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Yale Moves On-Campus Interviews to August

Monday, December 22, 2008 4:53 PM - By Elie Mystal

yale law school.jpgEnough about the poor, unfortunate class of 2010, what about the soon to be wealthy class of 2011?

At the beginning of this month, we mentioned that Yale Law School and Harvard Law School were considering moving their fall recruiting process all the way up to mid-August. At the time, we said:

Despite the placid exterior that comes from being at the top and knowing it, even mighty Yale looks like it’s ready to make some concessions to the general market strife.

Today, Yale makes the move official. And the reasons for the change couldn’t be clearer:

Whereas in previous years all second year students had until December 1 to respond to job offers, the new rules give students 45 days from the date of their offer letters to accept or decline. As a result, students from law schools with August 2008 programs had, in some cases, already accepted employment offers before YLS students interviewed or conducted callbacks.

It looks like Yale isn’t afraid of a little head-to-head competition with other schools.

But the moving up the start of recruiting will require Yale to make changes throughout the fall calendar:

Given the timing of Fall Break (October 19 - 23, 2009), we recognize that it is unlikely to be used for callback interviews, as has been the case in past years. Instead, employers will be encouraged to begin scheduling callback interviews during the week of August 24 - 28. The Law School will also limit programming during Fridays in September so students can use these dates to conduct callback interviews.

Class Free Fridays! They should keep that going all year long.

Read the full memo after the jump.

YALE LAW SCHOOL — MEM0 — TIMING OF 2009 INTERVIEW PROGRAM

We know that for many of you, the summer job experience is an important part of your preparation to enter the legal profession and a key step in securing post-graduation employment. The Law School’s annual interview program for second and third year students has served as a successful forum for our students to meet employers and find summer and post graduate job placements. We remain committed to maximizing your job search opportunities during these challenging economic times, and have reviewed the timing of our interview program with that goal in mind. After carefully considering a number of factors, we have decided to hold the Law School’s interview program for second and third year law students during the week of August 17, 2009. This shifts the timing of the program from late September/early October when interviews traditionally have been held.

Currently, many other law schools, including Stanford, Columbia, and NYU, hold interview programs in August, and Harvard is considering an August program as well. In addition, NALP (The Association for Legal Career Professionals) modified its timing guidelines this year to institute rolling offer and acceptance deadlines. Whereas in previous years all second year students had until December 1 to respond to job offers, the new rules give students 45 days from the date of their offer letters to accept or decline. As a result, students from law schools with August 2008 programs had, in some cases, already accepted employment offers before YLS students interviewed or conducted callbacks.

As we reviewed the impact of these developments, we wanted to obtain your feedback on the timing of our interview program and conducted a survey to learn your thoughts. The survey revealed that a decided majority of you believe that moving our interview program to August is the best course of action. A number of you also identified factors that we should take into consideration including the impact that August interviews may have on first year summer employment opportunities.

We have also received input on the process and timing from employers, including hiring partners and recruiting directors, as well as alumni. This has been a key part of our evaluation.

Please note that if you plan to participate in the 2009 interview program, you will need to return to the Law School by August 17. If you leave for your summer job at the end of the Spring 2009 exam period, this would allow you to work for up to 12 weeks. Given the timing of Fall Break (October 19 - 23, 2009), we recognize that it is unlikely to be used for callback interviews, as has been the case in past years. Instead, employers will be encouraged to begin scheduling callback interviews during the week of August 24 - 28. The Law School will also limit programming during Fridays in September so students can use these dates to conduct callback interviews.

CDO will make every effort to minimize transition issues for all constituents. We will modify our programming schedule and approach to make sure you are well prepared for August interviews, starting with a program in February to discuss the logistics of the interview process. We plan to coordinate with the law journal heads to minimize any impact on the summer journal work week. We are also working with employers to facilitate a smooth transition to an August program.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the impact of this change on your particular situation, please feel free to contact a counselor in CDO. We look forward to working with you during another successful interview season.

Theresa J. Bryant

Executive Director

Yale Law School Career Development Office

Earlier: Fall Recruiting Fallout: Harvard/Yale Make Concessions to ‘Reality’

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