Today or Tomorrow

Application advice

Identify your skills, preferences and areas of career interest
Ask yourself:

  • What do you enjoy/dislike?
  • What are you good at?
  • What have you done before and what did you enjoy about it?
  • Do you enjoy teamwork or working on your own?
  • Do you want to embark upon further study?
  • Are you prepared to travel/be flexible?
  • Do you want to work for an organisation that other people have heard of?
  • What sort of environment do you feel most comfortable in?
  • What size of organisation do you want to work for?
  • How much training and development support do you want from your employer?
  • Do you want a structured development programme?

Remember to be honest with yourself. Parents and friends often have a big impact on decisions, but this is not their future. Make sure you ask yourself WHY? Why do you want this job?


Obtain information on career paths and organisations
The more research you do, the more sound your career choice will be and the better prepared you will be to complete your applications form.

Sources of information include:

  • Internet (employers and graduate recruitment specialists)
  • Careers service
  • Company literature
  • Meeting employers
  • Career directories
  • Graduate publications
  • Work experience/shadowing/open days


What will we expect you to know the answer to?

  • Overview of the career choice – structure of scheme/training
  • What skills you feel are needed – why do you feel you have these skills/the potential to develop these skills?
  • The nature of the work you might undertake – what do you expect to be doing on a day to day basis?
  • Awareness of further study (if applicable) and what impact that will have on you
  • Research undertaken to get you to your decision
  • Specific points that you like about the particular organisation and why



Completing your application form
So you’ve discovered the area and profession you want to work in, read up about it and thought about the skills and qualities needed for the job. You’re now faced with the application form. How do you communicate all these points in the spaces provided?

  • Look for the specified criteria – This is particularly true for academic requirements. If you don’t meet them think about whether you should be applying. We have a good reason to set high academic criteria as they are a good predictor of success in professional exams
  • Identify what we are looking for and develop your own examples – Before looking at the application form in any great detail, think seriously about the skills we’re looking for and the ways in which you demonstrate those skills. You can do this by getting a blank sheet of paper, noting each competency (skill) on it and add your examples
  • Use examples from academia, work and extracurricular activities – You should aim for a mix of academic, extra curricular and work experience examples. Your focus should be on recent examples, not those you experienced 10 years ago – you will have changed a lot in that time. Not only will this focus your application, it will also provide a basis for your interview preparation
  • Follow the instructions – If the application form asks for a particular format, use it. Make sure you’ve read thoroughly all the basic instructions
  • Answer the question – This may sound obvious, but a number of candidates completely miss the point of a question. It may help to break down the question into sections to ensure you cover all elements. This should also provide some structure to your answer
  • Tailor your answers to the job and organisation – Often, questions can be very similar on different company application forms and it’s tempting to cut and paste answers from one form to another. There are two dangers to this. The first is that you do not answer the actual question asked. The second is that you talk about a competitor, rather than the firm to which you have applied
  • Online or paper application? – We give candidates the option of applying on-line or on a paper form - it doesn’t matter which you use, the applications are treated in exactly the same way
  • Check your form for spelling mistakes (or typos) – It’s amazing how many spelling mistakes we see. In our view a typo is no different than a spelling mistake. A client would not expect to be sent a document littered with typos. Attention to detail is a key attribute of any lawyer
  • Keep it simple and specific – Make your application stand out by using your achievements, not by quoting a poet or philosopher. Also, use specific examples from your background for each area not just a list of your skills
  • Be concise – Do not write "see attached" in every box and then attach six additional pages. Being able to write in a concise manner is a desirable skill and we give you boxes of a certain size for a reason. However, if there is a specific aspect of your application that does require additional explanation then add a covering letter
  • Keep a copy of your form – If you’re invited to interview you’ll need a good knowledge of the examples on your form as you may be questioned about them. Also, make a note of any reference number, when and to whom you sent your application, just in case you have to follow it up later (this is especially important if you are not sending a form via the internet)
  • Never lie – Each year we get a couple of people whose As at A level suddenly become Cs when they are asked to produce their certificates. Sell yourself but not at the expense of honesty


And finally...
Remember the purpose of the application form is to highlight your breadth of skills and suitability for the position to which you are applying. Make sure you make the most of every part of the form - the narrative section is equally as important as your academics. Herbert Smith is looking for well-rounded individuals.