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Hello,

I have a 2L SA and am hoping to secure an offer for full time employment. I do not have a lot of friends and get social anxiety easily. I think I do good work, generally, but am worried about "fit". What is the best advice for a person in my situation to secure an offer this summer?

I have the same sort of social anxiety issues. So first I want to warn you that you will be experiencing a lot of awkward social situations during your SA and will probably commit more than a few social faux pas. Do not let it phase you though. I experienced a lot of awkwardness and still got the offer. Treat everyone with respect and try to be pleasant, and that should be enough.

From my experience the thing that firms value the most is your attitude and work product that you produce. If you can show them that you really care about doing a good job on your assignments and your attitude is to work hard and to learn, you will probably land the offer. Don't come off as lazy, irresponsible, or that you feel entitled.

Also, don't be fooled by all the fun activities you will be doing. You will be judged and evaluated at all times. By everyone. So keep your alcohol intake to one drink max and act civil, while you are having fun.

Depending on what school you go to and the firm, your 2L grades may also matter. So try to keep those up.

HTH.

Summer class size?

WestOfTheRest wrote:Summer class size?

<10.

I think the key thing is just to be nice, and take an interest in other people. In my experience being kinda awkward and interacting with others in my summer class who were much more awkward, people are far more forgiving of awkwardness once they know you. Just be interested in others and smile, and you'll be fine. Depending on how introverted you are, it may also make sense to make the extra effort to develop an office appropriate friendship with someone more extroverted so you'll have an easier time meeting people. If your whole office likes you then it doesn't matter how awkward you are.

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Nothing is more important than you work product, ultimately. No typos, meet your deadlines, and that's 80%+ of the deal.

JusticeJackson wrote:I've seen kinda quiet kids try really hard to fit in, e.g., by joking around too much or drinking too much. Try not to be that guy. No one expects you to be Van Wilder. Just be polite and respectful to everyone.

I've seen kids think they should take on a trillion assignments and stay till 2 in the morning every day. Don't do that either. You will fall behind. You will turn in at least one shitty assignment. It will come up in the end of summer meeting where they decide whether or not to hire you. And it might outweigh the 300 great projects you turned in. There's no shame in saying "I'd love to work with you, but I currently have assignments x, y, and z from attorneys a, b, and c and I'm slammed. Is it okay if I turn your assignment in in 2 weeks? Or should I just come talk to you when I'm done with these assignments?"

Great advice. I agree right on down the line.

There are designated SA threads going back the past three summers that are largely drivel but contain a hearty amount of discussion on topics such as how to avoid getting no offered, tips for quality work product, time and work flow management, how to manage firm social situations and associate or partner relations, ect. Check them out.

jbagelboy wrote:There are designated SA threads going back the past three summers that are largely drivel but contain a hearty amount of discussion on topics such as how to avoid getting no offered, tips for quality work product, time and work flow management, how to manage firm social situations and associate or partner relations, ect. Check them out.

Also discussion about what type of pants to buy, how man pairs of allen edmonds is correct, and other buffoonery (all of which belong to me).

Ajren Robben wrote: Also, don't be fooled by all the fun activities you will be doing. You will be judged and evaluated at all times. By everyone. So keep your alcohol intake to one drink max and act civil, while you are having fun.

OP, it's ok to have some fun; you just need to gauge the room. If you're at an associate happy hour where everyone is hammered, you don't need to arbitrarily stick to one drink because some anonymous internet poster told you so.

Anonymous User wrote:

Ajren Robben wrote: Also, don't be fooled by all the fun activities you will be doing. You will be judged and evaluated at all times. By everyone. So keep your alcohol intake to one drink max and act civil, while you are having fun.

OP, it's ok to have some fun; you just need to gauge the room. If you're at an associate happy hour where everyone is hammered, you don't need to arbitrarily stick to one drink because some anonymous internet poster told you so.

Isn't the stick to one drink advice, kind of like advice not to speed? Of course you can ignore it, just don't kill anyone on your way home.

I will also add that responding to criticism well is also important. This goes back to having a good attitude. If/When you mess up, own up to it and fix it as soon as possible. Trying to dodge the blame or provide excuses is one of the most harmful things you could do, in my opinion. They don't expect anyone to be perfect, but they look for someone trustworthy and easy to work with.

Also, please don't listen to the anonymous guy telling you that getting hammered can be a way to fit it. Can you imagine getting no-offered for not getting hammered? Neither can I. On the other hand, there are droves of people getting no-offered because of alcohol. Your choice, though.

OP, what's the historical offer rate of the firm? If it's 100% or close, you should probably just relax. My understanding (as a disclaimer, I'm a 2L who hasn't done an SA yet) most no-offers at firms that have very high/100% offer rates are the result of something phenomenally stupid. Like, you got way too drunk at a firm event and threw up on yourself. I don't think being a little introverted/shy is going to be a big deal as long as you're generally pleasant and polite.

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Ajren Robben wrote:I will also add that responding to criticism well is also important. This goes back to having a good attitude. If/When you mess up, own up to it and fix it as soon as possible. Trying to dodge the blame or provide excuses is one of the most harmful things you could do, in my opinion. They don't expect anyone to be perfect, but they look for someone trustworthy and easy to work with.

Also, please don't listen to the anonymous guy telling you that getting hammered can be a way to fit it. Can you imagine getting no-offered for not getting hammered? Neither can I. On the other hand, there are droves of people getting no-offered because of alcohol. Your choice, though.

I didn't tell OP to get hammered, nor did I say that drinking will make him or her fit in. I'm just saying that if OP feels like having two beers at happy hour instead of one, he or she is not violating some unwritten rule. Your post came off as a bit paranoid for my taste, that's all. Not everything is so black and white.

Don't cock it up.

Enjoy the summer and don't let the little details bother you. Keep in mind it's probable the associates and partners will forget who you are and what you did unless you do something outrageous.

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Fiddlesticks wrote:
If I was a hiring partner (i'm clearly not) and I wanted some good working people that I enjoyed being around to work for me, if I noticed someone only have 1 drink at happy hour, i'd think they're weird as shit.

What? Have one beverage. Who the fuck is counting.

Anonymous User wrote:

Ajren Robben wrote:I will also add that responding to criticism well is also important. This goes back to having a good attitude. If/When you mess up, own up to it and fix it as soon as possible. Trying to dodge the blame or provide excuses is one of the most harmful things you could do, in my opinion. They don't expect anyone to be perfect, but they look for someone trustworthy and easy to work with.

Also, please don't listen to the anonymous guy telling you that getting hammered can be a way to fit it. Can you imagine getting no-offered for not getting hammered? Neither can I. On the other hand, there are droves of people getting no-offered because of alcohol. Your choice, though.

I didn't tell OP to get hammered, nor did I say that drinking will make him or her fit in. I'm just saying that if OP feels like having two beers at happy hour instead of one, he or she is not violating some unwritten rule. Your post came off as a bit paranoid for my taste, that's all. Not everything is so black and white.

I agree that there is substantial room between one drink and getting hammered. OP should go by how well he can handle alcohol in deciding how much to drink. I am just cautioning OP not to have more than one drink just because everyone else is having more. That is why I took issue with your gauging the room comment. The way to maximize your chances is to be social, have fun, but always remain in control. Only having one drink is a way to ensure that you remain in control. Sticking to that rule also ensures that you later won't worry about whether you were too drunk at any point.

Just get one mixed drink then continue to get the base for that drink, i.e., one rum and Coke first then grab a regular Coke and put a lime in it, or Sprite, club soda, etc. if you want to seem like you're drinking without doing so. I don't think anyone will know or care if you had multiple drinks unless excessive or your making a fool or yourself.

inchipwetrust wrote:Just get one mixed drink then continue to get the base for that drink, i.e., one rum and Coke first then grab a regular Coke and put a lime in it, or Sprite, club soda, etc. if you want to seem like you're drinking without doing so. I don't think anyone will know or care if you had multiple drinks unless excessive or your making a fool or yourself.

Such a waste of an open bar.

Fiddlesticks wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:

Ajren Robben wrote:I will also add that responding to criticism well is also important. This goes back to having a good attitude. If/When you mess up, own up to it and fix it as soon as possible. Trying to dodge the blame or provide excuses is one of the most harmful things you could do, in my opinion. They don't expect anyone to be perfect, but they look for someone trustworthy and easy to work with.

Also, please don't listen to the anonymous guy telling you that getting hammered can be a way to fit it. Can you imagine getting no-offered for not getting hammered? Neither can I. On the other hand, there are droves of people getting no-offered because of alcohol. Your choice, though.

I didn't tell OP to get hammered, nor did I say that drinking will make him or her fit in. I'm just saying that if OP feels like having two beers at happy hour instead of one, he or she is not violating some unwritten rule. Your post came off as a bit paranoid for my taste, that's all. Not everything is so black and white.

If I was a hiring partner (i'm clearly not) and I wanted some good working people that I enjoyed being around to work for me, if I noticed someone only have 1 drink at happy hour, i'd think they're weird as shit.

You don't have a brain, and soon neither will the OP.

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