Anonymous User wrote:OP here: I don't think what the above poster said is my problem. When I went to one callback, there were like 10 other people in line with me for it. They only offered SA positions for 2 people. Apparently, they had also already conducted callbacks for people weeks before I did, and I was scheduled for the last day of callbacks. Also, it turned out that an offer was already made for one of the positions even before I interviewed.
I don't think it was a job I didn't get due to bad interviewing skills. I know I have good interviewing skills- it's how I got my current job at the government, a position which is actually pretty competitive. Unfortunately, the government is not hiring full-time attorneys now, what with the sequester and lack of funding.
Wait, in the OP you said you don't have a job. Now you have a current job in the government? Summer internships that won't turn into full positions don't really count as "jobs," and if they're in the past, they're not current.
Maybe you're misspeaking and being totally honest. I think you might be in denial.
The fact of the matter is that, if you're being honest about your background, and you've had some callbacks, you would have secured something if you had better interviews. Everyone they brought in was "hire-able." So those 10 people brought in for the callback? All hire-able, and I doubt they would have brought you in if your credentials weren't competitive with theirs. So you didn't interview well enough. Is it a similar story elsewhere?
Not trying to be rude, but there's something going on that's unrelated to your credentials (which seem very good) that's preventing you from getting hired, and it's not just the economy. Whether it's interviewing or something you're not sharing with us, who knows?
Are you being too selective? The Vault isn't the end-all, be-all of law firms. Many firms keep a low profile hoping the people that apply to them will be the self-selecting group that really want to work there. Dig into CSM, dig into NALP, dig into Chambers. Lots of law firms out there that would kill for top 20 talent, they just don't make the Vault list.