Tips on Getting an Offer
By Anonymous • June 11, 2007•Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
The author is a recent graduate who got the job offer she wanted at the end of her summer internship at a firm.
1. You're not getting paid to check your Facebook account. Or get your seminar paper published. Don't use your hours at work for personal tasks. I'd say occasional checking of email is fine, but be respectful of the fact that you are getting paid to actually work this summer.
2. Be social. You're building a reputation as both a hard worker and a pleasant person to work with. It's important to go to lunches and chat up the partners.
3. Don't drink excessively. You've heard the horror stories--some are myths, some are true. You don't want to be the subject of the next "Did you hear about that summer associate" story.
4. Leave your competitiveness at home. There's simply nothing to be gained by putting yourself in competition with the other summers. That is, unless your firm is making offers to only half the class. If that's the case, well, you know the drill.
5. Ideally, you want your work to stand out. You want the attorneys you work with to remember you so that when you return, you'll get the plum assignments.
1. You're not getting paid to check your Facebook account. Or get your seminar paper published. Don't use your hours at work for personal tasks. I'd say occasional checking of email is fine, but be respectful of the fact that you are getting paid to actually work this summer.
2. Be social. You're building a reputation as both a hard worker and a pleasant person to work with. It's important to go to lunches and chat up the partners.
3. Don't drink excessively. You've heard the horror stories--some are myths, some are true. You don't want to be the subject of the next "Did you hear about that summer associate" story.
4. Leave your competitiveness at home. There's simply nothing to be gained by putting yourself in competition with the other summers. That is, unless your firm is making offers to only half the class. If that's the case, well, you know the drill.
5. Ideally, you want your work to stand out. You want the attorneys you work with to remember you so that when you return, you'll get the plum assignments.
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4 Comments
one_elle June 13, 2007
Good stuff here—especially the facebook thing. Employers notice! Either that or always clear your browser's cache at work:)
Does anyone think the same carries over to nonpaid public interest/government?
ptlawmom June 14, 2007
First, don't be fooled. The IT department monitors every keystroke. However, as a highly paid summer, they really don't care unless you're billing clients for the time you're actually surfing. If you're getting your work done, they're happy. Just don't put stuff about the firm on your Facebook/MySpace page.
http://ptlawmom.com
KHernan881 June 14, 2007
I'd echo the point about drinking. Also, if you are not a drinker - don't drink. Now is not the time to find out if your stomach can take vodka well or how you behave after a few too many. Be grown up and just refuse to do the shots.
sintecho June 16, 2007
I think it's even more important to work hard at government or public service jobs because unlike firm summer jobs, where most if not all summers can expect to get offers of employment, government/public service jobs have fewer slots, and it's more important to stand out. Friends I've had who've worked for the DOJ their 1 or 2L summers got invitations to apply for DOJ Honors (that turned into coveted DOJ Honors jobs) after doing really exceptional summer work that earned them notice from their supervisors (who have a say in who gets hired for DOJ Honors). Their co-workers, who slacked off more and took less initiative, weren't so lucky. The same is true for at least some DA's offices (where getting noticed as a summer can give you an edge when you apply for a job). I'm sure it's the same for a lot of other public service/government jobs. Also, even if you don't want to apply for a job at the organization where you're summering, your supervisor is going to be the person you turn to for recommendations for clerkships or the job you do want. If you stand out as a hard worker with integrity, you're more likely to get a glowing recommendation by an advocate than a run-of-the-mill lukewarm recommendation from a supervisor who hardly remembers your work.