Top tips for writing successful applications

Progressing through the application stage is typically the hardest part of any recruitment process, as this is where the vast majority of candidates are rejected. You might have a 1 in 50 (or 1 in 100+) chance of getting through to interview, but once you’re there, your odds are significantly higher. However, these statistics are only relevant if “luck” is the key factor. Although luck may play some part in you getting through to the interview stage, it’s certainly not a key factor in the vast majority of cases. It’s about hard work, dedication, academic consistency, accumulating experiences, articulating skills effectively and working relentlessly on your research and application writing. With that in mind, hopefully the tips, insights and principles covered throughout this course will go some way to demonstrating how you can ace your applications. 

So, what makes a good application? This is a question I have been considering for the better part of a decade: first as a student, then as an author, later as a trainee solicitor, and more recently as a career coach. I’ve probably reviewed close to 1,000 applications in my time, and it can be difficult to determine any one thing that distinguishes the good from the bad and the ugly. 

Avoid generic answers

You’ve probably been told repeatedly to avoid “generic” answers, but may be less sure how to do so. Well, matching your terminology to a firm’s terminology can be a good start. If firms are seeking specific skills, try to cover each of these your application, and use the same wording they do (refer to “organisational skills” rather than “time-management skills”, if this is the firm’s approach). In addition, if you’re referencing a particular department or practice area, make sure you use the firm’s preferred terminology (e.g. does the firm have a “finance” or a “banking” practice?).

Structure

It goes without saying that spelling and grammar should be absolutely on point. However, equally important is your structure. If your structure is all over the place, your application will be more difficult to read, which might result in a graduate recruiter giving up before reaching the end. This could also indicate that you would struggle to draft concise, well-written client notes and research reports if hired, which doesn’t give the greatest first impression. In addition, a weak structure might lead to you including new points that overlap with or duplicate existing points, which is counterintuitive when you’re trying to make every word count. One trick to counter this is to set out headings before you start writing each of your answers – even short answers – as this can help to ensure that you stay focused and your structure makes sense from the get go. You can always delete the headings before submitting the application.

Seek advice and feedback

If you have not yet made applications, perhaps visit your university’s career service and/or meet with friends and family members if they have experience applying to or working in similar firms. They may be able to provide an insight into what firms are expecting from your application answers (although bear in mind that their insights may be distinctly less helpful if they work in completely different industries). 

It can be really beneficial to have your applications checked by multiple sources over an extended period (whilst making improvements along the way). You are probably more likely to miss mistakes or structural issues than a person taking a fresh look at your application. After proofreading their own work multiple times, people tend to read what they think they wrote as opposed to what they actually wrote. This is something that happened to me over and over again whilst writing this content. I learnt to accept any help I was offered from people willing to proofread sections. Career departments tend to offer application checks as one of their services. Use them! 

In addition, look out for firm presentations on campus that relate to the application process. Who better to secure advice from than the firm to which you are applying? You may have to sign up for these presentations in advance, so check whether this is the case. Some firms make a note of who attends, so if you plan on claiming in an interview that you were at a particular presentation, make sure you actually go! 

Jake Schogger has also provided bespoke written feedback on 21 different types of application answers, including a CV, a cover letter, a work experience section, and a broad range of competency, strength and commercial awareness-based questions (these are all real applications submitted by aspiring lawyers). See our Example successful applications and cover letters course (chapter 2).