Articles From the Team

Vicky Clark shares her top tips for attending law fairs

Last week BCL Legal attended two law fairs in Leeds and Manchester. They are a great way to introduce yourself to a prospective employer and get noticed. In the world of Twitter, LinkedIn and WhatsApp we live in, nothing beats face to face contact. Last night I watched the wonderful Will Smith in the hugely inspirational film ‘Pursuit of Happyness’ and cried at the end when this man’s dogged determination finally paid off. It’s a true story about Chris Gardener’s extraordinary journey from homeless single father to stockbroker and ultimately a multi millionaire. He did everything in the book to secure the dream job and then worked as an intern for free. Luckily we don’t need to work for free that often these days but getting noticed is the first step on the ladder. These events are the perfect opportunity for you to make a real impression and then to follow up on it….

Before attending the fair, it would be wise to find out which employers will be there and then work out who you want to target. If you do your research you will get noticed. Everyone wants to feel you know something about them and this is the perfect time to get this across. Prepare your questions, show enthusiasm and very importantly listen to what advice they give you.

Take your CV and hand it in to the recruiters on the stands and talk through any particular areas of brilliance or concern. Show them the parts that evidence dedication, passion, relationship building, determination, resilience etc. Ask the current trainees questions and find out what they think of the firm and how they got their jobs.

Don’t forget to follow up. Get the business card and email to thank them for their time or request to link in with them. Mention the person you met when you apply for a training contract to enhance your application.

As Will Smith said ‘the world is your oyster. It’s up to you to find the pearls’.

For more information contact Vicky Clark at BCL Legal.