Careers and Employability Career Planning for Law Students

1 2 Career Planning for Law Students

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT © University of Updated September 2012 All Rights Reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owner, other than as permitted by current UK legislation or under the terms of a recognised copyright licensing scheme.

3 Careers and Employability www.chester.ac.uk/careers

Philippa Hardie Career Consultant [email protected] 01244 513066

Careers & Employability Centre (opposite The Binks Building) Chester Campus

Careers and Employability University of Chester Parkgate Road Chester CH1 4BJ

4 Contents

Career Planning for Law Students ...... 6 Careers in Law – Timetable for Law Students 2012/13 ...... 7

Becoming a ...... 9 The Legal Practice Course (LPC) ...... 10 Applying for admission to the full time Legal Practice Course . . . . 10 Applying for admission to the part-time Legal Practice Course . . . . 11 What will I study on the Legal Practice Course? ...... 11 When to apply for a ...... 12 What do trainee do? ...... 12 How to Apply ...... 13

Becoming a ...... 14 Prospects ...... 15 Apply for Work Experience ...... 16 Apply for a place on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) . . .16 Joining an Inn and Applying for Scholarships ...... 17 What is ? ...... 18 What do Chambers look for? ...... 18 Apply for ...... 19

Applying by Online Application Form ...... 20 Applying by CV ...... 21 The Covering Letter ...... 27

Skills analysis sheet ...... 29

5 Career Planning for Law Students

Almost as soon as you start your , you need to ask yourself a very important question:

nn Do I wish to use my law degree in order to pursue a career as a solicitor or barrister?

Less than half of all law students eventually progress into law, but only after undertaking the necessary further study and training. That means that everyone else goes into other fields, many of which will require either postgraduate study or relevant work experience.

In order to make the right decision for you, start investigating the solicitors’ and ’ professions.

There are two key activities you can do at this stage:

nn Research - do as much as possible during your degree, as this will give you a clearer idea of the areas of legal practice, different solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers.

nn Legal work experience – it is vital to get as much as you can during your degree. With some legal experience behind you, any application will look more credible and you will have a better idea which area of the profession might suit you best.

The recruitment cycle in law can be up to twice as long as for other graduate careers. For example, if you want to be a commercial solicitor with a large firm, or a barrister at one of the larger commercial sets, you may need to apply two years in advance of when you want to start.

Routes to qualification

Gaining your LLB will give you a qualifying law degree. This will enable you to qualify either as a solicitor or barrister by completing the relevant vocational stage of training. If you have a non-law or Combined Law degree you will have to complete at least some of the before going on to the LPC or BPTC.

6 Careers in Law – Timetable for Law Students 2012/13

DATE SOLICITORS – TIMETABLE BARRISTERS – TIMETABLE At any nn Research firms. If nn Research chambers opportunity interested in small firms seek work experience or nn Apply for mini-pupillages work shadowing (see www.pupillages. com)

nn Join an Inn (any time, but no later than 31 May prior to BPTC). Level 5 Autumn nn Attend Law Fairs and presentations

nn Apply for work experience schemes and open days with larger firms (closing dates around Feb/March 2013) Spring/ nn Apply for training nn Attend National Pupillage Summer contracts with larger firms Fair in , March for positions to start 2015 2013, see www. – closing dates around 31 targetjobs.co.uk for July 2013 details

nn The majority of chambers recruit one year ahead, so you will normally apply during your final year, but check for chambers recruiting two years ahead (see www. pupillages.com).

7 DATE SOLICITORS – TIMETABLE BARRISTERS – TIMETABLE Level 6 Autumn nn Apply for LPC (from nn Apply for BPTC and October 2012) for courses take Aptitude Test commencing 2013 – apply online at www. online at www.lawcabs. barprofessionaltraining. ac.uk. There is a link to org.uk Application period websites for information November 2012– mid on course providers. January 2013. Apply for Inns’ scholarships (closing date 2 November 2012 for 2013 entry). Spring/ nn Register online as a nn Apply for pupillages. See Summer student member of the www.pupillages.com Solicitors Regulatory which lists all pupillages Authority (SRA) including those recruiting www.sra.org.uk. You must through the Pupillage be enrolled and obtain a Portal which has one Certificate of Completion recruitment season in of the Academic Stage by April. the start of the LPC.

nn Check training contract vacancies with small/ nn Join an Inn by 31 May medium sized firms prior to commencing (closing dates vary). BPTC.

8 Becoming a Solicitor

Solicitors form the largest part of the legal profession with approximately 104,000 practitioners. The majority work in private practice. The remainder work in-house (within companies, charities and other employer organisations) or within government.

Solicitors’ work depends a great deal on the practice area and the size of employer. For example, in a City firm the focus of the work is almost entirely business law, dealing with companies. Solicitors work together in teams, in structured departments, with individual practitioners often looking at one small part of a large, high profile deal. Face-to-face contact with the client is limited in the early years and you will work alongside qualified staff, as one of many trainees.

In contrast, in a high street firm, you may be the only trainee and will probably have face-to-face client contact and court work from an early stage. Here, the work is for individuals or small local businesses and reflects everyday life events such as wills and , divorce, conveyancing or standard business matters.

Routes to qualification

If you’re thinking of qualifying as a solicitor, your degree will remain valid for seven years only. This means that you must start your LPC during this time.

What’s the next stage?

You must apply to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for student membership and for a certificate of completion of the academic stage of training. This is very important as without it you cannot go on to the vocational stage of training which includes the Legal Practice Course and the training contract.

9 The Legal Practice Course (LPC)

The course is delivered and studied in two stages:

Stage 1 covers the three essential practice areas of Business Law and Practice, Property Law and Practice, and Litigation, and the course skills, Professional Conduct and Regulation, Taxation, and Wills and Administration of Estates.

Stage 2 will be made up of three vocational electives.

To assist you in making a choice, LPC providers can become authorised to offer Stage 1, Stage 2 or both stages.

You must complete Stage 1 with one provider only.

You can take Stage 2 with your Stage 1 provider or with one or more other authorised Stage 2 providers. Therefore, you can take the three vocational electives at three different authorised providers.

You must complete three electives. Each elective will be allocated to an elective group, and you will be required to complete electives from at least two groups to ensure that you cover different aspects of practice.

All assessments of Stage 1 and Stage 2 must be successfully completed and passed within a five-year period. The five-year period starts from the date you attempt the first assessment—whether or not you are successful.

The LPC will continue to be delivered from September to June on a full time basis or part-time over 2 years. There are also other study options available.

For more information please look at the SRA’s website – www.sra.org.uk

Applying for admission to the full time Legal Practice Course

Admission applications for the full time Legal Practice Course (LPC) are processed by the Central Applications Board – www.lawcabs.ac.uk

Applications can be made from October in the year before the course starts.

10 Applying for admission to the part-time Legal Practice Course

Admission applications for the part-time Legal Practice Course (LPC) are dealt with directly by individual providers.

Not all providers offer part-time courses, so check the list of providers on the SRA’s website – www.sra.org.uk for more information.

What will I study on the Legal Practice Course?

The LPC comprises nn compulsory areas (Business Law and Practice, Property Law and Practice, and Civil and Criminal Litigation) nn core areas nn pervasive areas (Accounts, Professional Conduct and Client Care, , Revenue Law and Human Rights) nn skills areas (Advocacy, Interviewing and Advising, Practical Legal Research, Writing and Drafting) nn elective subjects

If you hope to study a particular elective subject, ensure that it is offered by the institution to which you apply.

The Training Contract

The training contract lasts two years and is compulsory for graduates who wish to qualify as a solicitor. There should be a mix of contentious and non- contentious work.

Trainee solicitors gain practical experience of law and learn to apply a range of skills through working in a law practice or legal department.

11 When to apply for a training contract

Most commercial and corporate firms’ deadlines fall in July two years ahead of the start date.

This means that if you want a training contract in such firms you need to start to apply from your second year of the LLB. A full list of the larger firms’ closing dates for training contracts can be found at www.lawcareers.net

Many other firms recruit a great deal later, eg small firms, niche practices, local authorities and Magistrates’ courts, , high street and general practice firms. This may be during your final year at university or during or after the LPC.

This is why it is so important to start researching firms and areas of law at an early stage of your law degree. Training contracts are difficult to find so the earlier you start the process the better.

What do trainee solicitors do?

As a , you’ll work in a legal environment such as:

nn a firm of solicitors nn in-house legal department of a local authority or company nn Crown Prosecution Service nn Magistrates Courts Service nn Government Legal Service

You will gain practical experience of at least three areas of , such as law, conveyancing, company law, environmental law or criminal litigation.

You will develop your skills through working on clients’ cases. As a trainee solicitor, you’ll be closely supervised; your work will be regularly reviewed. You will deal with clients and learn to handle your own cases.

12 How to Apply Commercial/Corporate Firms Work Placements

Increasingly, larger firms recruit their trainees through their work placement schemes. These are aimed at second year Law undergraduates although they are also open to final year and LPC students.

A work placement is one or two weeks’ paid work experience in a law firm and usually takes place in Easter and summer vacations. You will be given tasks to do on an individual and group basis and assessed throughout the period. You may have a formal interview at the end of the placement and the firm will then decide whether to offer you a training contract.

Most of the larger commercial/corporate firms will pay the costs of the LPC plus some level of living allowance whilst studying. Check www.lawcareers. net for details. General Practice and High Street Firms

For the majority of general practice and high street firms application for training contracts will be by CV and covering letter in response to an advertisement. You would also send a CV and covering letter when applying for work experience in a firm.

13 Becoming a Barrister

The Bar is a small profession of approximately 15,000 practitioners. This can be broken down into the independent or self-employed Bar (80%) and the employed Bar (20%), i.e. counsel working in-house in companies, charities and government organisations. Barristers offer two main services:

nn advocacy and nn specialist opinion . Advocacy

Advocacy, the verbal presentation of an argument in court on behalf of another, remains the preserve of the Bar despite recent changes which have affected this. However, you need to be aware that as a barrister the amount of advocacy you undertake will depend on the area of law in which you specialise. For example, as a criminal barrister, advocacy would be a large part of your work compared to areas such as commercial or Chancery. Specialist opinion

Barristers offering services need to be specialists in a particular field or sector so that they can be consulted for a second legal opinion in more complex cases. Knowledge of the law and of the industry sector covered needs to be unparalleled. Working environment

The biggest difference between solicitors and barristers is that the latter are self-employed. Barristers are responsible for their own paperwork such as VAT, income tax, expenses and rent in chambers. Most barristers work in sets or groups of chambers to share premises and staff costs such as that of a barrister’s clerk. Developing and maintaining a client base is vital and much of this will depend on a barrister’s track record.

14 Skills required

There are numerous qualities required of a barrister, but the skills covered by the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC) are: nn legal research – analytical, seeing the wood for trees, attention to detail nn fact management – able to retain and manipulate large volumes of information and detail nn opinion writing – able to argue on paper and to formulate options and recommendations nn drafting – able to write clearly and concisely nn conference – able to gather the right information from clients and solicitors nn negotiation – able to reach a satisfactory conclusion based on several factors, including cost nn advocacy – able to represent another’s case in front of a court.

Prospects

Competition for pupillage is fierce, with fewer than 500 pupillages available each year and over 1500 students enrolling on the BPTC. So, if you want to pursue a career at the Bar, you should assess your chances, thoroughly research the opportunities and write the best application possible. If after this you are still aiming for the Bar - go for it wholeheartedly.

You need to be aware that: nn There has been a sharp decline in the number of pupillages (due to the introduction of compulsory funding) nn Money for publicly funded work continues to be an issue nn Since 2000, it has been easier for solicitors to gain higher rights, allowing them to appear in all courts to represent their clients as solicitor . nn Start investigating different chambers and pupillage providers, and areas of legal practice in the second year of your LLB. nn Attend general careers/law fairs (which usually run in the autumn term each year), and careers talks on the Bar. nn Visit Careers and Employability for information. nn You should also plan to attend the National Pupillage Fair, held annually in London (usually March each year).

15 Places to look for basic information about the Bar:

nn Prospects website – www.prospects.ac.uk nn Chambers Student Guide – www.chambersstudent.co.uk nn The Training Contract and Pupillage Handbook – www.lawcareers.net nn Target Law – www.targetjobs.co.uk/law nn Legal 500 – www.legal500.com nn Chambers and Partners – www.chambersandpartners.com nn Pupillage Portal – www.pupillages.com

Apply for Work Experience

The best work experience you can do if you want to be a barrister is a mini- pupillage. These are short periods of work experience (usually around five days) spent in chambers. Mini-pupillages can be done at any point before you secure pupillage and at any time of year suitable to chambers.

You should aim to do at least three mini-pupillages, ideally in sets of varying size and practice area, so that you can get a better feel for what the work is like in practice. You could also apply directly to organisations with in-house counsel for work shadowing (observation for a few days).

In addition to mini-pupillages, consider looking for work experience opportunities in law firms.

Other useful experience for the Bar includes:

nn court visits – local County, Crown Court or Magistrates’ Courts nn public speaking – moots, debating societies etc nn campaigning/voluntary work in areas of legal aid covered by the Bar/ working for the local Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB). See www.citizensadvice.co.uk

Apply for a place on the Bar Professional Training Course (BPTC)

Apply via the central BPTC online system (www.barprofessionaltraining.org. uk) for both the full and part-time BPTC. The system opens in October and the closing date for applications is early January for acceptance onto the BPTC starting in the autumn.

16 Aptitude Test

From October 2012 you will have to pass an aptitude test set by the in order to be accepted onto the BPTC. See www. barstandardsboard.org.uk for further details.

Joining an Inn and Applying for Scholarships

You will need to join one of the four by 31 May in the year that you start the BPTC. However, the Inns are also the main source of funding (for both the GDL and BPTC) so look into applying for scholarships as soon as you decide to pursue this career path.

For BPTC scholarships – apply early November in the year before you intend to start your BPTC.

The four Inns of Court are: nn Gray’s Inn – www.graysinn.org.uk nn Inner Temple – www.innertemple.org.uk nn Middle Temple – www.middletemple.org.uk nn Lincoln’s Inn – www.lincolnsinn.org.uk

17 What is Pupillage?

Pupillage lasts 12 months and is split between a first ‘non-practising’ six and a second ‘practising’ six.

nn The first six is spent shadowing an experienced barrister. nn During the second six, you are entitled to supply legal services and exercise rights of audience under supervision. nn You will also attend advocacy training, an ‘Advice to Counsel’ course and a forensic accountancy course. When should Pupillage be undertaken?

You must begin pupillage within five years of completing your BPTC.

Who offers pupillages?

nn Barristers’ chambers nn Government Legal Service nn Crown Prosecution Service

What do Chambers look for?

This varies between Chambers, but includes:

nn High academic standards; nn A commitment to the Bar and an awareness of the advantages/ disadvantages; nn An interest in the relevant practice area and, sometimes, knowledge of a particular field or specialism (especially for mature entrants); nn Advocacy skills such as debating and mooting experience; nn Mini-pupillage and relevant work experience.

18 Apply for Pupillages

Most chambers will recruit approximately 18 months before you intend to start pupillage – i.e. in the spring of your final year at university. Some other pupillage providers, such as the Government Legal Service, will recruit pupils at the same time as they recruit trainee solicitors – in the summer before your final year. See the pupillages.com website for more details.

There are two ways of applying for pupillage – via the Pupillage Portal and directly. nn Pupillage Portal - is an online system at www.pupillages.com which allows you to complete one standard application form and apply to a maximum of 12 chambers each year and make one “clearing” application. You can tailor the application to each set of Chambers. nn Direct Applications – while all pupillages should be advertised at www.pupillages.com, not all pupillage providers participate in the central Pupillage Portal scheme. For these recruiters you will need to apply directly – via CV or their own application form. Often these recruiters will have different deadlines so you will need to check each one individually. There is no limit on the number of pupillages outside the Pupillage Portal you can apply for.

Pupillage applications should be your focus from your final year at university. If you are not successful at this stage, you can still apply for pupillages during and after the BPTC.

19 Applying by Online Application Form

Spelling and grammar

nn Correct grammar and spelling are vital. nn Attention to detail is an important skill for any . nn Draft your form in Word, check it carefully, then cut and paste it into the online form. Formal style

nn Always write using appropriate language and style. Take a copy

nn Always save a copy of your draft application offline. This allows you to check your work before you hit the send button. When you are invited to interview, it is very important to have a copy of your application to remind yourself of what you wrote. Automatic word limits

nn Most online application systems set word count limits for each answer – once you reach the limit, no further text is accepted. Always try to be concise and relevant in your answers. Covering letters and CVs

nn Online applications don’t always require a covering letter, although some employers ask for a CV and/or letter to be uploaded in addition to the main form. There are usually ‘open’ questions instead which allow you to explain your motivation for applying and what you think you can offer. Staying in touch

nn Online applications are usually acknowledged immediately on screen and later by email.

20 Applying by CV

The other main method of applying for a training contract or pupillage is by CV and covering letter. Preparing Your CV

A CV is a factual summary of the key features about you which are relevant to a future employer. This is your way of “marketing yourself” and must be tailored for each application. Presenting Your CV

Tips for Law students: nn No more than two sides of A4 nn Word-processed in a clear font like Arial, Tahoma, Verdana nn Information always presented in reverse chronological order: the most recent experience first. nn Spaced out well, using indent, bold, underline, and bullet points consistently. Content and Layout

Start with your name and put your personal details underneath like this:

Sarah Thomas

14 Garden Lane Chester CH2 3LX

Tel: 01244 657433 Mobile: 0774 397584 Email: [email protected]

21 Personal details

You can be more selective with a CV than with an application form. Marital status is unnecessary while nationality is only an issue if you need a work permit.

Further tips for the personal information section:

nn The title of your CV should be the name by which you are known – you do not need the words ‘curriculum vitae’. Avoid middle names which you do not routinely use nn Contact details should be up to date and reliable. Give an email address and ensure you check it daily. nn Ensure that personal email addresses are suitably professional! Education and Qualifications

Education and employment are the most important parts of your CV as together they provide the evidence to meet most employers’ selection criteria. List your details in reverse chronological order, with the present day at the top of the list and working backwards in time. Most CVs for University of Chester LLB students will include:

nn First degree – name of University, dates attended, subject of degree. If some of your degree subjects are relevant to the work of the firms or sets to whom you are applying, list them; alternatively, you could name the subjects in which you performed especially well.

nn Pre-university qualifications – include dates, subjects and grades at A level. Summarise GCSEs eg. 8 GCSEs at grades A* - C including English and Maths. Non-traditional qualifications

If you have qualifications other than GCSEs and A levels, it is worth giving an indication of their level and equivalence (e.g. ‘Intermediate GNVQ, equivalent to 2 GCSEs at grades A-C’). UCAS (www.ucas.com) can be helpful if you are not sure what to put.

22 Academic ‘blips’

Consistent academic performance is a key selection criterion, especially for larger commercial firms. Do not, however, be tempted to omit grades, as employers may assume you did a lot worse than in reality.

Employers are often prepared to consider waiving their normal academic requirements if you can provide evidence that circumstances beyond your control, such as a bereavement or illness, affected your performance.

In your CV, it is important to state briefly that there were mitigating circumstances during your ‘blip’ but saving full details for later, for example:

2004 - 2006 ‘A’ levels: Biology (B), Geography (D*,) Economics (E*)

* I was suffering from glandular fever at the time, which affected my performance. Medical evidence is available on request.

You can also consider mentioning the ‘blip’ in the covering letter where you have space to put it within a positive context. Employment

This can usefully be divided into legal and non-legal experience, providing you have some of each. The key to an impressive CV is to make your experience work for you by showing how you have developed skills and knowledge of use to the employers you want to work for, even from work which is not obviously relevant. nn Clarify your responsibilities – think of the skills you have gained nn Use ‘active’ description – put yourself at the centre of the picture, e.g. ‘Drafted standard client letters and liaised with solicitors’ rather than ‘solicitors at the firm gave me client letters to draft’. nn Quantify whenever possible – mention the size of the employer, its turnover, staff numbers, type of customers, the size of budget for your department and any financial responsibility you held.

23 Other experience

Don’t forget the skills gained from unpaid as well as for paid work. Whatever you call this section (Activities & Interests, Positions of Responsibility), it can also give the recruiter some idea of your personality and likely ‘fit’ with the organisation you are targeting. You can include any of the following:

nn Voluntary and community work – this is very important for any firm or organisation involved with private clients and the local community. Such employers tend to look for specific interpersonal skills, such as the ability to remain calm when under pressure.

nn Membership of professional & other bodies – particularly relevant for those with previous careers in a different field. If you have contacts via such organisations this could be useful for generating business.

nn Positions of responsibility – these can be used as evidence of leadership, co-ordination, strategy and the ability to take the initiative. If you have space, mention how long you held the position, what you actually did, whether you were elected or appointed and what you learnt from the experience. For , stress anything that has developed or improved your commercial awareness such as fund raising or being treasurer of a club.

nn Domestic responsibilities – mention commitments such as children and relatives if they have been your focus for a time, such as during a career break, to avoid any gaps in dates.

nn Music, art and sports – this can show attributes such as team work, creativity and self- discipline. Larger commercial firms tend to be particularly keen on team work and will want to know your level of involvement as well as your competence. Always focus on interests that are as distinctive as possible and require active involvement; avoid those that most people do, such as reading, watching TV and socialising with friends.

24 Other skills

These might include: nn Languages (including community languages such as Urdu and Gujarati) nn Driving (especially for rural and small-town firms) Referees

At the end of your CV, you should provide details of two contacts who know you in a professional capacity, ideally one academic and one employer. As a University of Chester student, your academic referee should be your personal tutor. Your employer referee can be legal or non-legal, depending on how much legal experience you have. Avoid personal referees.

Always ask the person first before giving their details out and aim for contacts that are recent and can be contacted easily. Include email details if appropriate but not telephone numbers. Action Words:

On the next pages you will find a list of action word which you can use to enhance the content of your CV, covering letter and/or application form.

25 Action Words:

Accelerated Converted Formed Performed Shaped Accomplished Corrected Formulated Persuaded Simplified Achieved Counselled Generated Pioneered Solved Activated Created Guided Planned Specified Acquired Cultivated Implemented Positioned Staffed Addressed Decentralised Improved Predicted Standardised Administered Decreased Improvised Prepared Started Advised Defined Inaugurated Presented Stimulated Amplified Delivered Increased Prevented Streamlined Analysed Demonstrated Initiated Processed Strengthened Anticipated Designed Inspired Procured Strengthened Applied Determined Installed Produced Structured Appraised Developed Instigated Programmed Studied Appropriate Devised Instructed Promoted Succeeded Approved Directed Insured Proposed Surpassed Arranged Discharged Integrated Proved Supported Assessed Disposed Interpreted Published Superseded Assimilated Distributed Intervened Purchased Supervised Augmented Diversified Introduced Recommend Surveyed Authorised Documented Invented Redesigned Taught Averted Doubled Invested Reduced Terminated Avoided Edited Investigated Recruited Tested Bought Effected Launched Regulated Tightened Built Eliminated Led Rejected Trained Centralised Enacted Lightened Related Translated Collaborated Enforced Managed Renegotiated Treated Combined Engaged Maintained Reorganised Trimmed Compiled Enlarged Measured Reported Tripled Completed Established Merged Resolved Uncovered Composed Estimated Minimised Restricted Unified Computed Evaluated Modernised Reviewed Unravelled Conceived Executed Monitored Revised Utilised Concluded Expanded Observed Revitalised Unified Condensed Expedited Obtained Saved Wrote Conducted Extracted Operated Scheduled Consolidated Familiarised Organised Selected Controlled Forecasted Originated Set Up

26 The Covering Letter nn Keep to a maximum of one side of A4. nn Paragraphs should be clearly laid out and there should be white space at the top and bottom of your page. nn Use a font that is easy to read, such as Arial. nn Try to write in a direct and simple way. You will save space and get your message over more easily. Structure nn Always write to a named person rather than ‘Sir/Madam’ if at all possible. nn Use their title and surname only, eg Dear Mrs Smith. First paragraph nn Use this to set the scene. nn Clarify what you are applying or looking for, when for and what you’re currently doing. nn For example, ‘I am writing to you in response to your advert for a trainee solicitor to start in September 2013. I am currently a final year LLB student at the University of Chester.’ nn You could also add a reason for your interest in the vacancy, eg previous time spent in a similar firm, relevant options during your degree, choice of electives on the LPC. nn Mention you are enclosing your CV. Second paragraph nn Address why you are applying to the firm/set/company. nn Think about its size, location and areas of specialisation. nn Then widen this out to anything special or unique about the employer (eg six seats rather than four) and your wider career aims. nn You need to demonstrate that you have researched the employer and area of work and that you have a good feel for what they are about. nn Make links to any experience that has helped you come to your decision and avoid vague generalisations such as ‘top class training programme’ or ‘international reputation’.

27 Third paragraph

nn This is where you need to convince the employer that you are right for them and for the role. If you are responding to an advertised position, address each of the selection criteria.

nn Don’t expect the reader to turn to your CV to evidence this; lay it out for them to read.

nn If you don’t have much relevant experience, explain why you think you could make a contribution, e.g. team player, fast learner, good people skills.

nn Refer to points on your CV that you want the reader to note without repeating too much information. Fourth paragraph

nn This is for any other relevant information such as mitigating circumstances for poor academic results, or details of extra qualifications that are relevant to the job, e.g. languages, paralegal, an LLM. Final paragraph

nn Use this space to sign off and indicate your availability for interview.

nn Use ‘Yours sincerely’ where you have written to a named individual and ‘Yours faithfully’ if you have had to use ‘Sir/Madam’.

28 Skills analysis sheet

The following are some of the skills most often asked for by employers:

Thinking of your Education, Activities and Interests and Work Experience, write examples of evidence you have to show an employer you possess the skills highlighted below.

Skills EDUCATION ACTIVITIES & WORK INTERESTS EXPERIENCE Evidence Evidence Evidence Organising

Problem Solving

Working in a Team

Drive and Initiative

29 Taking Responsibility

Communication Skills – Written and Oral

Working Under Pressure

Analytical Skills/ Problem Solving

Creativity and Innovation

30 Tact and Sensitivity

Leadership Potential

Motivating Others

Planning

Commercial Awareness

31 Careers and Employability

32