Top Tips For Securing A Training Contract At Gordons
Tuesday 13th December 2022
We take on up to four graduate trainee solicitors each year. Successful candidates benefit from close supervision working alongside experienced lawyers.
There is always fierce competition for our graduate trainee solicitor places. To give you the best chance of standing out we asked our recruitment panel for their top tips.
Don’t do too many applications
It’s obvious when candidates have taken a scatter-gun approach and applied to too many firms, by using cut and paste, ‘one size fits all’ answers. Decide honestly which firms are right for you and concentrate on doing strong applications for those firms.
Show originality and personality
Put yourself in the shoes of the person reading hundreds of answers to the same question. Think about what would make your answer stand out in a good way. Don’t repeat content from our website or tell us what you think we want to hear. Make your own voice heard.
Ask for help with proof reading
This is really important. Print your form and check it for errors like you would a piece of coursework. Then ask a friend or family member to proof read your applications too. Sometimes when you’ve spent a lot of time looking at a document, you may not spot an obvious error.
Think about the word limits for each question
We consider our word limits carefully so use that as a prompt for how much detail we want in an answer.
Do your research
We want to see that you’ve researched the job and have an understanding of why you want a career in law with us.
Be prepared for video interviews
Video interviews can throw people sometimes. Make sure you can access the platform and you’ve got strong Wi-Fi. Even though you may be at home make sure you and your surroundings look professional. You need to try even harder to build rapport, so look straight to camera and don’t rely on offscreen notes as this is obvious to the interviewer.
Listen to our questions
Don’t reel off a prepared answer. Listen fully to the question being asked as we can’t give you a good mark if you give a perfect answer to a different question.
Don’t be afraid to ask for a moment to think
If you don’t know what to say right away, it’s always better to ask for a moment and collect your thoughts so you can give a much better answer.
Be authentic
We always say that we are ‘people first, lawyers second’, so try to put your true self across and be authentic in what you say.
Give an opinion
Lawyers have to give an opinion; they can’t just sit on the fence. Come prepared to express your views and sometimes have them challenged.
Ask questions
Think of a few probing questions for your interviewers beforehand. It’s never a good idea to have no questions to ask of us.
And finally
We want everyone who applies and comes to interview with us to feel comfortable and able to display their skills and personality.
If there are any adjustments which you think might help you with this, let us know and we will see what we can do to help.
