Telling a Firm they are your First Choice Forum

[Anonymous User]

Does this help at all? Do they care?

This probably could have not been anonymous but I'm paranoid, lol.

[First Offense]

Only if you have a good answer as to why.

[RSN]

Almost never a reason to do so. At best it makes you look interested in the firm, which you can do in less direct ways, and at worst it makes you look overeager and desperate.

[run26.2]

If there is some distinctive feature about the firm, and that distinctive truly appeals to you for reasons you can convincingly articulate, then yes it is fine to say this.

[Lacepiece23]

For me, if it's obvious that a candidate will get multiple offers or is clearly above the grade cut off at my firm, I like hearing that on interviews. It makes it easy for me to pitch an offer to recruiting. We only have so many offers and we don't want to waste one on someone who won't accept. But I'm in a secondary market. This may not apply to NYC.

[Anonymous User]

For me, if it's obvious that a candidate will get multiple offers or is clearly above the grade cut off at my firm, I like hearing that on interviews. It makes it easy for me to pitch an offer to recruiting. We only have so many offers and we don't want to waste one on someone who won't accept. But I'm in a secondary market. This may not apply to NYC.

I didn't do it during the CB, but was thinking about including it in a follow-up email to the recruiting department. Good idea?

[LaLiLuLeLo]

I don't see how it could ever be a bad thing. I was specifically told that my current firm loved the fact that they were my first choice and it really pushed me ahead of other candidates.

[Lacepiece23]

For me, if it's obvious that a candidate will get multiple offers or is clearly above the grade cut off at my firm, I like hearing that on interviews. It makes it easy for me to pitch an offer to recruiting. We only have so many offers and we don't want to waste one on someone who won't accept. But I'm in a secondary market. This may not apply to NYC.

I didn't do it during the CB, but was thinking about including it in a follow-up email to the recruiting department. Good idea?

If you are telling them you have other offers then, yes, I'd absolutely let them know they are your first choice, you would accept upon receipt of an offer, and you have other outstanding offers that require a decision.

[Pokemon]

Desperate. Would not do this. Always, I would feel awakward is someone told me this. Kind of like someone telling me they love me on a first date

[LaLiLuLeLo]

Don't see how it's desperate. Y'all are weird.

Desperate would be saying Firm is your *only* choice.

[Anonymous User]

Made the mistake of doing this and now regret it because I have come to prefer a different firm following both CBs. Tread lightly...

[Anonymous User]

Don't see how it's desperate. Y'all are weird.

Desperate would be saying Firm is your *only* choice.

Exactly. It's not desperate at all if it's the truth. I definitely told my firm this and got the offer. Places don't want to extend offers to people who ultimately won't even take them.

[LSATWiz.com]

Desperate. Would not do this. Always, I would feel awakward is someone told me this. Kind of like someone telling me they love me on a first date

The issue with this analogy is by the time you meet their parents, you're already an associate. For the analogy to work, it'd have to be a dating culture where people either cut ties or wed after one date. This would also be a great reality show (copyright, UBE Tutoring).

[rpupkin]

Don't see how it's desperate. Y'all are weird.

Desperate would be saying Firm is your *only* choice.

I don't think the risk is coming off as desperate. I think the real risk is coming off as clueless. This has happened more than once:

Associate: Your firm is my top choice.

Me: Why are we your top choice?

Associate: [Says something that we tout on our web site but which is probably less true of our firm than some of the other firms that the applicant is interviewing at.]

As another poster suggested upthread, if you're going to say that a firm is your top choice, you should have a good, relatively sophisticated understanding of why the firm is your top choice.