Dear 1L

Dear 1L,

Here are insider tips from last year’s 2Ls on how to navigate OCI (On Campus Interviews).

*All quoted language below comes from past 2Ls. Some school-specific variations will occur.

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🔷 A. PRE-INTERVIEWS

🔸 Step 1: Decide which firms are your top choices. “Your likelihood of securing an initial interview is much higher for the firms you formally designate at the start of the process.”

▫️ After you submit your list of firms and application materials, there is a 7-10 day wait while the firms review submissions and make decisions.

▫️ Typically to follow will be a posting or email from your school’s career office that indicates whether you have

(i) been selected for an interview,
(ii) made the “alternates” waiting list, or
(iii) not been selected.

🔸 Step 2: Research common interview questions and draft answers to 20-25 questions. “Doing so will help quell nerves and get you better prepared.”

🔸 Step 3: Practice delivering answers for points you know you will want to make, regardless of the specific questions posed.

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🔷 B. FIRST-ROUND INTERVIEWS

🔸 For each firm where you will interview, conduct thorough research on both the firm and EACH named interviewer.

➡️ The goal is to have content that lets you lead the interviews on your terms.

🔸 Prepare a one-page “cheat sheet” for each firm in which you have strong interest.

⭐️ “The first round can feel a bit like 20- or 30-minute speed dating. You will not always have time to refresh regarding each firm right before your interview.”

🔸 The second half of the 20- to 30-minute interview will often be the interviewer asking what questions you have.

⭐️ Make sure you have questions written out and fresh in your mind beforehand.

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🔷 C. SECOND-ROUND INTERVIEWS

An on-site, second-round “interview” (at a law firm) usually comprises 4-5 interviews of 30-40 minutes each with a series of individual attorneys.

Sometimes you’ll have each interview in a different respective attorney’s office; other times, you will be in a conference room with interviewers rotating in to see you.

⭐️ Often, on-site interviews will be accompanied by an associate lunch. This will be advertised as a chance for you to “relax” and ask a lot of questions to “get a real sense of the firm culture.”

—> DO NOT RELAX. All will seem friendly, but each associate attending will complete a written evaluation of you.

🔸 It can be a VERY long day. Arrive well-rested and pace yourself with bio breaks.

⭐️ ⭐️ Don’t forget to review the content of the writing sample you submitted and any other papers or publications listed on your resume—I’ve had interviewers grill me substantively before.

➡️ Follow all the recommendations from part B above for each interview.

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GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

Fondly,

💌 Amanda