You don’t have to be the finished article to apply for an early careers role here. That said, we do look out for a few essential traits. We look for self-starters, people hungry to succeed – people who are ambitious to develop their career.
The expectations and standards are high and you’ll be working at pace. Develop your experience and career with a stimulating variety of work and the opportunity to work alongside some of the most talented lawyers in their field.
First things first, our early careers team is the central point of contact if you require support through the process. They are experienced and incredibly friendly, but not there to do your application for you. We want to see the best version of your own capabilities.
We know the application process can be a bit nerve wracking. Knowing what to expect and how to navigate it helps to settle any apprehension. Here’s how it works*.
*This is the most common application process, but it can vary by country. Please visit the early careers page for the country you’re interested in working in for full details.
Explore the programme specific information throughout this website to understand which opportunity is the right one for you. Attend an Insight Event to find out more about it.
For all programmes, you’ll need to make your application online via our online system. At this stage you’ll just need to complete your basic personal information. There are no lengthy written tasks for you to complete here.
Following your online application, you’ll be invited to complete our online assessments. There is more information on this further down this page.
If successful after the online assessment stage you'll be invited to the video interview. This will take up to 40 minutes, it will consist of 6 questions; one warm up, and five responses.
If your results of your online assessments suggest you have what we look for to be successful here, then you’ll be invited to the final stage of our process – the Assessment Day (virtual or in-person, dependant on the programme).
If you meet our eligibility criteria, you will be invited to complete an online assessment.
This includes a critical reasoning test, as well as our Clyde & Co strengths-based assessment, which contains a mix of question types, including slider and order ranking. It is designed to present you with some of the challenges you can expect to face at Clyde & Co.
We want you to achieve your full potential so before you complete this stage we recommend you get a feel for these assessments by visiting the preparation hub (link in further tips below).
Both of these assessments are time recorded, not time limited. You can spend as long as you like on each question. However, both your accuracy and the amount of time you take to respond will contribute towards your overall score, so please complete each assessment as quickly as you are able.
The online test comprises a mix of rank order and slider questions.
Our Critical Reasoning Questions assess your problem-solving and decision-making skills. These skills are measured through several different types of questions, giving you a great opportunity to showcase your ability in this area in many ways.
We know video interviews can be daunting, so this exercise has been created to give you a realistic sense of what its like to work at Clyde & Co. Not just the kind of work you'll be doing, but the way information comes in, how teams collaborate, and how decisions are made under pressure.
During this exercise you will have information to review and carefully crafted questions to answer.
You won't be able to practice the video interview in advance, but the assessment itself includes instructions on setting up your camera and microphone, along with an opportunity to answer a practice question.
The assessment centre is designed to see how you can navigate certain situations often found at a law firm. There is nothing you really need to prepare for on the day, just come as you are and be your authentic self. You will be given a workshop to attend that’ll help you understand what to expect on the day. We strongly recommend you make use of that time so that nothing is a surprise later on.
*The assessment centre may look slightly different depending on the programme you have applied for, so please check the relevant website page.
*It may be in person or online, so again please check the website page carefully.
In the group exercise you will be given a task, once you have reviewed the information you will need to work as a team to meet the objectives.
For this assessment you’ll need to read and review information provided to you and write a written response.
Depending on the programme you have applied to may then be asked to present your thoughts to your assessor.
During the interview we are looking to understand more about your strengths, as well as your motivation to apply for the role.
A strength is something that you do well and enjoy doing. When using a strength, people feel authentic and energised. So, in essence we are looking at both your ability but also your engagement and enthusiasm for a future career in law, at Clyde & Co.
We appreciate everyone is on a different path. And that some people will not have any law firm experience. That’s okay. When completing your application, make sure you include all the skills, experience and knowledge you’ve picked up from any law and non-law activities. We’re interested in your transferable skills and what makes you suitable for a career here.
Trainee, London
“Every day looks very different, which is what I have really enjoyed about the training contract. From putting together bundles, drafting witness statements or attending court – no two days look the same. The most important tips I would give to a future trainee would be to be flexible and enthusiastic. You never know what your day will look like, and it’s exciting for new tasks to crop up and for your work flow to suddenly shift. I’ve really enjoyed the experience of being pulled onto matters at various points in their life cycle, and I think you make the most out of the experience by embracing the challenge and maintaining a positive attitude.”
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Your development is driven by your desire to take the many opportunities we have here. We work on a 70:20:10 principle, in that most of your learning happens when you’re hands-on with tasks. But we won’t leave you to figure it out alone. The other two parts of that equation are achieved through a collaborative environment and access to excellent training courses. Once you begin life in your early career here, you’ll have access to a learning curve like no other. You will have made a commitment to working in law, and we’ll be committed to giving you the best chance to be successful.
As a lawyer, you’ll need to develop a range of skills. Having spent several years studying, the realities of a law firm can be quite different after education. Here are some of the selected skills we’ll help you to develop.
Building resilience and mental agility doesn’t happen overnight. To help, there are free training courses you can take on platforms such as LinkedIn that can prepare you for dealing with change, uncertainty and disappointment.
Developing Resilience
There are many ways to manage your time, the important thing is to find what works for you. One of our favourites is the pomodoro technique. This approach helps you chunk your time and regularly rewards you.
Pomodoro Technique
Some of us are big thinkers. Others prefer the detail. Whichever you are, there will always be times where you need to spot the tiniest of discrepancies. That requires focus, awareness and the ability to communicate. There are plenty of resources to get to grips with spotting the all important small stuff.
Attention to detail
Communicating with confidence is not always comfortable for many of us. There are lots of ways to cope with the anxiety that sometimes creeps up when it comes to public speaking, or talking with a more senior teammate or manager. Open this graphic to help you understand what goes into confident communication.
Learn how to communicate with confidence
Honing the craft of networking can open a lot of doors for you. Our top tip here is to be aware of the events and opportunities to network. And don’t be afraid to say “Hi”. People love to help people. Especially here. So, make the most of it.
View some networking tipsTake a look at some of these useful resources from our partner organisations:
Read the full article on Bright Network's website here.
SQE preparation, FAQS and more. Check out the full hub on Legal Cheek's website here.
Read the full article on Bright Network's website here.
Read the full article on Bright Network's website here.
Read the full article on Bright Network’s website here.
Read the full article on Bright Network’s website here.
Read the full article on All About Law’s website here.
Read the full article on All About Law’s website here.
