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