Write the best covering letters, CVs and application forms – and put yourself at the front of the queue

It’s an arduous process applying for training contracts – but with sensible preparation, a dose of common sense and a touch of luck (not to mention decent academic results!) it needn’t seem such an uphill struggle. There are plenty of little things you can do to make life easier for yourself.

First impressions count

Hard to believe, but many applicants still fall at the first and most obvious hurdles – spelling and grammar on application forms. You may be heading for a First from a top university and be captain of the rugby club, but if you can’t spell the word ‘liaise’ on your application form, you’ll be drop-kicked straight into the rubbish bin.

Recruiters tell us time and time again that applications, whether paper or online, are simply not up to scratch, even from seemingly top candidates. ‘I’m going through them all now and I’ve had to throw loads away’, groans Jillian Singh, graduate recruitment manager at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in London. ‘You’d be surprised how many applications have spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, don’t mention our firm at all or are addressed to the wrong person – I’ve had plenty addressed to Victoria Adams, aka Posh Spice’, adds Victoria Edwards, head of graduate recruitment at Olswang.

If possible, download the form or print it off and work on a draft copy. Make sure you spell-check it (by eye as well as using a spell-checker) and then paste it back into the online application. If the form states how many lines / words you can use per question, stay within those limits. If the firm prints off the forms, anything written beyond the limit may not be read.

Easy as ABC

Probably the single-biggest bugbear among recruiters is stating the wrong firm on the application, ie ‘I’d like to work at Clifford Chance because…’ on a form for Irwin Mitchell. Silly, we know, but frighteningly common, especially when making multiple applications. And the use of mailmerge covering letters and cut-and-paste online applications has inflamed the problem.

It sounds obvious but one of the most common pieces of advice from recruiters is: read, re-read and re-read your application(s) again. Better still, get someone else to read them – it’s easy to read what you expect to see rather than what is really there. ‘Attention to detail is such a fundamental skill for a lawyer and one that we can measure from application forms’, points out Mark Matthews, graduate recruitment manager at Reed Smith. And back to those most obvious mistakes – poor spelling and grammar. ‘One of the major reasons we don’t invite a candidate for interview is that their written English does not meet our standards’, says Deborah Dalgleish, UK head of graduate recruitment at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. ‘Words are a lawyer’s stock-in-trade and if you can’t use words well, you simply won’t function in this profession.’

It cannot be stressed enough that poor presentation (whether written or verbal) is simply not going to be tolerated by firms. After all, when you do finally make it, clients will take your knowledge of the law as read: you will be judged equally on your presentation skills and ability to communicate. It’s never too early to get in the habit of flawless writing, so start now with your coursework. ‘I’ve spoken to tutors who tell me “I don’t mark for English, I mark for ideas”, but universities really should be preparing students for life on the outside’, stresses Deborah Dalgleish.

Problem areas

We know it’s no walk in the park. It’s not easy selling yourself on two sides of A4 or a drab online form with endless, predictable questions (Q: Why do you want to be a lawyer? A: Why don’t you be more creative with your questions?). According to Edinburgh University’s careers service, the sections which most trouble students are those which demand a demonstration of competency, eg ‘Outline a situation where you have overcome a barrier and achieved a required outcome’. ‘Students tend to be too descriptive and not analytical enough’, says Edinburgh’s Susan Bird. Of course, such self-analysis does not always come easy. Testing life experiences, let alone corporate lingo, are not necessarily going to be at your fingertips. Furthermore, you need to walk the line between self-analysis and being overly introspective. A word of advice from Linklaters’ Charlotte Hart who says that while relevant analysis is good, ‘try not to be overly philosophical. I had a recent form where the candidate answered a question about a significant achievement by referring to something he did when he was two and a half years old!’

Most careers services offer help with preparing CVs and completing application forms, as well as general interview preparation. For example, Kent University’s website offers guidance on how to answer a range of fairly typical questions such as ‘What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Your greatest achievement?’, as well as hypothetical questions and competency-based questions, such as ‘describe a situation where you worked in a team? Describe a situation in which you solved a problem’.

Reed Smith’s Mark Matthews offers words of advice when answering competency-based questions. ‘From memory of being a graduate myself years ago, I used to be stumped by some of these questions. But don’t think if you haven’t done glamorous teamwork like climbing to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, it doesn’t count. It’s worth looking through all your experiences and extra-curricular activities to analyse what you have gained from them – really think about where you are getting your evidence from. Also, it’s easy to be short-sighted so don’t just focus on the past six or 12 months. Try to analyse experiences that really mean something to you – it’s easier to sound convincing if you are passionate about your subject – and never make things up – it will be painfully obvious and embarrassing when you’re found out!’

Other problem areas are the obscure or quirky questions, such as ‘Which character in fiction do you resemble and why?’ According to Edinburgh Uni, students commonly assume that these are ‘trick’ questions, designed to catch them out and unveil say, a passion for trashy novels. But firms deny the use or the value of trickery – they maintain more out-of-the-ordinary questions are just another way of seeking evidence of relevant skills, such as leadership. The bottom line is, if you’re not sure what a question is asking of you, feel free to ring the firm concerned and ask. All the recruiters we spoke to would rather you called than answer incorrectly.

And it is crucial to ensure that you answer the question being asked. Sounds obvious, but take a question at face value and answer it as thoroughly as you would an exam question. As Mark Matthews of Reed Smith says, ‘Make sure you answer the question in front of you rather than what you would like to be in front of you’ – don’t go off on a tangent’. Oh, and if you’re asked to complete a form in black ink, use black and not the sparkly glitter pen you thought looked more appealing!

Technical glitch

By far the preferred method of recruitment today is via online appplications. But that comes with its own problems. According to careers services, some systems are badly set up, and it is extremely frustrating when candidates are automatically thrown out if they do not have a 2(1) or are non-EU citizens, for example. There is no opportunity for explanations and it gives a highly negative impression of the firm.

The other common mistake is the use by applicants of sloppy or casual language, ie email or text talk. Under no circumstances should you write, ‘I’d like to wk @ Simmons coz….’ Warwick University careers service reminds students that ‘the firm will expect the same standard of presentation on the form as they would for a hard copy, so do not be tempted to use a chatty, email style or abbreviated words’. Our advice is to adapt each application carefully to the firm you are currently applying to and read through each online application as you would a paper one. And a bit of a plea on behalf of a graduate recruiter who has to read nearly 3,000 forms a year – ‘Do keep things concise, and make the answers easy to read and interesting!’

Timing is everything

Timing, too, is difficult. Just to add to the stress, in the desperate scramble to attract top candidates, firms are now using Christmas vacation schemes for unofficial selection. And it’s not just the firms who are starting earlier. ‘To be ahead of the game some first-year students are also starting to research firms,’ notes Ruth Smith of Cambridge University’s Careers Service, ‘and firms are beginning to run events for them. Conversely other candidates wait until after they have graduated. And if you’ve got strong academic credentials and broad interests, and you’re spending your spare time being proactive and productive, there’s no reason to feel pressured into applying early. Firms keep raising the level of research you’re expected to do about them and about the profession, and they probe candidates’ motivation as hard as they can (unsurprisingly, given they’re going to invest up to £200k in you). An early application with no evidence of your ‘match’ is wasted effort.’

There is a consensus among careers advisers that firms do not fully appreciate the time constraints students are under, and how difficult it is to fit application form-filling into a busy schedule. It’s understandable that more than a bit of cut-and-pasting goes on. ‘Interviews used to be a friendly chat for an hour or so on campus, end of story. Now firms want students to give up a day or more, at their offices, in term time. But they also want people with a 2.1!’ comments Ruth Smith. ‘We try to persuade firms to interview at the university or during vacations. Students who may be pressured to sacrifice academic work should consult their tutor – who will be writing their references, who often can exert influence on firms, and who will want to help their pupils to manage their time sensibly.’

Sounds like a little mutual understanding between firms and students is needed. Recruiters: students are under huge pressures these days; cranking up the timetable does nobody any favours. Applicants: less is more; apply to fewer firms but make each application count. Try to find out as much as possible about the firms in advance so you can really target your applications to the firms which appear to suit you. Firms keep raising the level of research you’re expected to do about them and about the profession, and they probe candidates’ motivation as hard as they can (unsurprisingly, given they’re going to invest up to £200k in you).