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They have travelled to an unfamiliar place, set up a stall in a massive hall and are stood on their feet all day handing out free pens. If someone comes up to them and shows a genuine interest then you would remember that person. Especially if that person asked for a business card – which the representatives invariably have, if not always in plain view.

Both vacation schemes I received a place on were at firms where I had also had a long chat and email correspondence with trainees at the firm from the law fair – coincidence?

The Application

Rhetorical questions aside, the next vital part of the vacation scheme process is the online application. Some of the competency questions may have you scratching your head, for example describing a position of responsibility you have held and what you learnt from it. Not everyone – including myself – has held a position of responsibility at 19 or 20, so my advice would be to tailor the question to suit you.

If you have got something ready made for that question then use it, but if you don’t then why not try and adapt something you want to mention? For example, I wanted to mention I presented a radio show, so I talked about the time management, preparation and quick thinking needed to do live radio. Another top tip is to name drop the people you spoke to at the law fair, most law firms are surprisingly connected places so if you do mention someone they will most likely be asked their opinion on you.

The interview is a crucial part of getting a vacation scheme as it allows the firm to see beyond your CV and get to know you. It’s so crucial in fact that it warrants its own article.

The actual vacation scheme

So, if all has gone to plan so far, you have made friends at the law fair, negotiated the application and the interview and should now be gearing up for your first day on the vacation scheme. One word is key for those few weeks – networking.

When I was on my vacation schemes I made a mission out of finding Exeter graduates who were working at the firm. It gave me an easy start to a conversation and meant I got to chat one-on-one to several partners who went to my university.

If you can’t find anyone from your university, then make sure you try and find some common ground with your supervisor. An associate I sat with was a massive cricket fan, so a quick chat about the Ashes every day was par for the course.

It may sound common sense, but it’s surprising how many people go on a vacation scheme and are too intimidated to show that they are a real person who people there would want to socialise with as well as work with.

My other top tip for when you are actually on the vac scheme is don’t get too comfortable. This may sound at odds with my previous advice, but it is easy once you have been somewhere a couple of weeks and made some friends to relax a bit and start making mistakes. Throughout the vacation scheme make sure you’re always smartly dressed, in the office early every day and don’t take being at the firm for granted.

In closing, utilise the law fair to make some contacts at the firm, adapt the application and interview questions to suit you, and try and walk the line between being anti-social and too relaxed on the vacation scheme. Finally, remember not to get too down if you don’t get a vacation scheme – I know trainees who are at a firm after missing out on a vac scheme there, so don’t give up!

Rob McKellar

President of the Law Society

Exeter University

23-09-2009