For law students, summer recruitment offers huge opportunities – and sometimes, huge pressures. Fortunately for Queen’s Law students, alumni from their school are always ready to lend a hand with preparation, coaching and insights.

On Friday, July 24, the Career Development Office at the Faculty of Law held a networking event for incoming second-year law students with alumni in Toronto. The event connected students with alumni to help prepare students for the upcoming summer recruitment process in Toronto and other cities.

Every fall, second-year law students across Canada apply and interview for summer positions at Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary law firms between their second and third years. In the Toronto process, students are first interviewed on-campus in 17-minute interviews, and then may be invited to interview in Toronto over a three-day period in November.

Queen’s boasts a high summer placement rate, with 84% of the class of 2016 obtaining law-related employment this summer. Students who are successful in securing a summer position are often hired back by the same employer for an articling position once they graduate – making the recruitment process a near-essential component of many law students’ professional development.

Close to 30 alumni in the classes of Law ’13, ’14 and ‘15 offered insight and tips to students about how to prepare for and succeed in the summer recruitment process and their future careers. These alumni work in diverse positions including government, clerkships, full-service and boutique firms and in a wide variety of practice areas.

60+ students attended and had the opportunity to ask candid questions about the process in a supportive environment over hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Topics of interest to students included how to tailor resumes effectively, how to differentiate between employers, how to make a good impression (and how not to make a bad impression), and how to answer tough questions from interviewers effectively.

Students found the advice offered by alumni incredibly helpful and it will help them better prepare for the recruitment process. Julie Banting, the Career Development Office’s Law Career Counsellor, enjoyed seeing “recent grads ‘paying it forward’ by reflecting on their experiences and helping students learn more about the recruitment process while making important networking connections.”

This successful event will be the first of many similar events hosted by the Career Development Office in the future to connect alumni and students in Toronto and other cities.