The Official 1L Summer Employment Thread - 2012 Edition Forum

[NYC Law]

2L speaking:

The recruiters aren't going to be "mixing" up anything. They're going to print out your resume, maybe your cover letter (to figure out ties if you resume doesn't scream it) but your resume is largely all that matters.

The above advice is ridiculous; you should not be burdening recruiters/office assistants with unnecessary paperwork.

If anyone has questions you can pm them to me, but otherwise I can tell you this is terrible advice.

Yeah I was kidding, please don't intermingle cover letters throughout your writing sample.

[YourCaptain]

2L speaking:

The recruiters aren't going to be "mixing" up anything. They're going to print out your resume, maybe your cover letter (to figure out ties if you resume doesn't scream it) but your resume is largely all that matters.

The above advice is ridiculous; you should not be burdening recruiters/office assistants with unnecessary paperwork.

If anyone has questions you can pm them to me, but otherwise I can tell you this is terrible advice.

Yeah I was kidding, please don't intermingle cover letters throughout your writing sample.

m

Hahaha alright. I'm on my blackberry and can't be bothered to read everything.

It's not *that* late yet guys; I only began sending out apps in early Jan and locked up an incredible 1L job. Get your stuff out - contact the recruiters and see if they'll accept PDF apps.

[jd20132013]

Question about cover letters:

If one isn't asked for, should one be sent anyway? It's a subdivision of an agency, and other divisions(who have their information on the same page) explicitly do ask for cover letters.
Wondering if anyone else has confronted this.

I think you need to. It is kind of weird to just send a resume, writing sample, and nothing else. The point of the cover letter is to let them know why you are sending the info and not really as a separate thing. A lot of information in you cover letter can be gathered from your resume and stuff but it is probably best to have it in one place.

Oh, and I actually think a cover letter can be important. I think one of the interviews I have set up with a judge is because of a something I researched in undergrad and is something that the judge is involved in. I didn't know that at the time but it would make a lot of sense.

thanks, I figured that would be the correct answer.


Another kind of outlandish question: What's the procedure for cover letters that you're sending to multiple people? Searched on google but saw a few varying things. My gut instinct is just "Mr. ____, Ms.____, and Mr.____" in the order they're listed.

[Judge Philip Banks]

Damn. My OCS counselor sent me back some good revisions to my cover letter after I had already sent everything out. It was my fault for being impatient and not wanting to wait another day to send my stuff out to USDC district judges. But now I am kind of wishing I had just waited, because my cover letter would have benefitted. You guys think the clerks looking at cover letters even pay attention to the substance, or just make sure that there are no typographical, grammar, spelling, or punctuation errors? Did I screw myself over? Any former or current clerks out there that can weigh in on this?

[Haymarket]

Phone interview in less than an hour for probably the #1 job I want.

Jesus I hope this goes well...

[Flash]

Finally got some apps out. TTT job here I come.

[AreJay711]

Phone interview in less than an hour for probably the #1 job I want.

Jesus I hope this goes well...

Sweet. I just set one up for my #1 job

[mikunta]

Anyone have any experience with holiday firm receptions? Like what to expect/do I have to show up right on time/can I leave early?

[Dany]

Oh yeah, going to one of those tonight.

[Haymarket]

If you want to make an interviewee (me) uncomfortable after they answer why they're interested in working at your organization, tell them, "That's a believable story."

[Flash]

If you want to make an interviewee (me) uncomfortable after they answer why they're interested in working at your organization, tell them, "That's a believable story."

[Dany]

If you want to make an interviewee (me) uncomfortable after they answer why they're interested in working at your organization, tell them, "That's a believable story."

Yikes.

[Haymarket]

If you want to make an interviewee (me) uncomfortable after they answer why they're interested in working at your organization, tell them, "That's a believable story."

Yikes.

Yeah. Overall I think it went well, just not as well as yesterday.

[Haymarket]

And I just got a phone call for a firm interview in my home market.

Is it weird that I'm really ambivalent about it because I really don't want to live at home this summer ...

[adonai]

Lyfe is herd.

[Lwoods]

Interview with a judge tomorrow morning! Any tips? I'm looking up his opinions on Westlaw and plan to have a bunch of questions prepared. I might try practicing my answers to predictable questions (like "tell me about yourself" and "what brought you to [city]?"). Any thoughts on questions I should ask and/or questions I should anticipate?

Thanks!

[adonai]

Interview with a judge tomorrow morning! Any tips? I'm looking up his opinions on Westlaw and plan to have a bunch of questions prepared. I might try practicing my answers to predictable questions (like "tell me about yourself" and "what brought you to [city]?"). Any thoughts on questions I should ask and/or questions I should anticipate?

Thanks!

Why you want to intern for THAT specific judge, and also curveball questions like what is your favorite case, what is your favorite supreme court justice and why. Really watch out for the curveballs. You will get all the typical questions, so if you have those down pat, then study up on curveball questions/substantive law related questions.

[Lwoods]

Interview with a judge tomorrow morning! Any tips? I'm looking up his opinions on Westlaw and plan to have a bunch of questions prepared. I might try practicing my answers to predictable questions (like "tell me about yourself" and "what brought you to [city]?"). Any thoughts on questions I should ask and/or questions I should anticipate?

Thanks!

Why you want to intern for THAT specific judge, and also curveball questions like what is your favorite case, what is your favorite supreme court justice and why. Really watch out for the curveballs. You will get all the typical questions, so if you have those down pat, then study up on curveball questions/substantive law related questions.

Thanks! Those are great ideas.

[theavrock]

First firm interview yesterday. Went pretty well.

Interviews with 3 federal district court judges coming up. Anyone have any judge specific interview tips?

This whole law school thing is flying by. AH!

[adonai]

Anyone have general tips on interviewing better? I feel as if I can get my foot in the door with writing cover letters and spinning my resume well, but I just can't execute on the interview. Need help from uber ultra social people who are quasi-stand up comedians i.e. not me.

[shoeshine]

This whole law school thing is flying by. AH!

That is how I feel today. How the hell am I supposed to choose a firm that could be where I spend the next two summers and several years after law school when I know nothing about the law or how to practice it?

[Lwoods]

Anyone have general tips on interviewing better? I feel as if I can get my foot in the door with writing cover letters and spinning my resume well, but I just can't execute on the interview. Need help from uber ultra social people who are quasi-stand up comedians i.e. not me.

Definitely not a quasi-stand up comedian, but I've had fairly good success at interviews (*knock on wood*). A couple general tips:

*Practice saying your answers to questions out loud ahead of time.
*Smile and be friendly.
*You don't have to be funny. If you're not funny, don't try to be.
*If a question catches you off guard, just be honest.

The biggest thing, though, is that you should bring questions. You can steer the direction of the interview if you bring good, smart, specific, open-ended questions.
The girl who took my job at the law firm only got the interview because I referred her. She had the weakest resume, but she killed the interview. She told me after that she just asked a bunch of questions the entire time, and that really impressed my boss.
So, the next interview I had (for my dream company in my then new city), I used that strategy as well and got the job! I had a lot of interviewers remark about how good my questions were, so I think that played a role.

I know it's not particularly ground-breaking advice, but it's worked so far.

[Lwoods]

^Oh, and the key to good questions is good research. Know the position, know the company/firm/judge. Find out everything you can so that you can have good, pointed questions prepared and also so you can better answer questions. I suppose you already realize this considering the advice you just gave earlier, but I thought it worth mentioning for anyone else who's reading.

[adonai]

Anyone have general tips on interviewing better? I feel as if I can get my foot in the door with writing cover letters and spinning my resume well, but I just can't execute on the interview. Need help from uber ultra social people who are quasi-stand up comedians i.e. not me.

Definitely not a quasi-stand up comedian, but I've had fairly good success at interviews (*knock on wood*). A couple general tips:

*Practice saying your answers to questions out loud ahead of time.
*Smile and be friendly.
*You don't have to be funny. If you're not funny, don't try to be.
*If a question catches you off guard, just be honest.

The biggest thing, though, is that you should bring questions. You can steer the direction of the interview if you bring good, smart, specific, open-ended questions.
The girl who took my job at the law firm only got the interview because I referred her. She had the weakest resume, but she killed the interview. She told me after that she just asked a bunch of questions the entire time, and that really impressed my boss.
So, the next interview I had (for my dream company in my then new city), I used that strategy as well and got the job! I had a lot of interviewers remark about how good my questions were, so I think that played a role.

I know it's not particularly ground-breaking advice, but it's worked so far.

I appreciate your advice, but I just don't think it comes down to being prepared and asking questions, cause I feel I can do all that. I think it has more to do with social intangibles. I'm not menacing or intimidating or anything, but I just get this feel that people do not want to engage me the minute I say a word, even if I am all smiles and exceptionally social that day. Just something I cannot explain or fix I guess.

[theavrock]

Anyone have general tips on interviewing better? I feel as if I can get my foot in the door with writing cover letters and spinning my resume well, but I just can't execute on the interview. Need help from uber ultra social people who are quasi-stand up comedians i.e. not me.

Definitely not a quasi-stand up comedian, but I've had fairly good success at interviews (*knock on wood*). A couple general tips:

*Practice saying your answers to questions out loud ahead of time.
*Smile and be friendly.
*You don't have to be funny. If you're not funny, don't try to be.
*If a question catches you off guard, just be honest.

The biggest thing, though, is that you should bring questions. You can steer the direction of the interview if you bring good, smart, specific, open-ended questions.
The girl who took my job at the law firm only got the interview because I referred her. She had the weakest resume, but she killed the interview. She told me after that she just asked a bunch of questions the entire time, and that really impressed my boss.
So, the next interview I had (for my dream company in my then new city), I used that strategy as well and got the job! I had a lot of interviewers remark about how good my questions were, so I think that played a role.

I know it's not particularly ground-breaking advice, but it's worked so far.

I appreciate your advice, but I just don't think it comes down to being prepared and asking questions, cause I feel I can do all that. I think it has more to do with social intangibles. I'm not menacing or intimidating or anything, but I just get this feel that people do not want to engage me the minute I say a word, even if I am all smiles and exceptionally social that day. Just something I cannot explain or fix I guess.

Sounds to me its about attitude. It is a powerful thing. If you feel that people don't interact with you that can be contagious.

It sounds silly but I firmly believe that what you tell yourself becomes your reality. So start telling yourself that people want to engage with you and project an aura of confidence. If you don't believe it no one will so start believing it!