Online applications | Law Careers

The vast majority of applicants fail at the application form stage. For some people, this is because their applications are shockingly awful. However, I understand that the majority of people who are culled at this stage are not especially poor candidates, but fall into the "quite good, but a bit boring" category.

To avoid this pitfall when making an online application, I offer the following recommendations:

As regards your extracurricular interests, you should probably not write that you "enjoy going out with your friends, watching films, travelling and going to the gym". There's nothing wrong with the aforementioned activities, the problem is that these interests will only help you blend in with the crowd. Try to explain why you like a particular activity and tie it in with something impressive that you've done in connection to that activity.

If you have to write about an important achievement, avoid "passing my driving test" or "getting into the University of my choice". Unless you can argue some special circumstances which should add more weight to these examples, they will not make you stand out from your rivals. It is better to think of something that you have done which is interesting, impressive and relevant to whether or not you are likely to be a good prospective employee.

If you cannot think of a good example, then this is probably a sign that you need to focus on improving the substance of your CV by getting involved in a new project etc.

There is invariably a section which asks you to write what it is that sets the firm (which you are applying to) apart from other law firms. An average candidate will be able to put together a nice-sounding yet fairly generic explanation which could probably be copied and pasted into at least 50 other application forms.

These kind of generic responses will be easily identifiable to the eventual reader and serve only to show that you do not have any real understanding of the law firm to which you are applying. Remember, making an application is a long process. Instead, you should persuasively explain what attracts you to that law firm and why its values are complementary to your own values.

In order to be able to do this, I would strongly recommend that you attend any graduate presentations/law fairs which the law firms put on in your area and speak with their representatives to get a proper understanding of what the law firm does and what kind of people it is looking for. Telephone interviews are often used by law firms as a second filter to reduce candidate numbers to manageable levels.

Remember that you can write answers out to the questions which are likely to arise as a reference point. I found it useful to stick my answers to the wall in front of me. Another useful tip is to wear a suit whilst you are doing the telephone interview.

This will naturally put you in a business like state of mind, as compared to how you would be if you were wearing comfy pants and a mucky t-shirt. Also, ensure that your housemates/family are aware that you are about to receive an important call so that they do not disturb or distract you.

Personally, I got my training contract off the back of a vacation placement. Clearly, the structure of vacation schemes will differ between law firms, but generally they are an excellent opportunity for you to get to know the people and personalities at the law firm to which you are applying and for that law firm to get to know you.

In addition, it is also an opportunity for that law firm to mercilessly judge all of your actions and words whilst you are in their domain. With this in mind, if you are given a task to do, put everything into it so that you produce a really good piece of work for your supervisor. It is also much better to be yourself whilst you are at the firm, rather than adopt a temporary personality for the week.

You'll get found out if you do! Having said that, bear in mind that there is a line between being calm, assured and assertive (good) and being an arrogant so-and-so (bad). So don't cross it! Face-to-face interviews are perhaps the most nerve-racking stage in the training contract application process.

On the bright side though, it is likely that you are a decent candidate in order for you to have gotten that far. The key to succeeding in a face-to-face interview is to establish rapport with the interviewer(s). This can be done by mirroring the body posture and manner of speech of those who are interviewing you.

Final interviews are typically conducted by a panel of two or more persons so remember to evenly distribute your attention between all members of the panel to avoid alienating one member. Also, do not be surprised if the two members of the panel pull the old 'good cop/bad cop' routine on you. One of the interviewers may push you on the weaknesses in your CV.

Don't take the bait, but instead practice at home on how you can argue that these weaknesses are not as bad as they may seem and in any event, these aspects of your CV can be viewed as strengths for x number of reasons. Remember, you intend to become a lawyer so you should use your intelligence to put across a convincing case to the interviewers as to why you should be taken on as a trainee.

James Lancaster

www.walker-morris.co.uk/trainees