If you will be participating in fall on-campus interviewing, please keep the following rules in mind:
- Bring with you, to each interview, both here at the Law School and at any
follow-up ("call-back") interviews you attend, additional copies
of your resume, a copy of your writing sample, a copy
of your law school transcript, and a list of references (three is the usual
number).
- Show up for every interview for which you've signed up. You must give us at least three full business days notice to cancel an interview.
- Wear business attire. There are no specific rules about colors or styles of clothing. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to wear a black or navy blue suit. Wear appropriate business attire in which you feel comfortable and look your best. For women, suits with pants are perfectly appropriate.
- Send a thank-you note after a call-back interview. Send the letter either to the Recruiting Coordinator, asking her or him to extend your gratitude to all the lawyers who met with you, or to whoever was most responsible for your visit to the firm. It is also nice, although not required (particularly with respect to very large law firms), to send a thank-you note after on-campus screening interviews. A thank you note after an on-campus screening interview should be addressed to the lawyer with whom you met. A thank-you note will only hurt your chances of receiving an offer, however, if it is poorly written or contains typographical, spelling or grammatical errors.
- Familiarize yourself with the "Principles and Standards for Law Placement and Recruitment Activities" that have been adopted by all members of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP), to which all law schools and many large legal employers belong. Part III of the NALP Principles and Standards contains rules governing the behavior of law students in the employment search process. Part V contains the "General Standards for the Timing of Offers and Decisions." Part V is, therefore, where you go to find out how long any offers you receive from employers who are NALP members must remain open, and how many offers you may hold (should you be so lucky) at any one time. If you are a 2L who receives an offer of a summer job from a NALP member for whom you've never worked, the general rule is that you have 28 days from the date of the offer letter to respond. The NALP Principles can be found at the front of the NALP Directory (copies of which are available on the bookshelves in the Career Services Office) or online at www.nalpdirectory.com.
- Remember your manners. Return phone calls and reply to email messages from employers promptly. If you are no longer interested in pursuing employment opportunities at a particular law firm, resist the temptation to "duck" their phone calls. Be straightforward. Give the employer the courtesy of a prompt and honest response, and thank them for their interest in you. If you're no longer interested in them, they'll get over it, and they won't take it personally. They just want to know whether you're still a viable candidate.
- Don't be afraid openly to discuss travel expense reimbursement procedures when you call to schedule a callback interview. Each employer has its own guidelines and limits with respect to travel reimbursement, and they may vary depending on whether the interview resulted from an OCI screening interview or a write-in application. You are responsible for finding out these policies before you travel.
- Be cognizant of your travel expenses, and try to save money
when possible. You don't want to get the reputation of being a
future "greedy associate." If you're offered a call back
in
- If you change your plans about attending a call-back interview,
let the recruiting coordinator know as soon as possible. He or she goes
to tremendous trouble organizing call-back interview schedules, and will not
appreciate it if you cancel at the last minute.
Remember that your behavior reflects on the
