Summer Virtual Placement Scheme Review

I enjoyed the insight more than I had expected to, given it was hosted virtually and I had assumed this would mean experiencing a weaker connection to the firm. I finished the week feeling like I had gained a strong sense of the firm's mindset and the friendliness of its culture. I also felt I had learned a lot. I left with notes from the many fascinating lectures on practice areas we'd had the opportunity to attend!

The firm's graduate recruitment team and its partners went out of their way to make us feel valued during the virtual placement scheme. We were given opportunities to chat informally at catch-ups each morning and evening, which helped us to get to know each other. By the end of the week this meant a really mutually supportive atmosphere had built up. We were given lots of opportunities to ask questions and individuals always answered fully, which made me feel that the queries I had mattered to the partners/associates speaking to us.

I think we received about the right balance of guidance / support. The daily informal catch- ups, as well as the use of a group-wide WhatsApp chat so we could keep in touch with both other applicants and the graduate recruitment team, helped a lot. One aspect that could have perhaps been adjusted to allow for even more support would have been the trainee buddy system. We had a Zoom chat scheduled in with our buddies on the first day, but we needed to ask our buddies to make time for any additional contact, and I had the sense that I was interrupting my buddy in the middle of her busy working day. We also had one group-wide Zoom lunch with all the current trainees, but I wondered if this might have worked more effectively if we had been split into breakout rooms with a couple of trainees each, rather than the entire group on one call - which discouraged people from speaking.

I know that the copious notes I was fortunate to be able to take during our various webinars will help me a lot during my LPC and when I start my TC! The webinar presenters didn't shy away from sharing sector-specific terminology and case study examples with us, which brought their fields to life. I also think I have a better idea of the kinds of work to expect as a trainee, after having chatted with my trainee buddy and the other trainees.

The placement scheme's structure was superb! We all felt it struck the right balance between webinars about individual practice areas, chances to chat informally (e.g. with our trainee buddies), more structured conversations (e.g. with our partner/associate supervisors), independent pieces of work to complete individually, casual social interactions (e.g. lunch with trainees) and activity-based socials (we had a macramé-creation class and a doughnut- decoration class!). The assessment centre itself was on the Wednesday - in the middle of the week - which gave us a chance to recover and enjoy the remaining tasks more! This felt like a really creative, inspiring mix of subject matters and formats despite the constrictions of the scheme being virtual. It felt really educational and the multiple overlaps between what speakers mentioned in the webinars highlighted the cross-practice nature of much work at the firm.

I thought the general atmosphere was supportive, friendly and collaborative. We had the opportunity to collaborate in groups of three applicants each on a group presentation towards the end of the week. This was ideally timed because by that point we knew each other a little better. We could also work in a more relaxed atmosphere, given the assessment centre was over by that point. I felt like the graduate recruitment team struck the right balance between being supportive and firmly leading us: I felt I could have approached them at any point if I had encountered a problem.

Yes, in that it helped me understand what a training contract with that firm would be like. This was achieved by: i) The mixture of individual tasks we were set (e.g 'a day in the life of a trainee', which was a time-management/prioritisation exercise); and ii) ii) The fact that all the associates who spoke to us included a section in their webinars about 'tasks trainees do' in their particular practice area. The only way this could have been improved would have been if lockdown had not been in place and we could have physically seen the kind of work trainees do at the firm's offices

Quite a lot. This was partly out of the firm's control because Covid-19 prevented us from seeing the firm's offices or getting a sense of the atmosphere as we walked through its corridors. However, the placement scheme compensated for that in particular by: i) Giving us exposure to a trainee buddy; ii) Giving us exposure to the wider group of trainees, via a lunch social; and iii) Letting us meet associates/partners at the firm in an ad hoc, informal way by inviting us to join the firm-wide pub quiz that took place to celebrate Pride.

This was a less relevant concern for me as I was already very certain of my future career path, and I knew that SH was one of my two dream firms to work for. However, it did show me in practical terms what it means to work for a firm that values individual, unique contributions; that recruits a wide variety of trainees from different backgrounds; and that gives you early opportunities to take responsibility. In that sense it reinforced my initial instinctive feeling that a firm like SH was a strong match for my interests and professional goals.

Yes! i) Diversity and Inclusion: the webinar on this subject gave me a sense of how much the firm values D&I initiatives and the kind of projects being spearheaded by the firm's new CEO. ii) Chatting informally with the graduate recruitment staff gave us the chance to learn about other extra-curricular SH activities in an ad hoc way (e.g. the running group, the choir) iii) Chatting to the trainees was an opportunity to learn the name of everyone's favourite local pub near the office!

Yes! For the following reasons: i) Good mixture of content and a very well-planned structure to the week; ii) Opportunities to meet your trainee buddy individually and to catch up with other trainees on an ad hoc basis; iii) A stretching (and adrenaline-filled) assessment centre that nevertheless felt really supportive and encouraging throughout; and iv) The opportunity to meet other interesting, motivated fellow applicants who contributed to the week's positive culture - I hope to stay in touch with them.