Post-OCI Job Search: A COVID-19 Update
Last year I wrote about the daunting job-seeking process for 2L and 3L students who did not secure an offer through on campus interviews (commonly referred to as “OCI”). Coveted jobs at Big Law firms and other regional law firms were, and still are, limited and competitively sought after. More than a year later, OCI programs are unrecognizable from the usual model because of the COVID-19 . Where law students once mingled in conference centers waiting for interviews with attorneys and recruiters at top firms, now students don the same business attire to attend virtual meetings.
The typical on-campus interview process occurs during the summer between the first and second years of law school and is stressful, to put it lightly. OCI is characterized by resume reviews, speed-round interviews and sleepless nights waiting for call-back interviews and offers. For some, this process is stressful but ultimately rewarding. For others, disappointment arrives and compounds with each rejection letter. As most law students know, their chances of securing a job after the OCI program concludes are slim since most firms hire the exact number of young lawyers they require for the next year.
In my previous article I wrote specifically to 2L and 3L students who did not secure a summer associate position through OCI. Not securing an offer during OCI can result from a number of factors; some students struggled with classes during their first year or did not understand a question during the final exam. Maybe they suffered from a medical emergency, lost a close family member, were distracted by their day job or just didn’t adjust quickly to the hustle of law school. Inevitably, some 2L and 3L students will find themselves in this post-OCI purgatory, not knowing their options or how to find alternative methods to securing a job at a top law firm. I know all of this because I was one of those struggling law students.
Not securing a summer associate position is a dilemma law students dread, but something that I personally believe does not define the success or abilities of a law student. I’ve spent the past year mentoring countless law students during their job search, coming up with strategies, email templates and other pieces of advice to hopefully make a difference for struggling 2L and 3L students.
My previous article was a collection of advice I give to law students most often, organized into specific action items that students could implement immediately to improve their job search prospects. Most of my advice centered on the student’s approach to the post-OCI job search and interview process. An organized and persistent approach was, and still is, key to securing interviews at top law firms. I reminded students that the OCI process is not only competitive, it is also difficult, ambiguous and finnicky, even in the best market circumstances.
The COVID-19 pandemic this year made OCI even more intimidating. For 2L and 3L students in particular, the pandemic made a difficult process of securing post-OCI interviews or an offer a herculean effort. In my previous article I didn’t mince words when describing the job market for 2L and 3L students without offers: “the reality is, finding a job as a 2L or 3L is an uphill battle.” However, if you are willing to read the rest of this very long article, I promise there are some strategies in here that will enhance your job search and greatly improve your chances of landing interviews and hopefully multiple offers from law firms. No promises, though.
The reality is, finding a job as a 2L or 3L is an uphill battle.
I will not waste time discussing the drastic changes to the OCI process that are occurring this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has upended the world and the job market. OCI for most schools is already delayed six months or more, an unusual change to a program that typically occurs like clockwork in July and August each year. Other changes, including the virtual format and interview process, will vary greatly by school and region.
Instead, what I offer below will again cater to the 2L and 3L students still looking for employment, whether in Big Law or at any sized law firm. I’ve included constructive action items that law students should strongly consider if they find themselves without an offer after the OCI process. I suggest starting with my pre-COVID article first (HERE) and then layering in the applicable lessons below. If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email (my email address is in my bio) and I will do my best to answer.
Building and Using your Network
At some point during law school orientation, the dean will usually say something like “look around you, the people next to you will be your colleagues, competitors and adversaries in the future; make meaningful connections and build a strong network now that you can leverage in the future.” Building a network is drilled into law students’ heads from the first day they arrive, but advice on how to actually build a meaningful and useful network is not as forthcoming.
Networking isn’t easy, even for the most extroverted law students. To many, it feels unnatural to discuss business, law courses or practice areas as a matter of casual conversation. Networking is even harder during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading most firms, societies and professional groups to cancel most events or create alternative virtual events.
However, LinkedIn is still a powerful tool in the COVID-19 era, perhaps even more so than before. If you know how to use LinkedIn to your advantage, it can connect you to more reliable leads than any in-person cocktail party (and you don’t have to get dressed up!).
The biggest mistake law students make while first using LinkedIn is when they simply connect with their classmates, follow a few law firms and scroll endlessly through their news feed. You will get nowhere with that strategy, and for 2L and 3L students searching for a post-OCI job, you are wasting valuable time. Below are some key tips to leveraging LinkedIn for your job search that apply whether or not a pandemic is ravaging the world.
1. Make Meaningful Connections: While you should connect with your classmates to build your base network, you should be primarily targeting law school alumni at firms you are interested in. These are the connections you can reach out to for advice or to chat for a few minutes about their firm. Law schools often have very loyal and helpful alumni, so your network should be partially filled with alumni from your law school at your target firms.
2. Build a Useful Network: Don’t just send a connection request to every lawyer or law student on LinkedIn. You should primarily target alumni, business development and legal recruitment professionals at law firms or agencies that you are actually interested in. Start your search by your alumni network and then by firm. After you’ve identified a firm, check the list of employees (available at the company’s page) to see if you missed any worthwhile connections.
Building a quality network should be a priority over sheer quantity of connections. LinkedIn’s algorithms reinforce this advice; your suggested connections and 2nd/3rd tier connections are based on your 1st level of connections, so your first 100 connections should be carefully chosen and the algorithm will do the rest of the work for you. By curating your network to legal professionals at places you are truly interested in, you actually make LinkedIn’s algorithms work to your favor and do most of the work for you.
3. Reach Out: To build your network, you can’t be hesitant to reach out to new professional connections. You should use a common template greeting for each alumni connection request you send rather than sending a blank invitation. I typically advise a short introduction and a straight-forward request, such as, “Hi, I see that you are an alumni of [law school] and you joined [firm name] after attending law school. I am a [2L/3L] looking to join a law firm when I graduate and I think your firm would be a great fit for my skills and interest. Do you have 10 minutes during the next week to chat about your experience at your firm?” For those worried about cold-emailing alumni, feel free to use the template emails I’ve included in the last section of this article, but make sure to add some personalization!
4. The “Ask”: Once you secure an introduction (typically a quick 10 minute Zoom call) with an alumni at a firm you are really interested in, you’re next undertaking is the “ask”. Obviously, you can’t demand they find you a job at their firm, nor would it be appropriate to ask them directly. However, once you have genuinely learned about their firm and their background, you should gently inquire whether the firm is actively recruiting law students or expanding its recruitment efforts to 2Ls/3Ls. If your connection doesn’t know, that’s okay! Many will offer to “ask around” the firm to see if there are any openings, and about half will actually do so. The more meaningful connections you make with the right alumni that want to be supportive, the better your chances.
5. Stay Connected: LinkedIn’s chat feature is an incredibly powerful tool to keep in contact with alumni and other professional connections. Once you’ve made a connection, be sure to follow up with that connection once in a while, even just to check-in on how they are adjusting to the work-from-home situation. Staying at the top of your connection’s mind is a great way to encourage them to be your ally and offer you support in your job search endeavors.
Utilizing School Resources
Law school isn’t cheap. Most private law schools cost over $200,000 for three years without scholarship or grants. While I won’t get into the exorbitant costs of law school (madness, I say), a discussion of what all that money buys you is warranted. Hint: it’s not just classes and a nice library.
Almost all law schools have a career center or other resource center solely devoted to getting law students jobs after graduation. Most schools have robust employment programs with seminars, resume reviewers, OCI preparation sessions and other personalized services. 2L and 3L law students who are still looking for jobs should use every resource provided by their law school.
I always suggest setting up several key meetings with resource center personnel to get the most out of every student’s tuition. Law students should follow the below steps in order to maximize the benefit of each meeting.
1. The first meeting should be with a resume reviewer to make sure your resume and cover letters are properly formatted, concise and provide a synopsis of your experience and skills. This is always a free service by trained professional offered by law schools. You should exchange several drafts with the reviewer to make sure your resume and cover letters are impeccable and present your candidacy in the best light possible.
2. A meeting with a recruiting counselor is the second meeting on a law student’s list. Approach this meeting with the goal of forming a partnership with the counselor to help guide your job search process and strategy. Ask the counselor to help you formulate a list of firms you want to reach out to, any alumni at those firms that the law school is aware of and any other advice the counselor might have for you. You should stay in contact with this counselor and keep them appraised of your progress. Make sure to ask them to keep you updated on any opportunities they hear of for 2L and 3L students.
3. The last meeting should be with a senior administrator in the resource center, typically an associate dean or the dean of career services/ legal recruitment. This meeting is less important than the first two, but it can yield immediate results. As a 2L or 3L still looking for a job, you should tell this senior administrator about your current predicament and your desire to find a job. Let them know what your general interests are and how you are approaching your job search. Sometimes, these administrators will reach out directly to legal recruiters or other connections they have at firms to secure an interview on your behalf.
One of the most baffling mistakes law students make is not using these free resources. While undergraduate career resources are usually lackluster, law schools place a premium on their career resources and job placement. Career services and other related resource centers are usually well-funded, connected to strong alumni networks and heavily staffed.
When students tell me they are reluctant to walk into their school’s resource center or attend a seminar, I remind them that it’s in the school’s best interest to help students find their future careers.
But why do law schools invest so much in a law student’s life after they graduate? Here’s a little secret: law school rankings are incredibly important to the school’s recruiting process, tuition rate and rankings. Schools want to attract incoming students willing to pay sky-high tuitions, but potential law students will only pay to attend a school where their chances of securing a well-paying job afterwards are the highest.
Because of this dynamic, law school rankings such as U.S. News weigh employment after law school and average salary heavily in their rankings formula, usually upwards of 30% of the overall score. So, the more successful a law school is in placing students into high-paying jobs (a/k/a Big Law), the better their ranking. When students tell me they are reluctant to walk into their school’s resource center or attend a seminar, I remind them that it’s in the school’s best interest to help students find their future careers.
Preparation Is Key
One of the points I discussed extensively in my previous post was making an organized, detailed outreach effort when cold-emailing alumni and recruiters. Without a detailed plan, students risk wasting valuable time and resources. I don’t think it needs to be said that 2L and 3L students are already in a difficult circumstance and don’t have the luxury of time to waste in their job search.
An organized outreach plan is even more important now with the COVID-19 pandemic uprooting or cancelling typical networking opportunities. Law students should put significant effort into identifying the firms they are targeting as well as specific alumni, recruiters and other contacts in their network at those firms that they can connect with.
Law students should adopt a hybrid approach to their outreach efforts, somewhere between a “shotgun” approach of reaching out to as many connections as possible, and a “scalpel” approach of concentrating on the connections most likely to yield results. I’m a big fan of spreadsheets to stay organized, so I suggest using something similar to my format below.
With that in mind, students should first organize a spreadsheet of their LinkedIn connections and other professional contacts who they think would be willing to discuss a job interview or other general information about their firm. As discussed in my prior article, this part of the organizational process is called building a “rolodex”, or a contact list of professionals that a student can reach out to.
Next, students should include general biographical information about each contact. This serves two purposes. First, it keeps all of your information about each contact organized in case you need to reference that information during an email or introductory call. Second, because this is a time-intensive process and requires research, this will narrow your results to the contacts that are most likely to be helpful and are at firms and/or practice groups that you are legitimately interested in.
In my prior post I suggested organizing each contact in a spreadsheet with the following biographical information and to track your outreach to each individual:
Given COVID-19’s effects on the legal industry and the recruiting process, law students should also include the below columns in their outreach spreadsheet. This additional research is meant to hone your outreach towards connections most likely to be successful, including aggregated data of their firm’s hiring practices during the pandemic. The aim is to find contacts at firms that are still hiring or have increased hiring because their major practice groups focus on “pandemic-resilient” industries or sectors of the economy.
The above columns were added specifically to help 2L and 3L students make more informed decisions when formulating their outreach plans after COVID-19 upended the legal industry. Students should not ignore the obvious economics of law firm operations and hiring. Firms are designed to make money, which is then used to pay for associate salaries and other firm expenditures. Therefore, understanding a law firm’s economic health and hiring policies during the pandemic should help steer students towards firms that are most likely to be long-term employers.
In addition, law students might want to consider targeting specific practice groups that not only fit their interests and resumes, but are also resilient to market fluctuations. In some cases, certain practices groups grew substantially even during the pandemic, indicating a healthy job market and further growth potential. Oftentimes specific groups within a firm are looking to hire additional attorneys beyond what the firm is generally recruiting, which presents an opportunity for 2L and 3L law students to target their outreach and increase their chances of getting hired.
The Little Things Count
One piece of advice I often give students is to imagine the job search process from a more analytical and empirical approach, rather than a mysterious game of interview roulette. Much like Billy Beane did with the Oakland Athletics baseball team (as described in Michael Lewis’ book Moneyball), I encourage students to conceptualize the job search process through a formulaic lens. Imagine a point-system where each small effort, event, email list, grade or perfectly written resume is an additional percentage point that increases the statistical odds of getting an interview. In reality, there are no actual points meted out for attending an event or writing a carefully-worded cover letter, however, students should consider each little thing they can do as an opportunity to gain a small advantage. The “little things” absolutely count and can accumulate to substantially improve a student’s chance of getting an offer.
This advice is even more important for 2L and 3L law students looking to either repeat the OCI process or search for positions at firms outside of the OCI circuit. Small things such as attending a networking event (virtually, of course) and actually talking to a recruiter at that event or writing a note to an upper-classman who is now at a firm can dramatically improve your chances. Here’s a few things all law students should do:
1. Attend (virtual) Events: The best part about attending events used to be the free food. Now that most events are virtual, you might think they are not a valuable use of your time. Wrong. Since events are virtual, you should be able to attend even more events than before. 2L and 3L students should sign up for any event hosted by their law school and sponsored by an organization or a firm that they are interested in.
Make sure to connect with one of the panelists or other hosts, even if it is just a thank-you message or a quick follow up question. You might think that a virtual event automatically means that nobody will remember your interaction, however, it’s quite the opposite. You will probably be one of the few people that actually engages with the panelist, host or recruiter during an otherwise dull event, so you will stick out positively in their memory.
2. (Minimally) Customize Your Correspondence. Whether it is an introductory email or a cover letter, legal recruiters have read so many correspondence from law students that they can immediately tell if you’re strictly using a template. Just adding a sentence or two in each email that shows you’ve researched that specific attorney or firm shows the reader that you aren’t just email-blasting recruiters at every law firm in the city.
In the next section, I include several email templates that incorporate at least one customizable sentence in each paragraph. This isn’t just for flair; customization reduces the reader’s fatigue and makes your correspondence much more memorable. Anything you can do to get on the good side of an attorney or legal recruiter and demonstrate attention to detail and effort will improve your chances of getting an interview.
3. Be Proactive. Recruiters are looking for candidates that are motivated, proactive and show a willingness to go the “extra mile.” Being “proactive” is one of those interview buzzwords that every law student will hear in a job description, but students should take any opportunity they can to demonstrate proactivity.
For example, when sending a resume to a legal recruiter you should also include your transcript cover letter and writing sample. Most legal recruiters will request one or all of these additional materials eventually, so you are just saving them the hassle of asking and demonstrating your initiative. When emailing alumni or attorneys at firms always offer to set up the call (whether a conference call or Zoom/Skype) or offer to call their office phone whenever it’s convenient for them. Putting these small efforts on your plate is an easy way to be proactive and make a good first impression.
4. Sending Follow-up Emails. Whether or not you hear back from a contact, following up with a reminder email or short thank-you is imperative. Sending follow-ups is so important that I even include a separate column in the outreach excel chart to track follow-up correspondence. While there is a fine balance between being persistent or a nuisance, persistence is a soft skill that is important to consistently practice. People are busy and they forget to respond, most professionals appreciate a polite follow-up as a reminder. Keep follow-ups short, simple and straight to the point. Reiterate any major point you made in the previous letter or inquire whether a phone call or Zoom meeting would be a preferred method to connect.
5. Show Genuine Interest. This is where your excel spreadsheet and research start paying dividends. When talking to an attorney or recruiter, make sure you have notes about them and the firm in front of you. If there is a particular practice group you are interested in, mentioning that group in your interview shows you did the research ahead of time. Or, if there is a particular partner who wrote a blog post or won a case, mention that in your interview as material you read and found interesting or inspiring. The better prepared you are, the more likely the legal recruiter will think you are genuinely interested in the firm.
How to Cold Email
Last, but not least, the most popular question I get from law students is “how do I cold-email an alumni or recruiter?” This is one of those soft skills that a quarter-million dollar legal education can’t teach you, but something that can be perfected with some practice.
An introductory email should accomplish three things. First, you should introduce yourself and the reason you are reaching out. Second, demonstrate that you researched the person and the firm and have a reason to contact the person. Lastly, you should indicate your specific interest in the firm and desire to connect further. Effectively introducing yourself and the purpose of your correspondence helps the recipient immediately understand your intentions and sets a professional tone.
A cold email isn’t as daunting as it may seem, but the simple act of writing and sending the first email is the most common hang-up for law students. Since 2L and 3L law students are already facing a time crunch and a more difficult OCI setting than ever before, I’ve prepare several templates below that can be used as first drafts. You should add your own personalization, more details (although not too many) or remove unnecessary paragraphs as needed.
1. The Alumni Connection:
My name is [_____] and I am reaching out to you because you are a [law school] alumni working at [law firm name], which is one of the firms I am very interested in joining. I am currently interested in [area of law] and I saw in your bio that you are in [practice group], do you enjoy the work and clientele in your practice area?
A bit about myself, I am a [2L/3L] law student looking for an associate position starting in [2021/2022]. I am looking for law firms that would best fit my legal experience, skills and interests and I think [law firm name] would be an excellent fit. During my law school career, I have [discuss in 1–2 sentences any journal positions, leadership positions, internships and or another legal job you’ve held], which I believe would be valuable to a law firm. I am especially interested in [discuss in 1 sentence any practice areas you are genuinely interested in, such as real estate] and I have taken [discuss in one sentence any courses related to those practice areas] that I think have prepared me for a future career in this area of the law.
I understand that you are probably busy, but I would greatly appreciate if you could take just 10 minutes to talk with me about your experience at [firm name] and any advice you might have about the recruitment process. Alternatively, if you would prefer to pass my materials directly to the firm’s legal recruiter, I’ve attached my resume, cover letter and writing sample here for your convenience.
I hope we have an opportunity to speak soon and I greatly appreciate your time and effort to help out [law school] students! I am available at your convenience, please let me know if you have general availability later [this week/next week] and I can arrange a Zoom invite or call you directly at your office number.
2. Recruiter You’ve Met:
My name is [_____] and I am reaching out to you to express my interest in [law firm name]. It was great meeting you at [event name and date/ how you met], even though the virtual setting made it difficult to develop more formal connections. I enjoyed the discussion regarding [discuss in 1 sentence a particular topic the speakers or recruiter talked about] and believe that I would be a great fit at [law firm name] after I graduate from law school.
A bit about myself, I am a [2L/3L] law student looking for an associate position starting in [2021/2022]. I am looking for law firms that would best fit my legal experience, skills and interests and I think [law firm name] would be an excellent fit. I have attached my resume, cover letter and writing sample here for your consideration, but please let me know if there is a separate recruiting portal that I should submit these materials to.
During my law school career, I have [discuss in 1–2 sentences any journal positions, leadership positions, internships and or another legal job you’ve held], which I believe would be valuable to a law firm. I am especially interested in [discuss in 1 sentence any practice areas you are genuinely interested in, such as real estate] and I have taken [discuss in one sentence any courses related to those practice areas] that I think have prepared me for a future career in this area of the law.
I hope we have an opportunity to speak soon, I am available at your convenience. Please let me know if you have general availability later [this week/next week] and I can arrange a Zoom invite or call you directly at your office number.
3. Recruiter You Haven’t Met:
My name is [_____] and I am reaching out to you to express my interest in [law firm name]. I attended [event name and date] presented by your firm, but did not get the chance to speak with you. I enjoyed the discussion regarding [discuss in 1 sentence a particular topic the speakers or recruiter talked about] and believe that I would be a great fit at [law firm name] after I graduate from law school.
[Alternative if you didn’t attend an event:] My name is [_____] and I am reaching out to you to express my interest in [law firm name]. As part of the legal recruiting process I have been researching many firms and I believe that I would be an excellent fit at [law firm name] after I graduate from law school.
A bit about myself, I am a [2L/3L] law student looking for an associate position starting in [2021/2022]. I am looking for law firms that would best fit my legal experience, skills and interests and I think [law firm name] would be an excellent fit. I have attached my resume, cover letter, transcript and writing sample here for your consideration, but please let me know if there is a separate recruiting portal that I should submit these materials to.
During my time in law school, I have [discuss in 1–2 sentences any journal positions, leadership positions, internships and or another legal job you’ve held], which I believe would be valuable to a law firm. I am especially interested in [discuss in 1 sentence any practice areas you are genuinely interested in, such as real estate] and I have taken [discuss in one sentence any courses related to those practice areas] that I think have prepared me for a future career in this area of the law.
I hope we have an opportunity to speak soon, I am available at your convenience. Please let me know if you have general availability later [this week/next week] and I can arrange a Zoom invite or call you directly at your office number.
4. Random Attorney at a Firm:
My name is [_____] and I am reaching out to you because I saw you are an attorney at [law firm name] which I am planning to apply to shortly. Even though we share no mutual connections, I was hoping to connect with you since you are an experienced attorney at [law firm name] in the [practice group] that I am hoping to join someday.
A bit about myself, I am a [2L/3L] law student looking for an associate position starting in [2021/2022]. I am looking for law firms that would best fit my legal experience, skills and interests and I think [law firm name] would be an excellent fit. During my time in law school, I have [discuss in 1–2 sentences any journal positions, leadership positions, internships and or another legal job you’ve held], which I believe would be valuable to a law firm. I am especially interested in [discuss in 1 sentence any practice areas you are genuinely interested in, such as real estate] and I have taken [discuss in one sentence any courses related to those practice areas] that I think have prepared me for a future career in this area of the law.
I understand that you are likely busy, but I would greatly appreciate if you could take just 10 minutes to talk with me about your experience at [firm name] and any advice you might have about the recruitment process. Alternatively, if you would prefer to pass my materials directly to the firm’s legal recruiter, I’ve attached my resume, cover letter and writing sample here for your convenience.
I hope we have an opportunity to speak soon and I am available at your convenience. Please let me know if you have general availability later [this week/next week] and I can arrange a Zoom invite or call you directly at your office number.
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About the Author
Please connect with me on LinkedIn to learn more about my interests and other writing topics!
Jared Arcari is an associate in the business law department of Goodwin Procter LLP. Jared’s primary practices are in real estate, private investment funds, private equity and startup/tech law. He previously attended Fordham University School of Law (2019) where he served as the president of the Fordham Business & Law Association and the Entrepreneur Law Society. He was also the Notes & Articles Editor at the Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law and Associate Editor at Transaction Advisors. When he isn’t writing about issues facing law students or mentoring law students, he enjoys sharpening his legal skills and learning about new areas of the law particularly in real estate, private investment funds, blockchain and venture capital. To contact the author, please email him at jarcari@goodwinlaw.com.
Disclaimer
Any information contained in this post is for informational purposes only. The information, opinions and commentary contained herein does not constitute legal advice. This post is not a complete overview or analysis of the topics presented and may contain information that varies in different jurisdictions. The transmission of information to the reader does not create a lawyer-client relationship. The reader should not rely upon this post or treat it as a substitute for legal advice.
