Hey everyone,
I thought maybe this would be a good place to get some initial thoughts down, perhaps ground myself a little as I prepare for what is sure to be quite a whirlwind of a journey.
A little bit about me. I graduated from a Russel Group university in 2015 with a 2:1, and to be quite honest I don't think I was too sure I knew what I was doing. I wanted a career in Law and shot off some poorly-written applications in a desperation to make it look like I knew what I was doing, since everyone else seemed to.. yeah, I know. The reality was that I had zero confidence and my individual grades weren't that great (plenty of 2:2s, couple of 3rds and even did a couple of resits...). I'd held a weekend job throughout uni and done some pro-bono at the legal advice centre but all I had drilled into my head was that my less-than-stellar grades would get me nowhere. That was cycle one down the drain.
I ended up taking a gap year for several reasons but during that time ended up doing a 9-month stint in the DWP. I gained a lot of skills, but felt I wanted to develop a career in Law further and took the leap in doing the LPC without a TC offer. I hadn't made applications because, well... my work experience wasn't fantastic and again it was the notion that my grades would lead me nowhere.
LPC done and dusted in 2017 (with a plethora of resits due to certain circumstances that I've been told probably will not count as mitigating circumstances) and I found myself working at a high street firm for a few months. I had attended a few open days and what is now lawcareers.netLIVE and decided that working at a high street firm most certainly was not for me. I made a few applications during this time, made it to the VI stage at one firm and interview at another, as well as an AC for an in-house TC (the furthest I've ever been!) but no light at the end of the tunnel that is the TC, unfortunately. I also started volunteering at my local library, undertaking projects and sessions for children - I still volunteer there most Saturdays. Unfortunately that was my second cycle without any luck.
All the while I remained on the job hunt, feeling that some paralegal work may boost me. It took me quite a few months, but I ended up as a legal assistant at a conveyancing firm where I've been for the past year.
So... why a TC now? Why am I doing this? Is there a point? Will I be a suitable candidate?
Yes, my grades aren't brilliant despite having the 2:1. My work experience may be classed as average and my extra-curriculars... meh? But I think that's the problem. I never had the confidence to push myself or go further. I had (and sometimes still have) this notion that my grades and experience means that any recruiter will just stop reading at that point and throw my application away. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it happens and I'm sure these are points for concern for recruiters. But how can I know without even trying?
I can't change my grades and I can't change the experiences I've had, and being in full-time employment can make attending events/gaining other experiences somewhat challenging. But what I can do is try to sell myself better. I mentioned above that I never had the confidence to push myself and now I feel like that really showed in my application. I've gained a lot of skills from various experiences and I've learnt a lot. I've learnt more about what I actually want and what kind of firm I want to work at. This time I want to make the effort to actually talk to people, work on myself and really improve the way I write applications. I want to give myself every opportunity and every edge I can gain in selling myself to recruiters. And if I fail to get a TC this cycle, no worries. Onwards and upwards. I'll learn from my experiences and keep pushing forward.
This is way longer than it should be already, but perhaps this is a way of keeping myself accountable as well. Maybe I'm trying to gain further confidence because I always worry too much of what others are thinking and whether it's really worth it. I want a TC, I really do, but without making a sincere effort I will go nowhere. It's up to me to give it a best shot and maybe this third cycle will be a bit more successful.
If you read this far... thanks, I very much appreciate it. If anyone has any tips in respect of confidence/speaking confidently that will be very much appreciated. I'll try to update going forward. I'm currently researching law firms and trying to prepare some questions to ask at the law fair I will be attending
I thought maybe this would be a good place to get some initial thoughts down, perhaps ground myself a little as I prepare for what is sure to be quite a whirlwind of a journey.
A little bit about me. I graduated from a Russel Group university in 2015 with a 2:1, and to be quite honest I don't think I was too sure I knew what I was doing. I wanted a career in Law and shot off some poorly-written applications in a desperation to make it look like I knew what I was doing, since everyone else seemed to.. yeah, I know. The reality was that I had zero confidence and my individual grades weren't that great (plenty of 2:2s, couple of 3rds and even did a couple of resits...). I'd held a weekend job throughout uni and done some pro-bono at the legal advice centre but all I had drilled into my head was that my less-than-stellar grades would get me nowhere. That was cycle one down the drain.
I ended up taking a gap year for several reasons but during that time ended up doing a 9-month stint in the DWP. I gained a lot of skills, but felt I wanted to develop a career in Law further and took the leap in doing the LPC without a TC offer. I hadn't made applications because, well... my work experience wasn't fantastic and again it was the notion that my grades would lead me nowhere.
LPC done and dusted in 2017 (with a plethora of resits due to certain circumstances that I've been told probably will not count as mitigating circumstances) and I found myself working at a high street firm for a few months. I had attended a few open days and what is now lawcareers.netLIVE and decided that working at a high street firm most certainly was not for me. I made a few applications during this time, made it to the VI stage at one firm and interview at another, as well as an AC for an in-house TC (the furthest I've ever been!) but no light at the end of the tunnel that is the TC, unfortunately. I also started volunteering at my local library, undertaking projects and sessions for children - I still volunteer there most Saturdays. Unfortunately that was my second cycle without any luck.
All the while I remained on the job hunt, feeling that some paralegal work may boost me. It took me quite a few months, but I ended up as a legal assistant at a conveyancing firm where I've been for the past year.
So... why a TC now? Why am I doing this? Is there a point? Will I be a suitable candidate?
Yes, my grades aren't brilliant despite having the 2:1. My work experience may be classed as average and my extra-curriculars... meh? But I think that's the problem. I never had the confidence to push myself or go further. I had (and sometimes still have) this notion that my grades and experience means that any recruiter will just stop reading at that point and throw my application away. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it happens and I'm sure these are points for concern for recruiters. But how can I know without even trying?
I can't change my grades and I can't change the experiences I've had, and being in full-time employment can make attending events/gaining other experiences somewhat challenging. But what I can do is try to sell myself better. I mentioned above that I never had the confidence to push myself and now I feel like that really showed in my application. I've gained a lot of skills from various experiences and I've learnt a lot. I've learnt more about what I actually want and what kind of firm I want to work at. This time I want to make the effort to actually talk to people, work on myself and really improve the way I write applications. I want to give myself every opportunity and every edge I can gain in selling myself to recruiters. And if I fail to get a TC this cycle, no worries. Onwards and upwards. I'll learn from my experiences and keep pushing forward.
This is way longer than it should be already, but perhaps this is a way of keeping myself accountable as well. Maybe I'm trying to gain further confidence because I always worry too much of what others are thinking and whether it's really worth it. I want a TC, I really do, but without making a sincere effort I will go nowhere. It's up to me to give it a best shot and maybe this third cycle will be a bit more successful.
If you read this far... thanks, I very much appreciate it. If anyone has any tips in respect of confidence/speaking confidently that will be very much appreciated. I'll try to update going forward. I'm currently researching law firms and trying to prepare some questions to ask at the law fair I will be attending
