Family Connections and Interviews Forum

[Anonymous User]

I'm fairly lucky in that a lot of my family are lawyers who are/have worked at big and regional firms in the area I want to work. I've been talking with those family members about the firms coming to OCI to get their thoughts on various firms as I put together my bid list. They've told me they can get me interviews with a number of the firms coming to OCI and put in a good word for me. So my question is do I waste bids on firms that I know my family can get me interviews with outside of OCI or what?

[BVest]

Are you bidding so many that you don't have room to put these at the bottom of your list so that they can pre-select you? The firm may prefer to interview you in the OCI process rather than outside of it, and by bidding them you give them that option.

[RodneyRuxin]

In the same situation with a secondary market and I've been told if the firm is coming to OCI, you should bid them. If they aren't, use the connection in a cover letter.

I think the rationale was that you don't want the firm to think that you didn't want to "waste" a bid on them. Every firm wants to be your #1 choice.

[Anonymous User]

OP here. So should I have my family members talk to the people they know before I interview at OCI? I don't know how much it helps but they know some of the hiring managers, managing partners, and general counsels at the firms I'm interested in. I'm also Top 20% at a top 20 school that's in the market I'm interested in but I feel that if I have those connections why not use them?

Thanks all.