How should I ask for application feedback?

Dear Oracle

How should I ask for feedback after a vacation scheme or training contract interview?

The Oracle replies

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Can you ask for feedback after a training contract interview?

If you don’t receive feedback following an unsuccessful training contract interview, you can email the recruiter to ask for some. They might provide it over the phone or via email (or not at all – some firms just don’t have enough time to provide tailored feedback to everyone). Law firms receive thousands of applications, so many provide feedback only to those who make the interview stage.

How to respond to law firm interview feedback professionally?

If you do receive feedback, be polite and grateful for the person's time and use it as an action plan for your next application. You should treat it as insight into what law firms are really looking for – not a setback.

For example, if the recruiter said that they needed to see more evidence of commercial awareness, don’t just read more in a vague way. Be targeted and proactive in your approach:

• Dig into the firm itself: look at recent details, clients and sectors, and ask yourself, “what challenges might these clients be facing and how would the firm help?”
• Practise applying your knowledge with our Commercial Question articles, written by lawyers from leading law firms. They’re designed to help you think about how business issues affect legal advice.
• Build a habit of staying informed by following legal and business news via LawCareers.Net’s News and weekly round-ups, focusing on how developments impact companies and their legal needs.

The key is to move from passively reading the news to actively analysing it. Recruiters aren’t expecting you to be an expert, but they do want to see curiosity, commercial thinking and clear evidence that you can connect the business issues to legal work.

Read LCN’s guide to commercial awareness for more on developing this crucial skill.

It’s important to accept the law firm’s decision. Don't try to convince recruiters that they’ve made a mistake.

Understanding rejection

If you received a rejection at the application form stage, a great way to assess the quality of the application is to take a copy to your university’s careers service. They can give you tailored feedback, highlight what worked well and pinpoint any gaps, so you can approach your next application with more confidence and focus.

You can read more about how to make the most of this support in our guide to using your careers service effectively.

Receiving feedback isn’t always about finding that you did something wrong or lacked the right experience/knowledge. The competition for training contracts and pupillages is incredibly fierce, and sometimes decisions come down to very small differences between strong candidates. For example, in some cases you can be unsuccessful simply because another candidate was slightly more suited to that particular employer – it’s not that you aren’t capable.

If you progressed to interview stage, that’s already a strong sign that you’re on the right track.  Don’t let a rejection knock your confidence – keep refining your approach to applications. It might be that you’ve just not found the right law firm yet.

For more advice, head to LCN’s Application hub, sponsored by BPP University Law School.