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Career Clinic draws on readers' own experiences to assist others with their career conundrums. Click on a headline to post your advice or click here to email Career Clinic with your own difficulties and dilemmas. Special note: We will not attribute your comments to you unless you state otherwise.
CAREER CLINIC
Career Clinic: My boss keeps criticising my appearance
"I am a trainee at a City firm and I am having problems with my boss regarding my appearance - no matter how hard I try, she keeps telling me I look scruffy. My firm has a dress code, which I adhere to. I usually just wear a black shirt and black trou...
29 Jul 2010 | 00:00 | 17 comments
Career Clinic: My small firm employer won’t take my BD efforts seriously
"I have previously worked for a large international firm, but following redundancy and the birth of our first child, I chose to work for a much smaller firm, which is well respected in the local area. It is clear there is insufficient work to keep me ...
22 Jul 2010 | 10:42 | 6 comments
Career Clinic: My understaffed team is reaching burnout
"I'm a mid-level associate at a City firm and although I normally work mainly corporate and private equity, I've been working with the restructuring team on a few big deals recently as they've been really busy. It's tough work - long hours, high press...
15 Jul 2010 | 12:30 | 8 comments
Career Clinic: My interfering boss is making it impossible for me to find a new job
"I am a junior associate at a large firm where I have been since qualification. I am now looking to move jobs, and in particular am hoping to get a new role in a different city. Now that the economy is slowly starting to recover I am seeing some suita...
08 Jul 2010 | 00:00 | 11 comments
Career Clinic: Can I avoid a return to my old work when my partner returns from sabbatical?
"I'm a senior associate at a mid-tier firm, and for the last three months I've been covering for my supervising partner who has been off on sabbatical. Since he's been away I've been given much more responsibility and a lot more of the interesting wor...
01 Jul 2010 | 12:49 | 5 comments
Career Clinic: Are the skills learnt in law transferrable to business roles?
"Before coming into law I did a decent spell in project finance. I trained and qualified with one of the top City firms and I am currently working internationally. Although I admire law as a profession, I believe this is not the end game for me. I kno...
24 Jun 2010 | 00:00 | 19 comments
Career Clinic: No jobs in my preferred area - time to look elsewhere?
"I am a third seat trainee at a mid-sized City law firm, due to qualify in March 2011. The September jobs at my firm have recently been announced and it looks unlikely that there will be a job in the area in which I would like to qualify (commercial) ...
17 Jun 2010 | 10:18 | 5 comments
Career Clinic: Language skills - career boost or waste of time?
"My firm offers beginners classes in French, Spanish and Mandarin. Putting aside the cultural worth - from a career perspective, is it worth learning one of these new languages? My worry is that three hours a week of tuition isn't going to make me cap...
10 Jun 2010 | 11:23 | 9 comments
Career Clinic: How do City firms get away with paying £30k less than US rivals?
"Why is there such an exorbitant pay gap betwen newly-qualified (NQ) roles at US firms and their magic circle counterparts in the City? I gather that a lot of students pick the magic circle firms for their quality of training, and that it looks great ...
02 Jun 2010 | 11:37 | 14 comments
Career Clinic: Do firms only want foreign recruits for their business contacts?
"I am a Chinese final year law student due to graduate this summer from a Russell Group university. Like many, I have been struggling to line up a training contract. Knowing that I am not Oxbridge or 1st class material, I specifically targeted smaller...
27 May 2010 | 00:00 | 9 comments
Career Clinic: How can I make the most of my vac scheme?
"I have been fortunate enough to secure a place on a vacation scheme this summer with a City firm that I am extremely interested in training with. "I am a non-law, mature Cambridge student with good work experience including demanding and responsib...
20 May 2010 | 14:43 | 6 comments
Career Clinic: Remote chance of remote working at my firm
"I'm a two-year qualified associate at a City firm, and the amount of hours I'm expected to put in is beginning to grind me down. When I got into law I knew it'd be a hard slog, and I was prepared to put in the effort to make a good impression at the ...
17 May 2010 | 13:33 | 6 comments
Career Clinic: Would starting my Bar career in the regions be a bad move?
"I'm currently taking my third year exams at a top 10 university and plan to do a masters next year. I intend to go to the Bar after this, but, being a Welsh boy at heart, would like to go back to Cardiff for some time. I'm interested in the public la...
10 May 2010 | 13:31 | 4 comments
Career Clinic: Should I quit the magic circle after my TC?
"I'm about the join a magic circle firm as a trainee, and am having to make the inevitably tough choices about what seats to do. I've had rather a depressing meeting with the HR people who say that my interests (namely environmental and planning, comp...
06 May 2010 | 11:54 | 10 comments
Career Clinic: My workload is making it hard for me to switch off
"I am a second seat trainee at a large regional firm. I've been given a lot of responsibility early on and I have felt out of my depth at times, but I do ask for help and my first seat appraisal was very good. My colleagues haven't raised any issues w...
29 Apr 2010 | 14:30 | 17 comments
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