The Vale of Tears (3L Job Hunting) (No advice for 0/1/2Ls) Forum

[shredderrrrrr]

Fuck, the wait for a call back after an interview is excruciating. Especially when it is your dream job! I feel like I'm waiting for LSAT results or 1L grades all over again.

[Devlin]

Fuck, the wait for a call back after an interview is excruciating. Especially when it is your dream job! I feel like I'm waiting for LSAT results or 1L grades all over again.

I always work under the assumption that I'm getting no offered. That way I keep grinding and forget about it.

[Anonymous User]

While I'm still a 3L, my fiancé graduated last year and was just offered a position at a mid-size law firm in NYC that she blindly e-mailed. The pay and benefits are actually very good. I only posted this because it is uplifting to know that jobs are out there and firms are hiring.

[JCougar]

Fuck, the wait for a call back after an interview is excruciating. Especially when it is your dream job! I feel like I'm waiting for LSAT results or 1L grades all over again.

Try waiting/volunteering at your dream job for a year and a half while while crossing your fingers that Congress passes a budget.

[shredderrrrrr]

Fuck, the wait for a call back after an interview is excruciating. Especially when it is your dream job! I feel like I'm waiting for LSAT results or 1L grades all over again.

I always work under the assumption that I'm getting no offered. That way I keep grinding and forget about it.

That's actually a good plan. I usually have 0 hopes or expectations, but I can't help but get excited when I didn't even think I would be considered and ended up getting an interview that went very well. I think the fact that this is my only real shot at my home market before I have to plan my life elsewhere has me hesitant to keep grinding out applications until I hear.

[shredderrrrrr]

Fuck, the wait for a call back after an interview is excruciating. Especially when it is your dream job! I feel like I'm waiting for LSAT results or 1L grades all over again.

Try waiting/volunteering at your dream job for a year and a half while while crossing your fingers that Congress passes a budget.

That sounds much worse. Is that where you're at right now?

[JCougar]

Fuck, the wait for a call back after an interview is excruciating. Especially when it is your dream job! I feel like I'm waiting for LSAT results or 1L grades all over again.

Try waiting/volunteering at your dream job for a year and a half while while crossing your fingers that Congress passes a budget.

That sounds much worse. Is that where you're at right now?

There was some space in between where I volunteered for someone else, but that's pretty much where it's at.

[Anonymous User]

It gets so much worse as you go. The wait for the LSAT is really not a big deal at all because of how retaking works, and how small of a commitment 3 months of studying is. Most of the stress for me was women could still stand my presence for more than 20 minutes then, and the score could impact whether an intelligent woman decides you're worth continuing to invest bio clock time in. Also until jobs you don't need to do anything but look at the result. Even when you get a job you have to pretend you're not sweating bullets, or so awkward they revoke.

[racheltessa]

While I'm still a 3L, my fiancé graduated last year and was just offered a position at a mid-size law firm in NYC that she blindly e-mailed. The pay and benefits are actually very good. I only posted this because it is uplifting to know that jobs are out there and firms are hiring.

This is really good news. I am curious (and thinking others are too) when you say "blindly e-mailed" was there any connection at all, alumni at the firm, something like that? Was it in response to a job post on symplicity or on a job board? Or did she direct email through the firm website? I ask because I am always curious how people are scoring good opportunities these days, especially post graduation. Did she do research to identify the firm as a good fit for herself? I would love to hear more about it--feel free to PM if you like.

[JoanSloan]

I just had a screener for a fantastic company.
I know there's a .02% chance they'll take me without a license.
But it was nice to have that call anyways.

I didn't think I'd get to the screener level, since it's a really insular industry.
If they called to screen, that means I have something going for me, right? Maybe?
Failure has never made me feel more optimistic.

Bar: .... you need to happen soon, so I can just get my life in order....

[Anonymous User]

I heard a job is opening at the govt. agency I did my post-bar at.

What should I be doing to get this job?

[Anonymous User]

Fuck, the wait for a call back after an interview is excruciating. Especially when it is your dream job! I feel like I'm waiting for LSAT results or 1L grades all over again.

Try waiting/volunteering at your dream job for a year and a half while while crossing your fingers that Congress passes a budget.

Oh god, I know that. I got out with almost nada, the one bright spot was I had a friend who worked for a small politically connected law firm who let me work some cases he didn't want. I made almost nothing, but I got involved with politics and started working on some campaigns. I got lucky and one of the folks I worked for won a primary, which is akin to winning everything where I live, another campaign hired me on as staff which paid surprising well and had decent benefits, but was awful hours. Now I am about to get on staff with the person who I worked for who won (fingers crossed), so politics FTW, all in all it was a year and a half slog from bar passage.

[Anonymous User]

Anybody know the new BYU jobbank password? The one on the first page doesn't work.

[JJDancer]

While I'm still a 3L, my fiancé graduated last year and was just offered a position at a mid-size law firm in NYC that she blindly e-mailed. The pay and benefits are actually very good. I only posted this because it is uplifting to know that jobs are out there and firms are hiring.

This is really good news. I am curious (and thinking others are too) when you say "blindly e-mailed" was there any connection at all, alumni at the firm, something like that? Was it in response to a job post on symplicity or on a job board? Or did she direct email through the firm website? I ask because I am always curious how people are scoring good opportunities these days, especially post graduation. Did she do research to identify the firm as a good fit for herself? I would love to hear more about it--feel free to PM if you like.

Also curious, feel free to PM if needed. Did she cold-email her resume, meaning they didn't even have a job listing??

[Alcibiades]

Longtime lurker first time poster. Looking for any advice.

Stats:
I'm a 3L at T-20
My GPA is a 3.1 (Upward trend from bad 1l year)
Straight K-JD
BS in Pol Sci from a state university
My legal experience is a summer externship with a state judge and another summer externship with a federal agency, neither is capable of hiring
Nothing in my resume really screams focus: just bar classes, a couple of seminars, and some clinics on negotiations and trial advocacy
Graduating with no debt and I'm fluent in Spanish
I would ideally hope to stay in SoCal or California in general, signed up for the Cal Bar

BUMP

Been attending school networking events and checking simplicity, but I'm really not sure what to do anymore? I feel so lost. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

[Anonymous User]

Longtime lurker first time poster. Looking for any advice.

Stats:
I'm a 3L at UCLA
My GPA is a 3.1 (Upward trend from bad 1l year)
Straight K-JD
BS in Pol Sci from a state university
My legal experience is a summer externship with a state judge and another summer externship with a federal agency, neither is capable of hiring
Nothing in my resume really screams focus: just bar classes, a couple of seminars, and some clinics on negotiations and trial advocacy
Graduating with no debt and I'm fluent in Spanish
I would ideally hope to stay in SoCal or California in general, signed up for the Cal Bar

BUMP

Been attending school networking events and checking simplicity, but I'm really not sure what to do anymore? I feel so lost. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

Have you mass mailed? One poster recently said it worked for them, and I have had several interviews via mass-mail.

[Anonymous User]

What is your strategy for mass mailing? Would you mind saying your stats as well

[Anonymous User]

I am officially entering the Vale but I am surprisingly optimistic. I am still a 3L (T10), I definitely have below median grades, no W/E and no interviews but I have seen people going in and out of the Vale and I hope my time is soon. I think the only thing we can all do is remain on the grind and maybe karma will throw something our way. Hang in there everyone!

[Alcibiades]

Longtime lurker first time poster. Looking for any advice.

Stats:
I'm a 3L at T-20
My GPA is a 3.1 (Upward trend from bad 1l year)
Straight K-JD
BS in Pol Sci from a state university
My legal experience is a summer externship with a state judge and another summer externship with a federal agency, neither is capable of hiring
Nothing in my resume really screams focus: just bar classes, a couple of seminars, and some clinics on negotiations and trial advocacy
Graduating with no debt and I'm fluent in Spanish
I would ideally hope to stay in SoCal or California in general, signed up for the Cal Bar

BUMP

Been attending school networking events and checking simplicity, but I'm really not sure what to do anymore? I feel so lost. Anyone have any ideas/suggestions?

Have you mass mailed? One poster recently said it worked for them, and I have had several interviews via mass-mail.

I mass mailed earlier in the year. March seems like a poor time to do it, by this point everyone is going to want bar results, right?

I am officially entering the Vale but I am surprisingly optimistic. I am still a 3L (T10), I definitely have below median grades, no W/E and no interviews but I have seen people going in and out of the Vale and I hope my time is soon. I think the only thing we can all do is remain on the grind and maybe karma will throw something our way. Hang in there everyone!

Good luck. I wish I was as optimistic as you. All I keep doing is recriminating myself for not doing better in school. Is there anything I can do to stop thinking like that? Logically I know what happened happened and it's useless to think about could have beens. But I can't seem to shake the feeling.

[Anonymous User]

I was in your position last year, bros. You may be at the point where you need to wait until after you pass the bar to expect any kind of offer. Just keep checking simplicity, talking to people to try to find leads, applying to stuff that looks interesting, and interviewing when possible. Don't settle for something you're not at all interested in. You'll just end up hating your life more than you do now. I was offered a pretty sweet in-house gig just after finding out that I passed the bar last year. I found the job through simplicity. Keep grinding and try to see the big picture.

[Anonymous User]

Longtime lurker first time poster. Looking for any advice.

Stats:
I'm a 3L at UCLA
My GPA is a 3.1 (Upward trend from bad 1l year)
Straight K-JD
BS in Pol Sci from a state university
My legal experience is a summer externship with a state judge and another summer externship with a federal agency, neither is capable of hiring
Nothing in my resume really screams focus: just bar classes, a couple of seminars, and some clinics on negotiations and trial advocacy
Graduating with no debt and I'm fluent in Spanish
I would ideally hope to stay in SoCal or California in general, signed up for the Cal Bar

I mass mailed earlier in the year. March seems like a poor time to do it, by this point everyone is going to want bar results, right?

Don't worry about it being too late to mass mail. Never hurts. I got an interview with a V100 firm through mass mailing in Feb.

T50/LR/33%.

[JoanSloan]

I was in your position last year, bros. You may be at the point where you need to wait until after you pass the bar to expect any kind of offer. Just keep checking simplicity, talking to people to try to find leads, applying to stuff that looks interesting, and interviewing when possible. Don't settle for something you're not at all interested in. You'll just end up hating your life more than you do now. I was offered a pretty sweet in-house gig just after finding out that I passed the bar last year. I found the job through simplicity. Keep grinding and try to see the big picture.

Thanks for keeping the dream alive.
PM me? I'd love to pick your braiiinnnnnn.

[JCougar]

Good luck. I wish I was as optimistic as you. All I keep doing is recriminating myself for not doing better in school. Is there anything I can do to stop thinking like that? Logically I know what happened happened and it's useless to think about could have beens. But I can't seem to shake the feeling.

There's only two things that could have happened: something that was your fault, or something that wasn't.

If it was your fault, what's done is done, and past the point that you've learned a lesson, re-thinking things won't do you any good.

If it wasn't your fault (illness, random terrible grade from an arbitrary professor, arbitrariness of law exams in general, etc.), than feeling bad will only do you less good.

Just need to put it behind you and grind through. If this system is utterly stupid (and it is, I assure you), you need to set out to prove it wrong by succeeding.

[shredderrrrrr]

Missed phone call from (I believe) my interviewer I've been waiting to hear from this morning but no voicemail. Good sign, bad sign, or no sign? And should I call back (keeping in mind they didn't leave a message or anything)?

[Anonymous User]

Missed phone call from (I believe) my interviewer I've been waiting to hear from this morning but no voicemail. Good sign, bad sign, or no sign? And should I call back (keeping in mind they didn't leave a message or anything)?

yes, call back. regardless of whether its a good sign, better to hear on the phone than via email. one callback and a voicemail (if you can't get through) should do; don't blow up their phone.

I heard a job is opening at the govt. agency I did my post-bar at.

What should I be doing to get this job?

Reach out to whoever your contact is there and see if they can put your resume in front of the hiring person. Hopefully, you left a favorable impression on the office during your time there.