Candidate FAQs

No. NQSolicitors is a matching platform that allows you to create an anonymous profile and to be matched with hirers (law firms) that are looking to hire at NQ to 4 PQE.

Hirers do not advertise vacancies on the platform and, importantly, your CV will not be available to view online.

You will create an anonymous candidate profile on the platform, which includes:

1. details of your academic record and your experience as a trainee / junior solicitor; and
2. your work preferences in relation to location, salary, preferred department and the type of law firm you’d like to join.

Once your profile is live, it can be matched with specific vacancies if:

1. the vacancy matches your work preferences; and
2. your academic record and experience to date meets the hirer’s minimum criteria.

When your anonymous profile is matched with a specific vacancy, the hirer will be able to view your anonymous profile and request the release of your CV for that specific vacancy.

If your CV has been requested by a hirer, you will receive an e-mail outlining details of both the hirer and the vacancy and will be invited to either accept or decline the CV request.

No. There is no cost to you for using the platform to find your next role.

While you can create a profile as soon as you have commenced your training contract, trainees within the final seat of their training contract, and junior solicitors at NQ to 4 PQE are most likely to be matched with hirers.

Most candidates take less than five minutes to register with the platform and create their anonymous profile.

No. You don’t need to upload a CV in order to complete your profile. You can wait until you are authorising the release of your CV for a specific vacancy before uploading it to the platform.

No. Your CV will NEVER be published online and will only be seen by hirers once you have authorised its release for a specific vacancy.

No. The platform is designed so that a hirer will NEVER be matched with a candidate who is currently working at that law firm, either as a trainee or as a junior solicitor.

No. Certain fields within your profile, including the university you attended, your training firm and current firm will be presented as ‘banded data’ rather than ‘real data’, e.g. ‘Oxbridge’, ‘Russell Group’, ‘Magic Circle’ or ‘Top 100 UK Firm’.

You can set your work preferences to be as broad or as narrow as you wish. However, we would encourage you to carefully consider the types of roles with which you would realistically like to be matched. We do not encourage candidates to say that they’ll work for ‘anyone, anywhere’.

Of course. Indeed, we would encourage you to edit your profile and preferences regularly. For example, if you have recently qualified and accepted an NQ position within a specific practice area, then it is important that this is reflected in your profile.

When your profile has been matched with a search and the hirer wishes to see your CV, you will receive an email from NQSolicitors outlining details of both the hirer and the vacancy. The e-mail will invite you to either accept or decline the CV request.

Once your CV has been released to a hirer for a specific vacancy, NQSolicitors will act as a recruitment consultant in the traditional manner. We will contact the hirer to chase feedback and provide you with updates when possible.

NQSolicitors will work with both parties throughout the hiring process, and will be responsible for organising interviews, dealing with feedback and generally acting as an intermediary.

Yes. We ensure that all candidates are suitably prepared when attending an interview. We’re here to answer your questions and put you at ease.

Please contact us on 020 3709 9165 or by e-mail at [email protected] and we will add the law firm to the platform as soon as possible.

Please contact us on 020 3709 9165 or by e-mail at [email protected] and we will delete your profile immediately.