After reading this transcript a few times, I found that I did learn of very important and valuable skills and tips for the application and interview process for a law clerkship/law graduate position. As a law student in my 5th year, I found this transcript very insightful and clear to understand and absorb. The [work] covers a wide holistic approach to the application and interview process, from the cover letter/resume application to the interview and other networking events. Nothing was really missed out and I felt that it guided me through every step of the recruitment process. In particular, I found Episode 3, 4 and 5 significantly helpful. The concept of the USP is something I have never heard of or learnt in school or university, and it was something I was able to brainstorm personally in regards to Type 1 and Type 2 USPs. The examples of both the USPs also gave sufficient guidance in how law students can create their own personal USPs (e.g. bakery work, paralegal experience, articles/blogs). Episode 4 discusses what the firm looks for in their candidates; this episode clearly illustrates the mandatory attributes but also the modifiers that firms will consider; so much detail and clarity was given for each of these factors which enables law students to provide their own examples for these factors. What I also found very useful, was that throughout the whole [work], it was made clear that a lot of these skills/attributes law students may not have just yet, but will gain when we enter the market. I found this really important as it indicated that law students do not need to have everything yet, but we can still explain these attributes in the realm of our experiences, be it law or not.
Some things that may need further developments was Episode 2 which was about choosing an objective. This episode dealt with eliminating firms/legal areas that you may not want to practice in and then by process of elimination, choosing legal areas you do want to practice in. I find that this sounds very simple and straightforward for law students, but a lot of us may not have the exposure to some areas of law in a practical way, and therefore may not know if we do or do not want to pursue that area of law. Furthermore, Episode 8 details the sample interview questions and answers; I found this very useful which will enable a lot of practice for interview skills and also preparation for answers. Just from a practical view point, I found that there were a lot of questions with many of them overlapping to be in the same context and could possibly therefore be reduce. And lastly, psychometric testing is another part of the recruitment process that some commercial law firms do consider when recruiting for clerks and graduates and possibly some information on that would be very helpful for law students. After reading this transcript, I found it very useful as it provided a rounded approach in the recruitment process, it was clear that there was a lot of experience and research put into the [work], with the examples in each episode providing a lot of clarity and understanding. The discussion and perspectives from the law firms was also insightful as it provided us with guidance on how firms approach the recruitment process and what they are looking for in a candidate. Furthermore, the simple tips regarding body language, perception of appearance and voice quality etc. was something a lot of interview training programs brush over but this was not done here. As a law student, I definitely can see myself using these tips and listening to the [work], as it provided me with a lot of information and concepts I was not aware of and also indicated that preparation and practice is key, compared to the notion of “just having the x factor or not”. I definitely feel more positively about the recruitment process and how I can prepare for the upcoming clerkship and graduate process.