Career Advice

During the job-seeking process, it is crucial that candidates understand the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity available to them to show their value to the prospective employer. Writing a covering letter is an essential part of this process.

A covering letter is a vital piece of personal professional marketing that should accompany every CV application. Its function is to give candidates the chance not only to introduce themselves but also to expand upon and strengthen their CV. By following our guide to the dos and don’ts of covering letters, you can ensure that you have made every effort to guarantee that your next job application results in obtaining that much-coveted interview.

Dos

• Explain why you have applied for the job

The job-seeking process can be a nerve-wracking time for anyone. These nerves can be further exacerbated if you’ve had a recent interview with the company of your dreams and have yet to hear back from them. Stay positive; it is important to remember that the process of job seeking doesn’t necessarily end at the interview. When looking for a new job opportunity, you should keep in mind that each step of the recruitment process is a time to be proactive and maintain interaction with the employer. Remember that companies want to hire an individual who has an ongoing interest in the position, and is both passionate and forthcoming in their communication. Following up on a job interview can have extremely advantageous results. In fact, some companies have actually cited the candidate’s incentive to send them a follow-up as being the reason that they made the decision to hire that candidate.

Career advancement is simple to achieve if you put your mind to it and have the right attitude. You need to make sure you stand out from the crowd and are recognised for your worth.

Ensure you’re noticed and credited for work

First and foremost, ensure that you take the credit for any great work you have achieved. Never be shy or humble in this respect or let others take the glory. There are sometimes people who are standing by who will do exactly that! Bring your successes to the attention of your bosses and claim that credit in your next appraisal. Prove to your boss that you actually go above and beyond your standard job description; however, be careful to find the right balance here. No-one likes overtly ambitious employees, as this can come across as arrogance when it is not sufficiently contained.

Advance your knowledge and skills

ILSPA’s Legal Secretary Jobs Board specialises in Legal Secretary jobs throughout the UK. The aim of the Jobs Board is to bring legal recruiters and top-quality candidates together, helping them to achieve their goals. ILSPA’s Members and Students are prime candidates for Legal Secretary and PA roles, as they have the knowledge, skills or experience employers are looking for. 

Whether you are new to the Jobs Board or are an existing candidate, it is vitally important that your profile contains up-to-date information. If certain information is missing, you may be prevented from securing employment or appearing within our candidate database for recruiters to search.

As we progress through the technological age, different elements of our daily lives progress with it. Procedures that were once traditional and mechanical have become modified, reconstructed and updated, and processes that took days, even weeks, can happen in a matter of seconds. The world of employment has not been immune to this evolution and continues to be significantly affected by the ongoing expansion of the modern age. It is important that we, as members of the 21st century, keep up to date with any changes in communication that may affect us so that we don’t miss any valuable opportunities. Professionals seeking employment, making connections, initiating introductions and carrying out referrals is nothing new in business. However, with the advent of social networking, the methods we use to make these connections has changed. LinkedIn is a website that is part of that change.

Agile working is becoming more and more popular in many sectors, including the legal profession. But what is it, and how could you and your firm benefit?

What is agile working?

Agile working is a form of flexible working, which allows people to work at times and in places to suit their individual needs as long as they meet defined goals. While traditional flexible working is seen as a benefit solely to the employee, agile working has been shown to be beneficial to both the employee and the employer.

How does it work?

Through making best use of modern technology, employees are able to perform their work duties from any location. When remote access to company databases and servers is enabled, employees are able to access all the information they need to complete their work wherever they are, and share it with their employer. 

Planning to get involved

Work experience is one of the best opportunities for you to learn more about Legal Secretary work, employment opportunities and to support your studies of ILSPA’s Legal Secretaries Diploma course.  You may have completed a legal work experience placement in the past or have significant previous experience in a non-legal environment.

Before you commenced your studies through The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs, it is likely you had a good idea of the area of law in which you would like to work.  However, if this is not the case and you are still pondering exactly what you should do after your course, hopefully this article will provide you with some inspiration and show you that the legal industry is indeed a very diverse one.

The diversity of this industry derives mainly from the multifaceted nature of our legal system itself. When people first consider studying towards any legal qualification, their minds are usually drawn to criminal law. Due to myriad television programmes and films constantly portraying and even glamourizing this pillar of the law, it goes without saying that this seems a very exciting and appealing area to work in.

If you have been at all concerned about the number of job vacancies that are potentially available to you upon successful completion of your Legal Secretaries Diploma course with us, or are just leaving school or have been considering a change of career, you should certainly find more than a soupçon of inspiration in this article. Whatever your reason for seeking out job information, if you like the idea of a career in law, then you might be interested to know that a record number of law firms have been opening in the United Kingdom lately. 

Increased demand for legal professionals

We’ve come a long way, baby

Just over 100 years ago, in December 1912, a woman named Gwyneth Bebb applied to the Law Society to become a solicitor. There was no doubt that she was more than able to be one.