2021 trainees - how to shine at the application stage

As graduate programme manager at Brodies, one of my responsibilities is finding the right people to join our firm as trainees. This is a rigorous process, whereby we look for people who shine in terms of qualities, personality - and potential.

It sounds like a cliché to say that we're looking for individuals who stand out from the crowd, but it really is true. We receive many, many applications of a really high standard, so it's important that you present yourself in the best way possible to make our team sit up and take notice.

So, how do you make sure that your application grabs attention? There's no single right answer to this, but here are five top tips to get you thinking:

1. Highlight skills that you think might be transferrable to being a trainee lawyer. We don't expect you to have lots of experience working in a legal environment - but that doesn't mean you don't have the qualities that we're looking for. Remember to include part-time work, sports activities, or hobbies and interests, particularly ones where you learned or applied skills that would be useful for a career in law.
2. Know who we are: take some time to find out more about our business and people. This will help you in identifying if and why we're the right choice for you.
3. It's not all about legal know-how - and this is particularly reflected in the supporting information section of our application form. Think about the other skills that define a good lawyer.
4. Pay attention to detail - first impressions are important, so make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Double check your application and if you're not sure, ask someone else to check it over.
5. Don't write what you think we want to hear - we want to find about the real you. We don't have a pre-conceived idea of what type of person is a Brodies trainee; the people that make us the firm we are, have their own individual talents, experiences and personalities to contribute - and we encourage you to share those with us.

To become one of our 2021 trainees, fill in an application form by midday on Monday 5 August 2019.