How many screening interviews in a day is too many? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I realize this is largely down to personal factors, like how outgoing you are and how draining you find interviewing, but just curious if there is any consensus as to how many screeners is too many to handle in one day. In particular, would really like to hear from anyone who has gone through OCI and had a day of 7-10 interviews. Would you do it again or cancel a couple?

I don't want to give up any interviews and would happily work at any of the offices where I am interviewing, so there's no clear ones to cut out, but some of my favorite interviews are at the end of a long day and I'm wondering if I'll be handicapping myself.

[IrwinM.Fletcher]

Also interested in this. I have 10 in one day and am wondering if this is more than I can chew.

[swc65]

If they're 20 minutes each then 73 is too many.

[Heartford]

Also wondering about this. I'm thinking that having 3-5 in a day would be manageable, but 10 just sounds like too many... but because of the way OCI is set up (at least at my school) it looks like if I'm lucky enough to get a lot of interviews, there will be a lot of them per day.

[emciosn]

Its amazing a thread so full of humblebrag isn't getting any real responses.

[Heartford]

Its amazing a thread so full of humblebrag isn't getting any real responses.

lol I was wondering whether OP actually has a shitton of interviews lined up for one day, or maybe the situation is more like if a shitton of the firms he has bid upon decide to give him an interview, he'll have a shitton of interviews lined up for one day.

(I am in category numero dos.)

[Cavalier]

Ten sounds like a little much, but five or six shouldn't be a problem. That's basically what a callback consists of, except there is no break between the interviews. Of course the fact that you're interviewing with several different firms as opposed to simply different attorneys with the same firm means more preparation is involved, but as long as you don't mix up your firms during the interviews, you should be fine. If you are fortunate enough to be in a situation that requires you to decline screening interviews, you should try and spread them out, but if your top seven firms are all on the same day, you shouldn't necessarily decline one or two of them in favor of less-desired firms.

[emciosn]

Its amazing a thread so full of humblebrag isn't getting any real responses.

lol I was wondering whether OP actually has a shitton of interviews lined up for one day, or maybe the situation is more like if a shitton of the firms he has bid upon decide to give him an interview, he'll have a shitton of interviews lined up for one day.

(I am in category numero dos.)

Yeah. With the way the economy is does it really make sense to turn down any sort of interview whatsoever? Not really. That's my two cents. If you are lucky enough to be in that position my advice would be to sack up and get through it.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. I do have a lot of interviews on one day, but they're not preselects, so it's not due to any awesomeness on my part (unless you count my bidding strategy, I guess).

Thanks for the input so far. Even the snarky "73" answer is helpful in that it puts 7-10 into perspective. Silver lining, folks.

[Anonymous User]

Amusing perspective: a callback at Cravath can easily last 8+ hours, which would be equivalent to 20+ back to back screening interviews. Time between interviews is likely more important (back to back can be impossible as schedules can be thrown off) but realistically you're probably better taking 10+ and being tired than limiting your options at this point.

[imchuckbass58]

10 is not too many. Is it tiring, yes, but it's very doable. Quite a few people end up doing 10 in a day, some more.

What's the point of the question though? Are you really going to drop an interview because you think you have too many?

[Anonymous User]

10 is not too many. Is it tiring, yes, but it's very doable. Quite a few people end up doing 10 in a day, some more.

What's the point of the question though? Are you really going to drop an interview because you think you have too many?

Lololol yah! personally when I found out that I had 10 in one day my first thought was to drop a few cause there's no way I could strike out.

/lowIQschtick

Not OP, but does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this "problem" and keep names/cities and such straight when you're pretty much just going room to room with not much time in between? Just study reeeeal hard?

[Rock-N-Roll]

This strikes me as a bit of an off-putting thread given that so many students from good schools totally strike out at OCI. I would say though that if OP wants to give up some interviews then he or she should do so in a way that his or her classmates can get them.

[thesealocust]

Not OP, but does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this "problem" and keep names/cities and such straight when you're pretty much just going room to room with not much time in between? Just study reeeeal hard?

Have a sheet of paper printed for each interview with firm name, interviewer, interview room, time, and basic firm stats on top half. Put them in your folder in order. Take any notes you need to take during the interview on the bottom. After each interview, take the top sheet and put it on the bottom of the stack. Keep the whole thing in your folio. I did this and never understood how anybody had problems keeping names straight.

[imchuckbass58]

Not OP, but does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this "problem" and keep names/cities and such straight when you're pretty much just going room to room with not much time in between? Just study reeeeal hard?

Have a sheet of paper printed for each interview with firm name, interviewer, interview room, time, and basic firm stats on top half. Put them in your folder in order. Take any notes you need to take during the interview on the bottom. After each interview, take the top sheet and put it on the bottom of the stack. Keep the whole thing in your folio. I did this and never understood how anybody had problems keeping names straight.

TITCR.

You'll also have 10 minutes between interviews typically, which gives you 5 minutes to get to your next interview, then 5 minutes to glance over the sheet really quick. It helps to have some quick talking points on the sheet (in particular, what you like about the firm, what practice areas you're interested in, etc) so you can prep a bit before walking in.

[Anonymous User]

Not OP, but does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this "problem" and keep names/cities and such straight when you're pretty much just going room to room with not much time in between? Just study reeeeal hard?

Have a sheet of paper printed for each interview with firm name, interviewer, interview room, time, and basic firm stats on top half. Put them in your folder in order. Take any notes you need to take during the interview on the bottom. After each interview, take the top sheet and put it on the bottom of the stack. Keep the whole thing in your folio. I did this and never understood how anybody had problems keeping names straight.

TITCR.

You'll also have 10 minutes between interviews typically, which gives you 5 minutes to get to your next interview, then 5 minutes to glance over the sheet really quick. It helps to have some quick talking points on the sheet (in particular, what you like about the firm, what practice areas you're interested in, etc) so you can prep a bit before walking in.

Beautiful. I was thinking index cards before, but the info/notepad combo idea is genius. Thanks d00ds

[Heartford]

Have a sheet of paper printed for each interview with firm name, interviewer, interview room, time, and basic firm stats on top half. Put them in your folder in order. Take any notes you need to take during the interview on the bottom. After each interview, take the top sheet and put it on the bottom of the stack. Keep the whole thing in your folio. I did this and never understood how anybody had problems keeping names straight.

Aspie question, but: When you say folder/folio, what are you talkin about?

[thesealocust]

Have a sheet of paper printed for each interview with firm name, interviewer, interview room, time, and basic firm stats on top half. Put them in your folder in order. Take any notes you need to take during the interview on the bottom. After each interview, take the top sheet and put it on the bottom of the stack. Keep the whole thing in your folio. I did this and never understood how anybody had problems keeping names straight.

Aspie question, but: When you say folder/folio, what are you talkin about?

Folio was probably the wrong word. One of these bad boys (100% of people at OCI use one):

[de5igual]

what's the proper protocol if you do have back to back interviews and the first interview looks like it'll go overtime? do you mention to the interviewer: "hey, i have another interview i have to go to?"

[Anonymous User]

it seems that 10 is doable. at what point does it get ridiculous i.e. is seventeen 20 min screeners in a day definitely too many? If you had to interview back to back, what is the most that you would do before you would want a break to stop and prep yourself for the next "pack"?

[Heartford]

what's the proper protocol if you do have back to back interviews and the first interview looks like it'll go overtime? do you mention to the interviewer: "hey, i have another interview i have to go to?"

Just put your hand up like this:



and refuse to field any more questions, as you pack your shit and storm out.

[smokyroom26]

what's the proper protocol if you do have back to back interviews and the first interview looks like it'll go overtime? do you mention to the interviewer: "hey, i have another interview i have to go to?"

I am also interested in the answer to this question.

[Renzo]

what's the proper protocol if you do have back to back interviews and the first interview looks like it'll go overtime? do you mention to the interviewer: "hey, i have another interview i have to go to?"

I am also interested in the answer to this question.

Somebody else will be waiting to interview with your interviewer, and they will interrupt. But if not, then yes, say you need to keep to your schedule and wrap up the interview.

[de5igual]

what's the proper protocol if you do have back to back interviews and the first interview looks like it'll go overtime? do you mention to the interviewer: "hey, i have another interview i have to go to?"

I am also interested in the answer to this question.

Somebody else will be waiting to interview with your interviewer, and they will interrupt. But if not, then yes, say you need to keep to your schedule and wrap up the interview.

what's the most tactful way of doing this in your (or anyone else's) experience?

say if the interviewer is talking about his experience and it doesn't look like he's ending anytime soon, do you just interrupt and say, "I'm sorry. I hate to cut you off, but I really need to get going" ?

[Renzo]

what's the proper protocol if you do have back to back interviews and the first interview looks like it'll go overtime? do you mention to the interviewer: "hey, i have another interview i have to go to?"

I am also interested in the answer to this question.

Somebody else will be waiting to interview with your interviewer, and they will interrupt. But if not, then yes, say you need to keep to your schedule and wrap up the interview.

what's the most tactful way of doing this in your (or anyone else's) experience?

say if the interviewer is talking about his experience and it doesn't look like he's ending anytime soon, do you just interrupt and say, "I'm sorry. I hate to cut your off, but I really need to get going" ?

It doesn't really happen. They might go a few minutes long, but the interviewer will conduct more interviews in a day than you will. They are not going to suddenly forget that they have 15 more to get through that day, and talk to you for an hour while someone else waits in the hall.

But, so you feel better, if it does happen, say something like, "I don't want to hold up your schedule since I'm sure you're busy, and I noticed that we're about out of time, but do you have a card? I'd love to have the chance to finish this conversation."