Zoë Jensen
What subject did you study during your time at NTU?
My husband and I met while studying the Legal Practice Course (a one-year post-grad course) at Nottingham Law School, which completed in the summer of 2008.
What is your current job?
I went on to qualify as a solicitor with one of the City firms. I’m still a solicitor but have since worked in a bank and at the financial regulator (FCA), as well as in private practice. I’m a disputes lawyer, specialising in financial services, corporate crime and investigations. We’re a jolly boring couple because my husband works in a bank – he specialises in financial crime monitoring and prevention.
What was your most memorable moment during your time at NTU, that helped you with your career development?
The other students on my course. Many of us went on to work in the City – some planned to from the outset and others found their way there more gradually. Honest and frank conversations with them (often late at night) have helped me work out what I want to do when. A listening ear and shared experiences cannot be underestimated.
My top tip for the Class of 2020 in one sentence:
Keep an open mind. At graduation, I told my now-husband that I didn’t know what area of law I wanted to specialise in, but definitely NOT tax or litigation. And here I am, 12 years into a very satisfying career as a litigation lawyer. The truth is, I found litigation boring to study, but once I got stuck into some juicy, high-profile cases, I realised that it was actually very interesting. It also happened to be a good place to be in the middle of a financial crisis – generally speaking, when the transactional work drops off (as it tends to do in an economic crisis) disputes become more frequent.
What did you find most challenging about graduating in 2008 (e.g. effects of recession on career plans)?
The two most difficult things were: (i) the sombre mood; and (ii) lack of fluidity in the jobs market.
I undertook my internships (vacation schemes) a few years earlier, in the boom times; one law firm even took us to lunch in Paris. It was all very different when we joined those same firms as trainees. There had been redundancies in most firms, people had said goodbye to colleagues and friends, and they knew those colleagues would struggle to find work elsewhere. And there I was, starting my new job, with a fraction of the experience those people had to offer.
Because of this, there wasn’t much of a jobs market. You hung on to your job for dear life and prayed that you were kept on as a newly qualified lawyer. But this made us a diligent generation. We worked really hard and then we let our hair down, together.
Do you have any advice for current students or new graduates to improve their employability prospects?
I’m no expert, but the two things that have worked best for me are: (i) networks; and (ii) grabbing opportunities.
Do not underestimate the value of networking. And I don’t mean the awkward corporate-drinks-and-nibbles kind. Stay in contact with people, ask them questions, go to events and ask the questions you want to know answers to (not just the ones that sound clever), share your experiences (good and bad). The world is smaller than you think and it’s easier than ever to stay in contact (Facebook was a new thing when I was studying my undergrad degree!).
I have come to realise that there is no perfect job. There is only the right job for right-now. Try not to obsess about job titles. Instead, think about what kind of company you’d like to work for; what you find interesting; what you’d like to do for the next few years (not the rest of your life); and what opportunities are available. I have always found fraud and corporate scandal fascinating – it turns out you can work in that space without being a criminal…and it's even easier to get into this field if the country is in the middle of a financial crisis!