Candidate testimonials

I was able to obtain some advice from Rare about what I could gain and expect from the internship...I somehow managed to secure two summer internships within the space of a week, when previously I was looking forward to a summer of doing nothing! The internships clashed, and I talked to Rare about the relative benefits of either internship. I was able to receive impartial advice, talk about my long-term career plans and gain genuine insight as to the benefits of both. I wouldn’t have been able to obtain such information from any other source and I thankfully ended up making the correct decision which enabled me to reap many rewards.

Channon Zhangazha, BA History, University of Warwick

Channon was Rare's first ever intern at PR & communication specialists, Fishburn Hedges.

"I found the pre-internship briefing at Rare very useful. A lot of the information highlighted in this briefing was simple but contained information I definitely would have forgotten. I think the session helped to drill some common sense back into my brain after an intense exam period and re-spark my motivation."  

Ovie Faruq, BSe Mathematics and Economics, LSE, London

Ovie secured a place on the Graduate Credit Trading Programme at Barclays Captial

“The role play activities at Rare were great! It really helped me with all the meeting tasks I had at the assessment centre. I found all of the tips really useful and I was able to apply them when needed”.

Osa Oboh, BSc Mathematics and Statistics with Finance Queen Mary University of London

Osa gained a graduate position on NHS Finance Management Graduate Training Scheme through Rare.

"Attending a mock interview at Rare gave me a better picture of what to expect and how to create answers to achieve maximum points. The competency interview helped the most. It allowed me to prepare various scenarios, where different competencies were displayed and enabled me to be ready for most questions".

Onyi Chiejine, BSc Biomedical Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London

Onyi gained a place on the NHS General Management Training Programme Health informatics stream through Rare

"I heard about Herbert Smith during a session at their offices when I got the opportunity to meet one of the partners, Hammad Akhtar. This gave me a genuine understanding of the firm’s culture, and how it differed from other firms. I liked the culture and consequently applied. I probably wouldn’t not have applied to Herbert Smith without Rare’s help because I had a pretty poor understanding of who they were and what they did prior to being introduced by Rare. Furthermore, even if I had conducted the necessary research and identified Herbert smith as a place I would like to work, I do not believe I would have had the confidence to apply because I felt that even if I had succeeded at application stage, I would have been a little out of my depth on the assessment day. Rare filled me with the confidence to do so. What was the best thing about applying through Rare? I can not pick a single thing, because there were so many. The individually catered feedback, the high calibre candidates, the inspiring individuals, the case studies. But I guess the best thing was their cumulative effect, in that all these aspects of the programme gave me the confidence to believe that being myself was enough, rather than needing to impersonate “the perfect candidate”.

Roy Kwasi Appiah, Law LLB, City University

Roy Kwasi Appiah secured a summer vacation scheme with Herbert Smith through Rare

"I probably wouldn’t have applied for this opportunity without Rare – Rare’s purported support was very persuasive in my decision to apply. The mock interviews were the most helpful in terms of preparing for the assessments. I received tailored advice that allowed me to improve upon different aspects of my interview style which meant I was less nervous for the real interview. Having support in every aspect of the application process was the best thing about applying through Rare. What sets the support apart is how personalised it was. The experience I had with my careers service was generic support that I felt I could get form any online source. At the risk of sounding over the top I really felt like a rough diamond that needed to be polished, and Rare’s office in Hatton Gardens was perfectly situated to do that job".

David Phillips, LLB Law, City University

David secured a summer vacation scheme with Travers Smith through Rare

“I really liked the mock interview I had at Rare. It was extremely helpful because the questions were challenging and I found the feedback really constructive. I was able to use the tips I had been given during my actual interview.

Rare also sent me practice for online assessments, which was also very useful.

There was so much help available and even though my results were not too great sometimes, Rare was always encouraging and supportive”.

Nicola Agyare, BSc Economics and Business Finance, University of Surrey

Nicola secured a place on the Spring Insight Programme at Morgan Stanley

"The most useful thing about applying through Rare was the help on the application form. Lianne was amazing! The best thing was having someone that you know you could rely on to give you the right answer if you had any questions about the application/interview process”.

Bindiya Parmar, LLB Law, Oxford

Bindiya secured a summer vacation scheme with Hogan Lovells through Rare

" I would have been very unlikely to apply to Slaughter and May as I didn’t think I had a chance, but at my initial interview, Lianne convinced me to apply. Lianne’s help with the CV and cover letter was invaluable. She tore my over-complicated and jargon-full cover letter to pieces and helped me write in a more direct and concise way. Articles and Elham’s help were extremely useful in interview preparation. The one-to-one sessions were very much like the Slaughter & May interview if not identical. I learned so much about myself, the purpose of interviews and how to articulate my ideas in a confident manner".

Qalid Mohamed, LLB Law, SOAS

Qalid secured a place on the Slaughter and May summer vacation scheme

“The mock interview gave me an idea of the type of questions Travers Smith would ask. I received good feedback on how to improve my answers. Lianne pushed me very hard in the mock interview, which prepared me for the worst. Lianne knows what Travers Smith want in an application, so all her advice was really helpful. Lianne basically told me to go into the interview with confidence and a smile on my face. Just think positive thoughts and be friendly!

The support at Rare is fantastic, but you also feel like the team really do care about you as a person (it sounds very cheesy but is very true)."

Angela Tang, BSc Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Warwick

Angela secured a place on the Travers Smith Christmas vacation scheme