Yesterday between 5-6pm the latest #AskATrainee session took place on Twitter. Not all of the popular hour-long wannabe solicitor Q&A — organised by @LegalTony — was useful: why does the misconception remain that urging someone to “Just be yourself!” is likely to gain them employment? But alongside the more trite pieces of advice, there were also a few gems of wisdom…
1. Decoding the language of the application form.
@steadwords evidence that you are ambitious, that you are willing to take on new challenges, that you have core skills #AskaTrainee
— BLPTrainees (@BLPTrainees) September 29, 2013
2. Recognising that an interview is a strong position to be in.
@missp1992 Just be honest. If you've got to the interview stage, firm clearly has some interest in you. #AskaTrainee
— Andrew King (@TringLawyer) September 29, 2013
3. Confidence and over-confidence.
Important but must be supported by creativity,commercial acumen and self awareness.Over confidence never attractive @Super__Cyan @LegalTony
— Bird & Bird (@twobirds) September 29, 2013
4. Knowing when to move on.
@rachel_1709 #AskaTrainee if you haven't got a TC offer in 2 years I would move on
— Charlotte Brinsley (@cbrinsley) September 29, 2013
5. Carefree global wandering: get it in while you can.
@SarahHoward3 no. I took 6 months to travel between GDL & LPC. @HoganLovells very supportive. Many people take time #AskaTrainee
— Ben Levy (@HLTraineeBenL) September 29, 2013
6. The magic circle is reluctant to negotiate about A-Level results.
@GoldingNatalie we look at consistency in academic performance thru A-levels & degree but do look at mitigating circumstances #askatrainee
— Allen & Overy Grads (@AllenOveryGrads) September 29, 2013
7. “Perfectionists”, it has all been heard before.
@DanielOllerton be honest, avoid "I'm a perfectionist", don't have a long list, but state one and how you are improving #AskaTrainee
— BLPTrainees (@BLPTrainees) September 29, 2013
8. Help is often easier to get than you realise.
@GodwinsLawyer @LegalTony phone them! Many small firms are personable and able to give you valuable info over the phone. #AskaTrainee
— Amandeep (@asinghkhalsa) September 29, 2013
9. The dubious value of endless education.
@tomrbrts Depends on whether firm has specialism in that area. HR folks I've come across don't give much credence to Masters #AskaTrainee
— Carl Spencer (@Carl_Spencer_) September 29, 2013
10. It’s time to take Twitter seriously.
@y_georgieff The trainee I recruited in 2012 I initially spoke to on twitter. Not legal tweets necessarily – engaging is key. #AskaTrainee
— Andrew King (@TringLawyer) September 29, 2013
11. Small, thoughtful gestures get you remembered in a positive way.
@NadiaBegum_1 perhaps send an email to those you came into contact with on the day, thanking them for their time #AskaTrainee
— BLPTrainees (@BLPTrainees) September 29, 2013
