Got nothing after 30+ screeners in big markets (NYC, LA, Chicago). Is this normal or am I doing something wrong? Forum

[Anonymous User]

At T20, probably at least around top 30%, probably not within 20%. I applied to major markets and got over 30 screeners, most of them NYC but a couple in LA and Chicago too. Out of those, only one gave me a callback and hasn’t gotten back to me in over a month. I still have 4-5 employers that hasn’t gotten back to me after screeners, but I’m counting them as dings since they’ve been silent for almost 2 months by now.

Is this normal? Is this a common occurrence even pre-covid or at least for this cycle? I know that I’m not an amazing interviewer but I also don’t consider myself strikingly terrible either, so I expected the 30+ screeners to fetch me at least 2-4 callbacks and at least one offer. But maybe I am that bad at interviewing and just unaware of it. Hopefully I can get some answers here to get a sense of what went wrong this cycle.

[Anonymous User]

I’m sorry you’re in a stressful situation after all this hard work. I will say something I noticed with myself was that I was trying too hard and came off as too rehearsed instead of as myself. People want to talk to a real person and get to know you. Nine times out of ten, they aren’t looking for you to regurgitate the perfect response to a question. Of course preparation is important, but I did a lot better once I tried to relax and let my personality come through.

Also, try to keep in mind that a lot of this has nothing to do with you. Hiring committees do things for weird reasons. Your interviewer(s) could have loved you but there’s only X number of spots left and someone else just barely beat you out or impressed the right partner.

Try to be kind to yourself and focus on what’s in your hands to improve. Good luck.

[bajablast]

Tbh it's probably a combination of both your interview skills and the state of the market. 30+ screeners without a single callback is typically a sign that your interview skills could use work, but also legal hiring is not great for SA classes, so it's going to be more competitive to get an SA than it has been for the past decade. Keep your head up and don't be too hard on yourself, but do some interview coaching and keep digging for summer job leads.

[Anonymous User]

I had a below-average screener-to-offer ratio and think it was a mix of a few things.
1. I didn't have well-defined ties in really any of the places I was interviewing aside from DC, which is inherently competitive.
2. I looked OK on paper but wasn't a lock, kind of like you (I was in a higher class rank at a lower-ranked law school)
3. I was applying mostly for litigation spots, which are more competitive (and I think care more about generic prestige credentials than transactional roles)
4. I did poorly in some of my first interviews (namely not being prepared for behavioral questions, feeling intimidated by partners, etc.)
The offer I eventually got was, I think because I meshed well with the firm culture, thought up a good story for why I wanted to be there, and was lucky (after having maybe been unlucky in the lead-up process).

That being said, I found my difficulty was with turning the callback into an offer--I got callbacks following most of my screeners (though some were pre-OCI straight-to-callback situations). Getting only one callback after 30 screeners makes me think that there is a deeper problem here with your interviewing. If you haven't already, I'd ask for some practice interviews with career services and see if they can give you any substantive feedback.

[Anonymous User]

Also at T20 and struck out but with fewer screeners. The market is really tight this year. I know several other people in similar positions as yourself that also struck out. The kind of downturn we are in now is what really separates the "T20" from the T14 when it comes to hiring. T20 numbers are the first to take a precipitous dip.

[Anonymous User]

Also at T20 and struck out but with fewer screeners. The market is really tight this year. I know several other people in similar positions as yourself that also struck out. The kind of downturn we are in now is what really separates the "T20" from the T14 when it comes to hiring. T20 numbers are the first to take a precipitous dip.

I'm curious for when all the data comes out how this will shake up. I go to a T20 and with not actually seeing everyone it seems harder to extrapolate. Most of the people in my circle have done really well this hiring season (all over the place in terms of grades), but my roommate's group of friends is a completely different take. Our career office has said it's more competitive this year but nothing crazy, so it's hard to figure out what's happening class wide. At least that's been my experience.

[Anonymous User]

Also at T20 and struck out but with fewer screeners. The market is really tight this year. I know several other people in similar positions as yourself that also struck out. The kind of downturn we are in now is what really separates the "T20" from the T14 when it comes to hiring. T20 numbers are the first to take a precipitous dip.

I'm curious for when all the data comes out how this will shake up. I go to a T20 and with not actually seeing everyone it seems harder to extrapolate. Most of the people in my circle have done really well this hiring season (all over the place in terms of grades), but my roommate's group of friends is a completely different take. Our career office has said it's more competitive this year but nothing crazy, so it's hard to figure out what's happening class wide. At least that's been my experience.

OP here. Saw a lot of people all over the map in terms of grades going to V50 firms (and a lot of V10) in big markets from my T20 as well.

[Sackboy]

It depends on how your school distributes screeners. If they're not "pre-selects," as I think they're called, then you could have just bid very well and gotten 30 screeners while a fringe candidate at all of them. That's very possible.