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Career Fairs | Application Process | Application Package | The On-Campus Interview | After the On-Campus Interview | Additional Tips Generally held throughout the year, Career Fairs are a fabulous opportunity for students to gather information about a large number of law firms and government organizations. Prior to the Career Fair day, students should obtain a list of the law firms and government organizations attending their school's Career Fair. From this list, students should determine those firms or organizations in which they are most interested. Students should then develop a plan to best take advantage of the Career Fair and ensure they visit each firm or organization identified. The school's Career Services Office will generally provide nametags for the students. Students should wear their nametag prominently. It is also beneficial for the nametag to indicate the student's year of study, so that the representatives will know in which stage of the recruitment process the student is interested. Before arriving at the Career Fair, students should consider what qualities or attributes they are seeking in a law firm and should prepare questions to ask of the representatives to elicit such information. Students should take a copy of the firm brochures, promotional materials and representatives' business cards. Many law schools also offer a number of panel discussions during the Career Fairs. Panel discussions normally cover tips on the recruitment process as well as general overviews of particular areas of practice. Students are encouraged to plan their day so they can attend these sessions, in addition to visiting the Career Fair tables. Application ProcessStudents should take the time to fully consider their options and preferences before sending out application packages. Students should first decide in which city or cities they wish to work, then determine which practice areas are of interest, and finally apply only to firms or organizations that suit those preferences. Students should ensure their application package arrives on or before the application deadline date, as set by the Law Society of Alberta. It does not matter whether the application is hand-delivered, mailed or emailed, so long as the application package is complete. Application PackageCover Letter The cover letter is a crucial part of the application package. It is a student's first opportunity to make an impression and is basically considered a writing sample. And as a writing sample, it must be flawless! Cover letters should be limited to one page and while it may seem unnecessary to say, ensure it is addressed correctly and to the proper individual. This is a common yet easily avoidable mistake. Most cover letters follow the same general format: It is certainly acceptable to deviate from this format, but students should generally avoid jokes or gimmicks in their cover letter. What may be humorous to you, may not come across that way to the reader. However, it is important for students to always be themselves. And so if you would only want to work somewhere that understands your sense of humour, then you should by all means write your cover letter in that manner. Students should tailor each cover letter to the particular firm. When describing why you are interested in the firm, include references that are unique to the particular firm and which demonstrate the letter has been drafted with this firm specifically in mind. When describing your qualifications, state with confidence but not arrogance. Use the cover letter to highlight the strengths of your résumé and explain how your experiences have prepared you for the practice of law. Discuss the transferable skills you have acquired through these experiences. You may also want to address any gaps in your academic or employment history, or explain any grade anomalies. These areas may also simply be included as an addendum to your transcript in order to save space in your cover letter. It is not generally necessary to discuss a single grade anomaly as most firms can appreciate a student having one bad grade. However, if you had a bad term due to extenuating circumstances, then you may want to provide a brief explanation of those circumstances. See the Transcripts section for more on this topic. Résumé Your résumé tells us about who you are and the experience you will bring to the position. Student résumés should normally be a maximum of two pages. If space is an issue, avoid the tendency to include everything you have ever done or list every duty a job entailed. Determine which experiences are the most relevant to the position and include only those. Be careful not to exaggerate your experiences or accomplishments, as anything within your résumé may be raised during an interview. As with your cover letter, take the time to ensure your résumé is error-free and contains no spelling mistakes or typos. Appearance is also important. For legibility, the font should be no smaller than 10 point. There should also be clean lines and plenty of "white space". And similar to the cover letter, résumés for summer and articling positions follow a standard format; however, there are times when the standard format may be altered. For instance, mature students may wish to highlight their work experience first. The standard format for summer and articling position résumés is: Education: Note: secondary information is not generally necessary. Employment Experience: Legal Experience: Note: legal experience can be listed as a separate category or may simply be included under Employment Experience or Extracurricular Activities. Academic Awards: Extracurricular Activities: Interests: Transcripts Be sure to include all post-secondary transcripts. Generally students place their transcripts in chronological order. If there is a gap in your educational experience that is not obviously explained by your work experience or extracurricular activities, you may wish to explain this gap in your cover letter or in an addendum to the transcript. Students with one grade anomaly may, but need not, mention or attempt to explain the poor grade. Firms realize even the best students can have a bad grade. However, if there is an entire term or year with below average grades, and there is a valid explanation (e.g., illness, death in the family), then students may wish to address this situation in either their cover letter or, given the space constraints of the cover letter, in a note attached to the transcript. It is imperative that we receive current and updated transcripts. We understand that current transcripts are difficult to obtain until your school has determined your final grades. Please forward to us your most current transcripts with your application then send your updated transcripts as soon as they are available, and definitely before any interviews are held. References While references are mandatory at some firms, at Gowlings reference letters are optional. Students who wish to include a list of references should list them at the end of their résumé, after their Interests. Be sure to include the full name, title, organization and contact information of the reference. Two or three references are generally sufficient. It is standard to include both a personal reference as well as a professional reference. If a student has written references, they should be included at the end of the application package. Reference letters should be from individuals who can highlight your abilities and the personal characteristics they have observed which make you an excellent candidate. A generic reference letter from a professor that simply says you attended class regularly, were an active participant in class and received a certain grade—while not harmful—does not add much value. There is no need to say "References Available on Request" at the bottom of your résumé. Students should either include references or not refer to them at all. Writing Sample Writing samples are also optional at Gowlings, but again are required by some firms. If you decide to include a writing sample, choose something you feel to be your best work-but keep it short, no more than four-to-five pages. As firms receive upwards of 1,000 résumés for the summer recruit, the professionals reviewing the résumés do not have much time to spend on each one, and therefore, extensive writing samples will generally not be read. Further, if the piece is too long, it may not even be copied and distributed to the reviewers with the résumé. On-Campus Interviews The summer student recruitment process in Calgary begins with the on-campus interviews. Gowlings Calgary participates in on-campus interviews across the country in the fall of each year. Click on the following link for a list of schools and on-campus interview dates for summer student recruitment. Scheduling Firms will provide participating law schools with a list of the students they wish to interview by the deadline date set by that school. The school's Career Services Office will then contact the students to schedule their on-campus interviews. Some schools allow the students to create their own interview schedule, but others will complete the schedule for the students once the students have advised at which firms they wish to accept an interview. Students should not worry about the specific timing of each on-campus interview. It will not matter to the interviewers whether you meet with them at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the day. All students are treated equally, regardless of interview time. And where the student is able to create their own schedule, firms will absolutely not read anything into the student's choice of interview time for their firm. That said, those students in a position to create their own schedule should take into account their own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, students who know they will interview better at a certain time of day, should consider scheduling the firms in which they are most interested at that time of day. The maximum number of on-campus interviews a student should accept will vary depending on the particular student. There is no right or wrong number of interviews. Students should assess themselves and determine how many on-campus interviews they feel they can do and still perform well. Some students will be comfortable setting a full schedule (i.e., 19-20 interviews), while others will prefer to limit their interviews to 10-15 so that they will have breaks throughout the day to refresh and regroup. The on-campus interviews are typically 17-20 minutes in length, depending on the school. In that short period, both students and firms must assess whether the firm/student is someone with whom they wish to meet again, and at the same time pitch themselves to the firm/student so the firm/student will want to interview with them further. Most interviewers will begin the interview with a few minutes of small talk to help create a more relaxed atmosphere. The interviewers will then proceed to ask questions of the student, likely based on the student's résumé. It is therefore important for you to know your résumé and be prepared to discuss the content therein. Know yourself and answer any questions completely honestly to convey your true personality and qualifications. Either throughout the interview or towards the end of the interview, the interviewers will give the student time to ask questions. Research the firm through its Web site, brochure and/or by contacting members of the firm, and prepare your questions accordingly. Ask questions that will elicit the information you require to make an informed decision; questions that will help you determine whether this firm is suited to your goals and needs; and questions that demonstrate a specific knowledge of the firm. Most, but not all, firm representatives will wear business attire. Students should dress professionally, which generally means wearing business attire. While some firms may dress more casually and not take notice if a student is dressed casually, some firm representatives will draw a negative inference from a student's attire if it is considered too casual. Some firms are able to advise the students, usually via email, in advance of "Call Day" whether or not they will contact them on Call Day to schedule an in-firm interview. Some firms advise only those students to whom they will be granting a further interview. And some firms do not have the resources to advise students either way. As a result, students should not draw a negative conclusion from the fact they have not heard from a particular firm. Students interested in a further interview with a firm are encouraged to email or telephone the firm representatives or the firm's Chair of the Articling and Student Programs to express their continued interest. However, given a firm representative's busy schedule, students should not draw a negative inference if their email is not returned immediately or if the firm is not yet able to advise whether the student will be given another interview. Some firms make their decisions after completing each school's on-campus interviews while other firms wait until they have completed all of the schools' on-campus interviews before making a final decision. Additional Tips
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