Reapplying to a firm that previously rejected you for a training contract/vacation scheme

Rejection is hard to deal with at any stage of the process. The further you get along a firm’s recruitment process (application, video interview, psychometric testing, assessment centre, interview, etc.) the harder the rejection can be. 

In this article, I’ll address what I think are the right strategies to adopt if you want to reapply to a firm.

Read the firm’s FAQs/website/contact the recruitment team

Before spending the time reapplying, check to see what the firm’s policies are when it comes to reapplying. They may say you can only apply once per application cycle or you may have reached a certain stage of their recruitment process (e.g. you’ve interviewed) and they’re unlikely to reconsider you for a training contract. 

You were rejected at the application stage

This is where the vast majority of candidates are rejected at most firms. 

TOP TIP: Don’t just copy and paste the application you made last time and send it off. That’s unlikely to work. 

Yes, there’s potentially an argument you were rejected because they recruit on a rolling basis and they ran out of spaces on their assessment day but unless you are explicitly told this by the firm, you should assume your application didn’t score high enough in their application sifting process. Instead, you should focus on improving your previous application across the board.

Reread your previous application. Did your answers read well? Did they answer the question? How succinct were you? Can you find any spelling or grammar mistakes? Did you misspell the name of the firm or use the wrong firm name?

You could have been rejected because your application writing technique was poor. If that’s the case, you need to take steps to improve. This could be done by attending law firm application workshops. Some firms run workshops that explain how to answer particular types of questions. If you can’t attend a workshop, have a look at some online resources and forums. 

Have a look also at your work experience section. Is there anything missing there? Could you get some more legal or commercial work experience before you reapply? That doesn’t necessarily need to be from formal vacation schemes - it could be by attending insight events or completing virtual courses.

What about your extracurricular activities, awards, and positions of responsibility? If you’re still at university, consider joining a university sports team or join the committee of a society. It doesn’t even need to be a law related society. Any committee position shows leadership skills. If you’re not at university, get involved with a local sports team, develop your hobbies and/or get a voluntary role which can demonstrate responsibility. 

Only if you’re confident that your previous application was strong last time and can not be improved should you submit it again but it may still be worth updating with a couple of additional experiences - this could be that you’ve since attended a law firm event or got a new job or demonstrated further commitment to a career in law. This will help show a recruiter that you’ve used the period between your second application and first to improve yourself.

The above are all things you can change.

Here’s where it gets a bit more nuanced: academics 

If you’re academics don’t hit the firm’s minimum requirements and you don’t have mitigating circumstances, you need to think whether it’s worth applying. I talk about mitigating circumstances in this article. 

There are some firms that are known to be very strict about their academic requirements despite the mitigating circumstances box. Consider whether your energy could be better spent applying to another firm in the same market that is less strict.

If you still want to apply and you’ve graduated, think of ways of improving the rest of your application and making it so strong that it outweighs any academic defects. This could be by making your work experience section shine. You could complete several virtual law courses or secure a job at a key firm client type (like a private equity house or an investment bank). 

If you’re still in full-time education, there are still things you can do to improve your academic profile.

If you’re in or about to enter first year of university, aim for high marks in each module. This may take the impact away from your A Levels. Some firms may put more weight on first year module marks because they’re your most recent academic results. When you hit second year and you’re applying for schemes and training contracts, scoring high in your first year will help stand you out.
After all, most firms want a full academic break down, seeing your marks module by module instead of an overall year grade.

If you’re in second year or final year, focus on getting strong results. If your first year results were below average, there’s even more of a reason to double down. Most degrees don’t count the first year towards the degree classification you graduate with so consider this a second chance to achieve a high over all degree classification. 

There’s also another reason to focus on getting strong second/final year results - trajectory. It’s always a good narrative to show that as you progressed through university, your attainment improved. 

If you can graduate with a First, this may frame the A Levels in a better light.

You were rejected at the psychometric testing stage

This comes down to technique and the good news - it can be learned.

The best way to increase your score on these tests is to practice. Some firms will offer free practice tests. In addition, you can find sites that give you access to a suite of tests. 

It’s worth noting that situational judgment tests are less easy to practice for and can vary firm to firm.

You were rejected at the Video Interview stage

Again, this is technique can be learned.

I’ve written about video interviews and tips to succeed in this article. 

If this is where you got rejected last time, apply again, making sure to make a few tweaks to your application so that it shows you’ve continued to work on yourself in the interim. 

You were rejected at the assessment centre stage/final interview stage 

This is where it becomes a bit more nuanced. 

If you have reached either of these stages, you should contact the firm and explicitly ask whether it is worth reapplying. If they say you can reapply, you should specifically address in your application what you’ve done to improve on the weak areas identified in your feedback from your previous assessment centre/interview with the firm.