Managing Stress. (concerning exams)

Finally finished exams!

During the exam period and much of the academic year, I've had to deal with high levels of stress, anxiety and pressure. I am certain we've all been in similar situations at some point in our lives.

Being able to deal with and manage stress etc. is a skill set everyone needs throughout their personal and work lives. Everybody learns to deal with it differently.

For me, the moment I needed this skill set the most was during the build up to my Latin exam. An exam for which I was sure I was not going to do well in.

I dealt with it by...

1. Breaking up the workload. Therefore alleviating constant pressure and stress.
2. Exercising for half an hour. Enables you to escape from continuous thoughts of work.
3. Setting targets for work. Stops you from flitting about aimlessly between workloads and helps you to focus.
4. ASK FOR HELP. Don't struggle in silence, people are always flattered just to be asked.
5. Go in with a positive mind frame. Think success and you often achieve success.
6. Exhaust every opportunity. Answer everything even if you don't know the right answer, there is a chance your guess could be right.

Most importantly KEEP IT ALL IN PERSPECTIVE. Worst case scenario, it doesn't go well - remember life goes on.

Applying this to a career in law 1-4 are essential to manage heavy work loads during your career (within reason). 5 and 6 are particularly important for interview or meeting scenarios.

Finding your plan for dealing with stress, pressure or anxiety will further you in many aspects of life.

Just DONT let the stress win.

What's important to you?

As I have already mentioned I am currently at the stage of choosing which college I want to go to, in order to do my GDL. I have already posted about my thoughts on Birmingham College of Law and since then have visited both the Bloomsbury and Guilford branches.

For reasons which I am sure differ to those of others, I am head over heels in love with Guilford!!

Whilst I have been making a decision based on where I am going to live and who I am going to be connecting with (concerning colleges). It got me thinking about the wider question - what is important to me that I get from doing law? And therefore answering why do I want to do law?

1.People.
People are the biggest decider for me. It's important that I will get along with who I study or even work with. It's important to me, that I can be with diverse, open minded people. It is always very easy to pick up where like minded people are based in colleges, work places and I am sure I will experience similar feelings when visiting potential firms. Of course my love for working with people fits neatly into the role of being a solicitor as I will be able to interact with my colleagues and also my potential clients!

2.Teamwork.
The best memory I took away with me from my experience in DFA law was the teamwork. I am a strong believer in the importance of an effective community, just as I am a believer in the importance of a good team. I have chosen to follow the solicitor route because of this. I want to be in a firm that works well as a team, being able to develop and help each other.

3.Continuing to learn and gain experience.
The best moments in life are when you learn something new, or gain a new experience. And I know I will be able to attain this through a career in law, through the diversity of people, cases and colleagues I will come across. I know that they will all provide me with new learning curves and experiences I would never have had the opportunity to come across anywhere else.

4.Expressing my skill set.
Whilst I have always prided myself on my people skills, I believe I hold many other qualities relevant to a career in law. I enjoy analytical jobs, not only analysing data and information but people too. I am good at taking my analysis and presenting it to persuade, reassure and inform. In fact I would value this as my most proficient skill and believe it to be entirely applicable to a career in law.

I am certainly aware I need to explore these ideas further and develop them with more clarity. However it is always important to ask yourself these questions, double checking your still heading down the right path for the right reasons. And of course you will be able to answer the age old question that everybody wants to ask - why do you want to do law?

Onwards and upwards!

Furthering my career in law has become a little quite as of late, due to the dreaded EXAMS! So, I thought it was time for a review.

So what have I achieved since deciding to do law?

- I have secured a two week work placement.
I have already had a small amount of experience within a local solicitors firm which focused on family law. It was a great insight into the workings of a firm and the dealings of cases. I loved the way the firm worked so effectively as a team through consultation, yet at the same time being able to work successfully as individuals when needed. (a work pattern which is perfect for me!) I was also able to learn the basic ins and outs of family law and experience how emotionally challenging some cases can be. Yet I was always aware of the importance of professionalism.
I have secured a two week work placement in a solicitors firm which specialises in criminal law. I couldn't be more excited! I am really looking forward to being able to explore another sector of law and have the opportunity to really get involved within a firm over the two weeks.

- I have researched what I want to do.
I have obviously spent time reading books, magazines and websites informing prospective lawyers about routes in and what a career in law might involve.
However, I can not stress enough how valuable it is to speak to the experienced! They offer their own real experiences and provide advice tailored to you. HIGHLY recommend it.

- I have joined the YOS as an Appropriate Adult.
Due to my upcoming placement in criminal law, I wanted to expand my experience and knowledge.
In short, acting as an appropriate adult involves providing support to young offenders taken into police stations. Informing them of the process and acting as a non bias support figure. This will provide invaluable experience at the same time as providing the rewarding experience of voluntary work.

- I have used social networking sites to further myself.
First of all, TWITTER IS WONDERFUL!
The amount of people I have met through twitter who are interested in law is incredible. We are able to share experiences, thoughts and plans. Whilst getting to know prospective employers and widening your contact base. Some people have even been kind enough to promote my blog through twitter!
LinkedIn I am still not entirely sure how to use. It seems contacts need to be made outside of LinkedIn before you can network with them through the site. However it is a great way to put your cv online, widen your contact base and they publish really good articles relevant to your career sector and interests.
Blogging has been great fun. It's perfect for tracking all the details of your experiences and enables you to share your experiences with others who might be interested.
However... It is important to remember that, whilst social networking sites are great for widening your knowledge and contact base and sharing experiences. It is not a way to get a job or placement! The classic old fashioned ways are still the best for that.

- I have enhanced my cv.
I am taking evening French classes, now of intermediate level. I participated in the employability award and I won the campaign to become treasurer of they history committee. All of which have been great experiences in themselves and are valuable skills to put on my cv.

So, overall I have gained experience, researched my future, started networking and attained valuable skills. I still have a long way to go and a lot more to do but I've taken the first steps. And I have enjoyed every minute so far!

Take everything you're given...

Recently I applied to become a student ambassador at my university. I was successful for the initial stage of applications and asked to attend a selection event.

The event was two hours and split around fifty of us into ten small groups. Within these groups we carried out three consecutive activities such as, presentation planning and dealing with theoretical situations.

For each group a judicator was placed on the table, marking each person individually. We were marked on team working skills, confidence, presentation, communication and time management.

Personally, I felt the selection event went really well. It was highly competitive and I felt I had done the best I could at the time. I was confident I had been successful.

Unfortunately I had been too optimistic. I didn't get through!

I've watched many of my friends be knocked back by experiences like this and turn their back on their goal, giving up. Although, initially I was of course upset, I took this as a positive experience.

It is so important to take everything as a learning experience, whether positive or bad. Learn how to improve and do better next time, consider what your strengths and weaknesses are. Sometimes it also highlights how you may not have been entirely suitable to the role you were applying for, emphasising how you need to find a different role more suitable and tailored for you.

Although I felt I had done the best I could, I know I can always do better. I will attend the feedback session with the intention to learn and improve.

Most importantly, I know I have the ability to deal with disappointment and rejection. Which i am sure is going to be extremely beneficial in the future when applying to training contracts and firms!

So always remember, everything has a silver lining!

Employability Award

Leicester university, alongside the majority of other universities offer an Employability Award. This is a course which provides valuable learning for skill set improvement and practical workshops aiming to improve your employability for the future. When completed it appears on your degree transcript and is a certificate which is recognised by multiple employers.

If you're interested approach your universities careers service and they will be more than willing to point you in the right direction.

Today I took part in the last workshop, Assignment 3. The aim was to carry out a 5 to 10 minute presentation on your development during the award. We were judged on structure, presentation style, confidence and of course content. We were then asked a couple of question reflecting our presentation.

I am really pleased to be able to say it went well! I received excellent feedback from the moderators and a great response from the audience.

Something I took away with me from this is recognition of what I could improve. Although I was told I seemed confident, relaxed and held good eye contact, I personally felt I spoke at break neck speed. This may have been because I was struggling to process all of my thoughts due to nerves. Therefore in order to improve upon this I want to find situations in which I can improve my confidence in public speaking and slow down my thought process. Such as joining the debating society and getting involved in the universities mooting, or the LUDA.

I'm going to go over in more depth the benefits of taking an employability award after its completion in June. Meanwhile I learnt a lot from myself today concerning public speaking...
- I felt I spoke too quickly and came across a little bulchy (I am a harsh critic of myself but it never hurts to improve) = therefore I have decided to take up more opportunities for public speaking in order to build confidence and skill.
- I struggled to provide clear examples of why I want to do law and examples of team work and leadership, even though I knew it so clearly in my head! = my moderator gave me great feedback concerning this. A technique she suggested was CAR. I can't remember exactly what C was for but I will hazard a guess. C stands for case, what the problem or situation was. A stands for action, what YOU did to deal with it (great emphasis placed on YOU here, your employer wants to know about you not your entire group) and R stands for result. A clear structure which is easy to remember and valuable to anyone in any similar situation.

I can't stress enough, how important it is to learn from your experience. This is exactly what this award has helped me to do and provided me with the ability and motivation to prioritise my career planning.

I would recommend the employability award to anyone! I will expand upon this post more when my head isn't so clouded by other essays!

Meeting the experienced...

One of the most important factors I have found within law, is to have valuable contacts and networks. These contacts can provide advice and support and help to widen your existing networks. Using your networks effectively can put you miles ahead of anyone without them.

Today, I met with an old family friend who had 50 years experience within legal practice. I wanted to meet up to be able to have a personal, down to earth conversation about the reality of life within legal practice. This is exactly what he gave me.

He talked about how he has dealt with difficult cases, which can often be very harrowing on your personal life. We chatted about the differences of locations, firms and sectors. And most importantly the value of working with all types of people as a team in a wide community.

I found this meeting so helpful! It was wonderful to have an honest point of view from an experienced practitioner without professional or promotional barriers between us. It helped to confirm my views of the legal practice and build my confidence in myself that I was on the right path and going the right way about it.

I'd recommend an opportunity like this to everyone. You can ask any questions you like and respond just as freely and openly as you like, which you may not be able to do in work placement. It provides a real chance to understand the nitty gritty bits of your future profession which you may not have learnt until much later. It's a great preparation technique for reality.

If you don't know anybody personally, either link up with somebody in the profession on twitter or through small local firms. You'd be surprised how willing and supportive so many people are. Their career is important to them and they will be flattered you felt you could ask them. Although don't expect everything, they do have to keep some degree of professionalism.

Joining YOS as an Appropriate Adult.

YOS stands for the Youth Offending System. Acting as an appropriate adult involves acting as a neutral support to under age offenders. Working from a rota, attending police interviews with the offender, providing advice and support.

I wanted to get involved with this as it would provide invaluable experience for my future career in law.

Alongside this I am so excited about the opportunity to help make a difference and offer the support that the young offenders need. It is important to me that I help provide equal opportunities to as many people as possible. Therefore, acting as an appropriate adult alongside my work as an ambassador at university provides me plenty of opportunities to act on this belief.

So, today I had the interview at the county hall in Leicester. I was asked about why I wanted to take part in the scheme and about my previous relevant experience. Alongside running through a CRB check they seemed more than happy to have me on. The interview was very positive and I'm looking forward to starting training in September.