Khai Tan

Khai Yuen Tan: "Even if you think you already know what you are looking for: use Career Week to check out the other opportunities as well"

Published: 16th January 2023 Last updated: 30th January 2023

Khai participated in the Legal Business Days Tilburg (JBT) during Career Week in 2022. He was in the third year of his Business Law Bachelor’s and is now taking the Master’s in Business Law (Ondernemingsrecht).

What made you decide to participate?

“When you are in the final year of your Bachelor’s, you start thinking: what do I want to do next? I saw Career Week as an excellent  opportunity to meet various businesses, because there are different kinds of firms here at the same time in the same place. At first I thought: I’ll do that some other time. But when I saw all the publicity, I thought: maybe now’s the time to take the cow by the horns.” 

In what kind of activities did you participate and how do you look back on the experience?

Khai Tan

“To begin with, I participated in the Legal Business Days, where I had individual interviews with two different law firms. I was selected based on my CV. I was quite nervous beforehand, but in the end it wasn’t so bad. I had interviews with two attorneys. I was able to ask them questions, for instance, about their work, their opportunities for students, the culture within the firm. And they told me about their firm, for instance, about their mission and what legal fields they specialize in. 

During the JBT, I went to a number of workshops of different businesses and firms. Every law firm had a different approach. One workshop was very laid-back with lots of room for questions, in another one, a legal case was discussed. 

Finally, I participated in the Brabant Business Lunch. The idea of it is that you mingle among the businesses represented and talk to people. The people I talked to were quite open. I asked them about their work and what satisfaction it brings them. That will help you get a good idea of what the work is about and whether it might suit you.” 

What did participating in Career Week bring you?

“My interviews with firms have made it clearer to me what the work of an attorney is about and I now have a better picture of what the day-to-day routine is at these firms.  

All in all, I have a better idea of the types of work and what appeals to me and what doesn’t. It has become clear to me that certain types of work won’t agree with mee because it is not sufficiently challenging for me. So participating has also helped me to eliminate certain options.” 

At what point are you in your career orientation/preparation?

“For me, participation in Career Week was the first step in my orientation. I have some more orienting to do. I will probably participate in the JBT again. I also want to use other opportunities, e.g., participating in visits to law firms organized by the study association, which is a good way to get to meet the business first-hand. 

I am reasonably sure I want to be an attorney, although I have not completely made up my mind. I hope the student internship in my Business Law Master’s phase will give me more certainty.” 

What tip(s) would you give to students participating in Career Week this year?

“It is a good idea to do some reading to decide what you want to go in for or what preferences you are going to submit. Many firms have a certain profile and that can help you get an idea of what would suit you. 

Furthermore, I would recommend thinking beforehand about the questions you can expect in the interviews with firms and what you want to get out of an interview. I failed to do so, so I didn’t ask about internship opportunities or ways to get in touch later. That is something I would always do now. 

If you participate in an activity based on CV-selection, it is a good idea to have someone check it first and give you advice. 

Finally I would say: keep an open mind. Be open to everything the businesses and firms have to offer. That proved to be so much more than I would have thought. Even if you think you already know what you are looking for: do check out the other opportunities, so you can at least compare.”