August 30, 2007
Common Questions after EIW
8/30/07
As EIW comes to a close, students will have any variation of three basic questions relating to EIW: 1) When should I hear back from employers about callbackss? 2) What do I do if I don’t get my desired callbacks (or any callbacks?) 3) How do I schedule and prepare for callbacks?
While the OCS staff is certainly available to meet with you on an individual basis to address your concerns and answer questions, below is some general guidance from OCS counselors on the three basic questions.
1. What should I hear back from employers about callbacks?
While it’s true that you or some of your peers may have received callback invitations during EIW (and in some cases the day of the screening interview) employers are all different and handle callbacks differently. Students can typically expect to wait anywhere between 1-2 weeks to hear back from employers. Some of your peers may get callback offers earlier than others-the fact that you have had to wait does not necessarily mean that you are not getting a callback. Similar to your experience with law school admissions, some get accepted earlier, some later, and so on.
2. What do I do if I don’t get callbacks?
After two weeks or so of waiting for a callback you might be in either of two positions: (1) received rejection letter from firm(s) or (2) not heard back from firm(s). For the firms that have rejected you, put them to bed and don’t waste time mourning over or thinking about them. For those that you have not heard back from, you should be proactive and follow up with the firms by both leveraging other callback offers against this particular firm and/or by expressing your great interest in visiting with the firm on a callback. To leverage an offer, you simply let the firm that you seek a callback from know that although you already have a callback from firm X, but that you are really interested in interviewing this particular firm. In short, don’t give up until you either get the callback or a rejection.
3. How do I schedule and prepare for callbacks?
Scheduling callbacks is relatively painless. Typically you’ll be given the number of the law firm recruitment coordinator (or travel agent) who will help you schedule your callback interview. While it might be advantageous to schedule a callback soon after you receive the invitation, there may be other good reasons to not schedule it as soon as possible. For callbacks on the West Coast, due to the travel time and time change, you might consider blocking off several days to complete all your callbacks in that region. For callbacks where travel time is not a major issue, you can plan your callbacks to best fit your class and personal schedules over a period of weeks.
As far as preparing for callbacks, for the most part think of them as multiple screening interviews. You should be prepared to speak to your resume, about your grades, and of course why you are specifically interested in their firm. Often times you will get a schedule of interviewers before the callback, which makes it possible to research your interviewers to come up with good questions and points for discussion. You can also ask for a schedule a day or two before the callback.
Posted by hafeezt at 02:53 PM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2007
Top Five Questions NOT to ask during on campus interviews (OCI)
Do not ask questions about things you can easily glean from the firm’s website and/or other readily available material. Generic questions about the summer program, practice areas, etc. should be avoided as they reflect poorly on your preparedness.
Do not ask questions about benefits, billables and compensation. Wait until you get an offer before you jump into such question or find the answers from the website or through other resources.
Do not ask questions that shed the firm in a negative light or questions that may put the firm on the defensive. Avoid asking why the firm does not compare to other firms in terms of pro bono, minority partners, etc. Save those questions for later after you have received an offer.
Do not ask extensively about opportunities in the firm’s international and/or entertainment practices. Often times, students express interest in these practice areas without having a thorough understanding of what is actually involved in those fields. International law as practiced at major law firms involves international arbitration and drafting contracts and agreements with clients overseas. More likely than not, it will not involve appearing before the International Court of Justice, WTO or similar institutions. Similarly Entertainment law is labor and employment law relating to those in the entertainment industry.
Do not ask about the quality of life, life/work balance and culture of the firm. While these may truly be important to you, they may create a perception with the employer that you are not willing to work hard. Save these questions after you have received an offer of employment.
Posted by hafeezt at 12:26 PM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2007
Off-the-Record Interview Tips from Law Firm Interviewers
Dan Binstock, a legal recruiter with the legal search firm BCG Attorney Search and Managing Director of their DC office compiled a list of extremely relevant and useful interview tips taken directly from hiring partners and other interviewing attorneys at major law firms. While the list is meant for attorneys looking for a lateral move, virtually every tip is equally relevant to law students on the job search. Interviewing skills and tips should not be overlooked, as grades are not the only relevant indicator for emloyers. Often times, a winning interview will give students with lower GPAs the upper advantage. You can read Dan's interview tips at http://www.bcgsearch.com/crc/off-the-record-interview-tips.html
**Dan Binstock visits the UM Law School regularly to lecture on the DC legal market and to meet students interested in the DC market on a 1 on 1 basis. A useful handout about DC law firms and specific practice areas prepared by Dan is available at the OCS Office.
Posted by hafeezt at 03:30 PM | Comments (0)
February 09, 2007
Resume Fraud
While there may be a fine line between advocating for yourself on your resume and inflating it, the truth is that the latter is not only unethical, it can land you in a lot of trouble with prospective employers. One associate at Bracewell & Giuliani's Washington, D.C., office was accused of inflating his resume by the DC Bar counsel. The associate quit Bracewell soon after the firm learned of the charge, which arose after the associate used a legal recruiter to help with the attempted lateral move. See the full artile at: http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1167732120905
Posted by hafeezt at 01:37 PM | Comments (0)