Job Fair Bidlist as Transfer - How?! Forum

[Anonymous User]

The rule seems to be: be honest with yourself and bid accordingly (not top of the class, bid lower but not too low). How does this work if I'm a transfer student coming from a TT to T14? For a job fair bidlist if it says top 15% of the class, will the employers look at my TT top 15% and say, "Uhh...no"? Should I even bother with any of the V10? Or just stick to the V50ish firms? Somewhere in between? Somewhere lower? Help!

[Anonymous User]

Ideally, you include a solid mix of matches, safeties, and a few reaches. Work experience matters a TON at OCI, and I can't stress this enough. I was a T25 transfer to a CCN, and came in ranked top 10% at old school. Me and most of my transfer friends were getting offers from very solid firms, many in the V15-V30 range. But it was the kids with excellent work experience that got Sullivan & Cromwell, Davis Polk, etc. As a transfer, of course you are at a slight handicap, but work experience really makes up for it. Of course, thats not to say that the rest of us transfers didn't make out well.

I overbid because I got stars in my eyes seeing all the big name firms. And since it was pure lottery, I could pick and choose pretty much exactly who I wanted to guarantee a spot with. I put far too many top tier firms, none of which gave me callbacks. Although I did end up doing some callbacks with elite level firms, it was because of my own personal networking and legwork with alums, and not because of OCI. I had much more success at the slightly less elite firms (had 0 CB's among V20 firms, yet had something like 7 or 8 from firms between V20 and V70). So mix it up well, don't overbid, but don't sell yourself short either.

[Anonymous User]

Know the competition. Realize when you're at a T14 that some firms might only call back 1-2 people - and those people are going to be the top of your class at the T14. My advice: Bid conservatively, especially if it's a lottery system, and throw in some reaches. The worst thing you can do is waste bids on firms where you have zero shot on anyway.

[Anonymous User]

OP here: thanks to you both for the replies. But specifically I'm asking about job fairs - not my transfer school's OCI. I'm putting together a bidlist for a job fair. The participating employers indicate their preferences (i.e., top 15%, LR, so on and so forth). So I'll be competing with people who are, presumably, from all tiers of schools. But when the employers say top 15%, I doubt they mean top 15% at Cooley - they probably mean top 15% at a T14. So my question is: if I'm coming from a T2 to a T14, should I feel free to bid on/have a decent shot at these employers because I am now/will be at a T14? On the other hand, I'm not top 15% at the T14 that I haven't even started at yet. What should I do - bid high, bid low?

[de5igual]

OP here: thanks to you both for the replies. But specifically I'm asking about job fairs - not my transfer school's OCI. I'm putting together a bidlist for a job fair. The participating employers indicate their preferences (i.e., top 15%, LR, so on and so forth). So I'll be competing with people who are, presumably, from all tiers of schools. But when the employers say top 15%, I doubt they mean top 15% at Cooley - they probably mean top 15% at a T14. So my question is: if I'm coming from a T2 to a T14, should I feel free to bid on/have a decent shot at these employers because I am now/will be at a T14? On the other hand, I'm not top 15% at the T14 that I haven't even started at yet. What should I do - bid high, bid low?

job fairs are typically 100% preselect with unlimited bids. so go crazy.

[Anonymous User]

OP here: thanks to you both for the replies. But specifically I'm asking about job fairs - not my transfer school's OCI. I'm putting together a bidlist for a job fair. The participating employers indicate their preferences (i.e., top 15%, LR, so on and so forth). So I'll be competing with people who are, presumably, from all tiers of schools. But when the employers say top 15%, I doubt they mean top 15% at Cooley - they probably mean top 15% at a T14. So my question is: if I'm coming from a T2 to a T14, should I feel free to bid on/have a decent shot at these employers because I am now/will be at a T14? On the other hand, I'm not top 15% at the T14 that I haven't even started at yet. What should I do - bid high, bid low?

job fairs are typically 100% preselect with unlimited bids. so go crazy.

OP here: the Bay Area fair is part pre-select, part lottery with 25 bids out of 53 employers.

[Anonymous User]

Bump.

[traehekat]

As a T14 transfer all I can say is it's a bit of a crapshoot. If you were at the very, very top of your class then you may have a shot at some more selective firms, but otherwise I would say bid conservatively and aim for more "mid-market" firms. Some firms, no matter how selective they may or may not be, just aren't interested in transfers (unless they also happen to recruit at the school you transferred from). Other firms, even selective ones, won't have such a hard line on transfers.

Regarding those cutoffs that firms list, a lot of times those are pretty soft. If you were well within the cutoff at your old school then I would say go for it. Like I said, try and rank these firms by selectivity and then bid somewhat conservatively. See if you can get in contact with transfers at your T14 school and ask if they can tell you the firms that just won't look at transfers at all and the firms that are more willing to give transfers a shot. 3L transfers at your T14 school will be your best friends when going through stuff like this.

[Anonymous User]

As a T14 transfer all I can say is it's a bit of a crapshoot. If you were at the very, very top of your class then you may have a shot at some more selective firms, but otherwise I would say bid conservatively and aim for more "mid-market" firms. Some firms, no matter how selective they may or may not be, just aren't interested in transfers (unless they also happen to recruit at the school you transferred from). Other firms, even selective ones, won't have such a hard line on transfers.

Regarding those cutoffs that firms list, a lot of times those are pretty soft. If you were well within the cutoff at your old school then I would say go for it. Like I said, try and rank these firms by selectivity and then bid somewhat conservatively. See if you can get in contact with transfers at your T14 school and ask if they can tell you the firms that just won't look at transfers at all and the firms that are more willing to give transfers a shot. 3L transfers at your T14 school will be your best friends when going through stuff like this.

Thank you! This is very helpful. Some follow questions: is there a way that I can find out how selective a firm is without contacting 3Ls at my transfer school (I'm actually not sure which transfer school yet because not all decisions have been made, but I have one acceptance already)? Can I assume that the higher on the Vault rankings the more selective? What is "mid-market" exactly - within the V100, higher, lower?

[Anonymous User]

Bump.

But also an additional question. On my resume I put "Accepted to T14 school, awaiting additional decisions" because I think it'll give me a second look over my TT. So for my cover letters, should I put, "I completed my first year of law school at X school at the top of my class and am applying for transfer in my second year"? Or just "I completed my first year of law school at the top of my class and am applying for transfer in my second year"? Or nothing about transferring at all?

If someone could answer my question above, re: selectivity, I would appreciate that as well. Thank you.

[Uncle.Joe]

Ignore the Top X% things firms have. Those are BS. There is some decent cutoff information on TLS for better comps.

Reason the prefer or must be top % is BS is because firms don't seem to pay attention (same % named at T14 and T50 for same firm).

[stillwater]

Bump.

But also an additional question. On my resume I put "Accepted to T14 school, awaiting additional decisions" because I think it'll give me a second look over my TT. So for my cover letters, should I put, "I completed my first year of law school at X school at the top of my class and am applying for transfer in my second year"? Or just "I completed my first year of law school at the top of my class and am applying for transfer in my second year"? Or nothing about transferring at all?

If someone could answer my question above, re: selectivity, I would appreciate that as well. Thank you.

this makes you sound like a disloyal nut job