CLERKSHIP & GRADUATE PROGRAM BASICS

QUTLS VICE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS

Each year, students are bombarded with an array of material suggesting that there is a decreasing demand for lawyers, and our career prospects are limited if we don’t have the GPA and legal experience required to obtain a ‘Golden Ticket’ to clerk at Brisbane’s leading firms.

With the assistance of all of our major sponsors and with testimonials sourced directly from QUT law students, the 2020 Careers Guide brought to you by the QUT Law society has been perfectly curated to be the perfect companion to your law degree and to assist you in both the clerkship and graduate application process.

The Guide also outlines the wide diversity of opportunities available to law students whether it be in private practice, working for non-commercial bodies or within the financial sector.

Every time I sit down at my desk at work and am tasked with researching an obscure issue or drafting correspondence to clients, I am thankful that my QUT law degree has equipped me with an array of bespoke skills that enable be to approach the task with a logical mindset. I am also able to apply my problem-solving skills and my ability to actively listen and communicate to everyday life.

From my own personal experience and as a veteran fifth year student heading into my penultimate year of study, my best advice would be to get involved with all of the extracurricular activities and initiatives that both the QUT Law Society and the QUT Law Faculty run, make a bunch of long lasting friends and study hard!

Whatever your passion or future endeavours, the QUT Law Society seeks to support you as best as possible and hopes this guide as well as our ongoing support available in person or via email assists you in getting there. I hope each of our readers find a job they are passionate about that is also challenging and rewarding.

– Crystal McPhillips, QUTLS Vice President

APPLICATIONS

CLERKSHIP & GRADUATE PROGRAM BASICS

WHAT IS A CLERKSHIP?

Every year, pre-penultimate and penultimate students get the opportunity to put their foot in the door at many law firms. A clerkship is a vacation program that allows students to diversify their legal knowledge through application in practical scenarios over the course of around four weeks (depending on the firm). Due to the Queensland Law Society’s Vacation Clerkship Guidelines, the participating top-tier and mid-tier firms (which can be found on the QLS’s website) open applications for their vacation clerkships on 2 March 2020 and close later in the month on 27 March 2020. If you are one of the successful candidates you will be notified on the 18 May 2020. This offer must be accepted or declined by the following day.

If you are serious about landing a clerkship, you should ensure that you spend time perfecting your application, as firms will receive a number of these. If your cover letter isn’t the best it can be, you will not be maximising your chances of securing a position. Your cover letter is designed to give the reader an insight into the best areas of your studies and previous employment history.

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PRE-APPLICATION

» » » » Research the firms Refer to Grad Australia and the QLS Guidelines Come to networking events such as Clerkship Symposium & Meet the Profession Optimise/clean up your social media accounts

The best advice we can give for preparing for clerkships is to do your research. Learn about all the different opportunities and which workplaces you can see yourself in. Come along to networking events or information nights so you can apply to firms knowing that you can see yourself working there and you know your beliefs align with that firm.

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» Create your application. i.e. Resume, cover letter and perhaps academic transcript » Submit your academic transcript » Reach out to the firm’s HR and people to know more about the firm APPLICATION

The initial stage of applications for clerkships will generally consist of you submitting a resume/CV, cover letter, your academic transcript (which can be obtained through eStudent) and also answering some initial questions. Some good tips for applications:

1. Try to avoid submitting generic resumes and cover letters as each firm has a different set of values and beliefs, aim to tailor your application to their selection criteria, this shows that you have taken the time to really consider that you want to be a part of their team.

2. Thoroughly check grammar, spelling and also, if choose to use a template make sure to ‘Ctrl + F’ to make sure you have not left the wrong firm name in or addressed it to the wrong person. It is an elementary mistake that recruiters see time and time again and can very easily send your application straight to the ‘no’ pile.

3. See the next page for advice on how to set out your resume. Alternatively, you can make an appointment with Lee Moy who can provide you with some advice on how to maximise your changes to impress at the application stages. Lee Moy also runs fantastic resume and cover letters sessions so keep your eyes out for those.

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POST-APPLICATION If you are successful in your application, a series of post application tests will likely occur: » An online questionnaire to test your suitability or your knowledge in area of law » Group interview » Panel interview » Personality interview

If you are successful in the application stage, congratulations! This in itself is a great achievement and means you are moving onto the next stage. There are usually three parts to this stage which we will explain to you.

TESTING The purpose of testing can vary from firm to firm however for most they are an integral part of the clerkship recruitment process. Firms have realised that these tests are valuable in measuring skills and qualities that were not reflected in academic transcripts, such as relationship building, emotional agility and resilience.

Usually the tests will relate to testing your analytical skills, your psychometric skills and your personality. Analytical is your ability to comprehend text, psychometric is your ability to problem solve complex issues and your personality test will help discover your preferred way of thinking and feeling. These tests are not used necessarily to exclude candidates but rather to assess candidates and shape your interview questions.