Should I apply to all the OCI firms?

[eli250]

I'm sick of trying to figure out which OCI firms I want to interview with and the resume drop is fast approaching.  Is there any harm in applying to all the firms and then turning down OCI screening interviews after researching some more.  Do firms get offended by this, or is it expected?  Should I care if they do get offended?   

[amoebalaw]

bump

[Law9486]

I'm sick of trying to figure out which OCI firms I want to interview with and the resume drop is fast approaching.  Is there any harm in applying to all the firms and then turning down OCI screening interviews after researching some more.  Do firms get offended by this, or is it expected?  Should I care if they do get offended?   

You might want to check with career services. It might just be my crazy school, but we can not turn down screening interviews if offered (unless under crazy circumstances and already having a job is not one of them.) I think CS is worried about them getting offended.

[Lenny]

Don't apply to all the OCI firms, especially if you have anywhere near good grades.  You'll end up getting every interview and you will look like a complete ass to your classmates.  Also, the firms will be able to tell if you only dropped a resume to drop a resume, and that makes the school look bad.  And yes, it is bad to turn down OCI interviews unless you have already accepted another offer. 

[wakaranai]

Career services may limit your bids for this very reason. If you have only 5-10 firms it may make sense to apply to them all, but if you're applying to 50+, it makes the school look bad and will annoy your other classmates if you lock them out of interviews because you got all your bids.

[oscarsonthepond]

Our CSO does the same thing - won't let you back out of any interview unless you have an accepted offer.  If you have great grades - don't under any circumstances apply to all of them - you're just messing up your classmates who actually need those interviews.  If you have horrible grades, apply away and hope you get a few.

[Felsen]

This depends very much on your OCI process.  Talk with your career services people.

At my school, I'm limited to 60 applications.  I'm then limited to 25 actual interviews.  I think there were 400 or more places to apply with.  I'm using up all 60 applications, and hoping to fill all 25 interviews.  The way the system is set up, I may be required to refuse interviews with some firms.  For this reason, the school has the interviewers select primary candidates equal to the number of interview slots, then secondary candidates who get to sign up in the remaining slots on a first-come, first-served basis.

If your OCI is truly open-ended, remember you are getting yourself a job, not your classmates.  Don't bother interviewing with places you can eliminate based on city, practice area, salary, etc.

The firms themselves will also do some sorting of candidates.  A firm which has never been able to hire from the top 25% at your school will not fill up all their slots with top 10% folks.  They might pick a token few, but will then fill the rest with students who have lower grades but are more likely to accept.

Whatever you do, clarify what your Career Service office requires and recommends.  You don't want them pulling all your interviews because you did something against their rules.