OCI = disheartening

[Standard of Review]

Is it unusual to get 10 OCI interviews and no callbacks (yet)? I'm top ~15 percent at a tier two. From what I hear, ~5 percent get callbacks. I feel like I'm interviewing well for what it's worth. It's really depressing not to get a callback though.

[TeeTwenty]

I've had 2 callbacks via screening interviews so far. I've had 22 screening interviews, on-campus and at regional events.

[dukedogalley]

Is it unusual to get 10 OCI interviews and no callbacks (yet)? I'm top ~15 percent at a tier two. From what I hear, ~5 percent get callbacks. I feel like I'm interviewing well for what it's worth. It's really depressing not to get a callback though.

I am in a very similar situation, 15% at a t2, a bunch of screening interviews and no call-backs.  I am a decent interviewer, I get nervous but I handle myself fairly well.  I took advantage of my school's mock interview progrma and received positive feedback re my interview skills.  Any suggestions for what the next move should be?  I have sent out about 60 direct writes to a wide range of large to medium sized firms in my market and havent heard much other than a few rejection letters from the larger firms, which is to be expected.  My school has later rounds of OCI that I will be participating in, but supposing that doesn't work out, do firms hire 2L SAs after seeing their fall semster 2L grades? 

[jacy85]

Most large firms (Biglaw) have finished hiring 2Ls long before fall grades come in.  Smaller firms, and probably some midsized hire later though.  I'd imagine fall grades would help most with smaller firms, who tend to hire in the spring.

[TeeTwenty]

I think OCI is actually a waste of time. Firms interview people they have no real interest in, just to fill out their schedule. Wasting the student's time as well as their own. Maybe there is an outside chance left to "wow" the firm, but very few law students are all that impressive.

Firms are far more honest about their interest when you get an interview via a mailing. Hence why everyone seems to suggest doing these huge mailings.

And I say that after receiving a rejection email 2 minutes ago from a firm I had an OCI interview with yesterday.

[TeeTwenty]

I think OCI is actually a waste of time. Firms interview people they have no real interest in, just to fill out their schedule. Wasting the student's time as well as their own. Maybe there is an outside chance left to "wow" the firm, but very few law students are all that impressive.

Firms are far more honest about their interest when you get an interview via a mailing. Hence why everyone seems to suggest doing these huge mailings.

And I say that after receiving a rejection email 2 minutes ago from a firm I had an OCI interview with yesterday.

[Visual Dictionary]

This economy is depressing.  I probably won't even try to land a 1L job.  I've started looking at public defender work.

Don't get discouraged, TeeTwenty.  If your credentials are good, maybe you can move up to BigLaw in the future.  Many people start at mid-level firms and lateral after two or three years.

[raider1218]

This economy is depressing.  I probably won't even try to land a 1L job.  I've started looking at public defender work.

Don't get discouraged, TeeTwenty.  If your credentials are good, maybe you can move up to BigLaw in the future.  Many people start at mid-level firms and lateral after two or three years.

I'd rather have a life than lateral to BigLaw after working at a midsize firm for a few years. 

[Harvey Dent]

I feel much less stressed out about the disheartening OCI (mine wasn't really disheartening, but just not the ridiculous "everyone gets everything they apply for" days of a few years ago last year) when I had two offers to fall back on.

fixt.

[Matthies]

I did 3L OCI this year for the first time. I only applied to two of the places doing interviews here for 3Ls, did not get a screening interview from either. I’m number 13 in my class if that makes any difference. I suspect its because I targeted my cover letters to a specific practice area, one neither firm was very heavily into (but at least they had it which why I only applied to those 2). Generally I did not find the experience very beneficial. I did not like the feeling of everything being out of my control. Compared to networking I’ll take networking any day, even if the whole OCI process was ridiculously easy to do (all online). My advice remains the same as it was pre-oci, network first and rely on oci second, even more so in this market.