What am I doing wrong?

justkeepswimming

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  • Oct 26, 2022
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    I started my application journey in my third year of law school.

    My very first application made it to AC with HSF, and I was incredibly nervous. My anxiety was through the roof. I did one mock interview before the actual AC. I ended up being rejected post-AC, but I could understand as I was lacking in many aspects of my performance.

    I received multiple rejections after that post-application. I made 11 applications after the HSF one. Three actually made it past the initial application stage. One to AC.

    When I received the invite to the Freshfields AC, I was incredibly nervous again. But this time, I thought I would pull out all the stops. I felt this one was mine, for sure. I did three mock interviews, all of which were very helpful. Unfortunately, I missed the pass mark on their written exercise and my performance in the technical interview could have been better. However, I improved significantly in my competencies according to the feedback. I was absolutely devastated and incredibly tired after that process. It was mentally exhausting.

    After this, I applied for a few summer internships and actually scored two in-house legal internships with international firms. I converted one into a 12-month fixed-term contract as a paralegal.

    I undertake a lot of responsibility and contract management in this role. I have improved a lot of my technical commercial awareness. Or so I thought...

    My second application cycle, my first application, went to AC with Allen & Overy! This time, I wasn't nervous but excited. I knew I could do it. I had improved and built up my skills and experiences. I had around 5-6 mock interviews to prepare. Unfortunately, I was rejected, although the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. I was so frustrated. What more can I possibly do?

    After my AC with A&O, I have had 6 rejections post-application. One rejection by Reed Smith following the online test and video interview stage.

    I don't know what I am doing wrong.
     

    Jessica Booker

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    Aug 1, 2019
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    You aren’t doing anything wrong - you are securing multiple final stage interviews and trying your best to prepare for them. I would just keep encouraging you to plug away at it. There are plenty of firms outside of the three you have mentioned, and I am sure if you kept applying you’d find one that you could excel in the recruitment process for.
     

    justkeepswimming

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  • Oct 26, 2022
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    You aren’t doing anything wrong - you are securing multiple final stage interviews and trying your best to prepare for them. I would just keep encouraging you to plug away at it. There are plenty of firms outside of the three you have mentioned, and I am sure if you kept applying you’d find one that you could excel in the recruitment process for.
    Thank you and I will keep working at it!
     

    buibuui

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    Nov 10, 2022
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    Hey may I asked where did you primarily look for in order to secure your in house legal internships? I've had no luck so far with vac schemes or TCs and internships seem to be the best option to build up some experience before the next cycle. Any tips would be so appreciated :)
     

    Jessica Booker

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    Aug 1, 2019
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    Hey may I asked where did you primarily look for in order to secure your in house legal internships? I've had no luck so far with vac schemes or TCs and internships seem to be the best option to build up some experience before the next cycle. Any tips would be so appreciated :)
    There is an in-house Instagram account that’s pretty good at sharing roles:

     
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    justkeepswimming

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  • Oct 26, 2022
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    Hey may I asked where did you primarily look for in order to secure your in house legal internships? I've had no luck so far with vac schemes or TCs and internships seem to be the best option to build up some experience before the next cycle. Any tips would be so appreciated :)
    I applied for the STEP UP summer programme. They offer two one-month in-house legal internships in international companies in the summer. By a stroke of luck, one of the companies was looking for a permanent member for their in-house legal team, and they liked me enough to offer me a 12-month contract following the internship.

    But please note that this is not the usual process with STEP UP. They just offer a two-month summer internship.

    If you have any questions about the internship and application process, I will be happy to help!
     

    LillyandSilver

    Legendary Member
    Oct 18, 2023
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    I got the same feedback as you in one of my AC's and it devasted me that I had near perfect marks for everything except my written work because I was panicking in it and I got it into my head that it wasn't my strong point. After that I did loads of forage simulations not just to test my own writing but to understand how firms like to see things laid out in their examples. Also, what really helped was just taking a deep breath and waiting a few seconds before jumping in and taking time to do some planning. It makes sure that you are focused but also that you cover everything that they want you to. Even if it is just asking yourself before you start: who am i writing to, what type of missive is this, what is the goal, what is the content I need to include.

    App wise, i really think it is so subjective like some of what I think are the strongest apps are the one's that don't make it through and I just can't think of ways to make them better. In my experience research is what makes an app and an interview standout. Reaching out to trainees has been such a help because it lets you find out the qualities they are looking for that they maybe haven't thought to talk about in their law fairs.
     
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    justkeepswimming

    Star Member
    Gold Member
    Premium Member
  • Oct 26, 2022
    41
    61
    I got the same feedback as you in one of my AC's and it devasted me that I had near perfect marks for everything except my written work because I was panicking in it and I got it into my head that it wasn't my strong point. After that I did loads of forage simulations not just to test my own writing but to understand how firms like to see things laid out in their examples. Also, what really helped was just taking a deep breath and waiting a few seconds before jumping in and taking time to do some planning. It makes sure that you are focused but also that you cover everything that they want you to. Even if it is just asking yourself before you start: who am i writing to, what type of missive is this, what is the goal, what is the content I need to include.

    App wise, i really think it is so subjective like some of what I think are the strongest apps are the one's that don't make it through and I just can't think of ways to make them better. In my experience research is what makes an app and an interview standout. Reaching out to trainees has been such a help because it lets you find out the qualities they are looking for that they maybe haven't thought to talk about in their law fairs.
    Thank you! That's really helpful. I might check out the forage simulations for examples.
     

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