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struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 4:03 am
by Anonymous User
Top 15% LR MT MC T1 school in TX. Struck out with 3/5 big firms because of several bad screening interviews, waiting to hear from two... But from what I've heard all the CB's are out, so probalby dings by snail mail. Two small firms left to hear back from. A number of government agency jobs to hear from...

Can I wait until dec/jan and contact big firms to see if anyone has bailed on them? What if I waited until then and expanded my search range? Should I just rain down mass mailing at medium/small firms come new year? Focus on Gov't jobs? Enlist?

Thanks in advance for advice. Any ideas would be welcome

Re: struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 8:24 am
by Anonymous User
Don't wait. Send out mass mailings ASAP, then send out more in mid-September, then more at the beginning of October. Wait until December and you won't get a job; all firm hiring is done by then.

Re: struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 8:25 am
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:Don't wait. Send out mass mailings ASAP, then send out more in mid-September, then more at the beginning of October. Wait until December and you won't get a job; all firm hiring is done by then.
Q about mailings, is Resume+Transcript+Writing Sample sufficient, or do you need a cover letter?

Re: struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 8:30 am
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:Don't wait. Send out mass mailings ASAP, then send out more in mid-September, then more at the beginning of October. Wait until December and you won't get a job; all firm hiring is done by then.
Q about mailings, is Resume+Transcript+Writing Sample sufficient, or do you need a cover letter?
Need a cover letter. Writing sample is probably not necessary, but with the caveat that I don't know that much about Texas hiring. If they want a writing sample, they'll ask.

Re: struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 8:45 am
by Anonymous User
start mass-mailing ASAP. i would recommend spending all day today doing it, if you can. you should definitely send a cover letter, but it can be in the body of the e-mail. try to tailor the cover letter to the specific firm (this can be a sentence/short paragraph that explains why you are interested in working for the firm). i wouldn't bother with the writing sample unless they ask. a lot of firms won't ever ask for one.

when i did this, i literally went firm by firm through the NLJ 250, checked if they had an office in the city i was targeting, then went on nalpdirectory.com to find out who to send the materials to.

Re: struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 10:58 am
by Anonymous User
+1 to the above. I would also scope out Martindale and look at some non-nlj firms (i.e., Thompson Coe, Carrington Coleman, Looper Reed, The Lanier Law Firm, etc) that have summer programs.

I'm slightly curious...t15% + lr at smu/uh only got you 5 screeners??

Re: struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 11:21 am
by kalvano
I've got some firms in Texas that weren't at OCI if you're at SMU. I also have lists for various other parts of the country, and have been moderately successful with mass mailings. PM if interested.

Re: struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 11:28 am
by Anonymous User
Anonymous User wrote:I'm slightly curious...t15% + lr at smu/uh only got you 5 screeners??
That doesn't sound right for SMU. I know two people who fit that profile and they did significantly better than 5 screeners.

Re: struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 11:29 am
by kalvano
Anonymous User wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:I'm slightly curious...t15% + lr at smu/uh only got you 5 screeners??
That doesn't sound right for SMU. I know two people who fit that profile and they did significantly better than 5 screeners.

OP said he/she had bad screeners, and only specified 5 screeners for "big firms".

Re: struck out at OCI, what next

Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 12:18 pm
by Anonymous User
Also struck out at mvp.

Do these mailings actually do anything? I sent out to a bunch of nalp firms in 2 major markets over the summer and haven't heard anything aside from a single rejection. Still have to work on martindale firms.