Career Clinic: Am I being too honest in my job applications?

I doubt the gap in your CV due to the bereavement is the issue. The market is very poor at the moment so it could just be bad luck. Are you actually telling firms to which you apply that you already have a TC lined up? If so, that's the reason they aren't interested. Don't tell them!

Any chance of paralegalling at the firm you'll be joining in September?

Anonymous -08 Feb 2010 | 11:53

Bravo!

Don't lie. You took a break from work for entirely understandable reasons and are now looking for a job to fill the period until September. Honesty and integrity are critical to your future career: don't jeopardise it for a very short-term gain. When I was admitted as a solicitor, someone gave a speech: I can't remember his name but I can remember what he said: you will find yourself in numerous situations where is is easier to lie or a benefit can be obtained; don't, because a solicitor's integrity is critical to the ability to do the job. Apply for six-month contracts or temping jobs, or keep being honest with permanent roles (and I echo the point about tough markets): you have got a job from September and you just need to get through until then, integrity intact.

Associate -08 Feb 2010 | 12:12

I agree that you shouldn't mention the TC - people might not want to employ you if they know you'll be leaving soon.

The other approach you could take is forgetting working as a paralegal and just temping. I appreciate it's not 'legal' experience, but it'll be working in an office and will get you used to meeting new people, learning new things rapidly and being flexible, skills which will be invaluable in your training contract. I temped throughout my law school holidays and it was great - shows you that there's more to life than law and might give you good contacts should you ever need them. You'll probably want to register with a few firms, and if you're lucky you'll get a contract for a good few months so you can settle in somewhere rather than moving every week. I think the pay's probably comparable too in most areas of London. Good luck.

Anonymous -08 Feb 2010 | 12:26

Don't fib about the TC - and that means by omission too. I was recently recruiting for a paralegal and googled all the candidates down for interview, to find that one of them had a TC for September. When she came for interview we raised it and she was all at sea - "oh, you googled me". Well yes, that's what nosey recruiters do. Somebody else got the job - who didn't have a TC lined up - but more importantly, didn't lie. But anyway, if you have a TC in September, why not do something else? I realise you probably have to earn a crust, but what about thinking about the poor people out there without a TC and no prospects and maybe temping instead of taking a job away from them?

Helen -08 Feb 2010 | 14:23

Don't do it

Don't tell any lies - honesty is always the best policy in these situations, and anyway you have nothing to hide.

Barry -08 Feb 2010 | 15:15

Be honest and be glad. Do horrible temporary jobs in factories, slaughterhouses, anything. The worse the job, the better, so try labour agencies or even McDonalds.

Then when you are a trainee, however dire things get you can draw some comfort that you aren't shovelling sh*t any longer. But more than that, you will have a wealth of interesting anecdotes with which to spice up evenings in the pub when surrounded by bores who can talk only of the Companies Acts, VAT, conveyancing or whatever.

Never did me any harm...

US Partner -08 Feb 2010 | 16:05

CV, CV, CV!

Its not what you say but how you say it. You must be honest and truthful in any job application that you make but your CV and covering letter could perhaps better explain your 'gap' and moreover your future ambitions. Whatever you do - don't give up on making job applications.

Tim Bates:CompareLegalJobs -08 Feb 2010 | 16:38

Screw paralegaling

Great advice US partner!

You have a TC. So what's the point of paralegaling? That's something that those of us who desperately want a TC do to boost our CVs. Don't go depriving someone who could use the experience! It's really boring anyway.

Get a temp job instead. A mate of mine temped throughout law school. He sat in an office cheerfully surfing the internet all day and got paid £11/hour. Alternatively, use the time to do something you've always wanted to do and will never have a chance to do again. But it doesn't make sense to put loads of effort into finding a paralegal job when you've got a TC lined up and all you're looking for is some money to make ends meet until you start.

GimmeaTC -08 Feb 2010 | 16:49

I'm with US partner

If you can afford it, do what you can to do anything other than law. Your firm won't care and it will be invaluable experience which (almost regardless of what it is) will help you look at your training contract from a different perspective.

City Woman -08 Feb 2010 | 17:04

Do something else!

Echoing the points above but:

1. The 'gap' is not an issue. You took a break for entirely understandable reasons; in any event, a break (for whatever reason) should have no real impact for paralegal positions. So no need to be coy about this.

2. The fact that you have a TC lined up may be an issue for some firms, since it means you will only be with them a short time. However, even here you need to remain honest. It is possible that some firms will have a particular business need and view your position as an advantage. For other firms - it's just bad luck but don't try and pull the wool over their eyes.

3. Quite seriously - unless you desperately need the money and can't find anything else that will pay OK (how well will paralegal work pay in this market anyway?!), I would urge you to consider something other than going back to being a paralegal. You have been a paralegal already, so you are not likely to gain further useful experience, you are about to embark on a TC, which should give you the legal grounding you actually want within the next couple of years, and you have possibly one of your last career opportunities to do something different. Additionally, jobs in other sectors may be easier to find at the minute, and it is more likely to play to your advantage that you are only available for a short time (i.e. to help with a specific project for a fair price, with no long-term commitment). Good luck.

Assistant X -09 Feb 2010 | 08:33

If you can afford it, go travelling/volunteering - i.e. anything that interests you and doesn't involve working in an office in the City. If you can't afford it, either temp or follow US Partner's (slightly more unorthodox) approach.

I was in a similar situation a couple of years ago and managed to get another paralegal job. You have already worked as a paralegal, so doing further paralegal work is unlikely to benefit you - at least by doing something else you will arrive fresh rather than bored and disillusioned. I made that mistake and the TC felt like it lasted an eternity as a result - it was like spending three years enduring the frequent tedium of the TC rather than the regulation two!

Puff -09 Feb 2010 | 13:40

6 months until its all over...

...so enjoy your time out as you are about to get on to life's career treadmill. You can repay those debts you incur when you are working.

Anyway, be positive - the fact you have a TC means you are a better candidate for a post as another firm has already done most of the assessment work for your potential temp employer - you should be honest and refer to your TC commitment as reflective of your academic ability and skills.

Strider -09 Feb 2010 | 15:31

Thank you

I really appreciate all of the comments that all of you have posted. Thanks for your time and I think I will stop looking for paralegal work!

FTrainee -10 Feb 2010 | 12:28