Early Careers UK – The Nest (Employability Hub)

As a candidate, you must be prepared to showcase your skills and experience in different assessment styles. Below, are competencies we recognise in our solicitors, which we assess aspiring solicitors against:

Proactivity & Initiative
Enthusiasm & Willingness to Learn
Communication & Engagement
Critical Thinking & Decision Making
Quality & Detail Focus
Project Management & Organisation
Motivation & Commercial Awareness
Working Effectively under Pressure

From pulling pints to writing drafts or stacking shelves to closing deals: the skills you already have from previous experiences may be transferrable to the role of a lawyer. Whether you have experience in retail, hospitality, or professional services, you may have the key competencies we look for already.

After analysing the key skills required for the role, create a spider-diagram or list the experiences you already have against each skill. This exercise will help you to tailor your application and to showcase your suitability as a Bird & Bird trainee or apprentice, by clearly identifying the skills you have with examples of experience (see example below).

You can visualise where there are 'gaps' between your skillset and the skills required for the role. By spotting any areas where your experience may be lacking, you create actions points on what skills you need to develop. From work experience to volunteering, societies and hobbies, or even studying, you can develop your skills for a career in law through anything you do.

Scroll down to ‘Developing your legal skills’ to find out more.

Explore our website and social media pages to understand the firm's culture, type of work we do, our recent awards or recognitions from the industry, and so on. In applications, you should be clear on why you want to be a solicitor and why you want to work with us.

Read articles and case studies, listen to podcasts, and search for firm-specific news to strengthen your knowledge of the firm, your commercial awareness, and your understanding of the role of a lawyer. Use this information to tailor your answers to the firm, this is far more effective than regurgitating facts about the company and wasting your wordcount on unspecific content in your application answers.

Attend law fairs and events so you can meet recruiters and lawyers. This will give you an insight into the things you cannot find on a website (e.g., recent cases, new clients, culture) which you can then refer to in upcoming applications. It is also an excellent way of practicing your communication skills by talking to new people, or even your confidence by unmuting yourself and asking a question at a virtual event. By attending events and showcasing what you learnt during the recruitment process, you can demonstrate your enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and understanding of the firm, its work, and its people.

Our Open Days offer a unique insight into life at an international law firm and the work we do. You can experience insight sessions, network with our lawyers, learn application tips, and ask questions to our leading lawyers and Early Careers team.

Our Office Drop-Ins are a chance for you to meet our lawyers, Early Careers team, and fellow aspiring lawyers in-person at our London office. Come and learn about our firm, the work we do, and our opportunities available to you. Sign up now.

In 2019, we made the active decision to not target individual universities and we no longer travel across the UK to universities to participate in in-person law fairs or events, as part of our sustainability and diversity initiative. Instead, we host internal events, most of which are virtual to ensure they are accessible to all, and partner with a range of organisations, charities, and student publications to promote our opportunities to aspiring solicitors, no matter their background or education. We work with the following:

• AllAboutLaw  
• Aspiring Solicitors 
• Bright Network 
• DiversCity in Law (LGBTQ+) 
• Gradcracker (STEM) 
• GROW Mentoring  
• Legal Cheek 
• Target Jobs 
• The Lawyer Portal 
• Vantage 
• Young Professionals

Networking is not just connecting on LinkedIn. Think about networking at careers fairs, events, university societies, or even through mentoring and coaching opportunities. Utilize these moments and learn something from others.

Find a mentor. Our future and current trainees, associates and partners are mentors to aspiring lawyers with a number of charities and partnerships. You can find our AS Ambassadors on Aspiring Solicitors, our LGBTQ+ mentors through DiversCity in Law, and our GROW Mentors at GROW Mentoring.

Using a growth mindset when networking. A growth mindset describes a way of viewing challenges and setbacks where even if you struggle with certain skills, your abilities are not set in stone. Someone with a growth mindset will think that with work, their skills can improve over time. A growth mindset is knowing that mistakes happen but help you learn; you improve with practice; feedback is valuable; and giving up is not an option. Adapt a growth mindset and you are more likely to perceive networking as an opportunity for discovery rather than a chore.

Steps for effective and valuable networking:

• Find a higher purpose and frame your networking in terms of a longer-term and bigger goal, such as career development.
• Identify common interests and consider how your goals align with people you meet, and networking will feel more authentic (e.g., a fellow aspiring lawyer).
• Consider what you would like to get out of the experience and set a goal to achieve (e.g., finding out something not on a firm's website, finding a networking buddy) – it is your opportunity to form a connection with someone new.
• Ask questions and actively listen to the answers by thinking intently about what someone is saying to both understand their viewpoint and help you remember their answer.
• Think broadly about what you can give and remember that you have something valuable to offer, whether it is gratitude, kindness, curiosity.
• Be yourself by talking about what interests you, not what you think you should be talking about.
• If you are nervous or feel overwhelmed in networking situations, limit your time at the event to 30 minutes or an hour, or take micro breaks by having a refreshment or a comfort break.

As a candidate, you must be prepared to showcase your skills and experience in different assessment styles. Below, are competencies we recognise in our solicitors, which we assess aspiring solicitors against:

Proactivity & Initiative

Enthusiasm & Willingness to Learn

Communication & Engagement

Critical Thinking & Decision Making

Quality & Detail Focus

Project Management & Organisation

Motivation & Commercial Awareness

Working Effectively under Pressure

After you have established where there are 'gaps' between your skillset and the skills required for the role, you create actions points on what skills you need to develop. From work experience to volunteering, societies and hobbies, or even studying, you can develop your skills for a career in law through anything you do.

You could join a new society at university or start an extra-curricular activity in your leisure time to encounter new, challenging experiences. Or you may wish to seek out volunteering opportunities, online courses, and work experience to build upon your written communication, commercial awareness, and demonstrate enthusiasm for a career in law.

You could try our Virtual Experience Programme to find out what life is like at an international law firm and the role of a solicitor in your own time and own space, by completing different tasks and learning how a solicitor would approach the task with example answers. 

You should do what interests you, developing your awareness should not be a chore.

You could try focusing on a couple of sectors, practice areas or trending topics that interest you, by keeping an eye on weekly updates or monthly summaries of what is going on. Check out Bird & Bird’s trending topics here.

How to build your commercial awareness:

• Attend law firm events and open days to talk to experts in the field and hear first-hand what the latest opportunities, risks, and challenges are in a particular area of law – download our events calendar here.
  
  
• Watch the news and critique what you see using a “PESTLE” and “SWOT” analysis (see example below). A “PESTLE” analysis considers the external factors impacting the business environment, which when paired with a “SWOT” analysis, can identify the possible opportunities and risks for a client or law firm to be aware of. By adopting this framework when critiquing current trends and information, you can understand the wider business environment and develop your critical thinking. 

• Browse specialist websites, such as AllAboutLaw, Legal Cheek, and The Lawyer Portal and read business publications relevant to your interests.
  
  
• Listen to podcasts and radio shows and follow law-specific social media pages and lawfluencers for on-the-go insights – you can follow us @twobirdsearlycareers on Instagram and @twobirdscareers on Twitter.
  
  
• Follow industry-specific forums or become a member of a Law Society to broaden your network and interact with others with similar interests.
  

Whether you progressed past the application stage or not in previous years, you should always rethink your answers to firm-specific and competency-based questions. Each year, law firms tend to change their questions, so reusing old copy may not work in a different recruitment cycle. After reflection, you may find that you would speak about previous work experience and your skillset differently. Get a fresh sheet of paper and start from scratch. You may find that you focus on a different task or situation in your competency answers, and you may draw upon new research and experiences.

To stand out at this stage, you should:

• Understand the key skills required for the role, which you spotted earlier in your analysis, and showcase these in your answers by referring to the skills and how you meet this skillset.
• Think about how the skills you have gained through work experience are transferable.
• Showcase your personality – it is a real human reading your application form, not a robot or AI, so be yourself and connect to the reader through your words.
• Do not copy and paste an AI-generated answer, most law firms ask specific questions about you and your desire to work with them, which is harder to achieve through AI.
• Do not copy and paste answers to different firms you apply to, the recruiters will know that you have not properly prepared and your application will not be progressed.
• Be concise in your answers, however, you should use as much of the word count as possible in order to write strong answer.
• Make sure you proofread your application form by reading and re-reading again.

We operate blind screening, so all identification details are hidden from our assessors to minimise bias from the recruitment process. We also use a Contextual Recruitment System to enable us to recruit people from different backgrounds and help us understand your achievements in the context in which they were gained. Please detail any relevant information in your application for us to take into consideration.

We operate rolling recruitment, which means we screen applications as they are received, rather than after our deadline. We encourage you to apply as early as possible.

If you need any disability, neurodiversity or mental health related adjustments to complete the application form, please email our Early Careers team for confidential advice.

If you progress to this stage, you will have 7 days to complete this test. However, this is not a timed assessment. We have removed the time limit for all candidates, with the aim of focusing on a candidate’s performance rather than output under time pressure.

We know that not everyone has previous experience of psychometric testing – try out our free practice test here: https://secure.getfeedback.net/v2/DYUARZQVYB.

If you need any disability, neurodiversity or mental health related adjustments to complete the application form, please email our Early Careers team for confidential advice.

To ace your interview, you should:

• Think about the questions that are likely to come up around key competencies and your motivations – plan how you may showcase relevant experience, skills and commercial awareness in your answers.
• Prepare by creating a 'bank' of situations or experiences to refer to in your answers, then you can use your thinking time to plan the structure and detail of your answer, rather than what examples to draw upon.
• Clearly explain the situation, what actions you took, how you resolved the situation, and what you learnt as a reflection using the “STAR” method (see example below).

• Use dynamic language and active words to describe what you did, rather than passive words. For example: collaborated, organised, liaised, and created.

   

• Ensure you and your environment are professional, if necessary, blur your background or use a plain background image.

   

• Try placing your device on top of books or a stand, so your eyes are level with the camera, as this will help with your posture and make you appear more confident.

   

• Don’t look at your notes or read off the screen, it’ll make you seem unprepared, instead, use your body to express yourself and showcase your passion for law.

   

• Use your voice by alternating the tone, pitch and volume to emphasise any points you’re making in your answer – it’s not only about what you say, but how you say it.

 

Practice online questions at shortlister.me, as the pre-recorded nature of video interviews can be difficult.

We operate blind screening, so all identification details are hidden from our assessors to minimise bias from the recruitment process.

If you progress to this stage, you will have 7 days to complete this interview.

If you need any disability, neurodiversity or mental health related adjustments to complete the application form, please email our Early Careers team for confidential advice.

To make a good, lasting impression, you should:

• Respond promptly to emails, particularly in relation to booking interviews or confirming your attendance – do not be the person the recruiter or organiser needs to chase.
• Think about the interview questions that are likely to come up around key competencies and your motivations – plan how you may showcase relevant experience, skills and commercial awareness in your answers.
• Prepare by creating a 'bank' of situations or experiences to refer to in your interview answers.
• Practice your written communication skills – our Virtual Experience Programme has different tasks to complete and gives you example of how a solicitor would approach the task with example answers.
• Dress appropriately, professionally and comfortably, if in doubt, always dress smarter than you think you need to.
• Be on time for your assessments, by factoring in time for travel issues and/or technical difficulties. If you experience any delays or issues, contact the assessors or recruiters immediately.
• Be confident, smile, and greet everyone you meet during the process kindly.
• Ask questions to your interviewers and gain an insight into the firm – do not forget, you are interviewing us too to see whether we are the right firm for you.
• Close any assessment, particularly an interview, with a positive, enthusiastic note.

We operate blind screening, so all identification details are hidden from our assessors to minimise bias from the recruitment process.

If you need any disability, neurodiversity or mental health related adjustments to complete the application form, please email our Early Careers team for confidential advice.