August 9,2019:
For most of the students in the final year of their law graduation, the thought of campus placement keeps hovering all-throughout the day. However, like for every other career milestone, all you need is a great ‘action plan’, following which you can land the perfect first job.
Before delving into the practices which help a candidate bag a job during campus placement, let’s take a look at the campus recruitment levels, followed by most firms and law institutions. They are — Scrutiny of CVs, Aptitude Test, Group Discussion, Personal Interview (followed by HR interview, in some cases), Final Review by Selection Committee, and Final Selection Offer.
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the same, here are some guidelines which are more likely to make you placement ready:
Your Resume Is Your First Ladder
Many-a-times your prospective employer sees your resume even before meeting you. Hence, your resume is your first impression. So, leave no stone unturned to ensure that your resume caters specifically to the job you are applying for, as the first impression may not be the last impression but it’s definitely the one which lasts for long. Your resume should be crisp and it should outline your achievements and experience in as few words as possible and make sure that you do not include flowery statements in your resume. Also, try sticking to formal fonts while preparing your resume.
If possible, it is advised to tweak your resume according to the company and the position where you are applying.
Know What You Want
As they say, the start of every wonderful thing is the desire for it. A candidate must know the kind of job he or she wants to bag. The best way to do the same is by making a decision based on your career goals, your compensation requirements, and your job satisfaction standards. Although it is worth mentioning here that setting too high standards for your first job is not considered good as in a competitive market, like that of present times, you may not find a job that suits all your aspirations. So, it is not at all bad to start your career with a job that gives you the platform to rise and grow in the field. You can always switch to a better job once you acquire the necessary skills and experience.
SWOT Analysis
This is a scientifically proven method to take decision on crucial matters of your life. Evaluating the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats relating to particular matter gives you a clear self-assessment, based on which you can take decisions. Be clear about the things that you are good at, areas where you underperform, areas which need more effort from your side, and things that you don’t ever want to do.
This analysis helps you to research about your ideal job, career path, and prospective employers. Also, doing the SWOT analysis at the start of your graduations (or post graduation’s) last year helps you prepare for your campus placement exams in a better manner.
The Test Of The Written Test
Prepare for your tests well and do make sure to glance through the current cases that made to the headlines. Do make sure to write crisp answers. Law is no literature, so there is no point beating around the bush to make your answer lengthy.
Try To Acquire Some Experience
Law firms require more than bookish knowledge from you, they look for your expertise in the practical application of that knowledge. Now, it may be difficult for you to acquire such skills through your college studies. Thus, you need to push boundaries to make yourselves job-ready.
It really augurs very well during the interview if you have an internship experience. Thus, always strive to bag an internship during your college time and try to use the internship period to perform and not for just rehearsing job responsibilities. This will give you an edge over your opponents.
However, if due to any constraints you are unable to secure an internship experience before your campus placement drive, do make sure to do some certificate online course in the legal field.
Try to find an online course that teaches you some skill that will help you impress your prospective employer.
Do Your Homework
Most students do not study the background of the company before appearing in its interview. Experts advise job seekers to study about the company and also learn the job role and the skills required for it. Your knowledge about the company shows your interest in their firm.
Sailing through the Interview
Probably, the interview is the toughest and the most crucial aspect of the placement tests. But communicating all your achievements and strengths during that short span is next to impossible. Hence, you must learn how to put forward your face cards on the table right away.
But starting from the start, the first thing to keep in mind during the interview is to dress properly. Any clean, professional dressing would do, it doesn’t have to be expensive but it should be presentable. The second important thing is to not be nervous and be confident during the confident. Do not let the anxiety control your body postures.
Many candidates answer the questions in a rush during the interview and make mistakes. So, it is better to let the employer complete question, take a deep breath, think about the answer and then respond. Also, if you don’t know the answer, do not hesitate to tell them honestly. It is better than answering wrong.
Many-a-times law firms ask about your favourite area of law. Now there are various areas to choose from — tax laws, media laws, M&A law, cyber laws, business laws, company laws, labour laws — but you must know about the intricacies of that area so as to answer any question thrown at you regarding that specific field of law.
Another quality which employers look for during the interview is good communication skills. Like for almost every second job, possessing good communication skills is a pre-requisite in the legal arena as well. Do not sound overconfident but do make to not come across as an under-confident candidate. Law institutes like iilsindia offer special training to their students
Campus Placement — Not the End of the World
It is extremely worthwhile mentioning here that even if you don’t bag a job during the campus placement drive, there is no need for you to feel let down or inferior to those who secured a job on-campus.
There are plenty of good options off-campus as well. The tricks to go about off-campus placements are also the same. The only thing you need to remember this time is that your college won’t bring your prospects to you, it is upon you to chase them. And the best way to so is to follow the company’s social media pages. You may also get in touch with the HR of the firm on LinkedIn. But if you cannot find any information regarding job opening online, do not hesitate in going down to the office of the firm. This will also show your enthusiasm for working in the firm. If they don’t offer a job, you may also go for an internship (if possible paid) as it might turn into a full-time employment in the future.
