Are You Setting Yourself Up For a Résumé Red Flag?

You know how everyone says follow your passion? Well, what if following your passion results in a giant résumé red flag? What then?

Today, we’re thrilled to have Rebecca Shoom — a rising 3L at an Ontario law school who currently works in Toronto — here to explain the unexpected pitfalls she encountered after following a side interest that BigLaw firms didn’t fully appreciate.

Without further ado, here’s Rebecca:

“1L summer is your last taste of freedom — relax, explore an interest, have fun!”

This was the advice given by professors and students alike in my first week of law school. So, that’s exactly what I did.

I planned a summer exploring a side interest I may never have the chance to explore again: international law. I signed up for a spring international law study program abroad, and I scored an internship at a prominent international criminal law organization in The Hague for the two months after the program.

In September I started 2L, fresh from an incredible summer of learning about a fascinating area of law, traveling around Europe, and working in the global centre of international law. I still had every intention of going through the OCI process, expecting to charm my interviewers with exciting stories about my summer experience and land a cushy BigLaw summer associate position.

This naïveté quickly faded when, after several seemingly great OCIs and a résumé packed with work experience and extracurriculars, my phone was silent on call day.

Unintended Consequences of My Summer Away

What no one told me during 1L is that, when it comes to the strategy game that is OCIs, every piece of experience can have unanticipated connotations and repercussions. Law firms will look for any indication that you may not be the wisest investment for them (and really, with the huge number of applicants, who can blame them?).

I tracked down some of the interviewers with whom I thought I had connected particularly well, and they all said the same thing:

The international experience gave the impression that I was more interested in going abroad and doing international law than working at a domestic firm.

Essentially, I seemed to be a flight risk, despite my assertions to the contrary. It was devastating, and it felt like people were making judgments that were completely out of my control.

How could no one have warned me about this happening?

All is Not Lost!

As I write this, I am currently summering in a coveted corporate litigation-related position with the option to article. With a lot of self-reflection, research, and networking, and a tiny bit of desperation, I am happier than ever.

Do I regret my 1L summer choices? Not for a second.

Here are my tips for taking control of your job search and overcoming these potential roadblocks in your résumé:

1. Identify possible warning signs early. Look through your résumé, and try to assess whether certain experiences could be a cause of concern for interviewers. Are you trying to work at a big private firm, but you have international experience? Are you expressing an interest in corporate law, but you have some involvement with criminal or family law-related activities? Are you trying to get a job in a city to which you have no real ties? All of these things could concern law firms, and knowing your “weaknesses” in advance is much better than being surprised later.
2. Take the offensive in addressing any warning signs. Instead of playing the defensive and making excuses or rationalizations only when questioned on these experiences, address them head on in your cover letter and portray them in a positive light before any negative connotations can even be perceived. It’s better than waiting for interviewers to question you on them as a way of testing the waters.
3. Don’t lie! There is a big difference between presenting a possibly troublesome experience in a positive light and trying to claim you have no interest in something when you really do (or vice versa). If you are interviewing at a full service firm and you have worked in a correctional law clinic and competed in a criminal law moot, claiming that you have no interest at all in criminal law will not be believable. These interviewers have seen dozens, if not hundreds, of students, and they know all the tricks — they will sense your lies immediately. If pressed, better to accept it but have a solid explanation for why you still do have interest in their firm.
4. If you don’t get a job from OCIs, don’t panic! Research, talk to professors and career services resources, get in touch with any contacts, network like crazy. If you find a firm that interests you, look at their firm directory and find a lawyer that either went to your law school or practices in an area of interest, and contact them to set up an informational interview about the firm, their practice, and their path to where they are now (NOT to ask about any job opportunities!). If you get an interview at a firm, get in touch with one of their current students or junior associates to get more information on their experience. Making contacts, expressing interest, and showing ambition will go a long way.
5. Learn something from every interview. If you interview and do not get the job, sit down and figure out what went wrong (sometimes it’s nothing — sometimes, there are just more great candidates than they can accept). Get in touch with your interviewer(s) or the student director and ask if they have any constructive feedback so that you may improve next time. Make a solid effort to practice and improve with each interview, and your hard work will pay off!

— – —

Thanks, Rebecca! As someone with a previous graduate degree in architecture, I definitely second the suggestion to be prepared in advance with a good explanation for weird things on your résumé…it’s not as if they won’t come up.

Read On:

More BigLaw job hunting advice ahead!

• What is OCI? The Basics
• 7 Ways to Stay Sane During OCI
• BigLaw Callback Interview Tips
• How to Conduct Great Informational Interviews

Got OCI questions? Leave them in the comments!

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