How Selective/Competitive Are These 1L Gov't Internships? Forum

[Anonymous User]

I have interviews coming up next week for these 1L summer internship programs:

FTC Antitrust
Treasury Banking & Finance
SEC Honors

All are for DC offices. Already got dinged by FED w/o interview. MVP w/ slightly below-median grades. K-JD.

Generally speaking, how competitive and selective are these programs? # of apps? Are they grade-consciousness, or are they more 'fit/interest'-oriented? Any insight into the interview process? Thanks for any input!

[Anonymous User]

I worked at the FTC my 1L summer, but at a regional office. Those were highly competitive spots, with students from all over the country applying for them. I can't imagine DC is any less competitive. If the DC internship guy's preferences are anything like the folks at the regional offices, the best thing you can do is demonstrate (1) your deep understanding of what the FTC does and its role, and (2) why you want to work there and do everything you talked about in addressing part (1). Unfortunately, many, many applicants for these internships get into interviews and actually show very little knowledge about what the FTC does (and I hear similar complaints from attorneys at other agencies). You'll set yourself above most merely by knowing what they do and some basics about how they operate. Add that in with a strong sell on your interest in their work and why it matters for your career, and you'll look great.

If it doesn't work out, extern for them (DC or a regional office) during the school year. Far less pressure and competition for those spots, but you still get the huge boost on your resume. If you're in a city with a regional office, even better/more convenient. Two or three regional offices do both antitrust and consumer protection, so you can get a smorgasbord of interesting work. (The rest of the regions just do CP.)

[Anonymous User]

I worked at the FTC my 1L summer, but at a regional office. Those were highly competitive spots, with students from all over the country applying for them. I can't imagine DC is any less competitive. If the DC internship guy's preferences are anything like the folks at the regional offices, the best thing you can do is demonstrate (1) your deep understanding of what the FTC does and its role, and (2) why you want to work there and do everything you talked about in addressing part (1). Unfortunately, many, many applicants for these internships get into interviews and actually show very little knowledge about what the FTC does (and I hear similar complaints from attorneys at other agencies). You'll set yourself above most merely by knowing what they do and some basics about how they operate. Add that in with a strong sell on your interest in their work and why it matters for your career, and you'll look great.

If it doesn't work out, extern for them (DC or a regional office) during the school year. Far less pressure and competition for those spots, but you still get the huge boost on your resume. If you're in a city with a regional office, even better/more convenient. Two or three regional offices do both antitrust and consumer protection, so you can get a smorgasbord of interesting work. (The rest of the regions just do CP.)

Thanks so much for a great feedback! Yeah, I already did some research/legwork on the FTC and what type of work they do, etc. I'll make sure to brush up on that before the interview. I know I'm getting way ahead of myself here, but did you feel like your FTC experience was a boost during your OCI, or as it seems to be the common sentiment - "it doesn't matter what you do during the 1L summer"?

I'll also look into the externship option. Thanks again!

[Anonymous User]

I've known people who worked at Treasury before law school and didn't even get interviews as 2Ls.

Government hiring is sort of a crapshoot because they get so many applications. Grades don't matter as much if you have a lot of prior government experience or a genuine interest in the agency's work.

[Anonymous User]

I worked at the FTC my 1L summer, but at a regional office. Those were highly competitive spots, with students from all over the country applying for them. I can't imagine DC is any less competitive. If the DC internship guy's preferences are anything like the folks at the regional offices, the best thing you can do is demonstrate (1) your deep understanding of what the FTC does and its role, and (2) why you want to work there and do everything you talked about in addressing part (1). Unfortunately, many, many applicants for these internships get into interviews and actually show very little knowledge about what the FTC does (and I hear similar complaints from attorneys at other agencies). You'll set yourself above most merely by knowing what they do and some basics about how they operate. Add that in with a strong sell on your interest in their work and why it matters for your career, and you'll look great.

If it doesn't work out, extern for them (DC or a regional office) during the school year. Far less pressure and competition for those spots, but you still get the huge boost on your resume. If you're in a city with a regional office, even better/more convenient. Two or three regional offices do both antitrust and consumer protection, so you can get a smorgasbord of interesting work. (The rest of the regions just do CP.)

Thanks so much for a great feedback! Yeah, I already did some research/legwork on the FTC and what type of work they do, etc. I'll make sure to brush up on that before the interview. I know I'm getting way ahead of myself here, but did you feel like your FTC experience was a boost during your OCI, or as it seems to be the common sentiment - "it doesn't matter what you do during the 1L summer"?

I'll also look into the externship option. Thanks again!

It depends on what you want. If you are going to do transactional/corporate work, the firm will value your FTC experience over a lot of other 1L summers. If you are doing something more distant in relation to the FTC's ambit, then it would be less valuable.

It did matter for me what I did my 1L summer, because the firm that ultimately gave me an offer for this coming summer tends to work with clients that interaction with agencies like the FTC, and I noticed a trend (after the fact) that they seem to do call-backs for people with experience like that.

If you want to figure out if it's valuable, look at each firm's clients and the kinds of litigation or transactions they're engaging in. Look at the partners and senior associates previous experience (was it at the FTC? another agency?). That will tell you a lot about whether that experience is valued by the firm or by that firm's particular department. This takes more effort, but it's worthwhile because you'll know more about the firm in the process and whether you want to work there, and that will help you a lot in OCI by demonstrating your genuine interest.