As law firms draw the curtain on another round of trainee recruitment, reality begins to dawn on the unlucky candidates. As one of them, I know that in just a few weeks’ time, I will begin the arduous and at times soul-searching process again. Hours of research and writing applications lie ahead, squeezed into the little spare time that remains outside of a demanding job and busy life.
When asked to write about my difficulties securing a training contract, I was reluctant. With competition for places tougher than ever, associating myself with failure seemed perilous, so rigorous are the demands on candidates. However, with some sources suggesting there are 65 applicants per training contract, it can hardly be deemed a failure. The odds are so stacked against you from the outset.
That figure is as daunting as it is reassuring. There is some comfort in the knowledge that I am in the majority. There is absolutely no comfort in the challenge it belies. That is why, before you dust yourself down and start again, it is vital to take some time to reflect.
In many ways I felt closer in my first year of trying. Now I tabulate my applications, keeping records for each one — date submitted, test passed, interview secured, date rejected. I feel as far as ever from the day I can write the words “offer accepted”.
This table reminds me of how gruelling the process can be. While it varies from firm to firm, there is generally a stage or two of sifting, based on paper applications and aptitude tests, before you have the opportunity to demonstrate your ability at an interview or assessment centre.
Advertisement
If you are lucky enough to reach one of these latter stages, prepare to be unprepared. Formats can vary widely and unexpected questions abound. Some firms may favour a conversational interview, some a more structured assessment, others a rigorous dressing down of your commercial awareness. If you make it this far and do not succeed, it is important to understand why.
Analysing why should, of course, begin with feedback —if you can get any. The reality is, if you haven’t reached the final stage of an application, you will receive none at all. Even when I have been one of only 16 final candidates, feedback has invariably been vague. A common response is “we thought you were great, there were no negatives, but the other candidates were excellent and better suited to a role with us”.
With so little feedback, the challenge is to pick apart your own applications. This can be painful. Answering endless questions about yourself is bad enough; thinking about and analysing your answers for flaws is worse. It is however a necessary evil that, as well as highlighting basic omissions, can lead to genuine personal growth.
Since last year, I have sought and taken many opportunities to expand and improve on my experience. I am now in a great paralegal role, rotating through departments with the firm’s trainees. I have put myself in the strongest position I feel I can to gain a training contract. To a certain extent, I feel like I am already doing the job. All that remains is to convince someone to invest in me.
The path to becoming a solicitor is frustrating in how singular it is. The SRA introduced the “period of recognised training” in 2014 to open up alternative routes to qualification, but this is still a grey area. Unless and until you bag that elusive contract, it can feel like you are going nowhere but sideways.
Advertisement
Working on gaps in your CV or adding to your skills and experience can combat that drifting feeling. It is enjoyable too. Knowing you can return to the process an improved candidate is invigorating and steels you for the challenge. It gives me the confidence to say that I know my time will come, and if it doesn’t, I have made myself an asset should I follow a different path.
Do’s and Don’ts
1. DO look back at previous applications and think about where you can improve your approach or build on your skills and experience.
2. DON’T take a scattergun approach. It may feel like a numbers game, but taking the time to think about the kind of place you want to work and picking firms will greatly improve your chances of securing that elusive interview.
3. DO ask others, particularly trainees or solicitors, to proofread your applications and give feedback. They have been successful before and can help you to be so too.
4. DON’T stop learning. There is always something you can work on.
Advertisement
5. DON’T give up. You are probably closer than you think and all your hard work will eventually pay off, whether in the form of a training contract or a fulfilling career elsewhere.