LLB students had the opportunity to attend a Job Search Skills Workshop hosted by the College of Law and Management Studies Student Support Services on UKZN’s Howard College campus.
The workshop was designed to assist students in improving their job hunting skills. Topics included: How to write a covering letter, the do’s and don’ts of curriculum vitae (CV) writing, how to dress for success and how to master a job interview. It also gave students a brief but clear understanding of what is required in order to “make it” in the legal profession.
Career Development Officer at Student Support Services Ms Yanga Lufundo said she decided to organise this workshop following complaints from companies about sub-standard CV presentations and poor performances of students during job interviews.
Students were addressed by Mr Robin Westley, who is a partner at Cox Yeats Attorneys which offers a wide range of commercial and personal legal services. Westley said when applying for vacation work or articles, it was vital to submit a good application.
He also advised students to ensure their CVs were simple and concise so that the Human Resources person viewing applications could move them on to the next level of selection. ‘Make sure you comply with all the requirements and give all the appropriate information so that when a person looks at your application, there is something that immediately catches their attention prompting them to look at it in more detail.’
Westley gave a brief description on how job applicants should prepare and conduct themselves during interviews. He encouraged students to think about the interview questions they may be asked or ones they could ask themselves.
Fourth-year Law student Ms Pamela Makenete said the workshop was helpful as it encouraged students to apply for vacation work as early as possible at various law firms. It also provided good advice on how to stand out in a group of applicants.
‘I personally appreciated the advice he gave on whether or not pursuing your postgraduate studies was an advantage for being selected as a candidate attorney. Mr Westley helped us to understand the reasons for not moving up to higher levels in the selection process and accommodated everyone by making the presentation easy and simple to understand,’ said Makenete.
Words: Sibonelo Shinga