{"id":5,"date":"2018-05-18T15:00:09","date_gmt":"2018-05-18T19:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/?p=5"},"modified":"2019-03-29T11:32:50","modified_gmt":"2019-03-29T15:32:50","slug":"some-frequently-asked-questions-about-oci-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/2018\/05\/18\/some-frequently-asked-questions-about-oci-answered\/","title":{"rendered":"Some frequently asked questions about OCI . . . answered!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Summer is OCI season, and we know you have lots of questions now, and more will come up along the way.\u00a0 We will be updating this list frequently, so please send your questions to Blair Edwards, <a href=\"mailto:edwards2@bu.edu\">edwards2@bu.edu<\/a>, and we&#8217;ll post anonymously with answers here.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What employers are coming?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The participating OCI employers will be viewable on Symplicity in May.\u00a0 The employers participating in the off-campus programs will be viewable on June 12.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Is OCI just \u201cBigLaw\u201d?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>No.\u00a0 Participating OCI employers include smaller regional firms, as well as some government agencies and non-profits, although the majority of participants are large law firms.\u00a0 Review the list of participating employers carefully to make sure you don\u2019t overlook any employers you might be interested in.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What does it mean to \u201cbid\u201d for an employer?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cBidding\u201d is just another word for applying.\u00a0 To bid for an employer is to submit your application materials to the employer via Symplicity.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>How many employers should I bid on?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That is entirely up to you. While there is no limit to the number of employers you can bid on, you should only bid for those employers you would like to work for.\u00a0 Because OCI is often the best opportunity to get an interview with many of these employers, you should probably err on the side of more bids, rather than fewer.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>How do I bid?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>After you have uploaded your resume to VMock, and had it reviewed by your CDO advisor, simply upload it (and any supporting documents, such as a cover letter and grade sheet) to Symplicity, and select the appropriate documents to bid for a particular employer, just like applying for any other job on Symplicity.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What about off-campus programs?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The off-campus programs and employers are ON A SEPARATE SYMPLICITY SITE, because those programs are run in conjunction with other law schools.\u00a0 You will receive login information for that site.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>How can I tell firms apart?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now is the time to research employers to find out what each one does, and what it does better than its competitors.\u00a0 Many firms focus on a few practice areas (corporate, IP, litigation, etc.), so spend some time to figure out which firms\u2019 areas match your interests.\u00a0 Review the firms\u2019 web sites, read reviews on Vault.com, Chambers, etc.\u00a0 But most of all, talk to lawyers who work there and get a sense from them of both the firm\u2019s strengths and its culture.\u00a0 This will help you, at least initially, in determining which employers you\u2019d like to bid on.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Does networking matter?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Absolutely.\u00a0 Attend the firms\u2019 networking receptions, which they hold in most cities in which they have an office, across the country.\u00a0 (Attendance is tracked!) The CDO Monday emails will include upcoming reception information, and it is on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/current-students\/career-development\/employment-sectors\/private-sector\/employer-receptions-outreach\/\">CDO<\/a> website, as well.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to the receptions, reaching out to lawyers at the firm who are BU alums, or alums of your undergrad, or who have a practice area you\u2019re interested in,\u00a0can be a valuable resource.\u00a0 Review the \u201cInformational Interviewing\u201d page on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/current-students\/career-development\/networking\/informational-interviews\/\">CDO website<\/a> for tips on how to do this outreach.\u00a0 Most attorneys will be happy to talk to you about their firm and their practice.\u00a0 This will give you not only good information to use in interviews (\u201cWhen I talked to so-and-so about the firm, I learned . . .\u201d), and will also help you figure out which firms might be right for you.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Should I go to firm receptions?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yes!\u00a0 These receptions not only give you an easy opportunity to meet several attorneys at the firm to learn more about it, but firms also keep track of who goes to these receptions.\u00a0 The attorneys you make a good impression on will sometimes mention that to recruiters, and they keep track of that, too.\u00a0 In other words, firm receptions can both make the firm stand out for you, and make you stand out for the firm.\u00a0 Positive interactions at and after firm receptions can make the difference between getting an interview or not, getting the callback or not, or getting the offer or not.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>What if I\u2019m in a city this summer without any receptions for me to go to?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can still make a good impression with the firm.\u00a0 Recruiting contacts are usually listed on the firm\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/nalpdirectory.com\/\">NALP Directory<\/a> page, and you can reach out to the recruiter and explain your interest in the firm.\u00a0 You can also reach out directly to attorneys in the office you\u2019re interested in, and set up a time for a phone call.\u00a0 This initiative is something that firms notice and appreciate, and it can make a difference, too.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>How do I apply to firms or offices that are not participating in OCI or an off-campus program?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You will need to make a connection with the firm or that particular office soon.\u00a0 Find an attorney in the office you\u2019re interested in, reach out for an informational interview, and try to build that relationship.\u00a0 Reach out to the firm\u2019s recruiter, too, to explain your interest.\u00a0 Apply through the firm\u2019s website (most large firms have a web portal for submitting resumes and cover letters), and then follow up with the attorney and recruiter to let them know you\u2019ve applied.\u00a0 It can be difficult to stand out from the crowd when applying directly to non-OCI firms, but your efforts ahead of time to make yourself known can go a long way.<\/p>\n<p>Every year, students successfully land jobs at large firms outside of OCI and off-campus programs through direct applications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summer is OCI season, and we know you have lots of questions now, and more will come up along the way.\u00a0 We will be updating this list frequently, so please send your questions to Blair Edwards, edwards2@bu.edu, and we&#8217;ll post anonymously with answers here. What employers are coming? The participating OCI employers will be viewable &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/2018\/05\/18\/some-frequently-asked-questions-about-oci-answered\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Some frequently asked questions about OCI . . . answered!&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4969,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4969"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions\/84"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ociblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}