Do Employers Really Look At The Rankings Like We Think They Do?

[Do Employers Really Pay Attention To US News & World Report Rankings?]

Do Employers Really Pay Attention To US News & World Report Rankings?

Yes

No

To Some Extent

[hooloovoo]

Myabe a national ranking of which school place best nationally, then a regional ranking, tops in the region. That way you take the national schools out so they don't dominate by the presence of so many grads in one or two cities. Still own't work well for east coast becuase of the number of large markets and schools there, but would give you a more realistic idea of what your chances are of moving from say Seattle to Boston to go to BC in hopes of coming back to Seattle. 1-xxx national rankings just tend to make people think a 30s school is better than a 90s school even if the 90s school is in the city where they want to work. I think a lot of people get stuck that way in places they did not really want to live.

or just get rid of "national placement" altogether.  if people want to know what that looks like, they can just see the rankings for NYC.

*cough*doesn'taccountforselfselection*cough*

Obviously there are no perfect indicators.

*cough*givingmeahardtime*cough*

[vansondon]

lol

[goaliechica]

Myabe a national ranking of which school place best nationally, then a regional ranking, tops in the region. That way you take the national schools out so they don't dominate by the presence of so many grads in one or two cities. Still own't work well for east coast becuase of the number of large markets and schools there, but would give you a more realistic idea of what your chances are of moving from say Seattle to Boston to go to BC in hopes of coming back to Seattle. 1-xxx national rankings just tend to make people think a 30s school is better than a 90s school even if the 90s school is in the city where they want to work. I think a lot of people get stuck that way in places they did not really want to live.

or just get rid of "national placement" altogether.  if people want to know what that looks like, they can just see the rankings for NYC.

*cough*doesn'taccountforselfselection*cough*

Obviously there are no perfect indicators.

*cough*givingmeahardtime*cough*

Well, yes. But also sticking up for my school/region! 

[vansondon]

 I guess this answers my question: http://www.diverseattorney.org/pdf/Debunking%20the%20Mystique%20of%20Top%2020%20Law%20Schools.pdf

[Miche]

A slightly different perspective. I attended an Ivy. The name recognition has helped, tremendously. But I've also run into attorneys who dislike the Ivy reputation, or are suspicious of it.

Approximately 75% of the time, I've received a great advantage from my alma mater. That means that approximately 25% of the time, I've had a mediator, colleague, or potential employer ask, snidely, "We have a Good Local School right here, you know. *I* went to Good Local School. Not prestigious enough, huh?" Or, "I know someone who attended [Ivy]! S/he is MUCH dumber than I would've expected." Or, "With an Ivy degree, what are you doing here? Slumming until you decide to do X?"

Rankings are a (loose) collection of assumptions and impressions. They're useful, but they don't capture what an individual employer or peer believes, knows, understands, and likes. Which isn't to belittle rankings; it's just a reminder that there's a personal element that can be just as strong.

[MCB]

My ex boyfriend was in the top of his class at a local T14 and really wanted to do government work, and got all kinds of *&^% from the regionally educated interviewing attorneys who didn't trust his motives.  I go to U San Diego and even I get *&^% from the Tier 4 grads doing the hiring at non-profits where I interview.  There's no easy, automatic answer or path in life, even in an industry as cookie-cutter as law.

[nealric]

It really comes down to the type of employer. Employers have a strong tendency to go what they are comfortable with.

Biglaw is comfortable with the T14. That's not because US News says so, it's because those happen to be schools they are comfortable hiring from. Most of the partners went to top schools and trust the education they provide (and mistrust the education of regional schools).

It's for this reason that biglaw won't really be more impressed with a school ranked #36 over one ranked #65. Neither is a school they usually hire from or are comfortable with.

Regional firms may be more comfortable hiring from the local law school. The partners probably came from the regional school, and again trust the education they provide (and often mistrust the education at top schools).

[Alamo]

Rankings are relevant if you go to a small school and want to work somewhere outside the region.  I went to W&L, and several associates during callback interviews in Chicago said something to the effect of "I'd never heard of W&L, but I looked at the rankings and noticed it's a pretty good school." 

It can also be useful to attend a highly ranked school outside the geographic area where you want to work.  Besides providing diversity of life experience, you'll also stand out from the dozens of local law school applicants with whom you're competing from jobs.  If someone wants to work in Denver, and can go to a crap school in Colorado or a decent school on the east coast, they're much better off going to school on the east coast, particularly if the person has ties for Denver.  You'll get not just a better education, but a different education, from all of your colleagues, who will have studied law in the same environment with most of the same professors -- you'll have a different and valuable perspective.

[Alamo]

I've had a mediator, colleague, or potential employer ask, snidely, "We have a Good Local School right here, you know. *I* went to Good Local School. Not prestigious enough, huh?" Or, "I know someone who attended [Ivy]! S/he is MUCH dumber than I would've expected." Or, "With an Ivy degree, what are you doing here? Slumming until you decide to do X?"

LMAO. I highly doubt that any of this ever occurred and it is likely that these quotes were just your own mis-interpretations. 

Laugh at whatever you want to, but this actually happened, I'm sure it was at least twice, in the fall of 2007, at Skadden, Mayer, and/or Jenner.  What's your basis for doubting it besides a generalized skepticism (which is not a bad thing when reading message board material)?

[Henri_Allen]

I believe job placement is only one of many factors that go into the rankings.  I also believe that if those other factors improve a schools rankings over the years, eventually their job placement will improve as well.  If you're trying to decide between a school in the upper half of tier 1 and one that's way down on the rankings in tier 2, ranking would definitely be important in job placement.  If the two schools are just a few apart in the rankings, probably not.  It's really common sense.