TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[AveragePoster]

Is Latham rolling? I know the firm places value on attending an Open Day, so I’m unsure if it is worth applying for a Open Day first, and then applying for a VS after that (but that would then be mid-Nov, with the VS closing date in Dec).

 

[KBanana]

90th percentile in arguments and assumptions but I only got 50th percentile in conclusions lol. I think I have a decent chance to meet the benchmark.

Oh are you allowed to ask Links about your WG score before you hear the outcome of your app? I did my Links WG last week, do you think they'd be able to tell me my results for the test already? Thanks!

 

[FutureTraineeMaybe]

language skills, coding skills, computer skills eg excel - hope this helps!

Thank you so much!!!

 

[Jessica Booker]

When applying for jobs, if they require you to provide your current and desired salary, is it acceptable to write 'N/A,' or should you provide an estimate? I've noticed that salary ranges on Glassdoor can sometimes be on the lower side.

N/A will not necessarily be helpful and can lead to applications being unsuccessful (unfortunately).

I would try to provide clarity both in terms of your current salary and expectations going forward instead. If your salary expectations are higher than what they can offer, then it’s not going to be right for you to proceed either.

Rather than an estimate, you can put your base salary expectations and then put something like “+ benefits/bonus” which would then give you an ability to negotiate to some extent.

 

[Jessica Booker]

I'm always nervous about those too. What if someone undercuts my amount? A range sounds like a plan.

Firms won’t just go with the cheapest resource and are unlikely to undercut people with offers as they know there is a risk they will just leave quickly. It’s better to be as transparent as you can about these things to ensure you are going forward for the right roles. It is frustrating though when employers are asking for this detail and not providing their salary expectations at the same time (something I completely disagree with).

 

[georgejacob55]

Holding myself accountable (again).

HSF ✅📝❌
NRF ✅📝❌
Weil ✅
Sidley ✅
Willkie ✅🎥
Latham ✅
Dechert ✅
Skadden ✅
Covington ✅
Linklaters* ✅📝
Paul, Weiss ✅
Slaughters* ✅
White & Case ✅
Hogan Lovells* ✅
A&O Shearman ✅📝

Key: ✅ = application submitted; 📝 = test received; 🎥 = video interview; ❌ = rejection.

*Training Contract applications

Hey! How quickly did a pfo for HSF come through after completing the test?

 

[0livia.pope]

Got HL WG test invite

 

[BM99]

Has anyone heard back from Sidley for their WVS?

when did you hear back? @dollydaydream

 

[georgejacob55]

Does anyone else keep receiving the same HSF email about meeting their online test benchmark? I’ve received it about 3 times this week now

Hey! How quickly did they tell you you you reached the benchmark?

 

[saminoriya]

How can I understand whether I did well or poorly on the Artic Shores test?

 

[Amma Usman]

Is it appropriate to say something like 'having spoken to future trainees at x firm' but not name the future trainees in your application? Alternatively I could name them, but I'm not sure if its as relevant as they aren't actually working at the firm yet. Or is it not worth talking about future trainees at all?

Hey @rras. It’s perfectly normal to name future trainees at the firm. However, always ensure to ask for their permission first. Another thing to be mindful of is to not just ‘name drop’ but ensure the point you’re making directly links to a factor that is not generic, or one you wouldn’t otherwise find on the website. Hope this helps!

 

[Smart water 0403]

Is CMS rolling for TC applications ?

 

[Amma Usman]

Which US firms anecdotally care more about early applications?

Hey @hitherelaw. This largely depends on whether the applications for that particular cycle are rolling or not. I’ve linked our tracker HERE which should help out with deciding which applications you could prioritize. With such firms, they usually get back to applicants for interviews within the cycle. For example, Jones Day has started getting back to applicants. However, it doesn’t mean that a firm wouldn’t get back with an interview offer if you apply a bit later on. Regardless, this differs between firms so I would recommend applying relatively early in the cycle and not leave it to the last minute.

 

[Amma Usman]

Could anybody who has completed the PWC application give me some tips for what to include in the skills section of my PwC application? I am quite confused as I have never come across this before. Thank you!

Hey @AGRACHEL , great question! I would recommend a hybrid approach. For example, you could include skills like organizational management and link an example of how you demonstrated this skill. Following this, you could also briefly touch on the result on a project/task of you effectively demonstrating this skill. Did it give rise to higher sales? Did it contribute to wider departmental efforts? What was the feedback you received from your manager? This will ensure demonstrated interest. You don’t need to touch on multiple skills, just a few you feel are relevant to the role.

 

[Amma Usman]

Are Linklaters rolling?

Hey @desperateTCseeker1998 , Linklaters are non-rolling.

 

[dollydaydream]

when did you hear back? @dollydaydream

I think people have had interviews and now just waiting to hear back !

 

[Andrei Radu]

Is it appropriate to say something like 'having spoken to future trainees at x firm' but not name the future trainees in your application? Alternatively I could name them, but I'm not sure if its as relevant as they aren't actually working at the firm yet. Or is it not worth talking about future trainees at all?

I think it's generally better to give names, as from the recruiter's perspective this is evidence you have actually interacted with the firm and that you have also taken care to remember the people you have spoken to. However, I do agree with @Amma Usman's point that in the case of future trainees, you should firstly ask for their permission before naming them in an application. I would argue this is a general rule for interactions you have with people outside the setting of a career event organised by the firm - where the very purpose of all your interactions is to inform you for a potential application.

Regarding your second question about relevance, I once again agree with @Amma Usman's response that it is fine to mention a future trainee as long as the information you learnt from them is not something you could have easily gotten from their website. The one caveat I will add is that I do not think the information given to you from a future trainee necessarily needs to be completely new to you. I believe it would be fine to mention the interaction with a future trainee if speaking to them either (i) gave you a new perspective about a feature of the firm you already knew about, or if (ii) it simply offered confirmation from practical experience about a selling point of the firm.

For instance, say you spoke to a future trainee at firm you knew had a great reputation for private equity work. You might have known this already, or could have found about it by researching online. However, say the future trainee does not stop at mentioning just this fact. Perhaps in a vacation scheme, they got to meet and speak with some of the firm's practitioners and realised that the firm's reputation attracts the best in the field, which turned out to be an unparalleled learning experience for the future trainee, which led to them accepting the TC offer. This is a new perspective on the relevance of the firm's reputation, which you could mention you learned from the person you spoke to, even if the firm's reputation is something you knew about before. Alternatively, imagine a firm heavily advertises having a very collegiate culture. A future trainee could again mention some anecdotes from their experience with the firm: how helpful people where when they reached out to them, how the recruitment team was very friendly throughout the process, how the partners were down to earth and approachable etc. While you might have know the firm advertises this collegiate culture, the conversation with a future trainee provide you with concrete evidence to this effect and is therefore relevant in an application.

 

[FutureTraineeMaybe]

Hey @AGRACHEL , great question! I would recommend a hybrid approach. For example, you could include skills like organizational management and link an example of how you demonstrated this skill. Following this, you could also briefly touch on the result on a project/task of you effectively demonstrating this skill. Did it give rise to higher sales? Did it contribute to wider departmental efforts? What was the feedback you received from your manager? This will ensure demonstrated interest. You don’t need to touch on multiple skills, just a few you feel are relevant to the role.

Thank you!! This was extremely helpful!

 

[Apple]

How can I understand whether I did well or poorly on the Artic Shores test?

You really can't, you just have to wait and see. The only possible indication is whether your feedback strengths align with things the firm looks for, but thats probably a stretch.

 

[Andrei Radu]

thanks for the reply, similarly do you think its worth waiting to send off my app for mishcon de reya after attending the Open day on Oct 16th? the app is rolling and closes 3 weeks after the open day so i feel like itll be better to apply early regardless of mentioning the Open day on my application.

I completely agree with @Jessica Booker's advice - waiting to attend an open day and then mentioning that in the application is very unlikely to hurt your chances. Firms generally prefer applicants who attended open days and as such, although the application process might be rolling, they will not hold the later submission date against you. That would undermine the purpose of the open day, since an open day at this time of the year is organised to provide applicants with insight for this application cycle, not the next.

The only other thing I'll add is that while I think waiting to attend open days for each firm does generally lead to better odds for the success of each individual application, it does not necessarily translate into better odds at overall success in securing a TC. The reason for this is that employing this strategy for a high number of firms can make your application schedule administratively difficult.

Let's say you aim to apply to 20 firms this cycle, and let's say you would want to attend an open day at each before submitting a VS application. Firstly, this means that besides 20 VS application, you will need to take the time to write 20 open day applications, which is a significant increase in workload. Secondly, and more importantly, most open days you can apply to now will only be held between November-December. That is the exact period for most VS application deadlines. While there might be at least a two-week gap between the date of the open day and the deadline for VS applications at each individual firm, these periods are likely to overlap for different firms. Thus, if you do not submit some applications early, you could find yourself in a situation where you have 5 deadlines in a week. This can lead to a significant decrease in the amount of time you can invest in writing each application, which will in turn lead to a significant decrease of your chances of success. Alternatively, should you not want to compromise on quality, you may be forced to forego applying to some firms you wanted to apply to - which once again will reduce your overall chances of securing a TC. Hence, my advice would be to only wait to attend open days at a small number of firms you are particularly attracted to - around 4-5 is what worked for me.