Why are you better than other candidates

[KZM]

So Im applying for a TC with Trowers and Hamlins and one of the questions says

What makes you particularly suited to a career at Trowers & Hamlins compared to other applicants?

I am not sure how to answer this. Please help and please be gentle. Im new to this so i dont know whether im coming or going im so overwhelmed.

 

[Jaysen]

So Im applying for a TC with Trowers and Hamlins and one of the questions says

What makes you particularly suited to a career at Trowers & Hamlins compared to other applicants?

I am not sure how to answer this. Please help and please be gentle. Im new to this so i dont know whether im coming or going im so overwhelmed.

Welcome to the forum and thanks for posting!

OK, so if we think about this from a recruiter's perspective, they receive thousands of applications and need to be pretty ruthless about deciding which candidates get invited to interview.

This question is basically an opportunity for candidates to pitch why they should be selected.

In this case, the question is asking:

• What skills and experiences do you have that make you suited for a career at the firm?
• Do you understand what a career at Trowers & Hamlins involves?

I suggest reviewing all your experiences and trying to think about what skills you can draw from those experiences.

For example:

• Do you have commercial work experience?
• Do you have experience working with other people and building relationships?
• Do you have experiences of working in a team?

I suggest mentioning a limited number of points (say 3-4) and developing those points in your answer, separated through paragraphs. By developing your answer, you want to provide specific details about how you developed the skills you mention through your experiences/activities (whether that's through one particular activity or a variety).

The last step - and I tend to think this makes for the best answers - is within each paragraph, you should use what you know about Trowers & Hamlins to explain what makes you particularly suited to the firm. For example, do your entrepreneurial experiences make you well suited to working with a relatively small trainee intake? Does your experience in a pro bono project align with Trowers' commitments to diversity? Or does your international experience make you suited for Trowers' longstanding presence in the Middle East? Why?

I hope that helps. Let us know if you have more questions!

 

[KZM]

Hi @Jaysen Thank you for your reply. Although i struggle to understand how my working in a team would vary from the next candidates working in a team (apart from the content of work).

Were likely to have the same skills, team work, communication etc. Does the differentiation then simply comes from the structure of the answer?

 

[Jaysen]

Hi @Jaysen Thank you for your reply. Although i struggle to understand how my working in a team would vary from the next candidates working in a team (apart from the content of work).

Were likely to have the same skills, team work, communication etc. Does the differentiation then simply comes from the structure of the answer?

That's a great point and something I should have addressed in my first answer. When you look at your variety of experiences, ideally you do want to identify your most unique selling points. For example:

• Do you have more legal work experience than most candidates?
• Do your experiences give you a particular edge? E.g. the business skills you gained from setting up your own business
• Do you speak any languages that would be useful for Trowers' international practice?

Now, they don't have to be completely unique and you can still mention skills like teamwork but differentiate yourself by discussing the variety of scenarios you have worked in a team (and how that better prepares you for the life of a law firm).

 

[KZM]

That's a great point and something I should have addressed in my first answer. When you look at your variety of experiences, ideally you do want to identify your most unique selling points. For example:

• Do you have more legal work experience than most candidates?
• Do your experiences give you a particular edge? E.g. the business skills you gained from setting up your own business
• Do you speak any languages that would be useful for Trowers' international practice?

Now, they don't have to be completely unique and you can still mention skills like teamwork but differentiate yourself by discussing the variety of scenarios you have worked in a team (and how that better prepares you for the life of a law firm).

i see that and thank you. I think my trouble is ive got no legal experience. Im converting via GDL starting Sep 2019. I have been a chemical/process engineer for 8 years and my background is predominately oil and gas. which is not trowers bread and butter. so trying to sell what i know to them is a bit tricky. and the looming deadline is not helping my nerves.

 

[Jaysen]

i see that and thank you. I think my trouble is ive got no legal experience. Im converting via GDL starting Sep 2019. I have been a chemical/process engineer for 8 years and my background is predominately oil and gas. which is not trowers bread and butter. so trying to sell what i know to them is a bit tricky. and the looming deadline is not helping my nerves.

That's absolutely fine, your experience as a chemical/process engineer sounds like you have some excellent USPs and should make you stand out. It's all about how you go about pitching your experiences!

 

[KZM]

That's absolutely fine, your experience as a chemical/process engineer sounds like you have some excellent USPs and should make you stand out. It's all about how you go about pitching your experiences!

Okay.

Thank you for you guidance

 

[AI]

Hi Jaysen, thank you for the guidance on the Trowers & Hamlins question. For the why are you particularly suited at Trowers, I understand how to outline my experiences and skills, but I am struggling as to how I can link this to the firm? Do you have any advice on how to approach this?

 

[EmmKay]

@Jaysen Reading this thread brought a huge smile to my face! As somebody with anxiety who's been nervous about getting involved on the forum, your kind and detailed responses are both supportive and incredibly helpful! OP requested answers be gentle, which really resonated with me. Your responses most certainly were gentle, as well as honest and encouraging. Thank you for everything you do for aspiring lawyers, and for doing it so kindly.

 

[Jaysen]

@Jaysen Reading this thread brought a huge smile to my face! As somebody with anxiety who's been nervous about getting involved on the forum, your kind and detailed responses are both supportive and incredibly helpful! OP requested answers be gentle, which really resonated with me. Your responses most certainly were gentle, as well as honest and encouraging. Thank you for everything you do for aspiring lawyers, and for doing it so kindly.

That's very kind of you to say, please do post - we'd love to hear how you get on