Believe it or not, Bitter Lawyer has provided cutting-edge, umm, advice for years. And not all of it has to do with showering with partners or shagging associates. Honest. Which is why, with on-campus interviews starting this week at most law schools, we go a bit soft and pull out bitter highlights of past advice for law students. Who else tells it like it is? Actually, don’t answer that.
Confessions of OCI Hiring Partners
Two years ago, we interviewed law firm hiring partners and produced a three-part series: OCI Hiring Partners Tell All. The highlights include resume padding, favorite interview questions, recovering from disaster, and whether good looks and thank-you notes really matter.
- OCI Hiring Partners Tell All. Catching an applicant in a lie, favorite interview questions, and what you wish you knew then that you only know now.
- OCI Hiring Partners Tell All: Part 2. Hiring partners’ worst interviews, including dealing with cocky name-droppers, admitting to sexism in an interview, and what to do if you bomb the interview in the first five minutes.
- OCI Hiring Partners Tell All: Part 3. Manners and looks. As in, do good looks actually matter? And is the handwritten thank-you note a relic of the 1990’s?
Advice from an Ex-Bitter
Ex-Bitter has, at last count, been providing bitter-pill advice for more than three years and has compiled more than 150 pieces of questionable advice. We list some of the questions he’s received below, along with his opinions about law jobs, job interviews, and OCI. Don’t see what you need? Just ask Ex-Bitter.
- I Need a Writing Sample for a Law Firm Job
- I Want a Job But Have No Legal Experience
- I’m T1, But Am I Good Enough?
- I’m Nervous My Offer will be Rescinded
- I Want My Chance at a Top Firm
- I Wonder if 2L Grades Matter
- I Need a Job
- I’m Waiting for an Offer
- I Want to Lie on My Resume
- I Need a Good Interview Response
- I’m Unsure How to Handle an OCI Situation
- I Forgot my Portfolio at an OCI
Law Student Lists
We’ve been compiling useless Bitter Lawyer lists for years. Between the snark, however, there’s some actual value, including how to network, what to wear, and who you may meet along the way. Some highlights:
- Nine Interview Don’ts
- Five Worst Kiss-Ass Questions Asked at OCIs
- Bitter Style: Fashion Tips for Interviews
- Seven Tricks of Law School Networking 101
Nick Conley, Living the Dream
We’d be remiss (and wouldn’t be serving our haters out there) if we didn’t try to pawn off another Living the Dream episode, at least to insert some humor into the whole job interview and search process. If you watch only the first two minutes, watch Nick at his initial interview where he admits he “didn’t exactly get into Harvard.”