Making the most of your first year

In this blog I will share what I did to be proactive in my first year at university.  If you want to be successful when it comes to vacation schemes and, ultimately, training contract applications, you need to be at the top of your game and that means being prepared. Yet many students drift through the year without taking advantage of the resources and opportunities available to them.

The first point of call for any ambitious student should be their university careers service and law fair. These provide a good starting point for you to collect information first hand about a career in law and allow familiarisation with the variety of law firms out there. It's really worth preparing for the fair in order to make the most of it. I thought about why I was going, who I wanted to speak to and why I wanted to speak to them.

It's never too early to start working on your CV. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of obtaining relevant work experience. Employers will want to see it on your CV as it reassures them of your commitment, demonstrates an appreciation of the realities of a career in law, and shows you have made an informed decision to pursue this career path. Importantly, work experience also means that you are not anonymous when you apply to that firm for a training contract.

Although the prospect of applying for work experience might seem daunting and time consuming, the rewards are more than worth the effort. I applied to a number of firms including Reed Smith, Hogan Lovells and Olswang from the start of October until January. I was subsequently able to spend a week with two of these firms. Even a short period with a firm provides insight into the day-to-day working life of its legal professionals and helps you to determine whether you have the skills and motivation to get through the training and survive as a qualified lawyer. When it comes to applying for vacation schemes and training contracts, you will be asked questions such as, "Why do you want to be a solicitor?" and "Why do you want to work for a firm like this one?" My work experience now helps me to formulate answers to these questions and I believe it will demonstrate that I am a motivated individual who is willing to invest time and effort to further my career.

For the same reason, it's important to attend events. The key is to look out for them and decide which will be the most useful. In my first year I went to the CityLawLIVE careers conference and learned a lot about how law firms operate as international businesses and the qualities someone needs in order to break into and then succeed in City law.

In terms of formal opportunities, more firms than ever are offering vacation schemes for first years. Securing one of these is fiercely competitive, so don't be disheartened if you don't get a place. You can also apply for open days, which are extremely useful. I went to open days at CMS Cameron McKenna, Reed Smith, DLA Piper and Baker & McKenzie, finding them to be a great opportunity to speak to staff, learn about a firm's practice areas and what the recruitment process involves. They also allowed me to get a feel for the culture of a firm, find out more about the structure and quality of its training contract and, hopefully, make a positive impression on the key decision makers. Do bear in mind that the recruitment team is watching you, so stay on your best behaviour! You should also do your homework and ask intelligent questions. A good tip is to send a follow-up email to say thank you and get your name on their radar; however, don't overdo this - there is a fine line between being polite and being annoying!

Staying closer to home, you could also send a speculative letter to local law firms asking for work experience for a few days. Make the most of all your contacts; don't make the mistake of thinking this only means senior partners or graduate recruitment managers. Don't be fussy about the content of the work experience: it's not necessarily what you do that counts, but how effectively you sell the experience to prospective employers. Non-legal work experience can also be valuable, regardless of whether it is paid. It will show that you are a well-rounded individual with experience of life outside your studies and the legal world.

Non-legal work experience can be just as valuable as legal experience, whether paid work or merely time spent in a non-legal institution. It will show that you are a well-rounded individual with experience of life outside of the legal world.

Participating in extracurricular activities is useful for adding colour to your applications and it helps to paint a picture of you as an individual, rather than an applicant who ticks all the boxes but has no life beyond their work. Activities such as mooting, debating, and charity and pro bono work are especially beneficial for developing vital skills. Whatever your outside interests, do pursue them as they add breadth to your CV. I tried to maintain a balance between study, work experience and extracurricular participation.

While my main message is don't pass up any opportunity, the key is to not bite off more than you can chew. First-year exam marks may not count towards your final degree, but firms will ask for these marks when you apply for vacation schemes and training contracts, so they have to be your top priority.

Ollie Green is a second-year law student at the University of Sussex. CityLawLIVE is running its second careers event on 8 December 2012. Learn more and apply here.