Funny OCI Interview Stories Forum

[JusticeHarlan]

Ropes Boston constantly asks people why they didn't go to a better school if they didn't go to Harvard. Then, they ask your LSAT score and GPA and if you got a scholarship.

Yeah . . . this isn't true.

Yea, it is. You interview with Ropes? Maybe its just the same interviewer, but I heard it from more than one person (I go to a Boston school and so know many people that interviewed at Ropes).

Yes I did. And I know plenty of people who did too, and not one of them brought this up.

By Boston area school, do you mean BU/BC? I'm guessing you don't go to BC, because the same partner did the screeners for every BC student, and, being a BC Law alum himself, I doubt he was busting anyone's chops for not going to Harvard.

[Anonymous User]

Ropes Boston constantly asks people why they didn't go to a better school if they didn't go to Harvard. Then, they ask your LSAT score and GPA and if you got a scholarship.

Yeah . . . this isn't true.

Yea, it is. You interview with Ropes? Maybe its just the same interviewer, but I heard it from more than one person (I go to a Boston school and so know many people that interviewed at Ropes).

Yes I did. And I know plenty of people who did too, and not one of them brought this up.

By Boston area school, do you mean BU/BC? I'm guessing you don't go to BC, because the same partner did the screeners for every BC student, and, being a BC Law alum himself, I doubt he was busting anyone's chops for not going to Harvard.

Makes sense - Boston TT.

[JusticeHarlan]

Fair enough, different interviewers then.

[Anonymous User]

i sat down to lunch with two associates on a cb. I was locked into one of the associate's story and diligently maintaining eye contact. meanwhile, the waiter came by and placed a plate along with a couple of slices of bread on the table. While continuing my eye contact, I reached for a slice of bread, only to hear him yelp, "hey! eat your own bread." After a startled moment, i realized that I had my own bread plate and bread... got the offer tho!

[Anonymous User]

I was interviewing with a well known lit boutique, and our interview went 10 minutes over (20 minute interview). It was clear there was a girl outside waiting to come in to interview who didn't knock. One interviewer said "should we let her in?" The other said "If she isn't &*%?ing assertive enough to knock for her own interview she can sit outside." We then kept talking about how awesome target is to work at.

Oh God, I was that girl, except I wasn't. My first screener I had no idea you were supposed to knock - no one had told us that, and I didn't want to be rude. I ended up losing over half my interview time. The interviewer was nice enough to tell me the protocol so I knew going forward, but I not too surprisingly did not receive a CB.

[Anonymous User]

During one of my interviews with a very attractive younger female associate, I told her I like numbers and talked about a few classes in my past that I liked and her response was "are you a masochist?" She just smiled and waited for a response-I sat there quietly and shy like trying to figure out how to respond. I stupidly just went with yes and moved on.

100% true story.

[Kilpatrick]

During one of my interviews with a very attractive younger female associate, I told her I like numbers and talked about a few classes in my past that I liked and her response was "are you a masochist?" She just smiled and waited for a response-I sat there quietly and shy like trying to figure out how to respond. I stupidly just went with yes and moved on.

100% true story.

I don't even understand this. She made a normal joke that a billion different people would make in the same circumstance and you sat there in awkward silence?

[Anonymous User]

During one of my interviews with a very attractive younger female associate, I told her I like numbers and talked about a few classes in my past that I liked and her response was "are you a masochist?" She just smiled and waited for a response-I sat there quietly and shy like trying to figure out how to respond. I stupidly just went with yes and moved on.

100% true story.

I don't even understand this. She made a normal joke that a billion different people would make in the same circumstance and you sat there in awkward silence?

There was more to it that I edited out, since it was easily recognizable. It's blah now except my awkwardness.

[Kilpatrick]

During one of my interviews with a very attractive younger female associate, I told her I like numbers and talked about a few classes in my past that I liked and her response was "are you a masochist?" She just smiled and waited for a response-I sat there quietly and shy like trying to figure out how to respond. I stupidly just went with yes and moved on.

100% true story.

I don't even understand this. She made a normal joke that a billion different people would make in the same circumstance and you sat there in awkward silence?

There was more to it that I edited out, since it was easily recognizable. It's blah now except my awkwardness.

Like, more sexual?

[erico]

It's blah now except my awkwardness.

[Anonymous User]

I had an interview with the best-paying firm in a secondary market, and this is relevant because the interviewers took pride in the firm's reputation to an annoying degree. Anyway, they have a rather limited number of practice areas and focus on providing extensive services for a smaller number of large clients. I mentioned, framed as sort of a question, that it must be nice to be able to develop long-term relationships with some clients and get to know them well. Interviewer responded with an angry rant about how "We're the biggest firm in (city), and we don't NEED any one client to stay in business. It's not like if we lost (Big Client Name), we'd go out of business or something, so I'm not sure what you're getting at." I looked at him like he was growing antlers and almost walked out. We awkwardly progressed through the rest of the interview and I got the ding in the mail three days later. Just goes to show that sometimes you don't really want to work where you think you might want to work.

[Anonymous User]

I told an interviewer at a screener that my greatest weakness was writing. Got a CB and an offer.

[Anonymous User]

At a callback interview two weeks ago I walk into a senior partner's office about halfway through the process, and as he's shutting the door he mumbles, "you look pretty." Now, I'm a 6'1, 230 pound man. Being unsure that I heard him correctly, I ask, "what?" and he repeats it louder and clearer. I respond, "uh, thanks."

(awkward silence)

"I mean the suit, it's pretty. Do you own that? Didn't rent it did you?"

"No, I own it..."

(awkward silence)

"I don't own a suit. I don't go to court."

me: "That's ... good..."

(more awkward silence)

Anyway, I got the job. I think he was just testing how I'd react. He mentioned at the end of the interview that he liked me, but I'm not sure how he decided that.

[Void]

At a callback interview two weeks ago I walk into a senior partner's office about halfway through the process, and as he's shutting the door he mumbles, "you look pretty." Now, I'm a 6'1, 230 pound man. Being unsure that I heard him correctly, I ask, "what?" and he repeats it louder and clearer. I respond, "uh, thanks."

(awkward silence)

"I mean the suit, it's pretty. Do you own that? Didn't rent it did you?"

"No, I own it..."

(awkward silence)

"I don't own a suit. I don't go to court."

me: "That's ... good..."

(more awkward silence)

Anyway, I got the job. I think he was just testing how I'd react. He mentioned at the end of the interview that he liked me, but I'm not sure how he decided that.

Weird!

[Anonymous User]

Mid-level associate asked me if I killed anyone when I was in Iraq. I politely answered then waited until they asked me if I had any questions. I said, "An associate I know at one of your other offices has likened working there to living in Auschwitz, is that indicative of your firm as a whole, or just that office?" The partner's jaw dropped and he said that was like being asked "so when did you stop beating your wife?" Didn't get a CB, didn't want one.

[Anonymous User]

I was at a screening interview at a minority job fair. The hiring partner was a fraternity brother (historically Southern fraternity) and he said "I know I can ask you this; what kind of minorities do they allow at the fair?" I stammered out some answer about Asians or women or something. Received a CB on the spot and converted it into an offer.

[Anonymous User]

I had a callback where a partner said that I didn't deserve an interview because my undergraduate GPA was low. I look young, so he was shocked when I said that I was in my 30s and hoped that he would evaluate me on what I did in at least the last decade.

He also said that he didn't like working with Indians. I'm Indian-American.

[bjsesq]

Mid-level associate asked me if I killed anyone when I was in Iraq. I politely answered then waited until they asked me if I had any questions. I said, "An associate I know at one of your other offices has likened working there to living in Auschwitz, is that indicative of your firm as a whole, or just that office?" The partner's jaw dropped and he said that was like being asked "so when did you stop beating your wife?" Didn't get a CB, didn't want one.

1. LOL
2. Good for you.

Fuck that asshole.

[Pato_09]

Mid-level associate asked me if I killed anyone when I was in Iraq. I politely answered then waited until they asked me if I had any questions. I said, "An associate I know at one of your other offices has likened working there to living in Auschwitz, is that indicative of your firm as a whole, or just that office?" The partner's jaw dropped and he said that was like being asked "so when did you stop beating your wife?" Didn't get a CB, didn't want one.

This demonstrates that you can think on your feet. I would have given you a callback.

[bjsesq]

Mid-level associate asked me if I killed anyone when I was in Iraq. I politely answered then waited until they asked me if I had any questions. I said, "An associate I know at one of your other offices has likened working there to living in Auschwitz, is that indicative of your firm as a whole, or just that office?" The partner's jaw dropped and he said that was like being asked "so when did you stop beating your wife?" Didn't get a CB, didn't want one.

This demonstrates that you can think on your feet. I would have given you a callback.

You would have never asked such a stupid, insanely insensitive question in the first place, I hope.

[Pato_09]

Mid-level associate asked me if I killed anyone when I was in Iraq. I politely answered then waited until they asked me if I had any questions. I said, "An associate I know at one of your other offices has likened working there to living in Auschwitz, is that indicative of your firm as a whole, or just that office?" The partner's jaw dropped and he said that was like being asked "so when did you stop beating your wife?" Didn't get a CB, didn't want one.

This demonstrates that you can think on your feet. I would have given you a callback.

You would have never asked such a stupid, insanely insensitive question in the first place, I hope.

Nope.

[Tanicius]

Mid-level associate asked me if I killed anyone when I was in Iraq. I politely answered then waited until they asked me if I had any questions. I said, "An associate I know at one of your other offices has likened working there to living in Auschwitz, is that indicative of your firm as a whole, or just that office?" The partner's jaw dropped and he said that was like being asked "so when did you stop beating your wife?" Didn't get a CB, didn't want one.

1. LOL
2. Good for you.

Fuck that asshole.

This. Is. Awesome.

And yeah, fuck him.

[Anonymous User]

I probably can't get across how truly awkward my event was via story but I'll try.

Immediately before an interview I saw a fellow student enter but never leave his interview. So when it came my time, I looked in the window a bit puzzled over where he could have gone (he was already gone). I noticed there was a door in the back of the roughly 6 ft. by 6 ft. room so I figured that's where he had exited.

So fast forward 10-15 minutes or so and, after what I thought was a great interview session, I get up, stroll right past the two interviewers and try to go out the back door -- which was probably the janitor's closet, which was, of course, locked. So I turn around and say "ummm, it's locked" to which they reply simply with completely confused looks. I try again, still locked.

Then one of them just says, rather plainly, "umm, the door is over there" (the door I had come in through). I just laughed and left, figuring my story wouldn't make any sense anyway. I don't think I'll ever get over the true bewilderment on the face of one of the interviewers.

I still have no idea how the previous interviewee got out of there without me noticing.

Same interview: one of them asked about a hobby of mine listed on my resume, which involves multiple gyms. She asked: "So you do ____ 7 days a week?" To which I reply, "Well I train 5 days a week at that and 4 days a week at ____. The look on her face pretty much solidified my belief that she thought I thought there were 9 days in a week, when what I meant is sometimes I do two-a-days.

[nickwar]

Looking back I guess it is funny that this is what BigLawl does to your soul, at the time I was a little peeved:

Go into interview room.
Me: Hello, nice to meet you. Thank you for taking the time, my name is ________.

Interviewer: *Opens coke can. Drinks coke. Spills coke*
Interviewer: SHIT!

Me: I can run and get a paper towel from the bathroom and help clean this up.
Interviewer: No. *Proceeds to leave puddle of Diet Coke on table in interview room.*

Interviewer: Cherish whatever free time you have. I work all the damn time. Yeah I have nice stuff; a big apartment, nice car, and [BIGLAW FIRM] pays me nice bonuses. I have worked every weekend for the past 4 months. *Finds napkin in purse, starts cleaning up Diet Coke* Totally unprovoked Biglaw lifestyle rant before she even looked at my resume.

Interviewer: So anyway...why don't you, um, tell about yourself and what made you decided on law school. Oh and why this firm?

At that point it dawned on me I could recite word for word the decision of every case that firm won, and I wasn't getting a call-back because the interviewer was pissed off she spilled her coke all over the table and handle the clean up like BP. I never wanted to not be a lawyer so badly if that is what I get to call my colleagues, and worse, my superiors.

This is 100% a true story.

"Badly is an adverb. So to say you feel badly would be saying that the mechanism which allows you to [want] is broken."

"What? Badly is an adverb. Who taught you English?"

[azntwice]

my 20-minute screener started 15 minutes late. then halfway through the interview, my interviewer interrupted me (in the middle of a sentence!) to say, "oh my gosh, is it snowing outside?" i turned around and looked - it was that white fuzzy stuff that sometimes floats around in NYC. interviewer also spent half the interview checking own blackberry.

no cb.