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Hey all,

I have just started receiving callbacks after finishing my first set of screener interviews, and I was hoping for some advice from you TLS'ers on scheduling. I understand the prevailing wisdom is to schedule favored firms as early as possible, which is easy for firms in my area but slightly more complicated for the firm that just offered me a callback 3000 miles away on the opposite coast. The firm's callback schedule begins as soon as tomorrow and goes as late as the last week of October. I tentatively scheduled my callback for the third week in September since that's the most convenient time for me to hop a flight across the country.

So, my general questions/concerns are: do you guys think that's too late if I'm serious about this firm? Should I suck it up and fly out tomorrow even though my screener was within the last week? Is there a big difference between August and September, or between the first week in September and the third? I am very interested in this firm and I don't want to wait until too many offers are gone. What do you all think?

I asked my career services office the same question and was told that it was a bad idea to wait until late September.

Your convenience -- other than trying to block your schedule by city (which is also for your interviewer's convenience, since NALP firms split costs of trips) -- should play no role in choosing your interview dates.

Yes, the end of September is too late. Firms generally make offers on a rolling basis. They want to get the candidates they like locked in before they choose other firms. Offers can be handed out the same day as your callback. If you are in their first cut they are usually handed out within a week or two (depending on when your interview fell in relation to their hiring meetings). The longer you wait, the fewer spots they will have available by the time you interview. Additionally, the longer you wait, the more weary your interviewers will be of the process.

You don't have to take tomorrow's flight out, but if they are already interviewing, you should schedule as soon as possible, taking into account how much you want this firm compared with how much you want other firms you have callbacks at.

OP here.

Thanks for the advice (and for confirming my suspicions). I would still appreciate more feedback but I've already switched my callback to the week after next. I hope that's early enough, next week simply won't work since I have other interviews here.

Anonymous User wrote:OP here.

Thanks for the advice (and for confirming my suspicions). I would still appreciate more feedback but I've already switched my callback to the week after next. I hope that's early enough, next week simply won't work since I have other interviews here.

I plan on doing the same as what you're saying here. I think the key is: you'll have to skip classes, but I don't think any firm expects you to skip screening interviews at the tail end of OCI for a CB.