Summer clerkships (3 Viewers)

[Marmalade.]

That just shows the person isn't focused and clearly hasn't thought too much about their future. I think 4-5 interviews are optimal.

jealous.

 

[M@C D@DDY]

jealous.

Well, I applied to five firms which I thought would be a worthwhile place to do my clerkship and got five second round interviews. It is obviously some people's preference to apply for as many firms as possible before deciding and that is fair enough. I am merely saying that, in my opinion, it shows the person lacks focus, or a true direction as to what they want to pursue in commercial law. And like what Frigid said, you can only do one clerkship, so if in attending 10 first round interviews, you haven't narrowed that down to a manageable list of preferences, you got a massive problem in being decisive when you begin work.

 

[| n i s s y |]

Don't judge the poor law student with the 10 2nd round interviews!

I'm sure anyone who has had 10 2nd rounds will have formed some sort of preference for certain firms. I don't think that their decision to attend all their 2nd round interviews shows a lack of focus or direction at all. All it shows, is that there not as confident about getting an offer at the particular firms they want. As subdued123 said, these things are out of our control. If you are not a straight HD student, with amazing extra curriculars and a stunning personality....then I think its very wise to maximise your chances of getting a clerkship...by attending as many interviews as you can. In the end you may just get 1 or 2 offers anyway!

 

[Frigid]

I'm sure anyone who has had 10 2nd rounds will have formed some sort of preference for certain firms... In the end you may just get 1 or 2 offers anyway!

that may be a possibility but in terms of numbers game, i think that person will end up with 5-8 offers. and i dare speculate the person will choose to accept one of the more 'prestigious' ones.

 

[Lara1986]

Even if it is true that this student everyone is discussing is undecided as to what their future career will be - why is that so offensive to people?

If you are a good student with great employment prospects, which I am assuming this person is given the positive response they received from firms, there is nothing wrong with being honest enough with yourself to admit that you really don't know that much about each of the firms and one of the best ways to find out what a firm's culture is like is to actually speak to representatives of the firm.

Eg - I had an interview with a firm a year ago and from the job ad, their website and the opinions of other solicitors i gained a very favourable impression of the firm. First interview was great, the HR manager was really friendly and informative so this further confirmed the view I had of them. But, second round interview was shocking! They were rude, asked questions that it is unlawful and/or immoral to be asking, everyone seemed terrified of the principal solicitor, the office was disorganised, staff members were incredibly discourteous to clients etc. Upon returning home from the interview, I received a call asking me to come back that day for a 3rd round interview and then was abused over the phone and told I was ungrateful for saying that I would not be able to get back there in time as I had only just gotten home and they wanted me back there in less time than it took to travel there. So of course, I refused and crossed that firm of my mental list of places to keep in mind for work

There's nothing wrong with keeping your options open and informing yourself as greatly as possible, provided that you are doing so in an informed way and have thought it through I think it's only problematic if such a student was unsure as to their future direction alongside having poor marks, lack of experience, lack of extra curriculars etc etc as in that kind of situation, your options are a bit more limited so you do need to be more aware and committed to a future direction.

 

[subdued123]

Don't judge the poor law student with the 10 2nd round interviews!

I agree with Lara and Nissy.

If I can only add - when you go to these places and do 10 interviews, you meet people. Build networks, albeit at a very low level. You see how other law firms operate. You get a sense of the vibe. You get wined and dined 10 times. You learn things about firms you might not already know.

MacDaddy, you did 5 interviews, good on you. You are determined and know what you want.

Just don't hate on an obviously supremely talented person who had the gall to commit the crime of applying to more than a few places. It's petty.

 

[charlie_charlie]

Plus you never ever really know what the firms want from you - this process is very arbitrary, and is very much based on luck for the majority of applicants. There are those who *do* have the amazing grades, personality, extracurriculars + happened to get along very well with the interviewers - but the majority of the applicants don't have this privilege. The clerkship process *is* very much based on how the firm perceives that you fit in with their culture - and despite reading as much as you can on the subject and speaking to people from the firm at uni - the best way to find out whether *you* want to work for the firm is by meeting them. A lot of people may put in 10 applications and come out with only 1-2 1st round interviews. Some might have no 2nd round interviews. Each to their own.

 

[M@C D@DDY]

I agree with Lara and Nissy.

If I can only add - when you go to these places and do 10 interviews, you meet people. Build networks, albeit at a very low level. You see how other law firms operate. You get a sense of the vibe. You get wined and dined 10 times. You learn things about firms you might not already know.

MacDaddy, you did 5 interviews, good on you. You are determined and know what you want.

Just don't hate on an obviously supremely talented person who had the gall to commit the crime of applying to more than a few places. It's petty.

Look, we'll just have to agree to disagree. What I said was merely my own opinion, and I respect yours as well, all I am saying is, that the time you take to attend 10 first and second round interviews (20 in total) could be better spent, sitting down and evaluating your options. If this particular person is so supremely talented, I am sure they would have some idea of how many interviews he/she would get after the application stage. It's a cop-out to say "oh, but I just want to see how many I can get and go from there".

Don't get me wrong, I am not disregarding this particular person's achievements. What I am trying to get at is the process which she has taken. It is not the end I am attacking but the means.

 

[Demandred]

Judgment day tomorrow :O

 

[Frigid]

to all waiting, get some sleep.

 

[Demandred]

Already got an internship @ a top tier - not with the law firms though

All the best people

 

[= Jennifer =]

good luck to everyone waiting for offers

I have been applying for normal paralegal jobs again so it makes it easier now because competition has been eliminated so thanks

 

[neo o]

Well, my pessimism was justified

 

[subdued123]

any other news?

Curious to see if the downturn affected recruitment numbers...

 

[neo o]

any other news?

Curious to see if the downturn affected recruitment numbers...

I know some government departments like the ACCC really reduced their graduate intake this year.

 

[Frigid]

did the entire BoS law gang not get one offer?

 

[neo o]

I've got a confirmed internship. It isn't at a law firm, but at least it isn't like I'm missing out completely. *sighface*

 

[Lara1986]

did the entire BoS law gang not get one offer?

Could also be that a lot simply didn't apply?

I didn't apply for any as I have absolutely no desire to work in the firms/areas that offer clerkships that are worth applying for and I know a few friends thought the same as they want to go into crim or family etc

Also - someone mentioned the economic downturn factor - I know a few people who didn't apply not because the downturn meant fewer places were available, but because downturn meant they couldn't afford to risk taking a clerkship and not getting an offer for ongoing employment as they'd have to quit their current job to take one in the first place.

 

[Marmalade.]

​

Also - someone mentioned the economic downturn factor - I know a few people who didn't apply not because the downturn meant fewer places were available, but because downturn meant they couldn't afford to risk taking a clerkship and not getting an offer for ongoing employment as they'd have to quit their current job to take one in the first place.

Is it really that bad, or is that just an excuse? I've not found it difficult to get a job recently.

 

[Lara1986]

Is it really that bad, or is that just an excuse? I've not found it difficult to get a job recently.​

I personally found it more difficult to find jobs at that time of year, being the beginning of the year, as most firms seem to do their recruiting for that 6 monts or so at the end of the previous year.

I'm not saying it's impossible to find a job, but at minimum it'd take you a week to search, apply, interview and start. I know a lot of people who couldn't afford to have a few weeks without income - and by people I don't mean your average student living at home with parents, I mean people who have to worry about rent and other expenses like family members they help care for or kids or things like that.

For some people yes it is just an excuse, but for others it is a genuine reason, especially if you are a UWS student forced to do summer school due to terrible timetabling lol so you really don't have the time to job hunt in advance.​