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Classic TLS thread. I'll jump in:

"Thanks, [johndhi] -- it was good to meet you! Hope you enjoy the weekend in [johndhi's hometown]"

Haven't heard a thing from a second interviewer, which I actually felt better about. I think it's a nice sign for them to email you. I think YOUR first email is better than your second one. I think the first is the only one that really indicates a callback is likely. Did you mention the topic of your discussion to the sports guy, or did he remember that on his own? If the latter, in better shape.

All of this, of course, is meaningless.

Who cares? You get the callback or you don't. This thread is sooooo TLS.

johndhi wrote: All of this, of course, is meaningless.

Ding ding ding!

I don't think any of it matters. After not getting offers and callbacks from firms of people who responded, and getting offers from firms where the people never even got my emails, I came to the conclusion that this stuff was all useless. Can hurt more than it could ever help if you have typos...

I just say no to thank you cards for callbacks as well. Hasn't affected me one bit. I don't believe in watering down gestures like that. I've sent a few cards to people, but they were folks who I genuinely connected with and had long extended conversations with after receiving an offer from a firm that I eventually turned down. Still haven't sent a thank you card after an SA either. If you've connected with someone, you won't need to send a card for both of you to know it; you'll just keep in touch. If someone was actually very helpful, send them a thanks email, but there are very few situations (in my opinion) that warrant a thank you card.

Your interview/interviewer plays a minor role in whether or not you receive a call back.

First and foremost, firms decide where they are visiting months before they actually begin OCI. Thus, a firm could visit 20 schools but only intend on hiring 12 candidates. Due to the various OCI policies at schools, the firm could be forced to interview 60+ candidates. However, the firm won't make call back decisions until (generally) after visiting all of the schools.

Second, call back decisions are made by some form of vote by the hiring committee. Thus, your interviewer plays a relatively minor role in the process, as he/she would at most be able to cast a single vote. It's that way on purpose.

As a result, your interviewer plays a minor role. You should just relax, not read into it, continue to mass mail, and wait to hear from them.

Aberzombie1892 wrote:Your interview/interviewer plays a minor role in whether or not you receive a call back.

First and foremost, firms decide where they are visiting months before they actually begin OCI. Thus, a firm could visit 20 schools but only intend on hiring 12 candidates. Due to the various OCI policies at schools, the firm could be forced to interview 60+ candidates. However, the firm won't make call back decisions until (generally) after visiting all of the schools.

Second, call back decisions are made by some form of vote by the hiring committee. Thus, your interviewer plays a relatively minor role in the process, as he/she would at most be able to cast a single vote. It's that way on purpose.

As a result, your interviewer plays a minor role. You should just relax, not read into it, continue to mass mail, and wait to hear from them.

Even if they play a major role, I don't think any of this stuff that law students do matters. Call back interviewers, especially partners/the hiring partner/members of the hiring committee play a major role in hiring decisions, and I can unequivocally tell you that whether or not you sent them a thank you card will not have any real effect on your candidacy. This is true even in Southern markets where, for whatever reason, people act like it is a must to send a thank you card to every Tom Dick and Harry that they encounter. I had nearly two dozen firms as a 2L. Didn't send one thank you card or email after a callback or screener. I got nearly two dozen callbacks/offers. This stuff doesn't matter period!

Aberzombie1892 wrote:Your interview/interviewer plays a minor role in whether or not you receive a call back.

First and foremost, firms decide where they are visiting months before they actually begin OCI. Thus, a firm could visit 20 schools but only intend on hiring 12 candidates. Due to the various OCI policies at schools, the firm could be forced to interview 60+ candidates. However, the firm won't make call back decisions until (generally) after visiting all of the schools.

Second, call back decisions are made by some form of vote by the hiring committee. Thus, your interviewer plays a relatively minor role in the process, as he/she would at most be able to cast a single vote. It's that way on purpose.

As a result, your interviewer plays a minor role. You should just relax, not read into it, continue to mass mail, and wait to hear from them.

You're saying a group of people you've never met vote on whether to call you into the office for a resume and do not base any of this decision in talking to the one person who has actually met you? This is one of the things I find fishy about your post.

Even if it doesn't matter one bit, that doesn't mean the language of the reply never has a bearing on what to expect. If people want to have a little fun with it, there's zero harm in just comparing notes. The caveat that it may have negligible effect is well taken -- interviewers will certainly vary their language based on whether they intend to recommend a candidate...and if the interviewer had no input whatsoever, there'd be no point in screening interviews in the first place.

Anonymous User wrote:trying to read the tea leaves a little bit here...which of these responses (which i received within an hour or two of sending a followup email) indicate that a callback is likely:

1) "Thank you. It was short but good and I look forward to seeing you in the near future" (this interviewer showed up 15 minutes into my 20 minute screener, which was the first of the day -- i talked to an associate for the first part)

2) "Thanks, [name]. It was a pleasure meeting you and discussing law and sports with you. Stay tuned." (this was the ONLY interviewer I talked sports with, but it was super relaxed -- had a great feeling coming out of it)

3) (this was to a classmate, not to me -- and i didn't interview with this person): "Thanks, it was a pleasure to meet you!"

I feel like 1&2 have to mean a callback is coming --- but is this sort of response common? Post your experiences, I'm wondering how much predictive value the language of the response has...

Just a professional courtesy. Means nothing.

johndhi wrote:

Aberzombie1892 wrote:Your interview/interviewer plays a minor role in whether or not you receive a call back.

First and foremost, firms decide where they are visiting months before they actually begin OCI. Thus, a firm could visit 20 schools but only intend on hiring 12 candidates. Due to the various OCI policies at schools, the firm could be forced to interview 60+ candidates. However, the firm won't make call back decisions until (generally) after visiting all of the schools.

Second, call back decisions are made by some form of vote by the hiring committee. Thus, your interviewer plays a relatively minor role in the process, as he/she would at most be able to cast a single vote. It's that way on purpose.

As a result, your interviewer plays a minor role. You should just relax, not read into it, continue to mass mail, and wait to hear from them.

You're saying a group of people you've never met vote on whether to call you into the office for a resume and do not base any of this decision in talking to the one person who has actually met you? This is one of the things I find fishy about your post.

Did you even read the post? You say "...and do not base any of this decision in talking to the person who has actually met you?" Reread what I said. I said a MINOR ROLE.

(1) After about a dozen interviews at a recent job fair, the only firm that replied to my thank you email (both interviewers!) was also the first one to ding me.

(2) The firms which gave me a CB never acknowldged my thank you emails.

(2) Just last week, a recruiter at biglaw told me during a CB that thank you messages have never made a positive difference. However, bad thank you messages have sunk candidates (typos, etc...).

(4) I still find myself unable to NOT write a thank you note after an interview.

Anonymous User wrote:(1) After about a dozen interviews at a recent job fair, the only firm that replied to my thank you email (both interviewers!) was also the first one to ding me.

(2) The firms which gave me a CB never acknowldged my thank you emails.

(2) Just last week, a recruiter at biglaw told me during a CB that thank you messages have never made a positive difference. However, bad thank you messages have sunk candidates (typos, etc...).

(4) I still find myself unable to NOT write a thank you note after an interview.

I had the SAME EXACT experience. The responses i got were "I was just talking about you to a partner in your practice area of interest". Rejected 2 days later. All the callbacks i have received NEVER responded to my thank you. Go figure.