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TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

Amma Usman

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Staff member
Future Trainee
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Premium Member
Sep 7, 2024
937
1,143
Do you guys know to whom we should address the cover letter for Taylor Wessing? I know Nicola Micklewright is the senior early talent manager but I'm not sure if I should address it to her.
Hey @bella98 , in the past I have usually started the cover letter with “Dear Graduate Recruitment” or “Dear Hiring Manager” as it is likely that other members of the graduate recruitment team will be viewing your application.
 

Andrei Radu

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Sep 9, 2024
691
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does anyone have any tips for White & Case VI please – would really appreciate it :)
Anyone done a White and Case vacation scheme video interview that has any tips? I just got invited to do the VI for their winter vacation scheme
Hey @m12 and @Walon290! While I don't have any details from this year, I did their VI last year. Based on my general VI experience as applied to the specific W&C VI, these would be my tips:
  • Prepare really well for the big 3 (Why commercial law, Why W&C, Why me) and a few of the other very common questions (such as about a new story you have been following and its impact on the firm). These will form the basis for the questions.
  • Also, prepare for variations of the big 3 - instead of just 'Why W&C' and 'Why commercial law' independently, you could be asked both questions at the same time - 'Tell us about why do you want to be a commercial solicitor at W&C'.
  • Try to get to a point where you can, on the spot, answer both the independent questions and the broader combinations of questions in 1 minute, 1.5 minute, and 2 minute timeframes. Then record yourself and assess your performance. The more you do this, the more will you improve your flexibility to answer different variations of questions in varying timeframes.
  • Prepare for some less common/curveball type of questions. There's no way of predicting what more unique questions W&C may go for this year, but in the past they have had at least one question that was slightly unusual. The best you can prepare for that is by improving your ability to think of the spot and flexibility in how you can refer to your experiences.
  • Do not overcommit when you first start answering a question. This was by far the biggest issue for me last year. I would try to be structured and signpost, so I would start my answer by saying 'I will give you three/four reasons why ...'. However, midway through articulating my answer I would realise I did not have enough time to comprehensively state what I indented to. Thus, I would have to sacrifice either on the quality of my explanations or just not talk through everything I said I would, neither of which is a good look. As such, when in doubt, go for less rather than more. Your purpose should not be to blow away the recruiters, but to simply communicate good substantive points in a clear, concise, and composed manner.
 

Andrei Radu

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Sep 9, 2024
691
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How should I go about reapplying to firms I've applied to in the past semi-successfully? i.e. reached the video interview/test stage for them. I feel hesitant about fundamentally changing elements of my application because they were successful with the firm previously, but at the same time fear that repetition would mean = not showing growth and would lead to a rejection. any tips?
I definitely agree with @Amma Usman and @Jessica Booker's advice that you want to update your application. However, as they explained, this does not need to be any change in the fundamentals. So, in terms USPs, if a practice are was part of your why the firm reasoning, you could update your writing by including a more recent matter the firm worked on or discussing a more recent award/ranking/other form of market recognition. If you have any new experiences/achievements, or any new developments/implications of past experiences, you can also aim to discuss those.

Also, there is almost always room for improvement beyond the substantive points by bettering the quality of your drafting. Thus, take a look as to whether there are any terms that could be replaced by more appropriate language, any paragraph structures you could change, or any sentences which might be easier to understand if rephrased. Finally, if there is nothing to be improved in either the substance or the form of your answer (which is very unlikely), I would still rephrase some points (perhaps by using online tools) - you definitely want to avoid the system flagging your application as an exact copy paste of a previous one.
 

Andrei Radu

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
Gold Member
Premium Member
Sep 9, 2024
691
1,258
How should I go about reapplying to firms I've applied to in the past semi-successfully? i.e. reached the video interview/test stage for them. I feel hesitant about fundamentally changing elements of my application because they were successful with the firm previously, but at the same time fear that repetition would mean = not showing growth and would lead to a rejection. any tips?
Hey @yeezyee! I recently answered a similar question by another user regarding how to update a successful application, I think you may also find it useful:
I definitely agree with @Amma Usman and @Jessica Booker's advice that you want to update your application. However, as they explained, this does not need to be any change in the fundamentals. So, in terms USPs, if a practice are was part of your why the firm reasoning, you could update your writing by including a more recent matter the firm worked on or discussing a more recent award/ranking/other form of market recognition. If you have any new experiences/achievements, or any new developments/implications of past experiences, you can also aim to discuss those.

Also, there is almost always room for improvement beyond the substantive points by bettering the quality of your drafting. Thus, take a look as to whether there are any terms that could be replaced by more appropriate language, any paragraph structures you could change, or any sentences which might be easier to understand if rephrased. Finally, if there is nothing to be improved in either the substance or the form of your answer (which is very unlikely), I would still rephrase some points (perhaps by using online tools) - you definitely want to avoid the system flagging your application as an exact copy paste of a previous one.
 
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Andrei Radu

Legendary Member
Staff member
Future Trainee
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Premium Member
Sep 9, 2024
691
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For anyone else whose applied to Jones Day, did you sign off at the end of your cover letter? With only 300 words, it seems like a major waste, but I also want it to look proper...
Most people I know who are currently writing their Jones Day cover letters were not signing them off. Considering how comparatively low the word count is, I would personally not expect the graduate recruitment team to take any issue with it. Even in the unlikely case that they do, I would still not expect a failure to sign the cover letter off to be weighed too heavily in the decision-making process. That said, if you want to be as safe as possible and you can find a way to shorten your main part by three words, I see no reason why you shouldn't sign it off just in case.
 
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tosingrey

Standard Member
Dec 19, 2023
5
2
Hey guys, for those who applied to Sidley and have gotten an interview, how long did it take for you to get a response. It's been 5 weeks since I applied Sept 7) and I have heard nothing back. Is it safe to just assume it's a PFO at this point especially because the application was rolling.
 

F a v o u r

Distinguished Member
Gold Member
Premium Member
  • Aug 4, 2021
    61
    95
    I need advice, please.

    I've just received a Linklaters AC invite for the winter vac scheme. The problem is that around 10 pm last night, I had to go to the hospital for a severe dog bite injury on my right hand. It's expected to heal around the day of the AC, but this has drastically affected my ability to prepare, as I'm right-handed.

    Do I ask for additional time and adjustments? Should I request HR to postpone my interview and assessment day? I'm not sure if that's even possible, given the typically shorter time frame to get everything sorted for the winter vac scheme. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
     

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