OCI Bloopers By Students: Selected Stories (and a Poll)
Yesterday we solicited stories from you about on-campus interview bloopers — this time by the student interviewees, rather than their law firm interrogators. We received an embarrassment of riches — or riches of embarrassment — in response.
In terms of favorite stories, it seems the people’s choice was comment 177. Do a ctrl-F on the page for “177,” and you’ll encounter some pretty funny stuff. Comment 83 also had some crowd support, but it was completely disgusting, and some people read ATL during the lunch hour.
Not convinced that 83 and 177 are true stories, we decided to go with these as our top tales:
Interviewer asks inevitable, everyone-is-prepared-for-it question: What do your consider your weaknesses to be?
Candidate (stratospheric GPA to offer and little else): Well, I don’t really like other people very much.
Job not offered.
I heard a story here at Cleary Gottlieb from this recruiting season, not terribly exciting but a nice foot-in-mouth moment. At one of our OCI’s, during this kid’s interview, he remarked that he’s the perfect lawyer for Cleary because he’s “like, a big socially awkward nerd.” The mid-level associate interviewing him deadpanned: “So I’m a socially awkward nerd?” Ouch. I don’t think he got a callback.
It’s unfortunate, because his assessment of Cleary lawyers was pretty spot on.
3. “Forget it, Jake, it’s Koreatown.”
I was conducting a callback lunch interview in Los Angeles when the interviewee starts talking about how he can’t stand living in Koreatown because Koreans were so rude and also bad drivers. I said, “Dude, my last name is Kim. You know I’m Korean, right?
After an uncomfortable ending to the lunch I called HR and told them if they gave this kid an offer I was quitting. Needless to say, no offer for this guy.
At an OCI reception for a mid-sized Firm X, a few students are engaging in polite conversating with partner in Firm X. The partner asks each student what they did the summer before. One student, who apparently took full advantage of the open bar, begins talking about spending his 1L summer working with general counsel for an apartment complex, often dealing with tenant evictions.
Completely unsolicited, the student begins talking about how they used to break into the [tenants’] apartments and if they found weed/drugs in the place, they’d steal the drugs and some electronics from the apartment like it was their own personal Best Buy. He said, and I quote: “what were the tenants gonna do? They can’t tell the cops that we took their stuff or we’ll just report them for the drugs.” Partner and other students (including me) look at each other and then stare at the floor.
5. Veggie Girl
To an applicant with no special interests or activities listed on her resume: “So what do you do with your free time outside of school? Do you have any hobbies?”
Applicant: “Vegetarianism.”
No offer.
6. What’s the difference between a law firm and a paint store?
During a Shearman & Sterling interview, a friend once asked the interviewer, “So, how have you liked your experience at Sherwin & Williams?”
**********************
Vote for your favorite of these six stories, and check out seven more stories that get honorable mention, after the jump.
Here’s a poll asking you to pick your favorite from the six stories you just read:
And here are a few more stories that get an honorable mention. The first three have a common theme: the perils of interview humor. You might think you’re funny — but will they?
(We actually thought the interviewees in stories 1-3 below were pretty funny. But we’re not 60-year-old law firm partners.)
Same student in 15 goes out to callback lunch with partners and associates. Waiter comes to the table and approaches the student first.
Waiter: “Can I get you something to drink?”
Student: “Yea, I guess … I’ll have … a … vodka redbull.”
-Rest of table looks at him in shock.-
He, again, says, “I’m just kidding!! … I’ll just have a long island.”
-awkward laughter at table-
No offer.
2. Prison Break
Student is on a callback and is in a partner’s office. The partner looks at the student’s resume and asks, “I see here that you graduated from college in 2003 and didn’t start law school until 2005. What did you do between college and law school? It’s not addressed on your resume.”
[Student had been a stay-at-home father for those two years while his wife worked.]
Student responds with, “Well, I guess it’s about time I come clean about those two years I spent in prison.”
-silence-
Student then says, “I’m just kidding!!” and proceeds to tell the truth.
Result: No offer for poor humor.
3. $160K buys a lot of Rogaine
Back in 2003 at one of my last OCI interviews of the fall, I was asked a terrible generic questions by the attorney interviewing me that law students often get: “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
As I was tired of answering questions like this during OCI interviews, I decided humor was the best answer: “I see myself as slightly balder and about 10 lbs. heavier.”
That answer did not go over well. No callback. Boo-hoo.
At the end of an interview, the interviewing attorney asks the law student the standard, “Do you have any questions?”
Student responds: “Yes, will I be able to hire my own paralegal?”
A bit taken off guard, attorney sort of pauses, realizing this is not a joke.
Student goes further, “To be as good as I want to be, I feel like I need to control who I work with.”
Needless to say, no call-backs.
5. You’ll get an offer, as long as you don’t puke yourself.
A friend of mine was doing OCI in the summer and became incredibly sick with some sort of flue. She decided to go through with the interviews regardless. All went well until she had a coughing attack in the middle of talking to a V10 firm which only ended when she vomited all over herself. No offer.
I got a call back at a top NY firm that I despised because it does work for horrible people, including many many of the top tobacco companies. I already had several other offers. During the interview I asked about working on Tobacco cases and the associate starting glowing about how there was plenty to go around and all you had to do was ask for it. I replied “I think you misunderstood me. I was more curious about how you slept an night and could go to work in the morning knowing that you were defending tobacco companies.”
I didn’t get an offer.
2L signs up for interview with a firm that has an office in Ontario. 2L raves in interview about how the 2L has always wanted to work in Canada and has tons of family in Toronto. Interviewer shifts uncomfortably, then says “That’s really great! But our office is in Ontario California”.
2L apologizes and ducks out 10 minutes early.
**********************
A final note. We enjoyed these stories, which we thought were lighthearted and fun (and often self-effacing, when submitted by the interviewee in question). But at least one of you had a darker take:
[This thread] shows what complete douchebags some interviewers are. What ever happened to being human and giving people the benefit of the doubt? How sad is it that the slightest bit of power over frightened law students turns some people into turds.Maybe the phone call [that the interviewee took] during the interview was from his cancer-stricken grandmother, and he was too awkward/nervous to know he needed to explain himself. Maybe being involved with a vegetarian lifestyle and causes does consume much of that person’s free time.
So, readers, any thoughts? Are Biglaw interviewers too hard on the people who come before them?
We’ll bring you additional discussion, plus the results of the poll, in a future post.
Earlier: OCI Bloopers By Students: Share Your Horror Stories
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First
second!
Humor doesn't belong in the legal world. Save it for outside the office.
I heard Shearman told their summer class offerees that they would not be starting any earlier than Nov. 30, 2009.
Ask Shearman & Sterling!
Lat,
The "prophecy" story was better than all of these combined.
Really? That was a darker take? That's total BS. Being a vegetable only eater is JUST fine, great, who cares? But to say that that is actually a hobby? SAD. No offer is correct.
Really? That was a darker take? That's total BS. Being a vegetable only eater is JUST fine, great, who cares? But to say that that is actually a hobby? SAD. No offer is correct.
7: Do you know how long it takes to procure and cook vegetarian meals? It's definitely a hobby. Please don't display your boorishness in such a public manner.
9 - Yes I do, I come from 3 generations of cooks (one of whom specializes in vegetarian cooking). It's NO harder than cooking any other type of food. There are easy things to make and harder things to make. It's not a hobby, it's a food choice.
If it takes you longer, then you're probably not all that right or you're trying to make meals that are too hard for you.
But hey, you got to use the word "boorishness," guv'nor, so you have that going for you.
Meh. People are people. You are looking for a good match. OCI is speed-dating. Quick judgments must be made. First impressions mean a lot.
It goes both ways: students rule out firms. I interviewed for a firm that was really chummy and open -- casual dress code, open floor plan, less structure, etc. I'm more formal and arms-length and wasn't sure this would be a match. All was going well and I was doing the rounds, when I was advised the next interview would be starting late because the interviewer was "pumping" -- her breast milk for a newborn baby. I totally support that medical/family choice and think it's great the firm is supportive of new-mom attorneys, but that was way too much information for me. Just apologize and say the next interviewer isn't available yet; let me assume it's for a client call or something. They gave me an offer, but I just didn't feel comfortable in such a touchy-feely let-it-all-hang-out atmosphere, and the pumping TMI was the last straw for me. I knew it would get weird in the long run because of the mismatch.
Comment 83 in the other thread was the only one worthy of admiration or praise.
Just to comment on "Offer Up in Smoke." The law student who is bragging about their completely inappropriate behavior is just another example of what is wrong with many law students. Someone has invited you to their office and paid your expenses. The least you can do is be thankful and cordial. If you don't agree with something being done by the firm or don't like them, it is not your responsibility to let them know. Next time be considerate, decline the invitation to interview, stay home and jack off to truth.com.
177 was lame, as are all other of the other Penthouse Letters types of posts in that (and all) threads. They'd be better if they were actually funny.
83 was hilarious.
11: I hope you're joking. You had the opportunity to work at one of the most reasonable and accommodating firms that I've ever heard described, and you turned it down because you're too buttoned down? I sincerely hope your choice turned out to be a wise one.
"balder and 10lbs heavier". What's wrong with that? Law students suck. Most have small penises or are otherwise inadequate.
177 was a made up story penned by a man. no doubt.
83 wasn't remotely funny.
Yeah I agree that most of these stories just show what humorless a-holes lawyers are. I thought the prison comment was funny. Same for the fatter and balder (because judging from those around me that seems to be true...maybe that's why the interviewer didn't laugh). And some poor girl got sick on herself, so what? Yes it is gross, but at 90% of these big law sweatshops, wouldn't they expect her to drag her ass into work when she was sick? So punish her for trying to tough it out at an interview.
No wonder everyone hates us. I hate us.
Yeah I agree that most of these stories just show what humorless a-holes lawyers are. I thought the prison comment was funny. Same for the fatter and balder (because judging from those around me that seems to be true...maybe that's why the interviewer didn't laugh). And some poor girl got sick on herself, so what? Yes it is gross, but at 90% of these big law sweatshops, wouldn't they expect her to drag her ass into work when she was sick? So punish her for trying to tough it out at an interview.
No wonder everyone hates us. I hate us.
It got weird, didn't it?
The problem with the "darker" take -- and all of these stories, really -- is that they presume that the stupid act in question was the sole reason the person didn't get a callback.
Not everybody at OCI gets callbacks. Plenty of people who don't do one stupid thing in an interview don't get callbacks.
I suspect that these stories of stupidity are actually rationalizations for rejection.
It got weird, didn't it?
this is just a rep-hash of tofu mongos
I vote for 177 and 83 - never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
All of these stories = TTT
I heard of a candidate giving birth at an interview and then getting no offered because she was an unwed mother.
I've heard a near identical tale to the 117 believed to be fiction. A partner at a firm Columbus, Ohio personally recounted to me practically the identical story, with the exception of the, "we were just finishing up" line at the end. I would suggest that the story is true. In my story, the student was from a school that starts with an H and ends with an arvard.
22: Thank You. I was waiting for someone to step in.
The truth is that many firms call twice the number of people for which they can offer. One funny incident might partially explain a lack of offer, but other, equally plausible explanations include firm culture, school prestige, and not sticking out during the callback as someone positive or negative (i.e., you slipped through their fingers).
28-
I know precisely which partner at a firm in Columbus recounted that story. He/she told the same story to me too...complete with the "H" and "arvard" line.
I can't believe I've been kicked from the competition because the story was made up! The other "contenders" are barely humorous.
This is yet another reason (besides my shit grades and total apathy regarding moot court/law review) that I ended up without a law firm job. I'd be terrible at fitting in at a law firm.
Ah well, I'm former military anyway, so I'll be happy as a JAG.
-Author of 83 from the original thread
I'd rather work for Sherman & Williams than TTT Shearman. At least I'd get free paint out of it.
I posted on the last thread, but I will reiterate:
If your resume (read: law school) is good enough, we don't give a shit if you make bad jokes, forget the firm name, or have unusual hobbies. As long as you don't pull a Michael Richards, you're getting the flyback.
On the flip, if I am stuck at some shitty TTT, and I have to interview guys from the bottom 2/3rd of the class in order to fill my dance card, I'm gonna be dinging people left and right. And maybe some of them will go home and tell their buddies that they got negged because they had a noisy coughing fit in the middle of answering my question. And like I said - if that helps you sleep at night, good for you. But the reality is, I have never rejected someone because they list an unusual hobby, or got sick in the interview, or made a bad joke. I ding people because they got shitty grades at a shitty school.
And let me break it down a little bit more for the slow ones out there: I went through OCI. I'm also not an idiot. I know people are nervous, I know they might have 12 interviews in one day, I know they have other things going on in their lives besides talking to me. So if someone comes in and forgets the name or location of my firm, or seems a little distracted, or tries to lighten the mood with a joke - I'm not gonna hold that against them.
But there's no excuse for getting shit grades at a shit school. In fact, there's really no excuse for going to a shit school at all. We have enough lawyers in the country already.
I've interviewed 14 people this year for my NY v30 firm. I could only put through my top 6. All but two were great candidates, but some of them did nothing to stand out at the interview. The people who got through were those who showed the most enthusiasm and weren't socially awkward.
And, btw, I'm a mere 2nd year associate, but my picks were 100% honored by my firm. So DON'T ever get too comfortable with young associate interviewers. Hell, I tried to make people too comfortable with me just to see if they would say something stupid. If they did, they got nixed for lack of professional judgment.
33: At a CCN school, plenty of people get dinged for those reasons. Why you assume that you're representative of most lawyers is beyond me.
Wow that person in the honorable mention #6 example really need to get over themselves. Almost any legal work will require you to represent some douchebag in some manner - it comes with the territory - especially if you are working biglaw. I seriously doubt that there isn't a top firm anywhere in the country that wouldn't take big tobacco money if it was offered.
Darker? If it was his mom dying of cancer - tell them upfront you may receive that call - or perhaps don't take the interview and go be with your mother and explain why you can't make the interview. If the person went to an interview while mother was about to gasp her last breathe thats a selfish motherf**ker (no pun intended).
As for the Vegan....what can one say...girls in my high school were vegatarians all the time...it was no big deal but their broccoli farts sure stunk something awful!
83 was just an adaptation of an ancient joke. (Usually, the guy is on a date when he craps himself. )
"Hell, I tried to make people too comfortable with me just to see if they would say something stupid. If they did, they got nixed for lack of professional judgment."
This has 180 potential. What did you do to raise the comfort level?
From 34 - 33, you are a loser and your firm probably has a horrible retention rate.
I put through a candidate with a mediocre GPA from *gasp* only a top 25 school because she came up to me at the pre-OCI networking reception for her school (my alma mater) and told me she was really interested in our firm. She seemed like a cool person I wouldn't mind hanging out with. I rejected four Law Review applicants from her school. She'll be here next week for her callback. I had full support of the Recruiting Committee here for my decision.
40: you're ridiculous. Why don't you just go ahead and recruit your old frat buddies from college? I mean, they don't have law degrees, but they're cool people, and I'm sure your will support that.
"Hell, I tried to make people too comfortable with me just to see if they would say something stupid. If they did, they got nixed for lack of professional judgment."
Wtf would they possibly say in an interview environment?
Interviewer: So what sorts of things do you do outside of the law in your spare time?
Interviewee: Ahhh, you know... cosplay, Klan rallies, competitive eating, hentai tentacle porn..
34 = douchebag. Leading the kids on to trip them up. Make them feel very comfortable and then they say something you think is dumb, even though you led them on intentionally.
This is 40: Basically, you sit back and tell someone the lifestyle is great, and see if they start asking you crap like, "Do you work weekends a lot?" Things they wouldn't ask a partner.
41 - you are naive. You have to be smart to do this job and do it well, not a genius. Regardless, I'd pick someone the firm could actually take to a marketing event because they have a modicum of personality than someone with a .2 better GPA anyday.
35: 33 here.
What the hell is a CCN school?
And how the hell do you know why they dinged you? Did they write you a nice little letter "Dear Mr. Smith, you have a very impressive resume, but unfortunately we received applications from many qualified candidates, and have a limited number of positions available. And besides, you sneezed three times and mispronounced the name of one or our named partners, so surely you will understand that we simply can't allow you to work here. Ever."
Bullshit. People who think they got rejected because they accidentally dropped a business card on their way out are deluding themselves. They tell themselves these bullshit tales of woe because if you think you got dinged because you dropped a business card, then next time you can tuck it into your portfolio tighter. And then you'll SURELY get the offer! But the truth - that you are getting rejected because you are a mediocre student at a TTT law school who should have tried to get a job at a mutual fund instead of spending $200,000 to learn about community property - that's a lot harder to fix.
Again: If you go to a top school and have decent grades, stop worrying about stupid minor slip-ups. You're gonna get a good job. If you are a second year with average grades at a TTT, it's still not too late to cut your losses and pursue another career.
ATL's able to churn out hundreds of submissions and thousands of hits and all it had to do was... not actually write anything original but ask for submissions from commenters on the same topic multiple times.
Lat, you are a genius among men, and basically printing money.
Best. Response. Ever.
I'll tell you what I'm blathering about... I've got information man! New shit has come to light! And shit... man, she kidnapped herself. Well sure, man. Look at it... a young trophy wife, in the parlance of our times, you know, and she, uh, uh, owes money all over town, including to known pornographers, and that's cool... that's, that's cool, I'm, I'm saying, she needs money, man. And of course they're going to say that they didn't get it, because... she wants more, man! She's got to feed the monkey, I mean uh... hasn't that ever occurred to you, man? Sir?
47 = The Dude
White jewish girl who happened to have an black studies minor and was a member of the Black Law Students Association had generally the following conversation:
Interviewer: "I thought you'd be black."
Law Student: "Well, no, I just have sincere interest in black studies and the rights of African Americans."
Interviewer: "Well, you I guess you can still act black."
34:
You are a dick. Making the poor kids feel comfortable with you, then rejecting them if they actually - you know - act comfortable? Dick.
It perfectly normal to adjust your behavior to your audience. If I'm out to dinner with a bunch or tight-assed parters, I'm probably not gonna bust out with the farmer's daughter jokes. If I'm out with some associates and junior parters who start grading the waitresses, then there'd be nothing innappropriate about telling a few rude jokes.
When you "try to make the kids comfortable" you are signalling them that it's ok to act more casually with you, and that you aren't some tight ass who is going to be ripping on their every flaw. But after signalling that, you turn around and act like the shit you are.
So you provide false social cues, then rip people who act on them.
Said it before, say it again: you are a dick.
My worst interview ever (non-OCI)
Interviewer (1st question): "If you could be any animal, what would you be?"
Me: "An aardvark"
Interviewer: "Interesting. Why?"
Me: "Because it comes first in the alphabet. I'm not getting this job, am I?"
Interviewer: "No."
law students who act too casually around the jr associates are making a mistake. we are not looking to rip you apart, but we are also not your peers. think about it: by the time you graduate and actually begin working at the firm, we will be mid to senior level associates. I am not saying you need to be totally uptight, but recognize that you are still in an interview
While being interviewed by a mid-level associate during OCI, he dropped the F bomb a few times. I didn't bite and remained professional. I'm glad I did because I ended up getting a callback.
I know a kid who was interviewing with Shearman, and although he didn't say it, from the way he described the interview I'm pretty sure he spent the entire time checking out the interviewer's legs. kid's a nice enough guy but socially awkward and doesn't have the grades to get away with it.
Lots of law students feel comfortable with me. I'm a nice person. But then they do things like say their long-term plan is public interest law. Or that they aren't planning to move to the area, but want to be here for the summer. Or that they want all their work to be in a practice area that my office doesn't have.
I am not duping them into these ridiculous mistakes. I am still a nice person, but will give the offer to a deserving candidate we might actually be able to put in front of a client someday. If they can't hold it together for one morning, why would we expect them to do so for a career?
Do HYS students get dinged or do they get offers everywhere they want?
56, that depends on the firm and the student’s grades. If that student has good grades then any biglaw firm is going to take them (barring them doing something utterly fucking crazy during the interview process). If that student doesn't have good grades really top notch biglaw firms won't take them but many firms still will give them an offer. Basically demand is so high for HYS grads that only a handful of firms would ever turn them down. There are a few exceptions to this rule but not enough to make any HYS grad worry about future employment. The number of HYS degrees is a bragging point for many firms; the idea is you could be dead last in your class at HYS but that doesn’t really matter because the school name still looks prestigious.
49-
Isn't joining the Black Law Students Association on the list of "Stuff White People Like"?
I thought 147 was the best. Why wasn't that on the poll?
-Female waiting for 147 to call her.
I agree that the "pumping" information was just too much. Some firms go too far in trying to show how "cool" they are, but in my experience it just leads to even worse over-sharing and inappropriate behavior. I worked at a firm that had a special room for new mothers to use for this purpose. I thought that was cool, and maybe some interviewees would be impressed by that - but telling a candidate that is what the interviewer was doing is just plain weird.
Also - you have to wonder why the scheduling was so messed up there.
47 abides.
Seriously... what is the deal with lawyers? Are they all anti-social psychos? Maybe law school should have a required course titled "How to be Human." You all need it.
62, how are we non human when you're the one reading posts and comments for lawyers, then posting on this site. You're a loser!
62, how are we non human when you're the one reading posts and comments for lawyers, then posting on this site. You're a loser!
Interviewers in general, I think, are anti-social psychos. In one job interview (for engineering), I had a question that I am still pondering to this day: "If you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be and why?" I cannot remember what I said in response, but it was obviously the wrong kitchen utensil because I didn't get the job.
A few stories:
1) similar to the tobacco one. A candidate is gung ho open source, EFF type of guy. He spends his entire time talking to me about that. After he speaks to me, he speaks to a partner where he apparently does the same thing. Thing is, the partner is in entertainment law, on behalf of music/movie studios.
2) a guy comes in for an interview in his 3L year. He raves to everyone about his experience with his employer during his 2L summer. It took 10 minutes of me questioning him about the job to finally get him to admit that he was no offered. Speaking to other associates who interviewed him, he never told anyone else that he was no offered by his summer employer.
3) guy comes in with absolutely horrendous grades. I have no idea why we had him in for a call back. I think to myself, "maybe he's a good interview." Nope. Guy is quiet. Makes very short answers. Doesn't seem to know anything about law firms at all. Well, I'll try his interests. He listed boxing as an interest, I know a little about boxing, so I'll talk to him about that. Nope. He knows nothing about boxing. Admits that he was a boxing fan years ago, but hasn't followed it in years.
sometimes it's what you don't say that sinks you.
i once interviewed a girl who went to duke (or was it unc) that decided to do a shoot for maxim/fhm while in school. she knew that everybody in the clt legal community knew about her shoot (btw, she looked amazing in the photos...great ass) but never said a word about it or put it on her resume. too bad, if she did, it would have been pretty cool and would have garnered an offer.
This is stupid - more Asia Chronicles. I love Evan.
I once interviewed a guy who came in wearing a black suit with a blue/black tie, and he talked about his interests and how he thought he could help the firm. He was generally sociable and seemed to be a good guy.
No offer.
28 & 30 -- It was not in Columbus, but I will divulge that the student went to a west coast school that starts with S and and employs a redwood as its mascot.
And again, it was not the mere act of answering a phone in an interview (and as I posted yesterday, there are certainly circumstances where this could be excused), but it was the brazen attitude with which the interviewee abruptly stopped the conversation, pulled out the phone and put up the "not now, I have a phone call" finger. It was also apparent, to me at least, that the interviewee thought he was bulletproof and just needed to show up to get an offer. In a word -- entitlement. To me, nothing is worse in a law student.
I am not suprised to hear, however, that this kind of thing has happened elsewhere.
-117
70 = caulk
33 = a**hole
i went to a T10 school, but i don't think i am better than anyone who went to a lower ranked school. and, in the real world, there are plenty of successful lawyers that went to TTT schools. get over yourself, creep.
66: please never post again. thank you.
Maybe he received a call-back, 66, because your firm is an unselective non-Vault regional firm.
67: you're being ridiculous. Under no circumstances should anyone put down a fleshpot modeling shoot on their resume. Besides the obvious fact that it might lead to awkward questions and no offers, it provokes salacious comments from associates like you (hello, workplace situations!).
"A friend of mine was doing OCI in the summer and became incredibly sick with some sort of flue."
Question is what the heck was she doing with the flue? She should have just called a chimney sweep to have it cleaned instead . . .
72, 33 here:
Of course I am an asshole - I am a successful Biglaw lawyer. This just dawn on you, genius??
And let's be clear: I'm not saying HYS grads are better in any absolute sense than TTT grads. I'm sure lots of TTT grads make very important contributions to our society.
Car wreck? We need tough smart lawyers who fight to get YOU the money YOU deserveThey're just smarter, and are much more likely to get hired at big law.
And I doubt you went to T10 (T14 is the proper nomenclature anyway) because if you did you would probably know better than to attempt to counter a generalization (HYS students are typically better lawyers) with anecdotal evidence (I know a TTT guy who is a good lawyer.)
Of course, most lawyers suck at math, so maybe you are for real.
35: 33 here.
What the hell is a CCN school?
And how the hell do you know why they dinged you? Did they write you a nice little letter "Dear Mr. Smith, you have a very impressive resume, but unfortunately we received applications from many qualified candidates, and have a limited number of positions available. And besides, you sneezed three times and mispronounced the name of one or our named partners, so surely you will understand that we simply can't allow you to work here. Ever."
Bullshit. People who think they got rejected because they accidentally dropped a business card on their way out are deluding themselves. They tell themselves these bullshit tales of woe because if you think you got dinged because you dropped a business card, then next time you can tuck it into your portfolio tighter. And then you'll SURELY get the offer! But the truth - that you are getting rejected because you are a mediocre student at a TTT law school who should have tried to get a job at a mutual fund instead of spending $200,000 to learn about community property - that's a lot harder to fix.
Again: If you go to a top school and have decent grades, stop worrying about stupid minor slip-ups. You're gonna get a good job. If you are a second year with average grades at a TTT, it's still not too late to cut your losses and pursue another career.
78: CCN is Columbia, Chicago, NYU. His story makes sense, because he's at "a top school and [has] decent grades." You're arguing with the wrong guy about the wrong subject.
Way to contradict yourself! Be more careful next time.
shoo shoo retarded flue
Columbia, Chicago, NYU grads: you can just say T10. No one really cares so much about your school that you need CCN to differentiate it from the other top schools. Sorry to burst your bubble.
81: correction. CCN is more prestigious than the other top ten schools, as evidenced by our higher clerkship rates, better firm options, and dominance of two big primary markets.
75 - maybe i am being ridiculous. regardless, it would have been nice to tax that ass for a night. sadly, i couldn't get her drunk enough at the dinner before her interviews the next day.
@15: Hi, this is 11. Yes, it turned out to be a good move to turn down the too-casual-for-me firm. I went to a better rated firm for several years, then moved out of the area and switched firms. I knew my first law firm wasn't where I wanted to be in 10 years (i.e., when I would be having children or wanting flex time or be moved out of the area), so to me it was worth going to the higher prestige firm as my first lawyer gig for the sake of the branding on my resume.
re 66, but would love to hear everyone's comments:
what is the etiquette for disclosing that you were no-offered this summer?
78: Large law firms generally don't invite middle-of-the-road students from lower-tiered schools to come in for an interview.
38 - "83 was just an adaptation of an ancient joke. Usually, the guy is on a date when he craps himself."
this is 100% correct - i heard this joke in high school and could not stop laughing then and i must admit laughed hard yesterday as well.
and 177 - evenif true, you and your friend are nothing but sex slaves. why do you think you got those call backs/offers/jobs if not for being someones bi*ch!
87 - Dude, bitch is not the proper nomenclature. "Fuck puppet" or "cum dumpster," please.
shoo shoo retarded cum dumpster
For those who say that you shouldn't make jokes, I make jokes almost every interview, and I've gone 15/22 in callbacks, and so far, 4/5 in offers. Suck it, douchebags.
i think 34 and 55 have the right idea.
the interviewee knows he's on an interview and must behave professionally. however, that does not mean that the interviewer might now try to get the interviewee to relax and expose a bit more of himself (not like that, pervs) than he would otherwise.
asking a kid whether he's like some water, how his day is going, and appearing nice/interested/friendly is not manipulating. if the kid then tells you that he's not really that interested in your firm, or that he rather stay in this area, or work non-profit, yeah, hold it against him.
unless 34 is telling grossly inappropriate racial jokes, getting the interviewee to laugh, and then calling the interviewee a sob racist, 34 is going about interviewing the right way.