An OCI tantrum
So I am doing OCI, but there are only two firms that come that I really saw myself working at, at least when this process began ... and one I have been particularly enamoured with since early in 1L. I signed up for most firms I thought I could tolerate, if only to hedge my bets.
And because I wasn't expecting much.
As these weeks wore on, I've gotten more callbacks than I anticipated. (Read: Any.) Actually six so far... I guess my "maturity" isn't as big a handicap as career services and some people have lead me to beleive. I've done three of the callbacks so far, but no offers expected til next week at the earliest, so we'll see...)
All of this left me fairly confident that when Favorite Firm came later in the process, I would at least get a callback.
Got the news yesterday.
I didn't.
I cannot understand what I did "wrong" in that interview that the other firms seem to think I did "right." The fact I found out about two other callbacks the same day, at firms most of my friends would kill to get callbacks at, did little to ease the sense of loss.
Ok, so everything happens for a reason.
Maybe I'm supposed to work someplace else that's a better fit -- though I don't see it now.
Maybe I'm supposed to try again next year, especially if where I end up this summer doesn't work out, and I'll appreciate Favorite all the more.
Maybe I said something totally inapproriate during the interview and have suppressed the memory.
Maybe I should shut up and count my blessings.
* Also, hit counter said 28,000 today. Woot.
8 little fish:
One of my good friends is going through the same thing. OCI seems to just be random and most of the acceptances/rejections will probably never make sense. My best friend who is a year ahead of me thought that OCI was a total bust when Favorite Firm didn't work out after call backs. But then the firm that he did end up working for over the summer turned out to be awesome and he got offered 10K more than the people at Favorite Firm were offered for their starting salaries after graduation. So I think everything does eventually work out for a reason.
Good luck on your call backs, I'm sure you'll ROCK!
1) not everything happens for a reason. your reaction/recovery is more important than past events that might have created the situation.
2) #1 aside, you know law students. they get to interviews and go straight to sucking dick. you, being married, obviously cannot do this for ethical reasons (note: i am assuming that you are ethical here). lawyers are giant dicks, so this immediately puts you at a huge disadvantage through no fault of your own.
3) also, you were likely too focused on worrying about this particular interview. it's one of those things where the harder you try, the harder it is to succeed. i know that seems like a funny statement, but i will analogize it to golf. if, during your swing, you are thinking about every minute move you have to make to have a good swing, you will disrupt the natural flow and instincts of your body and you'll shank it off into the woods. similarly, by putting this firm on a pedestal i'm sure you were more worked up for this interview than others, and having that extra weight on your shoulders could have blocked part of the natural flow of intelligence, personability (if that's a word), and communication skills that came through so strongly in the other interviews.
think about it: you've already far exceeded even your own expectations regarding the number of interviews/callbacks. perhaps you were so focused on this firm that you viewed the others as practice or less important, so you were more relaxed at the time.
Dicta the wise.
Thanks
I really doubt it's anything you did, or could have done. I'm of the belief that they already know who they want to call back before they even interview, they just have to interview a certain number of students. I sat in several interviews where it was very apparent they had no intention of making me a job offer. That's why I hate OCIs. At least if you contact a firm on your own, you know that if they ask to interview you, they're actually interested. Not just trying to fill in a 15 minute block where they have to be there anyway.
Good luck on the others though. Call backs are always a good sign that you have a very good chance of getting an offer. Again, they wouldn't waste their time otherwise.
Maybe it wasn't you; maybe it was the other students who interviewed? If they're looking for something very specific (Arabic language skills, someone who can tap dance at midnight on Tuesday), then it doesn't matter how brilliant you are in comparison. Trust me, I see the little "reviews" when these guys come back from OCI. You can get dinged for something as inconsequential as having a boyfriend who hales from another state (you'll probably get married and want to move to his hometown so we shouldn't hire you if you're just going to leave us). Crazy!
i know the feeling. 2L OCI is the most random experience ever--far harder to make sense of than the second most random, 1L grades.
pay attention to the people you interview with, pay very close attention. see who you hit it off with the best during callbacks. if a firm where you meet some people who you get along really, really well with gives you an offer, go there.
Congratulations on the call backs!
YES, it is totally random!! When I was interviewing, I got rejected by my top choice in Chicago, and unexpectedly got an offer from a firm in NYC that I figured wouldn't give me a second interview. So I ended up in the Big Apple. You never know where life will take you...and I'm sure you'll be happy no matter where you end up!!
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