OCI, what the heck? Forum

[rayiner]

I feel like the logic in this forum is slightly off. Sheffield didn't exchange a scholarship for 25 screeners and 2 callbacks. He or she could have had that (or better) at a tier 2 school. I go to a second tier school (which is now technically third tier) in Philly and did about 25 screeners and 9 callbacks last year. 0Ls shouldn't assume there is a direct correlation between school rank and interviews. It all depends on your target market and I personally think if you do extremely well at any school you'll be set as long as you're relatively normal.

You almost certainly had extremely good grades. Sheffield did not. How many callbacks were people around the median at your school getting? Also: of people in the top 10%, how many are working at V10-type firms, doing federal clerkships, etc?

If you do extremely well at a Tier 2, you'll probably get big law. If you do extremely well at a T14, you'll probably have your pick of top big law firms. If you do extremely well at HYS, you'll have your pick of COA clerkships and elite boutiques paying above-market. It's not all the same, even for people who end up top 5-10% in their class.

[de5igual]

Why is it surprising that some people get a ton of callback while others only get 1-2 if any? Each interview is a discrete event, therefore if you are great, you get it, if not, no callback. Being 60% as good as someone else will not yield 60% of the callbacks that the other person received, since they were only 60% as good in each individual interview.

LOL at thinking what happens in a screening interview matters.

Um, it does. Don't spread dumb ideas.

If it is a lottery selected interview then I really don't think it does. At that point you can only screw it up. No matter what your connection is with the interviewer, if they don't like what is on the transcript/resume you aren't getting a call back.

That is the reality of ITE.

Are you an 0L/1L? you really should not be giving any advice here.

[EvilClinton]

Are you an 0L/1L? you really should not be giving any advice here.

No.

[Sheffield]

You have to wait for things to shake out, man.

Great advice. Thanks.

I still reside in the in famine zone but I did pick up an invite yesterday. Several firms have been silent, so hope exists. I had several screener interviews yesterday and three later on today (so yes, waiting for things to shake out). A screener on Friday cancelled her 20 minute live screening and turned it into a 45 minute phone screening (perhaps a good sign, but no way to really tell until the verdict is known).

Edit: Not surprising but FWIW none of the callbacks are from NYC Big Law. Simple Conclusion: It is about grades, interviewing not so much.

Question for those how have been through the process: How do CB interviews differ from screener interviews?

[r6_philly]

Edit: Not surprising but FWIW none of the callbacks are from NYC Big Law. Simple Conclusion: It is about grades, interviewing not so much.

It is mostly about grades, with most firms, most of the time. But the right interview (this is viewed from the interviewer's perspective, plus luck) can also get you some surprises. I would admit that it does not happen quite as frequently as one would like.

[Sheffield]

Agreed.

The now question. . .how does this all play out at the CB? Is the CB mostly about fit, likeability, etc. and not just because the candidate wooed the screener. Since I have limited CBs, the opportunity to experiment doesn’t exist! Suggestions are always welcomed!

[de5igual]

Agreed.

The now question. . .how does this all play out at the CB? Is the CB mostly about fit, likeability, etc. and not just because the candidate wooed the screener. Since I have limited CBs, the opportunity to experiment doesn’t exist! Suggestions are always welcomed!

It shouldn't impact how you approach your callback. You need to give it your all at every callback. While fit matters more at the callback stage, don't think that your grades won't e evaluated again.

[EvilClinton]

Agreed.

The now question. . .how does this all play out at the CB? Is the CB mostly about fit, likeability, etc. and not just because the candidate wooed the screener. Since I have limited CBs, the opportunity to experiment doesn’t exist! Suggestions are always welcomed!

I would go with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2af_vfaE5c

[glitter178]

Agreed.

The now question. . .how does this all play out at the CB? Is the CB mostly about fit, likeability, etc. and not just because the candidate wooed the screener. Since I have limited CBs, the opportunity to experiment doesn’t exist! Suggestions are always welcomed!

So far, I have been on only 5 CBs so I am by no means an expert, but from my experience, it's this: a callback is a series of 5-7 more "screeners" in rapid succession. The key is going to be a mix of keeping the energy way, way up (which can be hard to do by the time you get to the 4th or fifth attorney of the day), being really knowledgeable about the firm and why you want to be there, your numbers and resume (to an extent), and then of course, some luck, since you'll just naturally gel well with some people better than with others, and you can't know who your competition is, or how many spots are available. I went to a recent callback where 7 other people showed up at the same time, for 1 (ONE) slot. In a situation such as that, you can be an excellent interviewee and still not get the position.

[Sheffield]

I thank you for your insight, you summed it up very well. Other than how long did it take you to hear back from the firms you interviewed with, I really do not know what more to ask.

All I can add is that on the first CB I understand that I will be meeting with five lawyers (possibly partners). I am guessing that there is no way to know if it is five meetings or some kind of group configuration until it happens. Thx again.

[SixStrings11]

As long as everyone is talking/complaining about OCI, I figured I'd throw my own situation in here to get some opinions.

I only had 4 OCI's (all last week - Wednesday and Thursday). I'm top 10%, mid-T2, Law Journal, good summer job/experience. No callbacks to this point, and I assume that means I'm out of luck. I'm just confused because people received rejections from some of these firms a day or two after the interview, and I have yet to hear anything at all from those same firms. I quadruple checked the email/address/phone on my resume, and they're all correct. Is there a such thing as keeping people on "reserve"? ...It's just strange that I haven't heard from ANY of the 4.. I'd expect that at least one or two rejections would have come in by now.

[glitter178]

I thank you for your insight, you summed it up very well. Other than how long did it take you to hear back from the firms you interviewed with, I really do not know what more to ask.

All I can add is that on the first CB I understand that I will be meeting with five lawyers (possibly partners). I am guessing that there is no way to know if it is five meetings or some kind of group configuration until it happens. Thx again.

I can almost guarantee it will be 5 individual interviews.

I got one offer 5 days after the CB, and another offer the day after the CB. Got a ding 5 days after another callback, and silence on the other two. (tbf, one CB was yesterday.)

[golfnut15]

As long as everyone is talking/complaining about OCI, I figured I'd throw my own situation in here to get some opinions.

I only had 4 OCI's (all last week - Wednesday and Thursday). I'm top 10%, mid-T2, Law Journal, good summer job/experience. No callbacks to this point, and I assume that means I'm out of luck. I'm just confused because people received rejections from some of these firms a day or two after the interview, and I have yet to hear anything at all from those same firms. I quadruple checked the email/address/phone on my resume, and they're all correct. Is there a such thing as keeping people on "reserve"? ...It's just strange that I haven't heard from ANY of the 4.. I'd expect that at least one or two rejections would have come in by now.

i'm kind of in the same boat. High T2, top 15%, law review, moot court and a summer externship with a federal judge who published one of the opinions I wrote and I've heard a ton of silence since my screeners last week.