Course: LLB Law with Sandwich Placement Year

Name of Placement Employer: CRA Consulting

Job Title: Legal Recruitment Resourcer

Overall, describe your placement experience:

I started to look for a placement at the beginning of the second year of my degree and I was soon confronted with the fact that there were very few available. I realised that they were incredibly competitive but persevered through the process and soon received my offer from CRA. I joined them in July 2023 as a Legal Recruitment Resourcer. I thoroughly enjoyed my placement year experience; it provided me with a break from my studies and an opportunity to gain an insight into the working world. 

Describe a typical day within your placement job role

A typical day in my placement role began with either a team meeting or a discussion with the consultant I was assisting that day. These were essential in order to discover my requirements and the priority in which tasks were to be completed. I would then log on to my computer, check my personal and the firm's inbox, and respond to any new inquiries. I would then file the emails into relevant sub-folders to ensure my inbox was organised. 

Recruitment is a very fast paced industry, so after checking my emails it was essential that I log on to the job boards quickly to see if there were any new candidates looking for roles or perhaps known candidates that have reappeared on the job boards. I would then contact these via the phone to introduce CRA to them and find out their job preferences such as role, location, salary in order to find out if we had a role suitable for them. Regardless of whether we had a job available or not, I would check our case management system, to see if we had a candidate profile for them and update this accordingly.

If we did have a suitable role, I or one of my colleagues would discuss it with them and, if they were interested, I would then format their CV ready to send to our client. I would also ensure I checked their ID to ensure our right to work onboarding process was followed. I would then work closely with the relevant consultant to complete the candidates application. 

A typical afternoon consisted of researching local law firms, to ensure I understood the current roles they were recruiting for. If I came across anything I was unaware of, I would ensure that I circulated this information to my colleagues. Furthermore, I would spend my afternoons issuing interview confirmations and assisting with administrative tasks such as posting job advertisements, scheduling interviews, and maintaining candidate and client files.

Sometimes my days would conclude with a networking event in the evening which were always great to attend. I would have discussions with legal professionals, which built my network and knowledge of the sector, assisting me in my role and future career.

What were the areas of your placement you were most worried about before starting, and how did you overcome these?

The areas of my placement that I was worried about were attending networking events and team meetings. I think I was quite worried about being so junior and just the idea of being new! I think the fear of starting a new job is so normal, but once you get up to speed with everything and settle in this soon goes away.

In regard to the worries about networking events, I would remind myself that everyone is in the same boat and my colleagues would let me know what to expect which was helpful. Our team meetings were held on a Monday morning so I would block out some time in my diary, normally on a Friday afternoon, to fully prepare for them to ensure that I was prepared and my notes were completed, ready to be taken into the meeting first thing on Monday.

Best part of the placement year:

I think the best part was speaking to new people, whether this was candidates, clients, or other professionals at networking events. I always valued the conversations had and felt like I was constantly learning new things about the legal sector. Having these conversations also led to further experiences, for example I was given a week's work experience within a firm over the summer through a solicitor I met at a networking event.

What are the skills you developed as a result of the placement year?

I developed so many skills whilst on placement and have numerous experiences that I can use in job applications and interviews. For example, my time management improved hugely over the course of my placement year. A 9-5 took a bit of time to adjust to, and days went by really quickly so I had to ensure I was organised! I made sure that I had a plan at the beginning of each day with tasks in order of urgency. The development of my time management skills has been crucial going into the final year of my degree as it is very demanding.

Another key skill I developed was developing working relationships. I ensured that I communicated effectively with my colleagues to develop a working relationship which helped us work efficiently as a team. My communication skills massively improved too. I was a bit nervous when I started working at CRA, a new environment and new people can be quite daunting! The idea of contributing to a team meeting seemed quite out of reach as I was the most junior. However, as time went on, my confidence grew and I was able to prepare for the meetings and engage in conversations. 

How do you think your placement year will benefit you within your final year, and applying for and securing a graduate role?

As part of my placement year, I was required to complete a Diploma of Professional Practice which consisted of a lot of self-reflection. As I was required to reflect regularly, I was able to identify my accomplishments and make improvements as required. I will be able to use this skill of reflection during graduate interviews.

As I am now in my final year, I am spending a lot of time considering my options post-university and starting to look into roles I want to apply for. I hope my placement year will make me ‘stand out’ from the crowd when applying for a graduate role, as law is a very competitive sector.

Overall, I think my placement year has been a great addition to my CV. I have gained a year’s professional work experience within an office environment which has equipped me with a wealth of industry knowledge and transferable skills for the future. 

Would you recommend other students carrying out a placement, if so why?

I would encourage any student to carry out a placement year because it gives you the opportunity to personally develop, and enhance and learn new skills that you can take into your future career. They provide you with such a great opportunity to gain an insight into the sector you want a career within and they prepare you for the ‘real world’ after university. 

If you are considering a placement, I would recommend utilising the support and facilities that the University’s Careers and Employability Service have to offer. They are a great source of support with CVs, applications, and to help you secure a placement. Also, ensure you carefully conduct your research, and be open minded; I had not considered a placement year within legal recruitment before. 

One final point; try to build up your LinkedIn and reach out to your connections. People want to help others on the platform, I actually found my placement through messaging a consultant at CRA following a post of theirs offering a week’s work experience. They were not actually advertising a placement year, so I essentially brought the idea to them. Never be afraid to just ask!