The Great Work Experience Conundrum

The Hunger Games, The Traitors, Squid Game… just some of the competitions where being victorious is seemingly easier to achieve than obtaining legal work experience! 

We are all aware of the paradoxical standards that many students and junior applicants face when seeking new opportunities: to gain work experience, you’re expected to first have work experience, but to first obtain work experience… you already need to have work experience? Where is the logic!?

Whilst we can’t transform the current employment landscape (Rome wasn’t built in a day), we have both been through this conundrum ourselves and what we can do, is give you our top 5 tried and tested tips on how to better your chances of getting through the front door:

1. Proofread – first impressions count!

There is nothing worse than spending your time perfecting the tone and words of a letter or email to a firm and then seeing that you have misspelled the name of the partner or the firm incorrectly. For some firms or partners, that is an immediate no which is even more reason for you to proofread your application. Everyone makes spelling and grammar mistakes, but you can so easily avoid these in your work if you proofread. Top tips for proofreading include changing the font of the text and maybe even changing the colour. This way, your brain is more likely to pick up any mistakes. Reading the document once you have printed it off is another good way of spotting any errors. 

2. Develop your connections as early as you can.

Not everyone is born the child of a managing partner or into a family or professionals who all have magic circle connections. The key to developing your legal network is to start early… go to events where you can meet junior lawyers, sign up to mentoring schemes where you’ll be assigned a buddy from within the profession, take every opportunity you can to meeting the individuals who may become your future colleagues! You never know, one conversation with the right person could set you on the path to the career of your dreams! 

3. Tailor your applications to the firm you want.

Think about how many applications each firm receives for work experience. If your application does not catch the eye of the reader almost immediately, you will lose them after the first sentence. If the firm put out press releases on the deals they are doing, find a common similarity or something that made that deal different and mention in the letter that you found that interesting or have studied this. Remember, the reader will have heard all the buzzwords before so be specific. Doing this will demonstrate that you are the kind of person that the firm want to spend their time on.

4. Incorporate your personality into your application. 

The person reading your letter/email wants a reason to choose you out of the hundreds of other applications they receive, and you need to give them that reason. Make the reader aware of what you have done that aligns with the firm’s values and remember to be specific. Remember you are writing to a real person, not a robot. Give unique examples or your experience, for example does the firm run an annual sports day for their staff and did you organise sporting events at your college/university which went down well? 

5. Don’t be afraid to fail!

It isn’t easy to step outside your comfort zone and put yourself out there. We also know how much it can hurt when you receive the dreaded ‘thanks for applying, but unfortunately…’ email from a firm you spent hours applying for. You can’t let this disappointment defer you from pursing your aspirations in law. Failing is a part of the process when finding opportunities in law, and it will only make you a better more rounded applicant learning from these experiences. You may even find that there are alternative non-traditional routes to becoming a lawyer which suit you, such as an apprenticeship!

Ultimately, as cheesy as it may sound, the best tip we can give you is to simply be… you! Don’t feel pressured to write or talk like the sort of person you think a law firm may like. Don’t over exaggerate or create fantasy roles on your CV which you cannot back up. And don’t think you’re not good enough just because some firms don’t yet see your value. Stay resolute, remain focused and continue to push yourself to fulfil the potential you know you have.

By Christie Nelson, Solicitor at Wilkes, and Kristian Campbell-Drummond, Solicitor at Weightmans