What to do with 15+ callbacks? Forum

[Anonymous User]

This thread isn't to gloat but I have gotten a ridiculous amount of callbacks and don't know how I can fit those into me schedule over the next couple of weeks. I'm just unsure whether having this many callbacks means that I'm a candidate who is guaranteed an offer at at least one of these places. Should I cancel some of these before an offer is secure? Or should I play it safe and go to everyone of the callbacks?

Thanks

[Eco]

Do them all lol. Regardless of how tiring or messed up the schedule will be.

[smokyroom26]

This thread isn't to gloat but I have gotten a ridiculous amount of callbacks and don't know how I can fit those into me schedule over the next couple of weeks. I'm just unsure whether having this many callbacks means that I'm a candidate who is guaranteed an offer at at least one of these places. Should I cancel some of these before an offer is secure? Or should I play it safe and go to everyone of the callbacks?

Thanks

Uh, I'd say...throw a party? Write the names of the firms that called you back on hundred dollar bills and then make it rain on strippers?

Don't cancel anything until you have an offer.

[Anonymous User]

You are not guaranteed an offer. People have struck out with that many callbacks.

Schedule at least 3 or 4 per week, and do your damndest to put the firms that (a) you want most and (b) that have reputations for giving offers quickly at the front of your schedule. Put firms you are less interested in later. Go on every callback as it's time, treat it like it was your only chance at a job.

After your first fist-pump upon receiving a job offer (it is very likely that you will) cancel every callback that you are sure is at a firm you're less interested in than the offer you receive and call firms that haven't gotten back to you yet to withdraw from consideration if you know you won't accept.

You're in a good spot, but you need to see this process through without thinking about the numbers or percentages or odds. Strange things happen every year and you're on defense until your first "congratulations!" phone call from a firm after a callback.

This is what I did last year, and it was a logistical nightmare but I'm very glad that I did. In the end I went on less than half the callbacks I was invited to and withdrew from consideration before hearing back from several callbacks I did attend. Awkward phone calls, but the firms expect it / are used to it and it frees up space for other students to get an offer.

[Sup Kid]

Do them all lol. Regardless of how tiring or messed up the schedule will be.

Schedule preferred callbacks in early September and the less-preferred ones in late September. Once you get an offer from a preferred firm, cancel callbacks with any firms that you would still turn down even if you got an offer from them.

Edit: +1 to the post above me.

[Anonymous User]

Do them all lol. Regardless of how tiring or messed up the schedule will be.

Schedule preferred callbacks in early September and the less-preferred ones in late September. Once you get an offer from a preferred firm, cancel callbacks with any firms that you would still turn down even if you got an offer from them.

Edit: +1 to the post above me.

(Poster above you responding) just jumping in to say that there's no reason in the world to wait until September to schedule the firms you're interested in. With 15 callbacks in hand right now, OP should be able to take a good chunk of them over the next two weeks.

[Anonymous User]

You have more callbacks than I have screener interviews.

[Anonymous User]

Had 14 callbacks. Scheduled them immediately as they came in, as early as possible. Ended up doing half in the last week of August/first week of September. By second week of September had offer in hand and could cancel the remaining callbacks. This was hectic (two weeks of flying between four cities), but no reason to take pointless risks.

[Anonymous User]

Last year, I had 25 callbacks. I had no strategy, and was hitting two callbacks a day for at least two or three days. Especially where I was on the road.

After about the 14th callback, I received my offer from the firm I'm presently at. I accepted on the spot and cancelled every other callback.

I strongly suggest, given my experience, that you do your callbacks in order of preference.

[Anonymous User]

You are not guaranteed an offer. People have struck out with that many callbacks.

Schedule at least 3 or 4 per week, and do your damndest to put the firms that (a) you want most and (b) that have reputations for giving offers quickly at the front of your schedule. Put firms you are less interested in later. Go on every callback as it's time, treat it like it was your only chance at a job.

After your first fist-pump upon receiving a job offer (it is very likely that you will) cancel every callback that you are sure is at a firm you're less interested in than the offer you receive and call firms that haven't gotten back to you yet to withdraw from consideration if you know you won't accept.

You're in a good spot, but you need to see this process through without thinking about the numbers or percentages or odds. Strange things happen every year and you're on defense until your first "congratulations!" phone call from a firm after a callback.

This is what I did last year, and it was a logistical nightmare but I'm very glad that I did. In the end I went on less than half the callbacks I was invited to and withdrew from consideration before hearing back from several callbacks I did attend. Awkward phone calls, but the firms expect it / are used to it and it frees up space for other students to get an offer.

Thanks man. That sounds like great advice.

What would you consider early vs. late in terms of scheduling callbacks. I'm thinking about doing my top choices over the next two weeks. And maybe scheduling all the lesser choices in weeks 3 and 4.

[Anonymous User]

Last year, I had 25 callbacks. I had no strategy, and was hitting two callbacks a day for at least two or three days. Especially where I was on the road.

After about the 14th callback, I received my offer from the firm I'm presently at. I accepted on the spot and cancelled every other callback.

I strongly suggest, given my experience, that you do your callbacks in order of preference.

thats f'n crazy

[Anonymous User]

You have more callbacks than I have screener interviews.

I didn't interview with 20+ firms. I just have callbacks from almost every firm I interviewed with.

[paulinaporizkova]

masturbate?

[Anonymous User]

Just so you hear another take: I would at least consider the possibility of burning out from all the callbacks and perhaps cancel firms that you really don't think would work (undesireable location, you feel shaky about the firm's stability, etc.) Maybe you were better than I was at picking bids, but I got callbacks from a few places that when I thought about it more carefully, were places that for various reasons weren't really places I'd love to work. I know that you can avoid burnout by scheduling the "best" ones first, but often, the "best" ones seem to call back later.

This next comment probably speaks more to my inability to organize, but I also find the process of scheduling / calling / e-mailing / arranging travel and transit / missing class / basically being a traveling road show for a month to be daunting. At some point, you will be more likely to get a job from the callbacks you have by having enough energy to be engaged, personable, and well-researched than you will by continuing to take more (or not cancelling some) and spreading yourself too thin.

For what it's worth, I've received around fifteen callbacks so I think we are in somewhat similar positions. Good luck and I hope you find something you really like!

[TigerBeer]

um can we turn this into an interviewing tips thread where you share your secrets?

[Cupidity]

Are you sleeping with your interviewers?

[Anonymous User]

um can we turn this into an interviewing tips thread where you share your secrets?

I guess that for alot of firms it begins with whats on the paper. I have top 10% grades and LR. I think that already has most firms interested. Next its just about being as normal as possible during the interview with them. I didn't pretend like I was looking to stay with that firm for the rest of my life and it has been nothing but my dream to be in biglaw. I was just being myself and told the interviewers the truth about my interests and why I was interviewing. I only interviewed with "selective" firms in different regions and told them that I was looking more at what was the best firm for me and fit rather than a particular location or practice group. I tried to be as enthused and excited about meeting them and the process as possible.

It also helps if you have an interesting and distinguishable background where the interviewer will be able to remember you from the mass of people they interview. I ran into my interviewers multiple times after interviews and they were all able to remember my name even though I interviewed with them a couple of hours ago.

[Anonymous User]

Are you sleeping with your interviewers?

no but I guess being good looking does help

I think the perfect combo to getting almost any job you want is having good grades, an interesting background, and being physically attractive.

[Cupidity]

Schedule them in order of descending interest. That way, as soon as you get an offer from one of the earlier firms, you can end the whole process.

[TheFriendlyBarber]

I did 26 callbacks last year. It's entirely doable if you make use of firms' "super saturday" programs and/or visit multiple firms while you're in any given city. Also, I was fortunate enough to have classes scheduled Monday through Wednesday only, leaving Thursday and Friday for callbacks (usually two each Thursday/Friday for the first handful of weeks in September/October). The process is extremely exhausting, but you'll manage. Good luck.