1 in work experience section, employers want specific anecdotes and examples of what they did not just a cv where u briefly write your responsibilities/actions. 2 you need to show non-legal work experience as well as legal work experience. there will be transferable skills (example of Asda, 6 mins in). really in depth. 6 specific skills shown from just one example. very genuine as well - this person has actually displayed those skills and will be an asset to the firm. 3 don't copy and paste the work experience for each application that you do. firms are judging the whole application, so they will notice if the work experience is a bit too general/not tailored to the firm and the skills they prefer. - a bonus point would be linking a work experience to a specific initiative that the firm is doing (eg if trainees have to do 16 hours of pro bono work a month). 4 ensure you fill up the word count - 250 words per work experience. don't waffle but use each word to show the bigger picture of yourself to the firm. don't leave any stone unturned and write concisely but without leaving out details.
Hi Sim! I have been rejected from all first year schemes I have applied to and the first mistake is exactly what I made: copying and pasting my CV into the work experience section. I was wondering, do you write the work experience section in bullet points? or paragraphs? what about the fact that firms only ask for work experience and not your CV - in these cases do you provide both your CV extracts and what you learned/examples in the work experience? Thanks!
If I go in depth into how my work experience relates to the work of the firm in the ‘work experience’ section, do I then go over this again when talking about why this firm in the cover letter??
Personally, I treat the application as a whole so I don't tend to repeat things that have already been mentioned earlier in the application, as that word count could go towards mentioning something new. Hope this helps!
some firms place a lot more emphasis on grades than others, but that doesn't stop you from applying to good firms. You can see which firms place less emphasis on grades via this handy table: www.chambersstudent.co.uk/law-firms/getting-a-training-contract/application-and-selection-criteria
