In this episode, Kishan Mathy (trainee solicitor, insta @sqbrkt) speaks about how he tried to stand out from peers in a competitive job market, seeking a role at a City law firm, especially as he did not ‘tick all’ the traditional boxes; e.g. his academic grades.  Job hunters can focus too much on the employer they want to work for and rarely look from the point of view of the clients of the organisation they are seeking to join.  However, focusing on the ‘client angle’ can both demonstrate great commercial awareness and differentiate you from the rest.  Kishan explains how he showed curiosity to explore, research and gain experience in a range of industry sectors which interested him – where the organisations were the clients of law firms.  In subsequent interviews, these broader experiences allowed Kishan to speak from experience about trends in industry sectors, showing the broader industry understanding which law firms often seek from future trainees. 

This episode encourages listeners to undertake some practical actions after listening to the episode. 

• To stand out, be curious about sectors of industry or public sector bodies which interest you – which might be clients of law firms.  Attend talks and speak to people who work in those organisations, so that when you have interviews with law firms you can speak about these broader commercial topics and the range of people you have spoken to and the insights it has given you 
• Meet people who are actually doing the job you are aspiring to gain – get ‘beyond the marketing brochure’!
• Look at LinkedIn profiles of peers you meet – what do you notice from their profiles that they have studied, or experiences they have sought out?  How is it different to your own?

Resources

• Attend school, college or university careers fairs and events, be proactive and ask questions (prepare some in advance).
• LinkedIn and Google search.
• Law firm websites – look at which industry sectors they focus on to guide you on which industries their main clients may be in.