UCD College of Law

What do employers look for in aspiring legal professionals?

• Current affairs İnterest and knowledge

• Commercial awareness

• Interpersonal skills

• Communication skills & the ability to negotiate

• Analytical & problemsolving skills

• Organisational skills

• Attention to detail & accuracy

• Work ethos/common sense

• Leadership

• Resilience

• Professional approach, integrity & respect for confidentiality

What are Graduate Employers Looking For?

Commercial awareness is one of the most important attributes across all industries and in the private and public sectors alike. But what does it actually mean to be commercially aware? It essentially means having a good understanding of how a business works, their commercial objectives, as well as being knowledgeable about how the business competes in the marketplace and how your role may affect business performance. If a job advert highlights the importance of being ‘customer focused’ or having an ’entrepreneurial flair’ it is another clue that the recruiter values commercial awareness in candidates.

Graduate recruiters want students to demonstrate a range of skills or competencies from leadership, teamwork and interpersonal skills, to problem solving, critical thinking, project management and communication skills. Being creative, resilient and having global skills (such as languages and intercultural awareness) are becoming increasingly important.

However, top graduate employers sometimes find that students lack the skills that they require. The Gradireland Graduate Salary and Graduate Recruitment Trends Survey shows that the biggest perceived shortfalls relate to communication skills and those relating to autonomous working.

So, with this in mind, you need to make sure that your skills are up to scratch. But how can you develop your skills? See page 36 for Strategies for Skills Development.

Check out the range of ‘Core Skills Courses’ on MyCareer.

"We thoroughly enjoy engaging with and recruiting UCD students each year. When it comes to our application process, strong academics are very important to us. However, we acknowledge that this isn’t all that matters. We look at students’ past work experience, their skills, their hobbies, and extracurricular activities, and what makes them unique. Some skills that we look out for on application forms are teamwork, attention to detail, communication, commercial awareness, and problem solving. The best way to show us that you have these skills is through your past experience, be it travelling, working, sports or being a part of societies in college. Work experience in the legal sector is helpful but not essential. We value all work experience.

When completing an application, be sure to research what makes McCann FitzGerald LLP different to other Firms. Be true to yourself when you are completing an application form. We are recruiting trainee solicitors, and we don’t expect you to know everything about the world of corporate law but your evident interest in the area would be highly beneficial. We will provide you with an abundance of training when you join us that will further equip you for a successful career as a corporate lawyer."