Dealing With Rejection

During my second year of University I started to apply for both work experience placements and training contracts.

It's commonly known that training contracts are essentially 'gold dust' when kick starting a legal career. The problem these days is that law students graduate in the masses however there are exceedingly less training contracts available.

From my own personal experience, I made 100+ applications for training contracts and in return only received 2 interviews. Many times I received the typical response letter, along the lines of 'sorry your application has been unsuccessful'. It's a long, hard road and you will receive a lot of rejection, but you will always get there in the end if you put your mind to it.

Being turned down can feel like a knife to the heart time and time again, so here are my main tips on dealing with rejection:

Don't take it to heart - I hate to sound like the bearer of bad news, but if you take it to heart you will forever be down in the dumps. For a lot of people they will receive many rejection letters and sometimes no response at all. Law firms have a lot of applications to sift through and it was just this time round that you weren't successful.

Learn from your application - Some firms do offer feedback on your application. If you're given this option, take it! You may find yourself in a position where your application is continuously not being considered so this could be a really big help. If you don't have this option, read over your application yourself. Check to see whether there are any accidental spelling or grammar mistakes. Another typical problem is that the application isn't tailored to that specific firm properly, this may be something that you need to improve.

It's not just you - The reality of the application process is that there are hundreds of other applicants that are in the same boat as you. They too have also made an excruciating amount of applications and have been rejected a number of times. We all go through it.

Keep your eye on your goal - Facing rejection can put you off applying for further training contracts and positions, but you need to keep focused on what you want in order to become successful. Perhaps set a target of one application a week instead of loading yourself with 20 in one night, right before the deadline.

Take a Break - If you're not near a particular deadline for any application, take a break for a week or so. Some applications can take absolutely ages and can make your head hurt for a while! Taking a break from it will stop the stress and allow you to come back to it with a fresh mind and new perspective.

There is a light - It may seem like you'll never get the training contract but trust me, you will get there!

I know the deadline for most training contracts is coming up soon, so I thought that this would be helpful if ever you have an unsuccessful application. Good luck!

Anglia Business Exhibition 2016

This week I went to the Anglia Business Exhibition, a day for all local businesses to represent their companies and have the opportunity to network with others in the area.

I was surprised at the size of the exhibition, I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was a pretty big venue! There were stands everywhere of all different kinds of companies that ranged from event planners to financial advisers.

I was able to walk around and speak to local businesses, it was nice to introduce myself and put my name out there with other people, particularly as the exhibition focuses on the local area.

Most stands had either sweets or chocolate on them, which meant that the day was a very fat day, not that I was complaining!

In order to make our stand more appealing, as we all know law firms aren't exactly exciting, we had a game for everyone to play. This was a great hit and everybody wanted to have a go. You had to react to the lights and hit the light wherever it flashed. Whoever hit the most lights in 30 seconds would win a prize. Needless to say I was pretty rubbish at it, but you can see a hilarious photo of me in action below.

                                         

To add more excitement to the day, I received a bunch of roses from a gentleman on a neighbouring stand (admittedly I did ask for them!) but see an even more hilarious photo of my happiness below.

                                        

I'm easily pleased.

So overall I had a very fun day and hopefully I will get the opportunity to help out again next year.

Is there room for Newly Qualified Solicitors?

So I haven't posted in a while (apologies!) but I have this week off work so I have no excuse now. A week or so ago I was invited to attend a talk held by Clara Rose Consultancy. Clara Rose provides legal recruitment services to those that are qualified in the legal industry. Clara's talk was focused on areas of the legal industry that are currently growing and those which are either stable or shrinking in terms of  demand. It was interesting to see the direction in which the legal industry is turning and what possible positions would be available for when we qualify.

The event was held by the Suffolk and North Essex Junior Lawyers Division, whereby many trainee solicitors in the area attended. Clara Rose works with the East Anglia area and also specialises in finding Trainees who are about to qualify the perfect NQ position.

Clara gave tips for writing a good qualified Solicitor's CV. As many of us are still used to writing a CV from a student's perspective, the tips really helped for when we come to write our own. Also included in the talk were interview tips and advice on finding the right area for you to qualify into when the time comes to make that big decision.

It was great to catch up with the SNEJLD trainees, more importantly, there was pizza!So I left a very happy lady. If anyone would like to seek advice or find a job in the legal industry, you can contact Clara at clara@clararoseconsultancy.co.uk.