Getting the best careers advice
in touch with someone who works in a field which interests you. The better the careers service, the more likely they are to be able to do so. This person will be able to give you very useful, focused advice. Make the most of it by working out what you want to know and by following up any help that you get with an appreciative email or note. That way they’ll be keen to help you again, or even to put you in touch with other people who might be able to give you advice or assistance.” A significant minority of students don’t come to the profession straight out of full- time education. In the first instance, they should contact their local university and see whether they can get careers advice under the mutual aid scheme. Most universities are happy to provide any graduate with a period of assistance – in some cases, up to three years. They may find the careers service particularly useful in terms of obtaining tailored advice on ways to present previous experience to the greatest effect. Last, but by no means least, if you have a problem that’s keeping you awake at night, simply log on to www.LawCareers.Net and click on “The Oracle”. As its name suggests, this section of the website is the bearer of advice and wisdom. Check out the Oracle’s back catalogue of questions (chances are, someone has been troubled by the same issue), and see whether the answers apply to you. If you have an original question, feel free to email us for individual careers advice. Click on “Ask the Oracle” or email oracle@ lawcareers.net.
up a Twitter account and following those who provide an active Twitter feed such as LawCareers.Net, Pupillage Blog, your career advice centres and the sets or firms you are interested in.” Puneet says: “It’s pretty simple these days to keep on top of deadlines and events, as most firms will heavily publicise these on their own websites as well as on the university careers websites.” Don’t rush Dick Lidwell, freelance careers adviser and former careers adviser at the University of Oxford, advises against panicking if you are still uncertain as to which legal path to take: “If you’re not sure whether it’s a barrister or solicitor you want to be, don’t rush into it. Take the time to explore; you can always come into the system a bit later. There’s no point applying until you know, and this is where your careers service comes in. We can help and guide you right from the beginning – don’t think that you can only go and see an adviser if you already know what you want to do! Obviously, we’re also there to help at the next stage of actually applying: targeting, CVs/forms and interview technique.” Dick’s top tips are as follows: “Not only make sure that your writing is clear and grammatically correct in your application, but also provide actual evidence for your statements, be yourself at interview and be honest at all times.”
Got what it takes? Above all, what you want most from a
careers adviser can be summed up in one word – honesty. One London barrister agrees on its importance: “Students should think about whether they stand a realistic chance of obtaining pupillage and forging a career at the Bar. If not, they should seriously consider whether it is worth undertaking the BPTC, with its attendant costs.” Any careers adviser worth his or her salt should make it clear
Common advice Dates and deadlines
Stay clued-up about on-campus events and application deadlines. Laura Newton, a barrister at Brick Court Chambers, says: “Use your university/law school website as a first port of call. You will be able to stay on top of events and deadlines by setting
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THE LAWCAREERS.NET HANDBOOK
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