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Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:26 pm
by consolidation058
Is this normal? Does anyone have any insight into this? I'm getting a weird sense like there was something wrong with my application. It just seems odd. Or, of course, I could be wrong, and it could be standard practice to reject people pre-OCI and for OCI. I'm above median at a T7-T13.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:38 pm
by jackshunger
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:26 pm
Is this normal? Does anyone have any insight into this? I'm getting a weird sense like there was something wrong with my application. It just seems odd. Or, of course, I could be wrong, and it could be standard practice to reject people pre-OCI and for OCI. I'm above median at a T7-T13.
They rejected you after a Pre-OCI interview and told you not to apply to them during OCI too?
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:50 pm
by consolidation058
jackshunger wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:38 pm
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:26 pm
Is this normal? Does anyone have any insight into this? I'm getting a weird sense like there was something wrong with my application. It just seems odd. Or, of course, I could be wrong, and it could be standard practice to reject people pre-OCI and for OCI. I'm above median at a T7-T13.
They rejected you after a Pre-OCI interview and told you not to apply to them during OCI too?
Yeah. They said they won't be pursuing my candidacy any further. It's a V30. The interviews went very well, as far as I was concerned, and I received positive responses from all the interviewers I met with; again, kind of scratching my head here.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:03 pm
by LawrenceGazebo
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:50 pm
jackshunger wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:38 pm
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:26 pm
Is this normal? Does anyone have any insight into this? I'm getting a weird sense like there was something wrong with my application. It just seems odd. Or, of course, I could be wrong, and it could be standard practice to reject people pre-OCI and for OCI. I'm above median at a T7-T13.
They rejected you after a Pre-OCI interview and told you not to apply to them during OCI too?
Yeah. They said they won't be pursuing my candidacy any further. It's a V30. The interviews went very well, as far as I was concerned, and I received positive responses from all the interviewers I met with; again, kind of scratching my head here.
They must not have gone as well, as far as the firm was concerned.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:05 pm
by nixy
So usually (I think) when people get rejected from pre-OCI but then apply during OCI, they just didn’t get a bite at all in the pre-OCI phase, for whatever reason. If you actually went through the whole interview process pre-OCI and got rejected it makes perfect sense to me that you wouldn’t get any further at OCI. If someone mass mails and the firm just doesn’t pick them up at that point, but then they bid at OCI and get an interview, that’s different from someone who’s already gone through the full process and been rejected. (Basically, to my understanding, getting rejected after a callback is the end of the process, whether it’s before or during OCI.)
It’s also a super weird year so I wouldn’t try too hard to parse stuff. Who knows what’s going on behind the scenes.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:46 pm
by LawStudentTransfer14
nixy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:05 pm
So usually (I think) when people get rejected from pre-OCI but then apply during OCI, they just didn’t get a bite at all in the pre-OCI phase, for whatever reason. If you actually went through the whole interview process pre-OCI and got rejected it makes perfect sense to me that you wouldn’t get any further at OCI. If someone mass mails and the firm just doesn’t pick them up at that point, but then they bid at OCI and get an interview, that’s different from someone who’s already gone through the full process and been rejected. (Basically, to my understanding, getting rejected after a callback is the end of the process, whether it’s before or during OCI.)
It’s also a super weird year so I wouldn’t try too hard to parse stuff. Who knows what’s going on behind the scenes.
All of this. My career counselor (T7-T13 as well) said not to bother bidding for a firm at OCI that rejected you pre-OCI. But if you didn't hear back at all then it's fair game to bid. Why would you even want to waste a bid on them if they rejected you? You have a pretty good indicator that it would be prudent to bid elsewhere at OCI.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:25 pm
by 2013
Am I missing something? OP was rejected after a callback. I’m not sure why it’s odd that OP wouldn’t get selected at OCI.
People get rejected for random reasons. I don’t think it’s a bad sign that they told OP not to reapply. They probably don’t want to waste a lottery pick on someone they don’t want.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:29 pm
by consolidation058
LawrenceGazebo wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:03 pm
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:50 pm
jackshunger wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:38 pm
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:26 pm
Is this normal? Does anyone have any insight into this? I'm getting a weird sense like there was something wrong with my application. It just seems odd. Or, of course, I could be wrong, and it could be standard practice to reject people pre-OCI and for OCI. I'm above median at a T7-T13.
They rejected you after a Pre-OCI interview and told you not to apply to them during OCI too?
Yeah. They said they won't be pursuing my candidacy any further. It's a V30. The interviews went very well, as far as I was concerned, and I received positive responses from all the interviewers I met with; again, kind of scratching my head here.
They must not have gone as well, as far as the firm was concerned.
Lol fair. I just got good responses from the people I interviewed, so I didn't think it was crazy to come away with that perception.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 9:31 pm
by consolidation058
nixy wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:05 pm
So usually (I think) when people get rejected from pre-OCI but then apply during OCI, they just didn’t get a bite at all in the pre-OCI phase, for whatever reason. If you actually went through the whole interview process pre-OCI and got rejected it makes perfect sense to me that you wouldn’t get any further at OCI. If someone mass mails and the firm just doesn’t pick them up at that point, but then they bid at OCI and get an interview, that’s different from someone who’s already gone through the full process and been rejected. (Basically, to my understanding, getting rejected after a callback is the end of the process, whether it’s before or during OCI.)
It’s also a super weird year so I wouldn’t try too hard to parse stuff. Who knows what’s going on behind the scenes.
That's reassuring. So you don't think it's a red flag?
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:41 pm
by nixy
I'm no expert, but I don't think on its own that it's a red flag. No one converts every callback to an offer, often for reasons that have nothing to do with you and that don't determine how other firms will feel about you.
My point is mostly that them not wanting to speak to you at OCI isn't some kind of uber rejection suggesting you're terrible and doomed, just a reflection of the fact that the process is over.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:57 pm
by Anonymous User
I wouldn't worry about it. Large companies sometimes have formal policies on reapplications, e.g. I think Amazon's policy is that if you're rejected after interviewing, you shouldn't reapply (to any position) for six months.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 3:01 am
by the lsat failure
This makes sense if you think about it broadly - the pre-OCI process isn't distinguishable enough to spend time with the same person during OCI. This is one of the reasons our career office cautions against pre-OCI if you think a lottery-based screener interview can help you overcome a less-than-stellar resume/transcript. They've already spent adequate time with you and your candidacy to come to a conclusion and would like to open that slot for another applicant during OCI.
Also that sounds like typical form language so even the recruiter might not fully understand the implication.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 11:30 am
by Anonymous User
I wouldn't worry about it. Just because you're no longer under consideration at one V30 doesn't mean you're doomed to strike out at OCI. Pre-COVID, I went through Pre-OCI interviews with a couple of V50s, and was explicitly rejected by both before OCI. I then went through OCI, landed multiple V10 offers, and am now an associate at a V5. I still don't know what I did "wrong" (if anything) with those V50s, but it doesn't matter because I landed something way better.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 12:03 pm
by j2ls100
You could also do a mock interview with your career services to see if there's anything offputting about your interview answers? But yeah not that big of a deal.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:20 pm
by Anonymous User
Look if you've had a Callback, why would you do OCI. The goal of OCI and the screeners is to get a callback. If you've already gotten that pre-oci then of course it would make no sense to re-bid. Why would the firm waste resources to give you another 3 hour interview? Why would you waste your time and do the same after you've already met at minimum 5-6 attorneys from that firm?
No one knows what firms are doing. You could get rejected because they don't need to hire into the practice group you said you preferred. You could get rejected because they already have hired too many people of your race/gender. Don't think too much about what you cannot control. Try to be nice and hope for the best.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:26 pm
by jackshunger
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:50 pm
jackshunger wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:38 pm
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:26 pm
Is this normal? Does anyone have any insight into this? I'm getting a weird sense like there was something wrong with my application. It just seems odd. Or, of course, I could be wrong, and it could be standard practice to reject people pre-OCI and for OCI. I'm above median at a T7-T13.
They rejected you after a Pre-OCI interview and told you not to apply to them during OCI too?
Yeah. They said they won't be pursuing my candidacy any further. It's a V30. The interviews went very well, as far as I was concerned, and I received positive responses from all the interviewers I met with; again, kind of scratching my head here.
Alright, I just wanted to clarify, but makes sense. You can do a practice interview with your career office just to make sure you didn't say anything instantly disqualifying, but I wouldn't get too down about it. If you check the Pre-OCI thread, there are a lot of disappointed people there too. Just keep working at it and you'll get a job.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 11:10 pm
by consolidation058
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:20 pm
Look if you've had a Callback, why would you do OCI. The goal of OCI and the screeners is to get a callback. If you've already gotten that pre-oci then of course it would make no sense to re-bid. Why would the firm waste resources to give you another 3 hour interview? Why would you waste your time and do the same after you've already met at minimum 5-6 attorneys from that firm?
No one knows what firms are doing. You could get rejected because they don't need to hire into the practice group you said you preferred. You could get rejected because they already have hired too many people of your race/gender. Don't think too much about what you cannot control. Try to be nice and hope for the best.
Yeah that's fair. I likely would have held off on doing this pre-OCI if I had known it works this way, but, alas, is what it is.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2020 11:18 pm
by consolidation058
jackshunger wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:26 pm
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:50 pm
jackshunger wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:38 pm
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:26 pm
Is this normal? Does anyone have any insight into this? I'm getting a weird sense like there was something wrong with my application. It just seems odd. Or, of course, I could be wrong, and it could be standard practice to reject people pre-OCI and for OCI. I'm above median at a T7-T13.
They rejected you after a Pre-OCI interview and told you not to apply to them during OCI too?
Yeah. They said they won't be pursuing my candidacy any further. It's a V30. The interviews went very well, as far as I was concerned, and I received positive responses from all the interviewers I met with; again, kind of scratching my head here.
Alright, I just wanted to clarify, but makes sense. You can do a practice interview with your career office just to make sure you didn't say anything instantly disqualifying, but I wouldn't get too down about it. If you check the Pre-OCI thread, there are a lot of disappointed people there too. Just keep working at it and you'll get a job.
This is likely what I will do. Appreciate the encouraging words.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 1:16 am
by nixy
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 11:10 pm
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:20 pm
Look if you've had a Callback, why would you do OCI. The goal of OCI and the screeners is to get a callback. If you've already gotten that pre-oci then of course it would make no sense to re-bid. Why would the firm waste resources to give you another 3 hour interview? Why would you waste your time and do the same after you've already met at minimum 5-6 attorneys from that firm?
No one knows what firms are doing. You could get rejected because they don't need to hire into the practice group you said you preferred. You could get rejected because they already have hired too many people of your race/gender. Don't think too much about what you cannot control. Try to be nice and hope for the best.
Yeah that's fair. I likely would have held off on doing this pre-OCI if I had known it works this way, but, alas, is what it is.
FWIW, I doubt this firm would have responded differently if you did the callback after OCI rather than before. I suppose you might have really strengthened your interviewing skills over time, but there's always going to be a first interview and some of the factors that influence whether they hire you aren't going to change from now to the end of OCI.
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:45 pm
by bigbeau
consolidation058 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 11:10 pm
Anonymous User wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:20 pm
Look if you've had a Callback, why would you do OCI. The goal of OCI and the screeners is to get a callback. If you've already gotten that pre-oci then of course it would make no sense to re-bid. Why would the firm waste resources to give you another 3 hour interview? Why would you waste your time and do the same after you've already met at minimum 5-6 attorneys from that firm?
No one knows what firms are doing. You could get rejected because they don't need to hire into the practice group you said you preferred. You could get rejected because they already have hired too many people of your race/gender. Don't think too much about what you cannot control. Try to be nice and hope for the best.
Yeah that's fair. I likely would have held off on doing this pre-OCI if I had known it works this way, but, alas, is what it is.
I feel like you're not fully comprehending what happened. The firm just decided you weren't a fit. They wouldn't have thought differently after OCI. It could've been your answers, your race, your gender, your attitude, your preferred practice area, or anything else you can think of. You didn't screw yourself out of an opportunity by not waiting. This firm just didn't want you, for whatever reason.
For those reasons, why would they interview you again? To get to the same result? You didn't get rejected because of your grades, they already decided you were smart enough, which is why you get a callback.
It would actually make less sense to allow you to bid again than to not allow you to bid again. This isn't 1L where they could likely say "yeah we didn't like you enough for 1L Summer, but you're right there for 2L Summer".
Re: Rejected Pre-OCI & OCI
Posted: Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:59 pm
by LBJ's Hair
OP you did a callback and got dinged. That's it, not a big deal. And no reason to read into the "don't reapply in two months" thing - also very normal. You'd be essentially the same candidate, so it'd be a waste of both your time for you to go through the whole process again. THat's all they were telling you