Fall Recruiting Program FAQ

 

Important Dates 2011 Fall OCI

2011 Fall Early Interview Week Timeline

July 1 - Student review opens
July 7 - Deadline to submit resume for review prior to bid open
July 14 - 19 Bidding Period
July 28 - Aug. 1 Accept Schedule Period (students must log in)
Aug. 2 & 3 Alternate Sign Up (students must log in)
Aug. 15 - 19 Campus Interviews

2011 Fall Recruiting Timeline

Aug. 15 - Student review opens
Aug. 22 -25 - Bidding Period
Sept. 7 - 8 - Accept Schedule Period (students must log in)
Sept. 9 - Alternate Sign Up (students must log in)
Sept 19 - 22 - Campus Interviews

Resume Collection

Dates: TBA
Employers who participate in the resume collection will contact the students directly.

Before Bidding
You MUSTcomplete the 2011 Job Fair/ Fall Recruiting quiz on TWEN and if you have not done so already, meet with your counselor to get your password to Symplicity.

Communication

The email address we have in Symplicity is the email address we will use to update students about OCI over the summer. If using your school email account, please be sure to empty your inbox and deleted items to have sufficient room.

Documents (have these prepared before bidding and if at all possible, save as a PDF before uploading)
Resume - Remember in reporting your GPA/Rank, (1) Truncate GPA, do not round up (2) Summer school grades will not be included in class rank and (3) Do not calculate between the percents (e.g., Top 12%)

Transcript - Employers have agreed to accept unofficial transcripts. Most students copy and paste from the grades web page to create their own transcript. Be sure your transcript includes your name, the name of the school and a cumulative GPA.

Writing Sample - (Try to limit to about 10 pages)

References are rarely requested. If it is, provide a one page document with the name, address, phone, and email of three references who know your work.

Cover Letter - Requests for cover letters are infrequent, but if requested should be customized to the employer, be error free and uploaded.

Symplicity allows students to upload 10 documents. If you need additional space, know that once you have bid with a document, it can be deleted and another document uploaded in its place.

To Upload Documents
Once you have logged into Symplicity:
1. Click on the Documents tab located on the top of the navigational bar.
2. Click on the Add New box to upload a new document.
3. Enter in the title of your document in the Label field.
4. Select a document type.
5. Under File, Click on the Browse button to select a file to upload.
6. Choose the document and click Open.
7. Once you select the document click on the Submit button.
You cannot bid unless you have uploaded all the documents requested by the employer.

Review List and Research Employers Before Bidding on Them
Research:
Hiring Criteria - manage your bids by being close to their criteria
Practice areas (and size of those sections)
Affinity/connection to UH (alums)
Press (good & bad), mergers, office openings/closings, high profile cases - particularly in practice area of interest)
Work environment information

Where to look:
www.martindale.com
Westlaw Legal directories
Texas Legal Directories
Firm Website
NALP Directory
News/Periodicals

2011 Fall Bidding

Maximum Bids/Interview Early Week Fall:
Bids: TBA Interviews: TBA

2011 Fall Bidding

Maximum Bids/Interview Fall Recruiting:
Bids: TBA Interviews: TBA

Resume Collection
*Your OCI maximum number of bids are not reduced by bidding/dropping your resume in the Fall Resume Collection.

To Bid

1. Click on the OCI tab located on the top of the navigational bar.
2. Select the Employers/Bidding Tab.
3. Under Search Filter, either 2011 Fall OCI or 2011 Fall OCI Resume Collection and Show All under Employers. You can also find specific employers by size, type, state, date, practice area, or by entering information into the Keywords field if the employer has filled out the information. Then click the Search button.
4. Review Schedule details by clicking on the Review button to the left of the desired organization.
5. To bid for an employer, click Apply under the Bidding Column.
6. On the right side of the screen under Bid Details, select your documents (from the dropdown lists) that the employer has requested and click Apply.

* In the Default OCI Resume Box you can select one of your resumes to become your default resume for all employers you apply to by clicking Update Default.
If you want to submit an updated resume to all of the employers you bid on click Update All.
*You are also able to update your submitted resume under the Default OCI Resume box by clicking Update Default. This will update your resume on all of your bids.
* Review upcoming dates on the Important Dates sidebar.

Scheduling Interviews

Students must check Symplicity daily for updates of interview offers as the system does not give email notification. Interviews are scheduled on a first-come basis.

Occasionally employers are not timely with their selections. In which case students may be notified of interviews at different times. It is up to each individual student to determine which interviews to schedule and at which times.

When you are notified you have been selected and wish to accept, click on accept. This takes you to the employer schedule. Choose your interview time from available time slots and click sign up. Take your class schedule into consideration when scheduling.

Attire for On-Campus Interviews – Business

Men: Conservative dark-colored suits, conservative ties, shined shoes, clean-shaven and well-groomed hair.
Women: Dark-colored skirt suits, panty hose, closed-toe pumps (no sling backs).

Be Punctual

Arrive in the Career Development Office at least 10 minutes before your interview. Remember parking will be very limited during interview days so plan accordingly.
For call-back interviews, arrive at your interview no more than 10 minutes early (if you are early, don’t hang around the lobby area).

Cancellation Policy
It is in the best interest of both students and the school that students attend all scheduled interviews.
If you must cancel an interview we ask you to do so at least 48 hours in advance.
If you miss an interview, whether as a “no-show” or due to a personal emergency, to remain in good standing and continue to participate in the career programs, you must prepare a letter of apology to each interviewer. Bring the letter to the career office for Dean Beassie’s review and forwarding to the employers within two business days of the interview.

Thank You Notes

We recommend handwritten thank you notes for interviewers and recruiters.
Personalize to each interview interviewer, as they may all end up in one file.
Check for spelling and grammar and try to mail within 24 -48 hours.

Timing of Offers and Decisions
Most firms follow the NALP guidelines for offers. Students can review the relevant Principles and Standards here (www.nalp.org).