contributing to the firm's success?​

How are people approaching this? Second part has stumped me a bit

I'd take it as identifying what makes you uniquely suitable for the role, where you have showcased their values and things like that, and how you could apply your skills once hired. The two parts of the question really feed into one another imo

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi @Andrei Radu! Your tips on the forum have been super useful! I was wondering whether you could share some advice about asking the "Why me" question? How would you structure the answer? My issue is that, in a VI or interview situation, I don't know what competency questions will be asked later. How would I avoid picking qualities / using examples that I might use later in the interview? Thank you!

Hi @MayaM0921 , @Andrei Radu would be able to tell you more, but just to make a note on the last part of your question - it’s totally fine to repeat qualities and examples across multiple interviews for the same firm. Additionally, it is unlikely that your interviewer for an AC would have watched your video interview beforehand.

 

[Audric_T]

Hi All,

I hope you are doing well.

Apologies for reaching out unexpectedly, but I noticed your comment mentioning that DLA Piper informed you of passing the test. I wanted to ask if this was in reference to the Watson Glaser test.

If so, could I kindly ask how long after completing the test you were notified of your results (the pass)?

Additionally, would you be willing to share your outcomes in the various areas (e.g. Strength to Leverage, Further Exploration, Opportunity for Development)? It would be helpful for me to have a point of reference as I gauge my own likelihood of passing.

Happy to share my results (did the test today) if it helps?

This is my first year submitting applications, and I must admit I’m feeling a bit nervous.

Thank you so much for your time and assistance.

Kind regards, Audric

 

[marisachr]

Can anyone who has passed an Amberjack assessment offer some advice? The SJT part is the one I am always weakest at, with scores like 5,7,5. Any tips on how to get better and selecting the ''right'' answers would be immensely appreciated!

 

[Amma Usman]

Hi @MayaM0921 and thanks for the kind words ! To firstly deal with the structure of the 'Why you?' answer, I think what you want is something like this:

1. Give a high level summary of what your answer will be, something like 'There are three reasons why you should offer me a place: my critical thinking skills, my organizational skills, and my teamwork abilities, all of which are essential for a trainee solicitor'.
2. Take the first skill/ability/attribute that you mentioned, and explain to the firm how an experience or achievement of yours demonstrates it. Use the STAR structure when walking the interviewer through the experience.
3. Explain how the skill/ability/attribute is relevant for the job of a trainee solicitor.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the other skills/abilities/attributes.
5. Conclude by once again giving a short summary of what your answer has been, something like 'So, to conclude, my experiences demonstrate I possess excellent critical thinking, organizational and teamwork skills, and this makes me an ideal fit for the job'.

As for the second part of your question (regarding what skills/examples to pick) I think you have to be strategic in balancing both trying to have the most convincing possible 'why me' answer and in not boxing yourself in a position where you will be forced to repeat yourself. My strategy was to first come up with the best possible answer I could for the 'Why the firm' question, then the best possible answer for the 'Why the firm' question, then the best possible answer to the 'Why commercial law', and only then draft my 'Why you?' answer. This was because I found that only a few of my experiences and achievements, could be connected to firm USPs, slightly more could be connected to my why commercial reasoning, but a lot of them could be used for showcasing a relevant skill or attribute.

Beyond that, in drafting my 'Why you' answer I would just use the most impressive leftover experiences, and maybe reference one or two of the experiences in the 'Why commercial law' or 'Why firm' answers if particularly impressive. While you could still be asked a competency question in the interview that forces you to be repetitive, there's no way to eliminate that risk, as there's no way of predicting what competency you will be asked about. However, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Firstly, the interviewers know candidates will not have an unlimited list of experiences to leverage, and will definitely not mind repeating one if you also consider it and discuss it from a different angle. Secondly, while this was something I worried about a lot before my interviews (as at least compared to some of my peers, my CV was not as full) in practice it was not a situation I often found myself in. If anything, the opposite happened more, in that I would not get to speak about more than 2-3 experiences and sometimes I would finish the interview without having mentioned some of my most impressive achievements.

Hi @desperateTCseeker1998 , @Andrei Radu made a really helpful post on this earlier, which I have linked above. It appears the question is a hybrid between ‘why the firm’ and ‘why you’. In answering the ‘why you’ arm, there are multiple things you could cover, as you could touch on any skills or experiences that are in line with that of a trainee, and which would ultimately help you contribute to the firm’s success long term. For example, have you worked with a business? What skills did you develop? Any challenges along the way? How did you overcome them? Have you worked to build your commercial awareness? How would you use this to contribute to the firm’s long term growth strategy? Have you had a look at this strategy on their publications? Could you link the two together? Thus, you could use an example of an experience you successfully went through and showcase how you could use comparable methods to contribute to Covington’s growth. Although often overlooked, another way you could contribute to the firm’s success is by showing in the application that you understand what it takes to be a commercial lawyer. This is where correlating between different skills and experiences come into play again. However, if ’why commercial law’ is a question on its own, then don‘t dwell on it here.

 

[Amma Usman]

Can anyone who has passed an Amberjack assessment offer some advice? The SJT part is the one I am always weakest at, with scores like 5,7,5. Any tips on how to get better and selecting the ''right'' answers would be immensely appreciated!

Hey @marisachr , good question. This is a tough one, particularly because competencies differ between firms and it is rather difficult to know which is the ‘right‘ answer. The truth is, often times there is no right answer. I’ve gone to several presentations by the providers of these SJTs which all say to trust your gut and intuition. Avoid spending too long on a question as this could make you run the risk of switching from the right answer, to the wrong one.

 

[Amma Usman]

On my Cover Letter for White & Case I mentioned that I was applying for the Spring Vacation Scheme however on the choice of options for my preferred scheme I somehow put Winter first and then Spring as my second option. Do you think I should email them stating my preference for the Spring scheme or will my application be acknowledged for the Spring over Winter Scheme anyway?

Hey @helloj , if spring is your first preference, I suggest reaching out to graduate recruitment with an update on the situation.

 

[SAlegal]

Hi All,

I hope you are doing well.

Apologies for reaching out unexpectedly, but I noticed your comment mentioning that DLA Piper informed you of passing the test. I wanted to ask if this was in reference to the Watson Glaser test.

If so, could I kindly ask how long after completing the test you were notified of your results (the pass)?

Additionally, would you be willing to share your outcomes in the various areas (e.g. Strength to Leverage, Further Exploration, Opportunity for Development)? It would be helpful for me to have a point of reference as I gauge my own likelihood of passing.

Happy to share my results (did the test today) if it helps?

This is my first year submitting applications, and I must admit I’m feeling a bit nervous.

Thank you so much for your time and assistance.

Kind regards, Audric

I found out I passed 2 days after completing the test. My report was ‘further exploration’ for all areas. Best of luck with applications!!

 

[AS24]

Do you guys know which firm is using Vantage for the vacation scheme applications?

 

[Amma Usman]

When you reapply to a firm, do you mention it tactfully to exhibit that you’re really driven to this particular firm? Or leave it out

Hey @gazdgazd11 , good question. I’m sure you’re familiar with this - often times applications will have the section which asks ‘have you applied to X before’. You could include it there and perhaps leave it out of the other parts of the application, so as to maximise your word count on the other elements with more added value.

 

[Aspiringsolicitor01]

Do you guys know which firm is using Vantage for the vacation scheme applications?

HSF
Lewis Silkin
Osborne Clarke

The ones I know of

 

[Amma Usman]

@Andrei Radu
How important do you think it is to attend a firm's open day? Would it significantly increase my chance of getting a VS? Thanks!

Hey @KBanana , @Andrei Radu will have additional thoughts on this, but from my experience;

Open days are a plus. Generally, it will be easier for a candidate to show demonstrated interest in a firm when they have already come in contact with them/their work, via an open day. However, it is not necessarily a prerequisite to an offer. It could very well get you past the application stage, but you will need to supplement your other qualities and strengths in subsequent stages to get an offer. I have been to open days at firms and gotten ACs, and vice versa. It largely depends on the firm‘s “fast-track policy” and if you are able to really sell yourself and why you want to be at that firm in particular.

 

[Amma Usman]

Is anyone else applying to Davis Polk’s Open Day or has attended their Open Day and is able to kindly provide insight, please?

Hey @studentdelaw786 , @Andrei Radu would be able to tell you more about Davis Polk

 

[Amma Usman]

Hope everyone is having a good weekend I just had two questions re interviews:

1. When it comes to 'Why this firm?', should you still link your points to yourself? E.g. if you mention a specific practice area, their secondment opportunities etc., should you mention a personal experience/attribute that supports why you're even mentioning these points?
2. For scenario-based questions (e.g. 'What would you do if [...]?') is there a template that can be used (like the STAR structure for competency questions)? I'm asking because, at the start of your responses, couldn't you just say that you could refer to the firm's policy manual/contact your supervisor if there is an issue?

Hey @seaweed.bond , good questions. For the first question, I have actually made a post on this earlier, which I have linked below;

Why This Firm? 🤔💭 : Crafting Applications

Hi TCLA Community! 😁 I created this thread because we all know that October is the season of drafting more and more applications for law firms. Knowing that you want to work at a particular firm is one thing; effectively demonstrating why that specific firm interests you is another. There are...

www.thecorporatelawacademy.com

As for your second question, it’s worth stating what you would do briefly, and then linking back to a time when you had to do the same/similar task, as this would allow you to showcase the competency better. Referring to the firm’s policy manual or contacting a supervisor would arguably miss the element of proactivity. You want to showcase yourself as a candidate that’s willing to go the extra mile to solve a problem. You could then subsequently check in with your manager for any points which need clarification.

Hope this helps!