Cover letters – an opportunity not to be missed – Trainee Blog

The first step in many training contract application processes (including ours!) is to provide a CV and cover letter. While this could be the first stage of many, it is a crucial step to set the tone of your application throughout the process. 

It is no secret that training contracts are hugely competitive, with some firms receiving hundreds or even thousands of applications for just a handful of coveted positions. Lots of candidates feel they have no choice but to make a vast number of applications in the hope that this will give them the best probability of succeeding in one, and in turn, this can lead to applicants falling into the trap of adopting a ‘one size fits all’ approach to their cover letter.

A cover letter should be viewed as an opportunity to bolster your application and give further insight into you as an applicant. It gives you the opportunity to stand out from the crowd by explaining why you are applying to the particular firm and also emphasise how your skillset and/or experience makes you a good fit for the role of a trainee.

To demonstrate convincingly why you have chosen a particular firm, large or small, you should first ask yourself what type of law you wish to qualify into (if you already have an idea), what type of firm you could see yourself in, and what firm culture you are looking for. You should always research the firm and read the job description to understand and identify what skills the firm is looking for and whether you would be a good fit.

For instance, if you have a keen interest in qualifying into criminal law and then make applications to firms who don’t have a criminal law department, it’s going to be difficult to demonstrate any interest in the areas that the firm specialises in. Likewise, if you have aspirations of living and working in the city and then make applications to regional or even high street firms, it’s going to be difficult to show how you will be a good fit for the firm’s culture or direction. For this reason, once you have identified what you are looking for in a firm or training contract, you can then research which firms match that criteria which can be done by researching the firm on their website, in legal directories, exploring the firm’s social media or even from speaking to people who actually work there.

As well as talking about why the firm interests you, your cover letter is also an opportunity to demonstrate why you are an excellent candidate and suited for the role. If you are going to list a skill that you have, you should also try to tease more detail out by referencing things you have done previously.

For candidates who are making applications that require cover letters, I would advise you to avoid copying and pasting previously used cover letters and spend time tailoring your letter to the specific firm. Firms dedicate a lot of time to reading and dissecting applications, including the all-important cover letter, and it can be obvious which candidates have done the research and spent time tailoring their cover letters properly.

This will hopefully lead to a greater prospect of success in the initial stages of the application process, which will bring you one step closer to achieving the ultimate goal of securing a training contract.