oci success depends in part on, surprise, knowing what you're interviewing for.

[brian lauter]

OCI is almost upon us again and, if you’re a 2L salivating over those $3,000 a week jobs, its crunch time. Spruce up the resume, find a writing sample, and start cranking out cover letters.

If you’re not in the top 10%, you’re not on Law Review, and your parents aren’t friendly with any law firm bigwigs, OCI season may turn into rejection letter season. Be prepared for some disappointment, and remember that most people don’t get jobs through OCI.

Perhaps in recognition of the fact that most of the students participating in OCI have absolutely no idea what they are applying for, the Legal Talk Network posted a somewhat helpful discussion of summer associate programs last week. I also found this round table discussion of OCI interview strategies.

Most students go into on campus interviews with a vague idea of what it means to be a summer associate at a big firm. However, several of my friends were surprised by their experiences this summer

They've mentioned that they would have interviewed differently had they known what they would be doing. Be sure you understand exactly what you are interviewing for.

For instance, one of my friends emphasized her extracurricular enjoyment of legal theory in all of her interviews. When she finally got a job at a securities firm and realized that she would be doing due diligence for most of the summer, it dawned on her that she might have had an easier time finding work if she’d emphasized something like attention to detail.

Another friend stressed his leadership skills and hyperactive competitive streak in his interviews. When he was finally hired and ended up incorporating businesses for most of the summer, he realized that he probably would have been better off just focusing on his Law Review experience.

The bottom line is that its important to have a decent idea of what you’ll actually be doing as a summer associate at a particular firm before you start in on the interview strategizing. Great jobs don’t just fall from the sky, so do some research and (hopefully) get to work.