Preparing for OCIs (on campus interviews) can be intimidating. In just 20 minutes, interviewers will evaluate you to see whether you’re a good fit for their firm and its culture. You’ll want to effectively communicate why you want to work for the firm and showcase how you would be a good colleague. To help you get the callback, we’ve put together this list of top tips for OCIs.
- Practice, practice, practice
During an OCI interview, your interviewer will be evaluating your face-to-face communication skills. Practicing interviewing in advance is a great way to polish those skills. Many law schools offer practice interviews with their career services office, but you can also ask professors, peers, and even family members to help you practice with a mock interview. The more practice you have talking about your resume and your goals, the more comfortable you’ll feel during the actual interview.
- Do your research
While many BigLaw firms have lots of things in common, their differences are key. After all, firms have intentionally developed unique structures, organizations, and programs to work toward their goals — and they expect you to recognize that! The firm’s webpage is a great place to start, but you’ll probably want to go beyond that. One top tip for OCI interviews is to reach out to law school alumni at the firm in order to learn about what makes the firm unique.
- Know your answers to the common questions
Many OCI interviews begin with: “Tell me about yourself.” A good answer will explain both why you’re interested in the firm and why you’re a good fit. You don’t need to memorize your response, but you’ll want to at least come up with an outline of your answer in advance. You’ll also get asked questions about your resume, so make sure you know it like the back of your hand. Also, make sure you have an answer for why you want to work in a particular city.
- Prepare questions in advance
It’s great if you can generate questions for your interviewer on the fly, but it’s always a good idea to have some questions prepared in advance. Asking good questions shows your interest in the firm and can be the difference between receiving a callback interview or not. You should come up with enough questions to fill 5-10 minutes at the end of the interview. If you’re not sure what to ask about, consider questions about the summer associate program, work assignments, and lawyer’s experiences at the firm. The more you can tailor questions to your interviewer and/or your interests, the better!
- Remember that you’re also interviewing the firm
The OCI process is all about finding the right fit. Not every firm will be a good fit for you, and that’s okay! Remember that you’re also gathering information about the firm and the attorneys that work there from your interviewer. If you get a bad feeling or have an unpleasant experience, just be grateful you learned that during the interview and not after you’ve been hired!
