Mock means just as worrying as the real deal!

The nature of the Leicester Award for Employability was to improve my chances of getting a graduate position after university, which in my case would be a training contract within a law firm. My first experience of the application process for these positions came slightly earlier than I expected as I had been applying for Summer Vacation Placements. Luckily, the current Leicester Award task was aptly timed and very useful; we were required to apply for one of four jobs and then be interviewed for them.

Firstly, we were required to choose one of the four positions and send a request for information email as the advertisement stated. As I haven’t had much previous experience of applying for roles in such a way, I relied upon logic and what I thought would be the correct content and layout. I asked for the job description, person specification, application form and any other information using the job title and addressing the contact by name. However, from my feedback it was clear that I had missed some vital elements most notably that the job title alone is not sufficient, if a reference number is given ensure that is quoted in both the subject title and email content to guarantee the correct information is sent. Also, I was informed that using an email signature of my contact details is also helpful in case of any issues, which is something I have since create and stored on my email account.

Next, using the job description and person specification it was time to complete the application form which included a personal statement section which would be used to assess the selection criteria. When it comes to completing application forms I tend to complete the general form first including my personal details, previous work experience and education as I know these details and I find that by completing these first it appears to me that most of the form has been done. I then opened another document and imported in all the information which was highlighted as a selection criteria for the application form from the person specification and also the important information from the job description. I tried to match my experience to the key assessment areas and explain the use of my skills using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) technique. In total I think the completing the application form took between three to four hours over different days as I like to come back and reread sections with fresh eyes.

Instead of getting direct feedback for our application form we were instead treated to learning about the method by which many employers shortlist their application forms. The most shocking point I found whilst taking part in this activity was the lack of people proof reading their work and instead sending in a form with silly grammatical and spelling errors. I remember speaking to the Human Resources Manager of firm at the Leicester University Law Fair who said the most common rejection of application forms is if there are spelling and grammar errors; with some applicants even misspelling the name of the firm. We looked at different types of application forms used including personal statement forms and competency questions forms; the ones used most frequently by law firms. I learnt that the reasons for using the forms can vary but it is important in both that you not only adhere to any word limit but that you answer the question asked and use any information given to you. This is most useful when answering “why do you wish to join…?” as if you research the company and read the job description there will be characteristics and types of people they want to join their team such as ambition and drive. Since completing this exercise I have looked upon my answers to such questions in a different way and am critical of my own answers to ensure I give myself the best chance of getting through stage one of any application process.

The final part of this mock application process was the interview, which even though it is a mock interview for a fictitious job, I was still nervous. This may be as I treated it as if it was for a real position and therefore dressed accordingly because I believed that in order to improve my skills I needed feedback on a true representation of how I would act in an interview. My nerves did go away after the first couple of questions as I felt more comfortable within the situation and because I was happy with my ability to answer the questions asked even those I wasn’t expecting. My other main issue during interviews is how much to say in relation to a question as I am quite concise and to the point with my answers and sometimes I am unsure whether I have said enough.

The feedback I received from this interview though was very positive, which was a pleasantly surprised about given my concerns. My body language, eye contact and voice were good and made me seem confident and positive. The answers I gave were coherent, concise and used the STAR technique well linking in personal experiences and examples adequately to demonstrate skills and abilities. Overall I was said to be composed and impressive when interviewed, which was not the feedback I expected. Fortunately I was given a point to improve for future, research the role well so when asked by the interviewers for any questions, an impressive and informative question can be given which will make me memorable to the interviewer.

When looking back at the whole process I have learnt such a great deal about the process as a whole and importantly for me how the process is looked upon by those short listing applications and taking the interview as this helps me to think about my answers in future. I have started using all of the feedback given to me and will continue to do so in future applications. I will also ask other people look over my application to spot any errors I have made and to look critically over my answers noting whether I have demonstrated the skills appropriately as I feel that from my ability to interview well I need to make sure my application form is strong enough to get me to that stage of the process. However, the most important skill I have learnt throughout the whole of the Leicester Award process is the STAR technique; it allows me to demonstrate my skills and qualities in a way I had not previously used. I can only hope that this process will aide me in my dream of getting a vacation placement and training contract.

Presenting a PowerPoint Perfectionist’s Presentation

So with my careers research in pretty and organised diagrams, charts and tables it was important to put this to use and also analyse my experiences, skills and qualities and understand how these are important to my future career. The chance to do this came in the form a presentation I was required to give as part of the Leicester Award for Employability to my Leicester Award leader and my peers.

The title given was rather broad, “How your experiences to date, both work and study, relate to your future career plans” which allowed me to focus in on specific areas of my experiences although I found this part of presentation difficult as I had many different experiences which all had a diverse impact on my  journey towards a legal career. So I decided it was important to list all of my experiences and what I have learnt in order to realise which have the most importance and relevance to progress towards becoming a solicitor.

Next, I began to design my presentation slides using Microsoft PowerPoint with the idea of making something which would be interesting and memorable but wasn’t cluttered with too much text and over use of images. Whilst creating the slides I ensured that I was consistent with fonts, font sizes and colours, as I believe this to be an integral part of a good presentation; especially when you consider that the PowerPoint slides are a visual addition to the presentation. The slides should reflect your individualism but also allow you to talk around the points on the slides without dominating your presentation itself.

On the day I was meant to give my presentation I had a recurrence of pain from an operation and was unable to present on this day. Instead it was agreed that I would give my presentation at a later date but to as peer feedback is an excellent learning method I watched presentations given by other Leicester Award participants. Whilst watching the other presentations I began to notice my own faults in other people, especially increasing the speed in which I talk due to nerves. It also began apparent to me how quickly a five minute presentation is over and therefore how much information can successfully and adequately be spoken about in that time. It was apparent to me then that I needed to focus my presentation further on important experiences; quality of information over quantity.





AFTER

BEFORE

 

 















 

 

 

During the revision of my slides I reflected upon the constructive criticism given to other presenters to improve my slides. I recognised that I hadn’t narrowed down my ideas fully and therefore had too much information to present and also too much text on some of my slides, which would be detrimental to my overall presentation. I tried to incorporate things that had worked well for other presenters into my own slides and the delivery of my speech as there are elements of PowerPoint I had forgotten to use including slide transitions. The most important point I took away though was the necessity to read through the presentation and time it so I do not exceed the time limit.

When the day of my presentation arrived I was nervous as I always am before speaking publicly. However, I had learnt what was on each slide and how I would talk around the points instead of using a script as I wanted my present to flow well and enable me to add individual flare. This individualism was shown through my ability to explain my personal images and why I had used them within my presentation and also add humour when talking about my experiences. Unfortunately my nerves had caused me to increase the speed at which I spoke and I had therefore finished my presentation with 30 seconds remaining. In hinds sight I should have used the techniques I had been taught in the Student Life Talk training with the Ambassador scheme and I should have realised that this may happen and adjust my presentation accordingly.

I was surprised by the feedback as I felt my presentation did not go as well as I had hoped however I can be very critical of myself and my work. I was informed that my overall slides were well designed, good choice of colour and font, and had an appropriate amount of relevant images. My final informative slide however let me down as it had the potential to be a strong ending to my presentation but instead I read directly from the slide. My nerves were also noted not through my voice but by the speed at which I spoke, although my use of gesture, tone and humour worked well.

 



The feedback I was given has been fundamental in my approach to future presentations as any critique was constructive and my positives were highlighted so I now know where my strengths lie. My creation of PowerPoint slides is by far my strongest area, therefore it is important that when look to improve that is the delivery which would benefit most from enhancement. Ultimately my weakest area is letting my nerves affect my delivery and impact upon the presentation as a whole. The only way to conquer my nerves is to speak publicly more often, practice the specific presentation. Consequently, I am requesting to deliver the Student Life Talk when possible and I intend to join the Public Speaker Society or compete in the debating competition within the Law Society as these will improve my public speaking and allow me to develop other transferable skills

Where it all began...

In the second year of university, you are reminded constantly that now is the time to start looking at what you want to do after you graduate and that the time to apply for graduate programmes are drawing very near. Luckily my degree lends itself to a series of career  paths, but it generally tends to produce lawyers therefore I thought it necessary to research the different avenues within the legal sector as well as the option of teaching law.

My initial research into the legal sector surprised me; I didn't realise how many different things could be done with a law degree. The degree doesn't limit you to the solicitor or barrister role, however becoming a solicitor has been my intention since I applied to college and my research only reinforced this desire. According to my research the skills and experience I have gained through past work align with those skills required to become a solicitor. Through further research I also learnt that post graduation I am required to complete an industry specific qualification to begin my career pathway. This is followed by a two year training contract placement in a law firm before becoming a fully qualified solicitor. Initially this seemed like a long journey to my end goal especially considering my late entry into higher education and all I kept thinking was, why didn't I start this earlier in life? But then I realised that if I had in fact gone to University when I was 19 I wouldn’t be who I am now, with all the experience I have or the determination to make this dream a reality.

With renewed motivation my subsequent research was specific. I needed to understand the long road ahead, so I turned to the Law Society's Website. The information there has been tailored to those wishing to enter the legal profession, with great attention paid to the dedication and determination required as well as ensuring that the realities of the profession are understood, one of which I  was not prepared for...the cost of the legal practice course (LPC). With the price being between £8,000 and £12,000 for the one year course, my first thought was I should give up now! How can someone ever afford this?

However, I am not easily dissuaded from my  goals, so this only spurred me into finding a method of funding my LPC. My first option is to receive sponsorship from a law firm by being selected to complete my training contract with them, however these training contracts are very competitive and highly sought after, so this would be the perfect answer to my funding issue. Unfortunately these training contracts are highly sought and very competitive, so if I want one I will have to make my application STAND OUT, something I have yet to work out how to do well. My main issue is my lack of work experience within the legal sector itself, as this is an important factor to firms, but with a lack of legal contacts and so far no response to my letters to local firms asking for unpaid work experience, I was worried that I will not get this important experience and that my chances of attaining of a training contract will be dramatically reduced.

Luckily, it maybe that some law firms have given me a chance to gain legal work experience with their vacation placements and open days. These placements will give me a great idea of what it will be like to work in law, but most importantly they will give me the chance to show firms my skills and personality with many of the firms using the vacation placements as a section of the selection process for training contracts. Again though these vacation placements are highly sought after and have a very rigorous application process, but this isn't going to stop me.

Throughout the years I have learnt that having a plan B is always  the best way to achieve anything because you can guarantee especially when it is me that nothing will ever go exactly to plan.  My research lead to me to three possible alternatives:

Should I try and fund my LPC without a training contract?

• Some High Street Banks including Barclays and The Cooperative Bank also offer a Professional and Career Development Loan for up to £10,000 which is repaid at a lower interest rate and the Government pay the interest whilst your studying.
• BPP Law School exclusively offer a Law Loan to their LPC, BPTC and GDL students for up to £25,000 from Investec Bank with competitive interest rates.

Choose a different route into the legal sector?

 

 

 

Or become a paralegal or legal assistant?

Knowing how competitive training contracts are I have decided that if by the end of my degree I still have not managed to guarantee a training contract I will not try to fund my LPC myself, as the cost outweighs the chance of attaining a training contract at the end of the course. In stead I will try to go down the paralegal route especially when firms such as Freeth Cartwright are offering graduates the chances to gain extensive legal experience and then potentially securing a place in their training contract programme. Although the ILEX route into law is a brilliant option, with the advantage of working within the law sector during your qualification, I wish I had known about the route prior to starting my degree because it would have been high on my list of options but I feel that it is not well publicised. I wish I had researched my career path better prior to my entry into university as I would have had a better understanding of the realities of the career but also the many different routes into the profession, but this has not deterred me from achieving my goal, I just ensure that I research thoroughly in future.

After my careers research, originally I thought that I had a mountain to climb and that with my personal background I had many hurdles to overcome along the way and therefore was it all really worth the hassle? But, these were just my initial fears, which slowly disappeared with the careers research. Generally the information I was looking for was easy to find and the information I found was detailed and very useful, however there was a lot of basic information duplicated on different websites which made looking for specific information quite difficult, but I soon learnt that website such as the LawSociety, Junior LawyersDivision and Lawyer 2B were the best places to look for really useful information. I think I could have used the careers service at the university to better effect and also get more use from the contacts and events put on by Leicester University Law Society, especially when wanting answers to questions that I cannot find on the internet. Going forward from this research I will target any future research so that I can get the best information quickly and use the websites I have found to be helpful as a good starting point.