Five top tips for writing your application to Gilson Gray

Being a second-year trainee at Gilson Gray means that I was in your shoes not too long ago. I remember how anxious this time of your life can be and it can be especially difficult to decide which firms you would like to apply to! I would encourage anyone looking for a traineeship to do research into a firm before applying – it is so important that you spend these important years of your career training somewhere you can get the most experience from.

If Gilson Gray looks to be the firm for you, here are my top 5 tips for the traineeship application process:

Be unique

Here at Gilson Gray we appreciate uniqueness so it’s important to show what makes you stand out from everyone else. I would advise anyone thinking of applying to the traineeship to not be afraid to show how they are unique as an individual.

Align your values

At Gilson Gray we are very proud of our values and we believe that in order for you to feel at home within our teams, then it is important to resonate with our values. Make sure you are aware of the key values before applying so that you are able to link your own experiences to them and demonstrate to us that you are someone who believes in these values too!

Be genuine

Don’t copy and paste from other applications. As explained above, trainees at Gilson Gray thrive on being unique. Therefore, it is important to write your own genuine answers to the questions on the application form. If you recycle answers which you have used from previous application forms, it is unlikely that you are giving an answer to the application team which will stand out. Our application questions are carefully designed so that we get to see a unique side to our candidates that wouldn’t be seen on other application forms.

Be bold and memorable

Gilson Gray is a law firm which dares to be bold on an everyday basis. We have grown so quickly due to our ability to take risks, which means that we are looking for future solicitors who are capable of doing the same. Do not be afraid to add something into your application which sets you aside from everyone else. My top tip would be that the key to a good application is to be memorable!

Be yourself

I cannot stress enough how important it is to be YOU when completing your application form. If you have read our values and feel that they align with your own, all that’s left to do is make your personality shine through! A pitfall of past applicants is trying to frame answers that they think people want to hear rather than what they genuinely believe in. From my own experience, I can say that it is better to be honest that ‘The Dark Knight’ is your favourite film rather than pretending it is ‘To Kill a Mockingbird.’ The person reviewing your application will be much more engaged if they find what your saying is believable.