CB From Connections Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm a pretty common poster, and I don't want to reveal my identity. I struck out at OCI (T14).

I've gotten a few extra interviews by reaching out to people I know who are well connected in the legal community. Quite a few firms offered to skip a screener and go straight to a callback. Is there any due diligence I can do in this case to inquire if the firm is genuinely interested in hiring me? These cbs are draining, and if they're just agreeing to interview me as a favor to my connection(s) there is no point. Should I just proceed with all of them hoping I click well and that it works out.

[lolwat]

IME, no firm will waste 30min of what, 6-8 attorneys' time on a cb if you had no legit shot at being hired.

[Anonymous User]

IME, no firm will waste 30min of what, 6-8 attorneys' time on a cb if you had no legit shot at being hired.

+1

[runinthefront]

I struck out at OCI (T14).

I've gotten a few extra interviews by reaching out to people I know who are well connected in the legal community. Quite a few firms offered to skip a screener and go straight to a callback.

Should I just proceed with all of them hoping I click well and that it works out?

Yes! Practice interviewing with your CSO. Practice interviewing with yourself. Research the firms. Good luck!

[UVA2B]

I struck out at OCI (T14).

I've gotten a few extra interviews by reaching out to people I know who are well connected in the legal community. Quite a few firms offered to skip a screener and go straight to a callback.

Should I just proceed with all of them hoping I click well and that it works out?

Yes! Practice interviewing with your CSO. Practice interviewing with yourself. Research the firms. Good luck!

Most definitely! It sounds cliche and overtly encouraging, but you have the opportunity to impress the firm on a personal level. Take every opportunity to do it seriously, because when you find the right firm, interviewers, and fit, you can turn a bad situation into an ideal one. You can make this happen!

[magnum_law]

What's the alternative? Dinging yourself? You should definitely go!

[Anonymous User]

What's the alternative? Dinging yourself? You should definitely go!

OP here. What about trying to use the connection during 3L recruiting. Can't a ding as a 2L cause an adverse effect on my chances if I try again next cycle?

[QContinuum]

What's the alternative? Dinging yourself? You should definitely go!

OP here. What about trying to use the connection during 3L recruiting. Can't a ding as a 2L cause an adverse effect on my chances if I try again next cycle?

You have a much better chance of being hired as a 2L than as a 3L. The 3L market is rough at the very best of times for folks who don't have a 2L SA position + full-time offer. And this is not the very best of times.

Absolutely do not put this off just for the sake of avoiding "draining callbacks". Yes, callbacks are draining, but that's the cost of getting a job. And even as a 3L applicant, you'll still have to do well at "draining callbacks" to land an offer - if you're lucky enough to get callbacks in the first place, given the much rougher market for 3Ls.

[Mullens]

What's the alternative? Dinging yourself? You should definitely go!

OP here. What about trying to use the connection during 3L recruiting. Can't a ding as a 2L cause an adverse effect on my chances if I try again next cycle?

You have a much better chance of being hired as a 2L than as a 3L. The 3L market is rough at the very best of times for folks who don't have a 2L SA position + full-time offer. And this is not the very best of times.

Absolutely do not put this off just for the sake of avoiding "draining callbacks". Yes, callbacks are draining, but that's the cost of getting a job. And even as a 3L applicant, you'll still have to do well at "draining callbacks" to land an offer - if you're lucky enough to get callbacks in the first place, given the much rougher market for 3Ls.

To expand on this, your odds of getting an offer now through 2L OCI are incredibly higher than during 3L OCI with a 2L SA from another firm. Without a 2L SA + offer, your odds at 3L OCI are pretty damn near zero. Do the callbacks now.

[los blancos]

IME, no firm will waste 30min of what, 6-8 attorneys' time on a cb if you had no legit shot at being hired.

Lol this is totally untrue. Perhaps less likely for 2L SAs but firms (and other employers in this terrible profession) do pointless interviews all the damn time.


Still, OP, you should assume they're actually interested in hiring you unless proven otherwise.

[QContinuum]

I don't think it's worth worrying about whether the CBs are "genuine" or "fake." If there is even the slightest chance they are "genuine" it would be incredibly foolish to bow out without already having an offer in hand. Especially after going to the effort of using your connections to secure them in the first place! How do you think your connections would feel after going out of their way to help you get a callback, only for you to turn down the callback because you're tired of the interviewing circuit?

[lolwat]

Lol this is totally untrue. Perhaps less likely for 2L SAs but firms (and other employers in this terrible profession) do pointless interviews all the damn time.

Still, OP, you should assume they're actually interested in hiring you unless proven otherwise.

We can agree on the second part for sure.

But the first half of this is a bit more nuanced. I mean, I'd agree firms will sometimes do "pointless interviews" if it's at OCI or whatever because they still want to show up to those schools to keep their firm profile up. (Anecdotally, during my OCI year, we had firms that came and interviewed 20-40 people and extended anywhere from 0 to 1 callback.) You also see threads on TLS where some firm pulls out of OCI and that causes people to question whether that firm is doing well/worth going to if offered/etc. so it makes sense for those firms to send somebody to interview anyway. Bringing in somebody for an all-day callback is a bit different.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Good news. One of my OCI screeners finally called me back for a CB next week. Its an excellent firm (V50 nationally, and regionally v5). I feel this is my best shot since no connections were required for this one.

What's acceptable protocol on asking questions about the particular firm pre CB on TLS. Do interviewers from V firms try and figure out who's seeking advice here and hold it against me?

[cavalier1138]

OP here.

Good news. One of my OCI screeners finally called me back for a CB next week. Its an excellent firm (V50 nationally, and regionally v5). I feel this is my best shot since no connections were required for this one.

What's acceptable protocol on asking questions about the particular firm pre CB on TLS. Do interviewers from V firms try and figure out who's seeking advice here and hold it against me?

I really doubt they're trying to figure that out, especially if you're asking innocuous questions. But you took the other non-OCI callback invitations, right? I have no idea why you were feeling weird about those.

[QContinuum]

OP here.

Good news. One of my OCI screeners finally called me back for a CB next week. Its an excellent firm (V50 nationally, and regionally v5). I feel this is my best shot since no connections were required for this one.

What's acceptable protocol on asking questions about the particular firm pre CB on TLS. Do interviewers from V firms try and figure out who's seeking advice here and hold it against me?

Think that for most V firms, there's already a plethora of info here on TLS - probably not too much need to ask more Qs on here pre-CB? But as a general rule associates (let alone partners) are super busy. Can't imagine they'd be wasting potentially billable hours trying to unmask TLS anons.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Good news. One of my OCI screeners finally called me back for a CB next week. Its an excellent firm (V50 nationally, and regionally v5). I feel this is my best shot since no connections were required for this one.

What's acceptable protocol on asking questions about the particular firm pre CB on TLS. Do interviewers from V firms try and figure out who's seeking advice here and hold it against me?

I really doubt they're trying to figure that out, especially if you're asking innocuous questions. But you took the other non-OCI callback invitations, right? I have no idea why you were feeling weird about those.

I've done all of them to date. But just to prove my point, today I got forwarded on an email between a partner and my contact saying "all our spots are full but we'll interview him as a courtesy interview in case a spot opens." Still do it? I feel that's beneath me ...

[runinthefront]

OP here.

Good news. One of my OCI screeners finally called me back for a CB next week. Its an excellent firm (V50 nationally, and regionally v5). I feel this is my best shot since no connections were required for this one.

What's acceptable protocol on asking questions about the particular firm pre CB on TLS. Do interviewers from V firms try and figure out who's seeking advice here and hold it against me?

I really doubt they're trying to figure that out, especially if you're asking innocuous questions. But you took the other non-OCI callback invitations, right? I have no idea why you were feeling weird about those.

I've done all of them to date. But just to prove my point, today I got forwarded on an email between a partner and my contact saying "all our spots are full but we'll interview him as a courtesy interview in case a spot opens." Still do it? I feel that's beneath me ...

You struck out of OCI, right? Are you really in a position to pass on a potential employment opportunity?

[cavalier1138]

I feel that's beneath me ...

I'm starting to get a sense that your interviewing skills are the issue here...

[lolwat]

I feel that's beneath me ...

I'm starting to get a sense that your interviewing skills are the issue here...

Yeah, I dunno about interview skills, but what the hell is this mentality?

[UVA2B]

I feel that's beneath me ...

I'm starting to get a sense that your interviewing skills are the issue here...

Yeah, I dunno about interview skills, but what the hell is this mentality?

Good rule of thumb: until you have the job you want, you interview with anyone willing to interview you.

[Anonymous User]

OP here,

So at OCI I interviewed with a V100 firm's Boston office. I'll throw it out that I'm not at H (at law school in NYC) and have no ties to Boston. Before the screener, I followed OCS' advice and said hi to the recruiting people in the hospitality suite (who were from the NYC office).

From my perspective, the screener was a disaster. A week passed and I hadn't heard back which only confirmed this perception. I knew one of my connections works closely with this firms' NYC office and before hearing anything from Boston, I asked my friend to kindly inquire if he can arrange a screener for me with the firm's NYC office.

This firm's NYC office ended up calling me to arrange an on-site screener. The same recruiter who was at the OCI (and knew I was interviewing with Boston) then escorted me to the associate in NYC who did the screener. She was super nice and didn't say something like "weren't you already interviewing with Boston". Nonetheless, I was formally dinged in NY.

2 months have passed and I still haven't heard from Boston. Its obviously a ding. I recently mass-mailed another office of the firm and lucky me got a call today to do a screener.

Here's the kicker, they want me to do the screener via videoconference at the NYC office.

Is there any chance the NYC recruiting people who will coordinate the conference with the regional recruiting people "snitch" on me for my prior interviews/applications. If so, what can I do about it? I do have ties to the region of interview #3, so can I call tomorrow and say btw "I have a place in your region and am willing to come my own way for the screener". This may be my last chance at a BL SA opportunity so worth paying the flight down imo.

EDIT: Region of interview #3 is extremely tie sensitive, and I'd rather them not think that this office of theirs in my 3d choice. It's a small (read satellite) office which is why I wasn't interested in it originally.

[UVA2B]

That's a scrambled eggs level of questions, but I'll try.

Even if you struck out in the other offices, getting a screener can be entirely separate and still worth pursuing. Firm hiring can vary pretty widely depending on the firm, so maybe you weren't competitive for the firm's Boston/NYC offices, but they like your interest in their secondary/tertiary offices, so they're giving you another chance to sell yourself to the firm. Take advantage of that, and sell yourself to the firm and that office.

And to quiet some of your fears: depending on the firm (seriously, this part is important and dependent on the firm), being rejected from a different office won't preclude you from the other offices. If they're doing a screener with you for another office, it's because they have needs in that office that aren't filled. Take the VTC screener seriously, and sell yourself on the new office.

[Ohiobumpkin]

Just do the best you can with every interview you get, and accept the first job offer you get from a firm that is at least tolerable.