Welcome to Recruiting!
The Career Center is in full swing preparing
for 2019 On-Campus and Off-Campus Recruiting Interview Programs, job fairs, and
other activity generated by employers who are interested in interviewing WashULaw
students this summer and fall.
It is highly recommended that you submit your resume and cover letter for review with a member of the Career Center team. You can do so by EMAILING your resume & cover letter (with your 1L summer job). And now would be a good time to Schedule a 10 minute check-in to get on track with direct applications, networking, and more. Early morning, evening, and weekend virtual meetings available. Please do not delay in getting your materials reviewed and finalized; otherwise, you run the risk of not having them ready by the June deadlines. Watch for announcements regarding resume review programs, early resume drops and direct sends. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the Summer Mock Interview Program. The best way to be prepared it to stay prepared.
Who’s Recruiting WashULaw Students?
The list of employers participating in the various interview programs will be available to you June 1st. Note that there will be additions to the On-Campus Interview and Walk Around program employer lists as the summer progresses. Symplicity, the Career Center Blog and emails will be the place to check for updated information.
To maximize opportunities for future employment, your participation in “formal” recruiting programs such as OCI and Off-Campus programs, should be in addition to conducting an independent, self-directed job search simultaneously. Your job search should be as individual as you are; do not fall into the trap of comparing yourself to other students or to those who went before you. The happiest of lawyers are those who spent time on self-reflection before dedicating their efforts to finding a job and learned about the hiring cycles of the organizations they were interested in so that they did not miss opportunities. The best job for you is one that meets your requirements and will provide an environment in which you can thrive.
For a list of important recruiting dates and deadlines CLICK HERE.
Registering for MCGC Interview Programs
To participate, register at https://law-midwestcali-csm.symplicity.com. NOTE: This is a separate Symplicity website from the one you typically use. You must enter all of your contact information but please make sure the information below is correct. This will allow you to see the employers that are seeking to hire students within your class year.
- Year in school (must be accurate): Class of 2021 = 2L; Class of 2020 = 3L
- ALL students need to register for an MCGC account regardless of your participation last year.
Once you register an email will be sent to you asking you to verify that you DID in fact register for an account through the MCGC Symplicity. When you get the email you NEED to click on the link to verify that you did request a Symplicity account. On June 1: You will receive an email with your MCGC log in information (username and password). This password will EXPIRE WITHIN 24 HOURS. Your username is your law school email address.
LOG IN at https://law-midwestcali-csm.symplicity.com. At the Symplicity log in screen, click on “Students/Alumni.” You will then be prompted to enter a username and password. Your username is your law school email address.
PROFILE: Once you log in you will be directed to the MCGC Symplicity homepage. Click on the “Profile” tab to complete and/or verify your information. If you are having trouble updating your contact information, please contact the Career Center at lawcareers@umn.edu.
DOCUMENTS: Have your documents reviewed in plenty of time for the July 2 at 3:00 p.m. CDT / 1:00 p.m. PDT bid deadline.Once you are ready to upload documentsin Symplicity, select the documents tab, create a label for the document, select the document type, browse your computer for the correct file, and select upload. Documents will vary depending on the employer. In general, you should be prepared to upload the following documents:
- resume (1 page is strongly recommended)
- short writing sample (5-10 pages)
- Word document of your unofficial transcript. DO NOT attempt to upload an official transcript.
- cover letters for employers who request them
Each document should have a logical label such as “[Firm Name] Cover Letter.” It is your responsibility to preview your documents and ensure they look correct when uploaded.
BIDDING (APPLYING): To apply, you must place a “Bid” in Symplicity.The deadline is July 2 at 3:00 p.m. CDT /1:00 p.m. PDT to apply and to make any changes to your MCGC materials. Proceed to the OCI tab on https://lawmidwestcali-csm.symplicity.com and select the appropriate session from the Session drop down menu. You will only see employers that are recruiting your class year. DO NOT wait until the last minute because the servers may be very slow.
2019 Session Choices:
- Washington D.C. 7/23 – The St. Gregory Hotel
- New York 7/25 – Doubletree by Hilton Metropolitan New York
- Chicago 8/5 – Embassy Suites Downtown Magnificent Mile
- Houston (Walk Around) 8/7 – Firm Offices
NOTE: To view all of the employers interviewing your class year, you must go to each “Session” from the drop down menu as pictured to the right.
Registering for SEMW Interview Programs
To participate, register at https://law-semw-csm.symplicity.com/students/ . NOTE: This is a separate Symplicity website from the one you typically use. You must enter all of your contact information but please make sure the information below is correct. This will allow you to see the employers that are seeking to hire students within your class year.
Once you register an email will be sent to you asking you to verify that you DID in fact register for an account through the SEMW Symplicity. When you get the email you NEED to click on the link to verify that you did request a Symplicity account. On June 1: You will receive an email with your SEMW log in information (username and password). This password will EXPIRE WITHIN 24 HOURS. Your username is your law school email address.
- Year in school (must be accurate): Class of 2021 = 2L; Class of 2020 = 3L
- ALL students need to register for an MCGC account regardless of your participation last year.
2019 Sessions Choices:
- New York 7/29 & 7/30 – The London NYC
- Atlanta 8/9 – TBD (Bidding Opens JULY 2)
BIDDING (APPLYING): To apply, you must place a “Bid” in Symplicity.The deadline for NY is July 4 at 11:00 p.m. CDT to apply and to make any changes to your SEMW materials. Proceed to the OCI tab on https://law-semw-csm.symplicity.com/students/ and select the appropriate session from the Session drop down menu. You will only see employers that are recruiting your class year. DO NOT wait until the last minute because the servers may be very slow.
Early Interview & On-Campus Interview Programs
The Early Interview and On-Campus Interview (OCI) programs are events that occurs at most law schools across the country during the months of August, September and October. Legal employers visit law school campuses for the purpose of interviewing students for summer and permanent legal positions. The majority of the employer participants are mid-sized to large law firms and government agencies that are able to predict their hiring needs several months ahead of time and who have the resources to conduct interviews at law schools around the area and across the country. Some boutique firms, government agencies and public interest employers may participate as well.
We use the web-based Symplicity system to administer recruiting programs, including on-campus interview programs, walk arounds, resume collects & direct sends: https://shibboleth-law-wustl-csm.symplicity.com/sso/. You will use Symplicity to upload your cover letters, resumes, additional requested documents, “bid” for employers, view your interview schedule and identify employers who are in the Resume Collect and Direct Send programs.
You should check the employer list carefully and often when determining if OCI is right for you. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of paying attention to detail as you go through the OCI process, as well as the importance of researching employers carefully before you submit your materials to them. There is no “magic” ratio of submissions to interviews, so don’t feel the need to submit materials to as many employers as you can to increase your odds. You’re much better off targeting selected employers based on the skills and experience you provide, geographic preference, and practice area.
Bid Limits for Early Interview Week
You may submit bids for up to 50 employers for the Early Interview Program on-campus interviews (this limit only applies to Early Interview Week employers). This limitation has been set to ensure that the maximum possible number of students have the potential to receive meaningful interview opportunities. If you encounter difficulty with limiting your bids, please speak with the Career Center for guidance. Submitting a resume for an employer for whom you have no real interest may deprive someone sincerely interested in the employer the opportunity to interview. We ask candidates with strong credentials to be especially considerate in this manner. Please work with the CC to determine the best bidding strategy for you.
To view all summer recruiting important dates click HERE.