This year we have updated our recruitment criteria and, as a result, our application form and assessment day. For those of you about to make an application, it is important that you take a look at our updated criteria and understand what we are looking for. Only then will you be able to put your best foot forward. Below is a bit more information about why we have made these changes and what you can do to stand out!
Why have we made these changes?
If you have spent time researching the legal industry, you will have come across a number of articles discussing how the role of a lawyer is changing. At Linklaters, we are thinking about what the future role of a lawyer might look like and what kind of skills the lawyer of the future may need. While we don’t have a crystal ball which can tell us the exact answer, we know that our future lawyers need to be agile in order to deal with the changes to the industry and the needs of our clients. That’s why our new criteria focuses on your mindset and helps us understand whether you have begun to develop the building blocks that will allow you to succeed whatever the future may hold.
What are we looking for?
There are four key aspects of our agile mindset framework.
- Empathy, which includes collaboration with colleagues and clients, respect and interpersonal skills;
- Divergent thinking, which includes critical thinking and intellect;
- An entrepreneurial outlook, which includes commercial thinking, striving for excellence for our clients and resource and work management;
- Social and emotional intelligence, which includes clear communication skills both in person and on paper, resilience, leadership, motivation and integrity.
Throughout the recruitment process, take every opportunity to show you have and are continuing to develop these skills.
How to stand out on your application
1. Read the questions on our application form carefully and make sure you are answering all the parts.
Some of our application form questions have multiple parts. For example, in the first question you should be telling us about your ability to work with others, both as a collegiate teammate as well as a leader. You also need to tell us how you prioritise and juggle your involvement in these activities as well as your academics or work life. Don’t forget to answer all parts of the question and provide more than one example in order to show off all of your skills.
2. Think commercially and analyse the issues.
We are looking for applicants that are forward thinking, creative and entrepreneurial. This means that not only should you be able to identify problems but you should also be able to logically reason your way to business-friendly solutions. So, when you are writing about major industry disruptors, make sure you are taking the time to analyse and explain what this means for our clients and why it is important. Outstanding applicants will also take this opportunity to show us they have done a bit of research into Linklaters!
3. Striving for excellence.
With great change comes uncertainty. And, uncertainty can be daunting. We are looking for people who are resilient and motivated; who see challenges as obstacles they want to overcome and who gather as much feedback as they can with each experience to improve in the future. After all, our lawyers work on deals that are the first of their kind. So, we know that our future lawyers will need to have the mindset to constantly push themselves to uncover new and innovative solutions for our clients.
4. Include positions of responsibility in your work experience section.
We consider applications as a whole, not in separate parts. So, although we no longer ask you to tell us what extra curriculars you’ve been involved in or what voluntary work you’ve undertaken, you should still include this information on your application form in the work experience section. There is also the opportunity to discuss certain roles in more detail when answering the other questions on the application. By looking at your entire application we have the opportunity to see all of the great things you’ve accomplished over the years.
Find out more about opportunities at Linklaters here.