Sometimes, the old ones are the best. Which certainly applies to routes into the legal profession. Stung by rejections of his online applications for jobs in the law, aspiring lawyer Thomas Isaac decided to go a little more traditional: turning up in person.
Starting from his home in south-west London, Isaac has walked in an ever expanding spiral to every solicitors’ firm he comes across to hand over his CV and cover letter in person.
The University of Sheffield graduate also posted about his plans – complete with a map of target locations – on LinkedIn.
‘The uncaring barrage of rejections, even if it gets easier, never gets easy,’ he wrote. ‘Not knowing whether your CV and cover letter was looked at by a real person, getting no feedback, getting rejected at the final hurdle – it all hurts.’
Speaking to the Gazette this week, Isaac confirmed he had managed to visit 31 offices. He has had two replies back so far – one a polite rejection, but the other suggesting a paralegal role might become available soon.
‘My situation clearly resonated with lots of people who empathised,’ Isaac said. ‘The online support has been completely overwhelming, but in a good way. I have been trying to follow up with every comment, lead and invitation to coffee.’
Obiter wishes him well, and advises getting a decent pair of walking boots.
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