To wonder how some students expect to get jobs!

[A1980]

I'm putting my flame resistant jacket on here and my padded jacket (to deal with knives)!

But, following on from the thread about how the "hell" some people get into university and the current employment crisis for young people, most bizarre experience.

I am an associate solicitor as a good well known law firm. Someone I vaguely know (youngster, aged about 20 who lives near me) asked me if they could put me in touch with their friend who is a law student and looking for some experience. I don't mind at all, you have to start somewhere and happily handed over my details with absoultely no promises (as it's not up to me to hire, the decision rests with department heads but I an certainly put in a good word with something to go on). I said to tell his friend that I would need a good CV from him and to know what he's looking for.

What I got baffled me. Bear in mind I am:

1. A stranger
2. He knows I am a solicitor
3. He is looking to gain expereince by getting in contact with me.

I got an email from him. It started "Hi ya Aleson" [I think he meant Alison]. That is already way too informal IMO. Then the body of the email has virtually no puncuation and consists of about 2 sentences even though it's several lines long. It refers to his "mate" giving him my details. Then it goes on to say he has no clue waht area of law I practice in but wants to arrange something with me for experience.

There is absolutely no information whatsoever about him and what he wants. No CV attached. In short sod all about him.

When I used contacts or made enquiries as a student, my emails and letters were as follows:

"Dear Mr / Ms, I was given your details by XYZ regarding the possibility of arranging work experience at your firm. Please find attached my CV for your kind perusal. I am currently a student at XYZ and will graduate in XYZ. I am interested in XYZ areas of law, etc, etc. I have had the following experience: [list it and the dates.] I look forward to hearing from you, Kind regards, XYZ"

The above you can't go wrong with and that's what I would expect.

Please tell me, is this standard these days or AIBU and unkind? I fail to see how his email is meant to impress anyone and have me or anyone else think him serious coontender for experience in a firm of solicitor.

if noone has ever given him negative feedback on this sort of thing he won't have the chance to go off and improve

I am not going to argue with the OP.
But I will add that I have received a fair few emails from adult professionals that have made me
One during my recent 'bungalow in the back garden saga/trauma' started 'Hi Short Version of my first name'

Unless I am writing an email to a friend it is written exactly the same as a letter (exluding address stuff).
I certainly would not start an email to a client with Hi and NEVER use their first name let alone the familiar version (unless that was the only name I had access to).

Emails are fab but they are as much to blame for the lack of writing skills as the education system. They seem to invite informality.

I work with students and correspondence like this is far from unusual. Universities offer careers advice and by the age of 20, i.e. probably their second year, that student has had ample time to have accessed that service. It will have been publicised to him - as someone else said, universities are hot on employability and they actively seek to make their students get jobs on graduation. He has either chosen not to use the service offered to him, or couldn't be bothered to. Most of the students I see fall into the latter category.

If he is nearly halfway through his degree and looking for work experience he should have some idea of the branch of law in which he would like to work.

YANBU and if it was me I'd reply to him to tell him exactly why I was not going to offer him a work experience placement, and suggest he get in touch with his Careers Service at his earliest opportunity to hone his application skills.

Jaysus winterfox - you're banging on and on and on about 'posting it all over the internet' as if the OP had published his name, address, mother's maiden name, vital statistics and how many times he's had a wank in the last week. Give it up already! I have to say you sound just a tad unhinged if that's all you can post over four pages.

Surely people's futures could depend on this man's judgment if he ends up as a solicitor? So I'd say it is rather important to ascertain whether he's got any. And if he has already spent a couple of years at university and not picked up anything idea of what a professional tone sounds like, then he probably doesn't have very good natural judgment.

Let's face it, universities these days offer career's guidance, they offer workshops on how to write a CV and a decent job application, they have specially trained staff to support students struggling with that kind of thing. Anyone who doesn't take up opportunities that are on offer is communicating that he is lazy and can't be bothered.

Exactly, hardgoing

There's loads of support out there and the ones who access it properly are the ones who stand the best chance of getting on.

So winterfox are you now going to chastise everyone who's posted information on here -some of it much more identifiable and sensitive?

i have classic view and am quite happy to be seen as unhinged lol

sooty - no just this thread

i have been on mn long enough to see some threads are taken up by the mainstream media

just tread softly

Just this thread? Well, I think you are rather strange, particularly as you've pretty much failed to respond to what's been said. What's "classic view" anyway?

You are entitled to your classic view but how many times do you feel it reasonable to spurt it?

i guess i just have more patience for people, what's the rush?

our great education system has provided what exactly? lol

we are still in a mess worldwide

ThanksSugarPasteChristmasCake

Still not sure how it explains her strange comments though.

our great education system has provided what exactly? lol

Loads of support for many students who are too ldle to take advantage of it. University places for too many who are dense, lazy and unmotivated.

Winter fox
I think it is legitimate to ask for a consensus on whether one is being harsh and to do that the op needed to disclose the communication.
It is not really work related as the person is not an employee.......and it may be a good lesson for the graduates reading this post, who will be saved from making the same mistakes.
I don,t know what line of work you are in, but even in teaching we binned any applications with bad spellings or poor grammar.

OP, your grammar and punctuation isn't perfect either....

Though I once received a work experience application where:
My name was misspelt
The actual profession was misspelt
Their and there was mixed up.

It's not just the 'yoof of today', every generation has its Terry Fuckwits.

cory, he won't end up as a solicitor. That's really not something you need to worry about.

"our great education system has provided what exactly? lol"

what ilovesooty said, a fair bit of support which is taken up by some students and ignored by others

sadly, relatively few students turn up at employability fairs and workshops- but the opportunity is there

the internet is swarming with advice on how to write application letters and there are books on the subject in the shops

and if an employer's livelihood depends on client contacts, would he not be wise to offer any work experience opportunities or jobs to those students who have the attitude of making the most of any opportunity to improve themselves, not to someone he felt sorry for because they obviously hadn't made this effort?

I don,t think spelling and punctuation need to be perfect on a chat forum.
They do need to be when making a professional approach.