Job hunting - things I use

Ok, recently people keep asking me where I get all my information about law firms and general employment stuff from, so I'm gonna throw all my 'secrets' into the air to show that I'm not super smart, I'm actually just using google better than some people. Click on the purple words for a link to the site!

Right, so for big firms and law firm reviews:

InsideBuzz is great in my opinion. It helped me narrow down the 6,000 law firms I could apply for to about 60 (the list fluctuates constantly). It gives you a pros and cons list for each firm, then reviews on things like working hours, dress code, atmosphere, wages etc. as provided by real employees, as well as a 'The Buzz on getting hired' section. It also features some practice tests and brochures relating to each featured career. Would be moderately lost without it. NOT JUST FOR LAW FIRMS - also features finance, accounting, consulting, the Civil Service, etc.

Glassdoor is a bit like the grown up version of InsideBuzz, providing a bit less detail from reviewers, but a wider range of employers (especially in the US) and salaries from a wider group of people. I generally use it for the 'interview tips' section, for example:

Interview Question for Business Analyst at A.T. Kearney:

“What is your proposed contribution to the firm, how are you going to make an impact to the company, clients and colleagues”

The Gateway - details on work placement opportunities and
much more :)

The Gateway is another good one for finding out details of companies, and also applications dates for schemes and training contracts. It caters to many a sector, from politics to education, and has an opinion section which is quite a good read.

Internships

Ok, I can't claim the google glory for this one, this was all Odiri (thanks mum).

THIS LINK will take you to a page, where you'll get a word doc downloaded to your comp, so if you don't want a download, do not press the link. I warned you.

A lot of the deadlines have passed, but I think it's got some good general info, esp if you want to work 'internationally' (all you International relations kids get on that....Eva).

More Internships...(paid)......

More law stuff

Lawyer2b - Whether you want to be a Solicitor, Barrister, or are just generally thinking 'wtf is commercial awareness', this site has everything you'll want. From deadlines to 'how to's, tips on application forms to a list of firms by starting salary, it's definitely a good place to start.

If you're applying for law and you haven't looked at Chamber's Student Guide, get out. Most useful for looking up what all the different practice areas are, as well as reviews on the actual law school you'll be attending for GDL/LPC.

Twitter - you don't need a link for that one. Twitter tends to be good for following firms' graduate groups and also general pages, so you're up-to-date with what the firms' working on as well as finding out about any events that you can attend where you can meet real trainees or associates. A good example is the Linklaters Grads page, who write that they are at Exeter Uni as I write this post.

In general, don't forget to look at firms' actual websites for deadlines for applications (especially if you want a winter vacation place, where most applications end on the 31st of October) - If you don't know who to apply for, use InsideBuzz to narrow down the competitors

You might also like this: How to write a good training contract application form

Covering letters (and CVs)

You have your own careers service for this, but in general mine's pretty frickin' awesome

Edinburgh University Careers Service

General

A couple of examples of what my Prospects page looks like

Prospects kind of does what it says on the tin. Take a(nother) personality testy thingy and find out what you're suited to. I can vouch for its accuracy - my top 5 results were all Solicitor. Also got town planner...and I think careers advisor was in there somewhere too....

Bized is another site that's also good for commercial awareness stuff (stands for business education). More practical - not just "this is what's going on in the FT", but actually explaining the difference between PLCs and franchises, and answering some simple but important questions like "How can a business build and maintain its reputation?"

SHL is the website that does practice 'reasoning' tests and a really good personality test, which I think I've mentioned before. It's quite comprehensive, so give it a go if you need some practice.

Look how many brochures I have! You should get some too...from your careers fair.
Note that they're not all law too - if you look closely, you'll spot
Bloomberg, GCHQ and Mountbatten group.

BBC - If you don't read the news, you're a terrible person. Read it!

Also, some advice I was given (also at the careers fair) was to do up your LinkedIn profile properly. You may not be able to find a graduate scheme straight off the site (in fact you probably won't), but it is useful for looking at information about companies you want to work for, or finding people who have the job you want one day! Obviously you can't just approach a randomer and expect them to add you back because you have a cute profile pic (this isn't Facebook), but you can look at their employment history and see how they got to where they are now. You might also join some relevant groups and, through meaningful participation, be able to start a private conversation with someone you might want some advice from. A great tool, that. Apparently, putting on your CV (you know, in the place you put your email address) can also be useful - a prospective employer may not check it, but they will know you have one...something about assuming you're a better person because of it.

I should be a careers advisor!

Xxx

The Careers Fair

3 days worth of sweaty, jobless crowds packed together in a forced smiling, brochure browsing, free-pen snatching frenzy of discovery and employability. Bring it on. I live for this kind of thing - this year's Careers Fair was my arena. Of course, my pre-fair research meant I knew exactly what was coming, and allowed me to shove, dance and side-step around those 100s who still have no idea what they want to do with the rest of their life.

It was an interesting 2 days (I felt I already had enough brochures from the first two days as to warrant not going to the last). Of course, it was only really interesting for anyone who wanted to be an accountant, lawyer or work in a bank. Or alternatively has a degree in engineering or IT. For everyone else, it was just a hot mess.

In my case, of course, it was an informative event, with more than just free pens apparently! I actually found out about a lot of law firms I hadn't even heard of before, and more about firms I had heard of. Most of the information I already knew, but things like 'We hire a lot of people out of our winter/Easter vacation schemes' was news to me (and will be followed up on). Also, meeting people from the firm was quite a good way to get an impression of their culture. It was no hard task to differentiate between the elites (Latham & Watkins, whose brochure is hardback. Hardback!) and the more normal firms like Baker and McKenzie, who were just lovely.

It really was quite important and competitive for some people though - some guys were there in suits. Suits!  And people were very pushy as well - literally shoving to get a chance to talk to some employer representatives. It was a fair, not a networking event! But I guess the value of a first impression has been very much 'impressed' on certain people (see what I did there?).

Trying to make that lasting impression really puts the pressure on some people (Yes, this is a High School Musical reference, you'll get over it.)

I was pretty much offered a job by Bloomberg though - 'You speak Chinese? Yeah, just apply and you'll probably get in' Says the Chinese guy I was chatting to. Nice.

In other news, I find I'm getting into my Applicationing (it's what I've been calling it in my head) for law firms. It's just for winter workshops/vacation schemes, but I find that it's really good practice for filling out the proper Training Contract forms, which I'm leaving till December. Besides coming up with questions that actually make you think to an irritating degree, I find the world limits on these things are real toughies - obviously they're meant to test you can be as descriptive as possible in the concisest possible way. I'm getting used to using the nuances and flexibility of the English language to my advantage; take out a 'that' here, an 'and' there and you've saved yourself about 5 words, bringing the word count down to that all important 447/450. My advice: never underestimate the power of margin manipulation when trying to make a cover letter one sheet of A4. Same with your CV - the line spacing on my CV is so narrow I'm sure it would just print out as one giant blob, but at least it fits on 2-sides of A4. Boom.


By the by, if anyone's also looking for a job, but not sure how to present yourself on a form/CV, this website has a really good personality test - http://www.shldirect.com/practice_tests.html. It seems a bit long and pointless at first (it's very repetitive), but it actually comes out with a really good report with all your strengths and weaknesses, and key words to use on applications and in interviews!
It also has a good range of practice tests if you have to do verbal/ numerical reasoning tests for applications - Check it out!

Dissertation woes

GRRAAAAAAARRGGGHHHHHHHHH!

Well, now that's out of the way, I'll tell you why I've felt the need to verbalise my misery and frustration. So, you all know I had come up with a dissertation plan - the only problem was I hadn't discussed this plan with my supervisor. I knew what he would say before I got to the meeting: "It's too broad."
And, indeed, that was what he said.

So the problem now is: where to next? Well, I still want to focus on this idea of democracy, despite the screw-mouthed-head-tilted-sympathetic-'ok-but-are-you-sure?' looks my dissertation supervisor insists on shooting me. I know I'm not writing a PH.D paper, but it would be so much easier if I was. At length we discussed the issue of 'narrowing down', and he advised me to pick a piece of work (an article, book, study) and use that as a focal sort of 'bouncing' point for my ideas.

Now, I've kind of settled on an article called China: Capitalism doesn't require democracy, and basing my writing around why the writer is, essentially, correct. I want to argue that capitalism in China has only strengthened the Communist party's position, and, contrary to popular belief, China is not moving towards democratisation as a result. Sounds good, right, right?! However, I can't shake this nagging feeling that my tutor's gonna shoot this idea down and halfway through the year I'll still have no bloody idea what I'm doing woeifhwougbowuloslvsowgboevs.

This is doing my need for hyper-organisation no good.

Library Etiquette

You know you're a true final year student when you can write at length about your time spent in the Library. I live there now. On the third floor, overlooking the Meadows. It's quite a nice place to be actually - peaceful, sunny, warm. If I wasn't there to read 50 page chapters on the make-up of China's government apparatus, it would be almost enjoyable.

I plan my days in advance - write a list, pack a lunch, and head straight there after a lecture, or when I wake up, or after a morning run. Last weekend I spent more time in the Library than I did in my own house. Well, there's no point in going unless you're going to spend at lease 5 hours.

Oh. My. God. What has happened to me?! I've turned into a zombie, quite literally, with no real substance to my life besides reading and going for 'coffee breaks' with my fellow libra...rians? Sometimes I find myself dressing up to go to the Library, you know, in case I find a cute guy, going through the same emotional, studious turmoil as myself, so we can reminisce about our days of freedom, now long gone. Shoot me now.

Ok, it's not as bad as all that (obviously, as I would have stopped going there). I used to abhor the Library, but I find my misconceptions were mainly based on having to use a printer during exam or essay period, where the place is full to bursting with panicky, confused 1st and 2nd years, and Rahs who have only started writing their essays at 9:35, when it's due in for 12:00. I get quite a lot done there, but I find I'm slowly turning into one of those dickhead Library connoisseurs, who takes no little pleasure in complaining about the lack of understanding Library noobs show for proper 'quiet-time' study. Honestly though - last week, this Spanish guy started a Skype conversation (in Spanish) with his mother/girlfriend (it was a woman, and I heard I love you a couple of times) in the MIDDLE of the study area. Get out! Frankly, I was appalled, as was one of the many guys sitting around me, who then got up to express his displeasure (in a whisper). The Spanish dude was forced to remove himself from the area, and the rest of us were appropriately mollified. The cheek of it! He could have just gone downstairs to have this conversation - there's a whole area of the Library dedicated to it! It was 8 o'clock and there were only a few of us around, but still, manners please!

I try and keep some links with the real world though. I take Mondays off to do other things, like write this post and attend debate soc, but even as I write, the list of things I need to do appears in reams before my eyes. It never grows, this list, but I find it doesn't shrink either. The turnover of tasks to be completed is quite impressive - from normal work, to society stuff, to attending volunteering meetings, to normal work, to dissertation, exercise and self-study (because if you remember, as I so often forget, I'm studying a language!). I'm sure I have the same amount to do as most people, and I don't do half as many extra-curriculars as my flatmates, but somehow I'm sure it all balances out somewhere, and most of the time it just feels like more.

Oh, and applications for Law have just opened. As in, right now. Hum.

Wow, this just turned into a rant, didn't it? I'm sorry I had to take it out on you guys, but I find that I have no time to actually talk to any of my friends. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go read up about Libor...

Xxx