AmeriCorps as work experience at OCI? Forum

[Bonzeye]

I understand that sometimes KJD's with no substantive work experience underperform at OCI. I am trying to make sure that doesn't happen if I go to law school.

I am wondering if firms would consider me someone with work experience if I had a year of AmeriCorps under my belt before law school. I am already planning on doing the year of AmeriCorps because I can live at home and study for an LSAT retake but I am just a little curious as to how this would affect my OCI chances. I think I interview fairly well but I don't know where I'd stand going in.

[malibustacy]

Americorps is not substantive work experience in my opinion.

[gander15]

I did a year of AmeriCorps before law school and it was certainly a substantive work experience. Now I interview at OCI and wouldn't see any reason to discredit someone's work experience just because it was through AmeriCorps. Why wouldn't a job be substantive just because it is through AmeriCorps? I think what's more important is what specifically you are doing through AmeriCorps and how you are able to spin it.

[Bonzeye]

I did a year of AmeriCorps before law school and it was certainly a substantive work experience. Now I interview at OCI and wouldn't see any reason to discredit someone's work experience just because it was through AmeriCorps. Why wouldn't a job be substantive just because it is through AmeriCorps? I think what's more important is what specifically you are doing through AmeriCorps and how you are able to spin it.

Well, I was more talking about the shorter length of the work experience, like is one year going to move the needle?

[nixy]

One year is the difference between KJD and not, so yeah, it matters to that extent. It’s not going to give you a ton of substantive skills that will be relevant/desirable (contrast with, say, working for a bank for 5 years and wanting to go into finance stuff), but it’s better than being KJD. (And to be clear: most KJDs do just fine, I just think having work experience is always better than not.)

I also agree that the substantiveness will depend on what you do.