The Overqualified & Under-qualified Puzzle

First things first...

Apologies for my lack of posts recently, I have been in the process of moving out of university and coming back to my home in Kent. I have now officially moved out and the end of university has never seemed more real. Very sad times!

I also was pre-occupied with getting my results. I managed to get the "magic" 2.1 classification (though admittedly this was a scrape with a mark of 61- just between you and I). Obviously it is nice to have that to back up all my job applications, but if you didn't get quite what you wanted it is definitely not the end of the world. It just might mean you have to graft a bit harder to get where you want to go, or perhaps go a different way. 

So what is the topic today?

Today is all about my hunt to find a somewhat relevant job in my year off, and what my plans are now I have a 2.1. I will not say much on this but I have had one thought which I will ponder some more:

Now I have a 2.1, if I can get a relevant job this year that can demonstrate transferable skills to being a trainee solicitor then I am much more persuaded to invest in the LPC if I have to. The LPC (or the Legal Practice Course is the next stage in becoming a solicitor and is a kind of postgraduate course) is expensive but hopefully with the degree and a job a training contract is a much more realistic prospect, with a greater chance of it being a good investment. 

But I digress...

I have recently been applying for jobs, scouring the internet by "Googling" law firms in Kent and going through each one individually to see if they have any vacancies. Which brings me to:

Advice No 1: If you want to work as a paralegal then apply to firms directly- agencies tend to have experience requirements which firms in reality may not have if you possess a law degree. 

I found a position for an junior administrative job at a small local firm. Yes admittedly it is not my dream, but I genuinely believe I can get a lot out of it- I can see how a law firm operates at a basic level, and I can meet qualified solicitors who have been there and done it. It is also MUCH more relevant than other jobs I have looked at which range from shop assistant to receptionist. 

I duly sent my CV and got a reply the next day saying that she would consider me, but she thought I was overqualified. 

BUT THAT IS JUST THE ISSUE!

I have been on the path to try and be a solicitor for 4 years now, I have relevant work experience and a relevant degree- but I did not get an offer for a training contract. Most paralegal and legal secretary positions want previous experience, or if not that the LPC to already be completed. 
So I am left with little else! 

But aside from this, I applied for this job for a reason; I believe I can benefit from it and I also think they could benefit from a candidate like me (hopefully that didn't come across as boasting!) with some experience of how a law firm might function. 

So people like us seem to be stuck in a place where we may be qualified for something- but you apply and get no success! And if you apply for jobs that are perhaps more junior, people will write you off as being too qualified. 

Quite the predicament. 

So what do I do?

Well all the advice I can give you is what I did. As I see it you have to be a little scrappy. Leading to Advice No 2:

• Be honest from the beginning- yes I would like to move on to other things, but I think this job is the right thing for me at the moment in the current economy especially.
• Contact the company again- I sent off an email that reassured the contact that I believe I would be happy in the role and that I would like them  to still consider me. I guess by thinking someone is overqualified they are concerned that the candidate will have low job satisfaction and therefore an attitude might emerge?
  I don't know- but try and convince them this will not be the case.

To round things up...

I think that was about it. More of a rant today than anything. And sorry if it was a little law-specific. Hopefully some of the issues will transfer into other spheres! If they do let me know... And if anyone else has any nuggets of advice please feel free to comment below or tweet me!

I will leave you with this text I received from my dad just before I moved out. Hopefully it will help you as much as it did for me!