No Offers Yet- All Aboard the USS Worried Forum

[Anonymous User]

How do people phrase e-mails to recruiters that you want to check in with to reiterate interest but not sound desperate for an answer (because I'm sitting on 0 offers and I'd rather be on hold than get a reject)? Its been a couple of weeks.

I just say that I'm following up. I don't divulge beyond that.

Keep your chin up. I'm still waiting on a couple of firms to reply to me as well, but I've been mass-mailing firms all over the place and have gotten some screener requests. Don't wait!!

I have too and nothing has bitten. I'm above median at a T10 with awesome work experience. This whole process is defeating. I should have never left my job.

[Anonymous User]

Contact career services if you are looking to follow up. At many schools, if you tell them your top choice(s), they will call them and talk to recruiters, see where things are standing. The firm may be willing to tell someone they have a working relationship with more than they would tell you.

[Anonymous User]

How do people phrase e-mails to recruiters that you want to check in with to reiterate interest but not sound desperate for an answer (because I'm sitting on 0 offers and I'd rather be on hold than get a reject)? Its been a couple of weeks.

I just say that I'm following up. I don't divulge beyond that.

Keep your chin up. I'm still waiting on a couple of firms to reply to me as well, but I've been mass-mailing firms all over the place and have gotten some screener requests. Don't wait!!

I have too and nothing has bitten. I'm above median at a T10 with awesome work experience. This whole process is defeating. I should have never left my job.

Out of curiosity, what do you think the reason is for your disappointing job hunt? It seems like with the people I know, work experience has been what seals the deal for people with medianish grades (as in, people getting multiple V5 offers if they have awesome work experience even if they are around median).

[Anonymous User]

Contact career services if you are looking to follow up. At many schools, if you tell them your top choice(s), they will call them and talk to recruiters, see where things are standing. The firm may be willing to tell someone they have a working relationship with more than they would tell you.

Also, keep in mind that the career services offices are starting to hear from firms that are looking to fill their classes, but don't want the information highly disseminated. You want to be the person/among the people told about these opportunities.

Another thing to keep in mind -- with the holiday this week, things might be put on hold at the end of this week and there might be more movement on Monday/Tuesday next week in terms of offers.

[Anonymous User]

How do people phrase e-mails to recruiters that you want to check in with to reiterate interest but not sound desperate for an answer (because I'm sitting on 0 offers and I'd rather be on hold than get a reject)? Its been a couple of weeks.

I just say that I'm following up. I don't divulge beyond that.

Keep your chin up. I'm still waiting on a couple of firms to reply to me as well, but I've been mass-mailing firms all over the place and have gotten some screener requests. Don't wait!!

I have too and nothing has bitten. I'm above median at a T10 with awesome work experience. This whole process is defeating. I should have never left my job.

Out of curiosity, what do you think the reason is for your disappointing job hunt? It seems like with the people I know, work experience has been what seals the deal for people with medianish grades (as in, people getting multiple V5 offers if they have awesome work experience even if they are around median).

A combination of so many things. First, I wanted to do something really specific, but those groups aren't hiring, so I switched to a more general "corporate" ploy halfway through this process. However, I was previously in finance so I've just been attacked nonstop with "why would you ever leave and go to law school." I think [thought] I had good answers, but it doesn't seem to be working. I have a friend at a different T14 who is experiencing the same thing. She's now thinking of going back into business. Second, awful OCI luck. I got 6 less interviews than the average. Third, just awful luck.

I've been told I'm a really good interviewer so while I'm sure there is something I can improve, its hard to put the blame on my interviewing skills.

[Anonymous User]

Given that most corporate lawyers dream of exiting to finance, your interviewers probably really don't understand why you left to go to law school.

[Anonymous User]

Its a catch-22 situation and I don't know how to get out of it. It's not like I was an investment banker at a bulge bracket firm. I was at a mid-level firm working on tiny deals.

Maybe I'll join my friend and go back into business.

[Void]

Count me in.

[Anonymous User]

Its a catch-22 situation and I don't know how to get out of it. It's not like I was an investment banker at a bulge bracket firm. I was at a mid-level firm working on tiny deals.

Maybe I'll join my friend and go back into business.

Do you think it is possible the interviewers get the sense you were pushed out of the business world and ended up doing law as a way to try and do something after failing? Not saying you failed, but could they be thinking that?

It would seem a "why law?" answer would be important in your situation.

[Anonymous User]

Given that most corporate lawyers dream of exiting to finance, your interviewers probably really don't understand why you left to go to law school.

Meh, I know people with work experience at JP Morgan and GS. They cleaned up at OCI and far outperformed their grades.

[Anonymous User]

Given that most corporate lawyers dream of exiting to finance, your interviewers probably really don't understand why you left to go to law school.

Meh, I know people with work experience at JP Morgan and GS. They cleaned up at OCI and far outperformed their grades.

OK, but is the meh really necessary here?

[Anonymous User]

Second, awful OCI luck. I got 6 less interviews than the average.

Is your school bidding, preselect, or a combo of the two?

[Anonymous User]

At the callback for my best option (two weeks ago), they said they would let me know something "in two weeks."


I cannot call the recruiter to check in and show interest, right? That would come off as being a pest and desperate, yeah?

[Anonymous User]

Second, awful OCI luck. I got 6 less interviews than the average.

Is your school bidding, preselect, or a combo of the two?

Pure lottery

[Anonymous User]

I'm sadly still aboard this ship. Yesterday I had two firms ask me if I have any outstanding offers (one I was following up with from a CB legit 8 weeks ago, and the other called me to schedule a CB). Unfortunately I had to tell them both no. For one I was able to squeeze in that I was still in the interviewing process, but the other was less smooth and was basically just "no, not yet."

Has anyone else had to deal with this? What's the best approach to take in case it happens again? I've heard of some people lying, but that's not my style. Any advice?

[Void]

I'm sadly still aboard this ship. Yesterday I had two firms ask me if I have any outstanding offers (one I was following up with from a CB legit 8 weeks ago, and the other called me to schedule a CB). Unfortunately I had to tell them both no. For one I was able to squeeze in that I was still in the interviewing process, but the other was less smooth and was basically just "no, not yet."

Has anyone else had to deal with this? What's the best approach to take in case it happens again? I've heard of some people lying, but that's not my style. Any advice?

I think if a firm actually asks you this, they aren't going to be turned off if you tell them that you don't. They're not asking to gauge whether they should take you because other firms want you- they're probably just trying to get an idea of how much time they have to make a decision. While it would obviously put pressure on them (probably in a good way) if you were able to say that you had other pending offers, I don't think it makes you look bad in this context to say you don't.

[Anonymous User]

I'm sadly still aboard this ship. Yesterday I had two firms ask me if I have any outstanding offers (one I was following up with from a CB legit 8 weeks ago, and the other called me to schedule a CB). Unfortunately I had to tell them both no. For one I was able to squeeze in that I was still in the interviewing process, but the other was less smooth and was basically just "no, not yet."

Has anyone else had to deal with this? What's the best approach to take in case it happens again? I've heard of some people lying, but that's not my style. Any advice?

Why not just say you are still waiting to hear back from employers that you've conducted callbacks with? You aren't lying and yet your aren't telling the whole truth, which is probably the best.

[174]

I'm realizing the hard way that getting a couple of years of work experience before law school is a really good idea. I came straight out of undergrad and have no real experience besides my 1L internship. If OCI doesn't work out it is going to be an uphill battle finding non-legal work.

[Anonymous User]

I'm realizing the hard way that getting a couple of years of work experience before law school is a really good idea. I came straight out of undergrad and have no real experience besides my 1L internship. If OCI doesn't work out it is going to be an uphill battle finding non-legal work.

I would imagine that after OCI, a hell of a lot of UG->LS people wished they would have squeezed a couple years of work experience in between UG and LS. It can really help compensate for mediocre grades/school. It doesn't make up for everything else (I know a couple people with terrific work experience, but really obnoxious personalities that probably showed during interviewing, who ended up with nothing spectacular) but it helps a lot.

[Anonymous User]

I'm sadly still aboard this ship. Yesterday I had two firms ask me if I have any outstanding offers (one I was following up with from a CB legit 8 weeks ago, and the other called me to schedule a CB). Unfortunately I had to tell them both no. For one I was able to squeeze in that I was still in the interviewing process, but the other was less smooth and was basically just "no, not yet."

Has anyone else had to deal with this? What's the best approach to take in case it happens again? I've heard of some people lying, but that's not my style. Any advice?

I've had firms ask if I had any upcoming NALP deadlines and I just basically say, "nothing I can see being a problem right now, but I'll let you know".

[Aqualibrium]

I'm sadly still aboard this ship. Yesterday I had two firms ask me if I have any outstanding offers (one I was following up with from a CB legit 8 weeks ago, and the other called me to schedule a CB). Unfortunately I had to tell them both no. For one I was able to squeeze in that I was still in the interviewing process, but the other was less smooth and was basically just "no, not yet."

Has anyone else had to deal with this? What's the best approach to take in case it happens again? I've heard of some people lying, but that's not my style. Any advice?

I think if a firm actually asks you this, they aren't going to be turned off if you tell them that you don't. They're not asking to gauge whether they should take you because other firms want you- they're probably just trying to get an idea of how much time they have to make a decision. While it would obviously put pressure on them (probably in a good way) if you were able to say that you had other pending offers, I don't think it makes you look bad in this context to say you don't.

I agree with this post. I'm really not sure how much it helps or hurts either way to have/not have offers. I had a couple of firms ask me that same question during 2L oci. At the time, I had several offers, a few with impending deadlines, but it really didn't seem to speed up anyone's process...

[Anonymous User]

I've got one foot still trapped on this ship since I'm in a market that really pushes splitting

17 Screeners from OCI, 17 from minority job fairs
12 CBs total
So far, 3 dings, 1 offer from a V30 (for only half the summer), waiting on the rest

I vastly outperformed my class ranking, so I think my interview skills carried me through the screeners to the callback, but when the hiring committee looks at me on paper, I of course pale in comparison to all their other callbacks

School: UT/UCLA/Vandy
Ranking: Around (maybe outside of) Top 1/3
Work Experience: 3 years
Non-URM

this guy. just got off the ship today! offer from non-vault, mid-size firm.

[Anonymous User]

I've got one foot still trapped on this ship since I'm in a market that really pushes splitting

17 Screeners from OCI, 17 from minority job fairs
12 CBs total
So far, 3 dings, 1 offer from a V30 (for only half the summer), waiting on the rest

I vastly outperformed my class ranking, so I think my interview skills carried me through the screeners to the callback, but when the hiring committee looks at me on paper, I of course pale in comparison to all their other callbacks

School: UT/UCLA/Vandy
Ranking: Around (maybe outside of) Top 1/3
Work Experience: 3 years
Non-URM

this guy. just got off the ship today! offer from non-vault, mid-size firm.

Grats! Mind telling us in which market?

[Anonymous User]

I've got one foot still trapped on this ship since I'm in a market that really pushes splitting

17 Screeners from OCI, 17 from minority job fairs
12 CBs total
So far, 3 dings, 1 offer from a V30 (for only half the summer), waiting on the rest

I vastly outperformed my class ranking, so I think my interview skills carried me through the screeners to the callback, but when the hiring committee looks at me on paper, I of course pale in comparison to all their other callbacks

School: UT/UCLA/Vandy
Ranking: Around (maybe outside of) Top 1/3
Work Experience: 3 years
Non-URM

this guy. just got off the ship today! offer from non-vault, mid-size firm.

Grats! Mind telling us in which market?

Gotta be Texas with the split push

[Void]

Was anyone else confused by this:

17 Screeners from OCI, 17 from minority job fairs

followed by this:

Non-URM

?

Not trying to be controversial, but do a lot of Non-URMs attend minority job fairs?