How to strike out at OCI Forum

[NYSprague]

How soon is too soon to start mass mailing? Is it ok if we start doing so around July 1st or is there a more appropriate time?

Bump

I read through the stop reading tea leaves thread and can't remember seeing a consensus and I figured since some of you bros know even more about large firm hiring now you could share some insight. Was thinking of starting in July. Too soon? Too late?

I think if you are in a target market now, you could mass mail in July and expressly say that you are in the area now and when you will be returning to school. You should also be networking at those firms and finding out about practice areas ( as been mentioned 100 times already.)

It's wierd because recruiting handles all that stuff.
I will try to get recruiting early next week and ask them. Got a conference the first couple days of the week. Will try to come back with an answer.

[BigZuck]

How soon is too soon to start mass mailing? Is it ok if we start doing so around July 1st or is there a more appropriate time?

Bump

I read through the stop reading tea leaves thread and can't remember seeing a consensus and I figured since some of you bros know even more about large firm hiring now you could share some insight. Was thinking of starting in July. Too soon? Too late?

I think if you are in a target market now, you could mass mail in July and expressly say that you are in the area now and when you will be returning to school. You should also be networking at those firms and finding out about practice areas ( as been mentioned 100 times already.)

It's wierd because recruiting handles all that stuff.
I will try to get recruiting early next week and ask them. Got a conference the first couple days of the week. Will try to come back with an answer.

Thanks man, appreciate it

[Anonymous User]

1. Have mediocre grades
2. Have background techy enough to make all non-IP interviews ask why you aren't focusing on IP, but not techy enough for any actual IP firms.
3. Have resume that screams government.
4. Have background and resume that screams tiny market A when you're interviewing for huge city B, even if B is where all the jobs are. (Ironically, tiny market A will give you zero mass-mail interest because you committed the unforgivable sin of leaving to attend law school in huge city B--and because of Nos. 1-3, of course.)

I'm only guessing, of course, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't my shoes.

[DELG]

1. Have mediocre grades
2. Have background techy enough to make all non-IP interviews ask why you aren't focusing on IP, but not techy enough for any actual IP firms.
3. Have resume that screams government.
4. Have background and resume that screams tiny market A when you're interviewing for huge city B, even if B is where all the jobs are. (Ironically, tiny market A will give you zero mass-mail interest because you committed the unforgivable sin of leaving to attend law school in huge city B--and because of Nos. 1-3, of course.)

I'm only guessing, of course, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't my shoes.

Hope you landed on your feet.

Hindsight is 20/20, but rising 2Ls need to do lots of introspection to see what their weaknesses are, then strategize and practice how they will raise and address red flags like these.

[dudley12]

If you don't cop benzos if you get nervous/flustered during interviews.

ya I wish I had them during 1L. what a godsend those are in anything law school related.

[NYSprague]

1. Have mediocre grades
2. Have background techy enough to make all non-IP interviews ask why you aren't focusing on IP, but not techy enough for any actual IP firms.
3. Have resume that screams government.
4. Have background and resume that screams tiny market A when you're interviewing for huge city B, even if B is where all the jobs are. (Ironically, tiny market A will give you zero mass-mail interest because you committed the unforgivable sin of leaving to attend law school in huge city B--and because of Nos. 1-3, of course.)

I'm only guessing, of course, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't my shoes.

Hope you landed on your feet.

Hindsight is 20/20, but rising 2Ls need to do lots of introspection to see what their weaknesses are, then strategize and practice how they will raise and address red flags like these.

Maybe it is hard for 2Ls to see these weaknesses without some solid advice?
I'm finding in reading through threads from last year and concluding that they just don't have the perspective.
Too much expectations based on grades (and school reputation) and a lot of missing avoidable errors.

This red flags are apparent with more experience, I think.

[84651846190]

1. Have mediocre grades
2. Have background techy enough to make all non-IP interviews ask why you aren't focusing on IP, but not techy enough for any actual IP firms.
3. Have resume that screams government.
4. Have background and resume that screams tiny market A when you're interviewing for huge city B, even if B is where all the jobs are. (Ironically, tiny market A will give you zero mass-mail interest because you committed the unforgivable sin of leaving to attend law school in huge city B--and because of Nos. 1-3, of course.)

I'm only guessing, of course, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't my shoes.

Hope you landed on your feet.

Hindsight is 20/20, but rising 2Ls need to do lots of introspection to see what their weaknesses are, then strategize and practice how they will raise and address red flags like these.

Maybe it is hard for 2Ls to see these weaknesses without some solid advice?
I'm finding in reading through threads from last year and concluding that they just don't have the perspective.
Too much expectations based on grades (and school reputation) and a lot of missing avoidable errors.

This red flags are apparent with more experience, I think.

Okay, here's some solid advice. Have you always found it easy to socialize, get to know people, etc.? Have you always had a lot of friends? If not, you're probably not going to do as well in interviews as you think you will. I saw this in my classmates again and again: the ones with mediocre grades who knew what the fuck they were doing in an interview usually did fine. Classmates with better grades who were your typical, anti-social types (or just plain awkward) usually did WORSE. Granted, people with tippy top grades almost always find SOMETHING. But charisma goes a long way, and a lot of rejections take place subconsciously in interviewers. They sense that there's something a little... off about you and just sort of write you off before you even have a chance. My advice: conform to what society (and, therefore, lawyers) view as prototypically successful people. If you're a skinny weak guy, LIFT. If you're a shitty dresser, read the threads on here about what to wear to interviews and when you're an SA. If you're a fidgety, nervous dude with lots of ticks, video tape yourself talking to people and notice all of the weird shit you do. Practice not doing it. 99% of the battle between OCI and getting a full-time offer as an associate is just being a NORMAL HUMAN BEING. Dress the part. Look the part. Act the part.

[Anonymous User]

If you don't cop benzos if you get nervous/flustered during interviews.

ya I wish I had them during 1L. what a godsend those are in anything law school related.

How does one cop benzos? What must one say to their psychiatrist to convince her that your anxiety levels warrant benzos rather than a more regular/less abusable alternative (like an SSRI)

[A. Nony Mouse]

If you don't cop benzos if you get nervous/flustered during interviews.

ya I wish I had them during 1L. what a godsend those are in anything law school related.

How does one cop benzos? What must one say to their psychiatrist to convince her that your anxiety levels warrant benzos rather than a more regular/less abusable alternative (like an SSRI)

Some kind of short-term situational phobia? I know people who get Xanax or Klonapin from their doctors to deal with fear of flying, or panic attacks. I don't know that using them for job interviews is really abusing them, depending on your state of mind in job interviews. (Personally they made me close to suicidal, so maybe give them a test run before interviewing on them.)

[Anonymous User]

* deleted as requested

[DELG]

Yes, he could get a clerkship or make a lot of other things happen. If he's not lying about his grades tho, I don't have a lot of hope for his searching skills.

[Anonymous User]

* deleted as requested

[Holly Golightly]

Same weird post as in the Vale thread. I still don't understand why $80k and a possible offer is a bad outcome or why you keep saying the other guy's height.

[Anonymous User]

* deleted as requested

[bk1]

The above poster has been warned as a 0L posting in the LE forum.

[eastcoast_iub]

1. Have mediocre grades
2. Have background techy enough to make all non-IP interviews ask why you aren't focusing on IP, but not techy enough for any actual IP firms.
3. Have resume that screams government.
4. Have background and resume that screams tiny market A when you're interviewing for huge city B, even if B is where all the jobs are. (Ironically, tiny market A will give you zero mass-mail interest because you committed the unforgivable sin of leaving to attend law school in huge city B--and because of Nos. 1-3, of course.)

I'm only guessing, of course, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't my shoes.

Hope you landed on your feet.

Hindsight is 20/20, but rising 2Ls need to do lots of introspection to see what their weaknesses are, then strategize and practice how they will raise and address red flags like these.

Maybe it is hard for 2Ls to see these weaknesses without some solid advice?
I'm finding in reading through threads from last year and concluding that they just don't have the perspective.
Too much expectations based on grades (and school reputation) and a lot of missing avoidable errors.

This red flags are apparent with more experience, I think.

Okay, here's some solid advice. Have you always found it easy to socialize, get to know people, etc.? Have you always had a lot of friends? If not, you're probably not going to do as well in interviews as you think you will. I saw this in my classmates again and again: the ones with mediocre grades who knew what the fuck they were doing in an interview usually did fine. Classmates with better grades who were your typical, anti-social types (or just plain awkward) usually did WORSE. Granted, people with tippy top grades almost always find SOMETHING. But charisma goes a lot way, and a lot of rejections take place subconsciously in interviewers. They sense that there's something a little... off about you and just sort of write you off before you even have a chance. My advice: conform to what society (and, therefore, lawyers) view as prototypically successful people. If you're a skinny weak guy, LIFT. If you're a shitty dresser, read the threads on here about what to wear to interviews and when you're an SA. If you're a fidgety, nervous dude with lots of ticks, video tape yourself talking to people and notice all of the weird shit you do. Practice not doing it. 99% of the battle between OCI and getting a full-time offer as an associate is just being a NORMAL HUMAN BEING. Dress the part. Look the part. Act the part.

This is pretty accurate and I can directly testify to this. I woefully underperformed at OCI considering my resume and in retrospect am fairly certain it is b/c I'm not that outgoing. OCI is completely stacked toward extroverts with the short interviews and heavy emphasis on first impressions. But it's not as easy as you make it out to be, you can't just flick a switch and be an extrovert. People are hard-wired differently. Not being an extrovert doesn't mean you're awkward or unusual.

In general, the interview process doesn't make that much sense to me. People get summer offers in substantial part b/c of their personality (once grade cutoffs are met), yet I've often heard people say on here that (at <100% firms) the final determination whether to bring you on at the end of summer is based mostly on work product (assuming no glaring social defects and a consistent effort to participate in summer social events). I saw this first-hand as a few friends of mine at other firms who are outgoing got no-offered, while I got an offer.

And considering the number of hours that associates work once they start, how much time left is there to socialize? I understand that personally matters at the partner level for bringing in business, but aren't there plenty of partners out there who won't blow you away with their personalities but are successful b/c of the quality of their work?

[sublime]

..

[eastcoast_iub]

Any tips, in retrospect?

1) Be enthusiastic with your greeting. Project energy from the jump. Make small talk during the time between you first walk in and the time everyone sits down.

2) Have something interesting to say about your summer job. I got asked about my 1L summer in almost every screener and I don't think I had a good enough narrative to tell about it. Try to think of an interesting assignment that you can talk about and craft a story about it (but try to weave it naturally into the conversation and relate it to something your interviewer asked about).

3)A firm interviewer on here made a comment to the effect of don't try to hide your personality. I think that makes a lot of sense. I was kind of afraid to say anything in the least bit controversial during interviews so I think my answers were often just bland, stock answers. Find something you are passionate about and try to talk about that in a way that shows when you talk about it. Not standing out will cause problems for you.

4) Appear confident and relaxed (but not too relaxed that you're nonchalant). If you have social anxiety or depression, get on medication.

5) The less conversation there is about the law, the better. Try to find a common link with the interviewer and run with that. For many male interviewers, this will be sports. For female interviewers (assuming you are male), it may be a bit harder, but try to find something on their resume you can ask about and ask thoughtful follow-up questions about that will get them to open up.

I didn't do well at OCI as I said, so others could probably give better advice than me, but these are things that often come up when I've talked to others about OCI.