Here are our top tips to make sure you maximise your chances of being invited to interview for a training contract:
Deadlines
Make sure you note down the deadlines for each firm you are applying to, and clear those that recruit on a rolling basis first. This is important because you need to manage your time so you do not end up writing 6 applications all in the same week!
Grammar & Spelling
It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to ensure your application is clear of any spelling or grammatical errors. This is an indication of your attention to detail and it would not be surprising if recruiters chuck aside those with such mistakes. In addition, you do not want any errors to get in the way of something that you are trying to say.
Number of Applications
Most recruiters advise focussing on several good applications over churning out a dozen generic applications. What this means is that you should not simply ‘copy and paste’ your answers from one form to another (and forget to change the firm’s name!). If you take time to fill out a form to a high level of quality, it will be both noticed and appreciated.
Do your Research
Linking to the previous point, the less applications you make, the more time you can dedicate to researching your selected firm. This will enable you to know what they are looking for from an applicant, and give your application the strongest chance of succeeding.
Get a friend’s help
After incessant typing, your eyes might not pick out small errors within your form, therefore it would be good to get a friend or family member to go through your application and provide some feedback. This is why keeping to deadlines is important, so you leave yourself enough time to take feedback on board and improve your application.
Match your competencies
Nowadays, it is common for recruiters to select against criteria. Since firms have it clearly written on their website the kind of trainee they are looking for, match the competencies you’ve got with the skills they’re looking for. By guaranteeing your suitability for the position as much as possible, it will be harder for them to not interview you. You do not want to waste your time on an application that is unlikely to succeed when you could have been focussing on other applications.
Examples
Last but not least, always give evidence. If you are able to inject some individuality into your application to make it more noticeable, this can only help your case. Therefore, you should draw examples, if possible, from the different things you have done and then explain the skills you have obtained from that experience and why that will make you a perfect fit for the firm you are applying to.
Finally for further assistance, be sure to check out the TSL Mentorship Scheme for the chance to be assigned a personal mentor to help you with all applications throughout the year.