Minority Job Fairs Forum

[Anonymous User]

How many job fairs is too much? I plan on going to 3 of them: 1 in the city where I go to school, 1 in my hometown, and 1 for a specific interest. There's also a 4th in a completely different city that I've never been to but at which national firms attend. At what point would it be a waste of my time because I'd see the same people over and over again?

[de5igual]

How many job fairs is too much? I plan on going to 3 of them: 1 in the city where I go to school, 1 in my hometown, and 1 for a specific interest. There's also a 4th in a completely different city that I've never been to but at which national firms attend. At what point would it be a waste of my time because I'd see the same people over and over again?

at what point? until you get an offer. obviously, don't re-interview with the same firms even if you get selected again.

[cinephile]

Might as well bid and see who is willing to interview you, then decide if it's worth it to buy tickets and go out there.

[Anonymous User]

How does this urm fairs work? do most urm obtain jobs through this fairs?

[Anonymous User]

Might as well bid and see who is willing to interview you, then decide if it's worth it to buy tickets and go out there.

How many job fairs is too much? I plan on going to 3 of them: 1 in the city where I go to school, 1 in my hometown, and 1 for a specific interest. There's also a 4th in a completely different city that I've never been to but at which national firms attend. At what point would it be a waste of my time because I'd see the same people over and over again?

at what point? until you get an offer. obviously, don't re-interview with the same firms even if you get selected again.

OP here: Replies appreciated. Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

Search the board as there has been extensive discussion on this topic. The topic is complex, so I'll try to give you a simple summary.

The general consensus seems to be:

DuPont is a waste of time.

Job fairs like SEMJF are worth the travel costs.


If you are at a preselect school and if you will be competitive at your OCI, you need to be somewhat strategic about your bidding for the job fair located in your city because firms will not interview you twice. Combined with the fact that OCI interviews have a better chance of turning into a callback, you want to bid on firms that you really want at OCI and firms that you are more apathetic about at the minority job fair.

If you are at a lottery school or if you won't be competitive at OCI, then just bid on everything.

I went through OCI in 2011 at a preselect school. I was top 10% and on law review with solid work experience. For me, DuPont was a waste of time/money. I did well at the minority fair I attended. I did great at OCI.

My best advice is to treat the minority job fairs as practice for interviewing at OCI. Take them seriously, but don't get your hopes up that much will come out the minority job fairs.

[Anonymous User]

Can anyone who participated in any of these fairs as a 3L comment on their experience? Many of them allow 3Ls to participate. Since 3L OCI is a joke, I was thinking about participating in as many of of these fairs as possible.

[rad lulz]

,

[KidStuddi]

How many job fairs is too much? I plan on going to 3 of them: 1 in the city where I go to school, 1 in my hometown, and 1 for a specific interest. There's also a 4th in a completely different city that I've never been to but at which national firms attend. At what point would it be a waste of my time because I'd see the same people over and over again?

You should be able to see the list of employers before you register. If there's substantial overlap, it's probably a waste of your time. Most minority fairs are preselect, meaning the employers only interview candidates they want to interview. If you don't have the numbers for an employer at one fair, it's unlikely that you'll have the numbers for them at another fair. Most 1Ls I knew were dirt poor by the end of 1L summer though, so unless you have a 1L SA or your family is supporting you, I wouldn't overcommit to these fairs. The travel and hotel rooms adds up.

How does this urm fairs work? do most urm obtain jobs through this fairs?

From what I've seen, the fairs are more about giving well-qualified URMs more options than giving under-qualified URMs a chance. The hiring standards are the same at those fairs as they are at OCI. The principal advantage is just giving URMs more chances to be seen by firms that might otherwise not see them because of a lottery OCI or the firm not attending that school's OCI, etc. Basically, the students who get the most out of attending URM fairs are the students who would have been absolutely fine at their own school's OCI. The URMs with top 1/4th grades from T20s and below typically dominate the interview slots. It's not unusual to see students with 10-15 interviews at these fairs, while other students have 1, 2, or sometimes none. Many of those screeners will turn into callbacks/offers, but the students who convert their interviews into job offers typically have other options too. Whether or not they first interviewed with the firm they end up picking at a URM fair or at OCI or by a phone screener prompted by direct mail is largely fortuitous.

[KidStuddi]

Search the board as there has been extensive discussion on this topic. The topic is complex, so I'll try to give you a simple summary.

The general consensus seems to be:

DuPont is a waste of time.

I think it depends on which DuPont. I think they do three of them at different locations around the country on the same day or something. Either way, I know three people who got their jobs from the DuPont in Wilmington. Vault range firms too.

[rad lulz]

Also they are not URM fairs they are MINORITY fairs

Big difference

[Anonymous User]

I did three job fairs...

SEMJF: 2/10 CB
DuPont in LA: 1/6 CB
BLG: 8/10 CB

[Anonymous User]

If you are at a preselect school and if you will be competitive at your OCI, you need to be somewhat strategic about your bidding for the job fair located in your city because firms will not interview you twice. Combined with the fact that OCI interviews have a better chance of turning into a callback, you want to bid on firms that you really want at OCI and firms that you are more apathetic about at the minority job fair.

OP here: The issue of bidding at these minority fairs presents somewhat of a problem for me. I'm currently at a T2 where like 5 firms show up to OCI, but I'm also looking to transfer and have an acceptance from GULC in hand but hoping for more come June/July. I have no doubt that I will be transferring either way - the job prospects at my T2 just aren't there and I have to get out. The problem is I don't know which school yet, so I won't know if OCI will be preselect or lottery and I don't know which firms will show up there. In light of this, how would you suggest I bid at these minority job fairs?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have any experience with the Vault/MCAA Fair?

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have any experience with the Vault/MCAA Fair?

I've been two years in a row, no interviews the first year, one interview the second year. Interview turned into a callback. I gather it's generally worthless to go unless you have an interview because it's a resume drop otherwise and you can telegraph "diversity" well enough on an email resume. Lunch is also not worth the time because they don't actually integrate the recruiters and the students, so everyone ends up pooling into their own groups.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have any experience with the Vault/MCAA Fair?

Got three offers out of this fair. Was worth my time for sure.
Very feast or famine though. Have great grades and you'll clean up.

[de5igual]

If you are at a preselect school and if you will be competitive at your OCI, you need to be somewhat strategic about your bidding for the job fair located in your city because firms will not interview you twice. Combined with the fact that OCI interviews have a better chance of turning into a callback, you want to bid on firms that you really want at OCI and firms that you are more apathetic about at the minority job fair.

OP here: The issue of bidding at these minority fairs presents somewhat of a problem for me. I'm currently at a T2 where like 5 firms show up to OCI, but I'm also looking to transfer and have an acceptance from GULC in hand but hoping for more come June/July. I have no doubt that I will be transferring either way - the job prospects at my T2 just aren't there and I have to get out. The problem is I don't know which school yet, so I won't know if OCI will be preselect or lottery and I don't know which firms will show up there. In light of this, how would you suggest I bid at these minority job fairs?

Unless you're going to UVA, all schools ranked GULC and higher are lottery. Since bids results for these job fairs might come out before bids are due for OCI, just bid for everything now.

[Anonymous User]

If you are at a preselect school and if you will be competitive at your OCI, you need to be somewhat strategic about your bidding for the job fair located in your city because firms will not interview you twice. Combined with the fact that OCI interviews have a better chance of turning into a callback, you want to bid on firms that you really want at OCI and firms that you are more apathetic about at the minority job fair.

OP here: The issue of bidding at these minority fairs presents somewhat of a problem for me. I'm currently at a T2 where like 5 firms show up to OCI, but I'm also looking to transfer and have an acceptance from GULC in hand but hoping for more come June/July. I have no doubt that I will be transferring either way - the job prospects at my T2 just aren't there and I have to get out. The problem is I don't know which school yet, so I won't know if OCI will be preselect or lottery and I don't know which firms will show up there. In light of this, how would you suggest I bid at these minority job fairs?

Unless you're going to UVA, all schools ranked GULC and higher are lottery. Since bids results for these job fairs might come out before bids are due for OCI, just bid for everything now.

OP here: Advice much appreciated. Thanks.

[Anonymous User]

I did Orrick Bay Area Diversity Fair
0/4 CB (although I got feedback that 2 would have given cb had I wanted litigation, who knows if that was true or just softening blow)

OCI
12/33 CB, 2 offers

My anecdotal experience was I should have shot for litigation, or just used them for pure OCI preparation. I would say go ahead and bid, if you get enough screeners to make it worth it in your mind, go. The best part was that OCI was nearly identical, so it was great prep in that respect.

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have experience with 3L recruiting and these things. Is it worth even registering?

[rad lulz]

Anyone have experience with 3L recruiting and these things. Is it worth even registering?

Do it man. You need all the help you can get

[Anonymous User]

Anyone have any experience with the Vault/MCAA Fair?

I've been two years in a row, no interviews the first year, one interview the second year. Interview turned into a callback. I gather it's generally worthless to go unless you have an interview because it's a resume drop otherwise and you can telegraph "diversity" well enough on an email resume. Lunch is also not worth the time because they don't actually integrate the recruiters and the students, so everyone ends up pooling into their own groups.

Was the second year as a 3L? Care to share your stats?