TCLA Vacation Scheme Applications Discussion Thread 2024-25

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu On the vantage platform or the all hires platform that firms use re work experience, should I be putting in bullet points for the details of my role or explaining my responsibilities with more granularity? There’s more to talk about with my full time jobs than I can fit into 250 words if I go into detail so I thought it best to bullet point the major responsibilities and achievements?

Generally, I would recommend prose over bullet points. If you have a lot to talk about, focus on the most complex responsibilities or those that were most challenging.

 

[Jessica Booker]

just submitted my cv for SM, but realised theres a mistake with one of the dates, as i have that i was a brand ambassador in my first year instead of my second (current) year, any advice on what to do - just don't want HR to think I have re-taken a year (as you can't be brand ambassador for this firm in your first year).

I would personally leave it - I don’t think the firm would assume you resat your year just because of the dates of your campus ambassador role.

 

[Jessica Booker]

@Jessica Booker apologies for chasing, the deadline is in 10 days therefore I want to apply asap

I don’t know the specifics of each programme, so I would check each vacancy you are interested in as they state what year you have to be in on the vacancy listing.

 

[Chelsea101]

Hey guys, what is the best way to approach asking a firm for accomodation support or suggest places to stay for the duration of the vac scheme? I do not have any family in LDN and not sure what to do as the VS is coming up fairly soon. Hotel prices are fairly steep also. Thanks!

 

[Gday33]

Mayer Brown LGBT open day invite 👌🏻 let’s hope this goes smoother than my Linklaters one…

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

@Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam @Andrei Radu On the vantage platform or the all hires platform that firms use re work experience, should I be putting in bullet points for the details of my role or explaining my responsibilities with more granularity? There’s more to talk about with my full time jobs than I can fit into 250 words if I go into detail so I thought it best to bullet point the major responsibilities and achievements?

Hiya @Aspiringsolicitor01

Just adding to what @Jessica Booker said, I’d also recommend using prose instead of bullet points here, as it gives you the chance to add brief reflections on the impact and significance of your key tasks and achievements. For example, you could highlight what you enjoyed about particular roles or mention specific skills you developed through certain experiences. I particularly enjoyed using these entries to highlight certain transferable skills that would signal or indicate my strengths as a trainee.

That said, this can come down to personal style. I’ve met applicants who have succeeded with a more straightforward, factual approach, simply listing what they did. But if you have the space, weaving in a bit of reflection can really help your experience stand out. Hope this helps, and good luck! 😊

 

[member7830]

does anyone know is Latham is rolling?

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Morning all, i received an email today from a firm I interviewed at over summer. After an assessment day I was rejected. As someone who accepted a place has now dropped out they’ve invited some of their previous interviewees for a follow up interview.

Do you know what I should expect? Is it just to check if I would fit in culturally or Will some of the other stuff covered in an AC come up?

Interesting dynamics because they’re potentially putting you through the effort and disappointment twice… is there a decent chance of converting to a TC?

Hiya @Pawlaw

Congratulations on being invited back! I'd be interested to know what @Jessica Booker would say, but I’d suggest revisiting any feedback you received after your summer assessment. I think this would be a good move, helping you prepare for the upcoming interview and demonstrating that you've taken action on any areas for improvement they initially identified.

The likelihood of converting this to a training contract can depend on several factors, including how many other candidates they’re bringing back. But the fact that they’re re-inviting you is a positive sign and, I think, indicates that they saw potential in you! That's something you should definitely be confident about

It might also be useful to do some fresh research on the firm to bring a fresh perspective on your motivations for joining. I'd also recommend this thread, which covers general interview preparation tips. Best of luck with the interview - I hope it goes much better than you expect!

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Hi @Andrei Radu @Jessica Booker @Ram Sabaratnam !

Any advice on how to tackle the following question (and how I should divide the word count)?: "Please choose a recent (less than 12 months) development in UK/European news. How are such developments relevant for Skadden’s clients?"

I was thinking of writing 1-2 sentences outlining the recent development. Then, I am not sure about whether I should discuss why I find the development I chose interesting because usually the 'commercial' question like this in an app would explicitly state "a news story that interests you" in the question, but this is not the case in here. So, should I spend the rest of my word count simply outlining how the news/developments would affect Skadden's clients and how Skadden would get involved as a result?

Thank you!

Hiya @KBanana

Unsurprisingly, I'm in agreement with what Jess said here! You’re also absolutely right - you don’t need to explain why the story is interesting to you, since the question doesn’t ask for it. That said, I've generally always added a sentence or two about why a story caught my attention, as I think it often added some reflective depth to my answer.

I also think your plan/approach to the question sounds solid! Outlining the development in a couple of sentences, then briefly mentioning why it stands out to you, and finally using most of the word count to cover the commercial implications for Skadden’s clients is a good way to address the question. Best of luck, and feel free to reach out if any other questions come up. You’ve got this! 😊

 

[Ram Sabaratnam]

Hi @Amma Usman, @Ram Sabaratnam and @Andrei Radu

I trust you are all well.

I am applying to Katten and am trying to understand how to answer this question.

What experience and skills do you have that will make you an excellent solicitor at Katten?
I am struggling to understand how specific I should be. Would you suggest looking for keywords used by the firm's marketing team?

Thank you in advance for your help.

Hiya @AS24

I'd suggest that you don’t necessarily need to rely heavily on the firm’s marketing materials, but it could be helpful to review Katten’s values as a starting point. To be clear, you don’t have to centre your entire answer around these values, but they can provide some guidance on the traits and skills that the firm might prioritise.

In approaching this question, it might be useful think about the broader skills that would allow someone to thrive as a trainee at firm such as Katten. For instance, based on a quick google of the firm's training programme, it seems they have a relatively small trainee intake. This likely means trainees will have to shoulder substantial responsibility early on, working closely with partners, senior associates, and even clients. Reflecting on this, what skills or experiences do you think would help you thrive in this environment? Additionally, you could focus on their key practice areas and explain how your background or skills would enable you to excel in the types of matters where Katten is especially well-regarded. Best of luck with your application, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have more questions! 😊

 

[IneedaTCASAP]

Any1 still waiting to hear about WVS from WC and Dechert

How many posts are you going to do about Dechert. You’ve posted at least 20 times in the past 5 days. I understand you’re waiting and it’s annoying to have to wait but it’s equally annoying to see “has anyone heard from dechert” 3/4 times a day. You stated they emailed you saying to hold tight so hold tight. At the end of the day you either get it or you don’t. The firm interviews every candidate in person they feel is suitable for the vacation scheme. Partners do this interview not graduate recruitment so finding time when partners are available is tricky. Having been to dechert their training principal is in their litigation team, this team is the highest earning team and has the biggest work load I know this because I spoke to him myself at an open day. Their graduate recruitment is only 2 people. Be patience, I’m sure they’ll get back to you in due course with good news.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Hey guys, what is the best way to approach asking a firm for accomodation support or suggest places to stay for the duration of the vac scheme? I do not have any family in LDN and not sure what to do as the VS is coming up fairly soon. Hotel prices are fairly steep also. Thanks!

I would try and get a call with Graduate recruitment rather than rely on email to discuss this with them. It will be a lot quicker than emails back and forth, especially if the scheme is soon.

I would also consider that they may not be able to offer any direct support but might be able to do things like give you a salary advance to help cover the costs upfront.

If it is a week long scheme have a look at Travelodges in zones 3-6 in London. You’ll be able to commute in easily and they can be less than £200 for a 5 night stay.

 

[LawyerUpPal]

Applying for Hogan Lovells direct TC and currently struggling with this one question: tell us about any open days and events that you have attended in the legal sector (250 words).

It's been 2 years since I've graduated from uni and since I've started working, I've never had the chance to attend any more recent events. The last law firm open day/event i've gone to was in my second year of uni.

What exactly is the firm looking from this question? Meaningful reflection of the events?But what exactly can I write about -- please may I get some pointers?

Also because my attendance at these events were so long ago, are they still considered relevant?

I agree with everything @Unknowncabbage said (especially the reason for the question- a way to demonstrate your interest and commitment to law), but I'd also add that crucially, the question does not stipulate any period such as "recent" or "within the last 12 months"; therefore, it is permissible to use the ones you attended while at University. I graduated this year, and in my application (I made it to AC last week), I spoke about events I attended in my first year at Uni, for example.

 

[sarahhhh]

Hi, does anyone know Akin has their summer vac scheme published? Since I could only see spring vs on their site.

 

[Tintin06]

Hiya @Amjaya

I would keep practicing if possible. Though it’s worth noting that the benchmark for each firm can vary, you want to get closer to about 35/40. Regular practice, reflecting on the answers you get wrong, and an understanding of the type of reasoning demanded by each section will help improve your score over the long run. Best of luck!

How do people get 35/40 in the Watson Glaser? The most I can get is 77% - I just find the test way too hard and actively avoid firms that use it.

 

[Apple]

How do people get 35/40 in the Watson Glaser? The most I can get is 77% - I just find the test way too hard and actively avoid firms that use it.

I was someone who kept failing firms WG tests and getting filtered out in my first cycle. This cycle I got 37/40 for Linklaters and passed DLA and CC, although idk my exact scores.

I think while practising tests definitely helps, to consistently score high, using resources or watching videos on the underlying reasoning as to why X is the correct answer is what will help you score high consistently. Going off intuition alone never worked well for me.

 

[cleojwilliams]

Hey @cleojwilliams , subheadings may not be necessary, particularly because most application softwares won‘t allow you to put things in bold or underlined. The best approach easily applicable to allhires, vantage, and the likes is to have (1) an introductory paragraph of just a sentence or two stating the three things you‘ll cover. (2) three subsequent paragraphs, with each one covering a point.

Thank you!!

 

[RSK]

I was someone who kept failing firms WG tests and getting filtered out in my first cycle. This cycle I got 37/40 for Linklaters and passed DLA and CC, although idk my exact scores.

I think while practising tests definitely helps, to consistently score high using resources or watching videos on the underlying reasoning as to why X is the correct answer is what will help you score high consistently. Going off intuition alone never worked well for me.

I second this—I used to also score below the benchmarks but have passed a few by trying to understand the underlying logic for the correct answer. Most firms also tend to use similar/same questions, so once you pass one, I reckon it'll be easier to pass others.

 

[IneedaTCASAP]

I was someone who kept failing firms WG tests and getting filtered out in my first cycle. This cycle I got 37/40 for Linklaters and passed DLA and CC, although idk my exact scores.

I think while practising tests definitely helps, to consistently score high, using resources or watching videos on the underlying reasoning as to why X is the correct answer is what will help you score high consistently. Going off intuition alone never worked well for me.

Agreed.

I also went to chatgpt and asked it to give examples of each assessed section. I wouldn’t advise using it for testing as that would be silly but for practice and gaining an understand of what is actually being asked of you is key. As someone who is neurodivergent I find reading between the lines of these tests awful. Scored 29/40 on Linklaters was rejected for their open day and passed DLA and CC.

 

[Zaraa.x]

Agreed.

I also went to chatgpt and asked it to give examples of each assessed section. I wouldn’t advise using it for testing as that would be silly but for practice and gaining an understand of what is actually being asked of you is key. As someone who is neurodivergent I find reading between the lines of these tests awful. Scored 29/40 on Linklaters was rejected for their open day and passed DLA and CC.

How long did Linklaters take to give you your Watson Glaser score?