On-Campus Interviews take place during the middle and end of August and usually go through the first week of September. During this time medium and large size firms from the Twin Cities Metro come to UST Law and interview 2L and 3L students for Summer Associate and Associate positions. The process is fairly competitive because the law firms are not just interview UST Law students but usually students from all for metro schools and some of the larger firms are interviewing nationwide.
The process is fairly straight forward. During June and July employers will register with the CPD office to conduct on-campus interviews. Once employer registration is over students will have the opportunity to apply (known as bidding in OCI) to the firms they wish to interview with. I will pass along our students' applications to the firms in August and they will choose between 7 and 18 students to interview at UST Law. The initial interviews usually last between 20 and 30 minutes. After the initial interviews firms will select which of the students they want to invite to their firm for a callback interview. A callback interview usually lasts about half-a-day and includes a breakfast, lunch or dinner meeting. After all of their callback interviews are complete the firm will make select which students will become Summer Associates.
A Summer Associate usually works for 8 to 10 weeks during the summer between their 2L and 3L year. At the end of the summer law firms will make a decide if they want to offer you a full-time position after graduation.
April 16: OCI Boot Camp for Section B
April 17: OCI Boot Camp for Section A
July 30th: Student Bidding Begins
Monday August 6th, 5:00-7:00pm: OCI Reception (Please RSVP in Symplicity)
August 7th: Student Bidding Ends
August 10th: First day to view if you have been selected to interview or as an alternate
August 15th: Interviews Begin
August 17th: Last day to accept an interview
Interested in participating in Fall 2013 OCI? Register now for the required OCI Boot Camp being held Tuesday, April 16 (Section B) and Wednesday, April 17 (Section A) from 3:00 to 5:30 pm. Please RSVP in Symplicity so we can get an accurate count and create the small groups we will be using for these workshops. The deadline to RSVP is Friday, April 12.
This year we will be using a workshop model for the OCI Boot Camp. We have planned four seperate sessions to help you prepare and decide if OCI is the right process for you. The four sessions are: Using Symplicity for OCI, OCI Application Materials, OCI Interview Skills and OCI Tips from Students.
Remember: this is a required training if you intend to participate in OCI, plus you won’t want to miss it because of the incredible job search skills you will learn. We promise it will be both incredibly fun AND full of great content! If you are unable to attend please contact Dan Winterlin at daniel.winterlin@stthoma.edu as soon as possible.
| When | What | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Now |
Research potential target employers with whom you'd like to interview |
The best way to learn about employers in the area is to talk to people directly! Email CPD for a list of UST students and alumni who have worked or do work for some of these employers. Web site resources: |
|
This summer |
Start preparing application materials:
|
Web site resources: |
|
This summer |
Meet with Kendra to review your resume |
Resume should include summer job. Also, try to plan ahead and meet with CPD early to avoid scheduling challenges. Click here to schedule an appointment. |
|
7/31/13 |
Student Bidding Begins |
The bidding (applying) period goes from 7/31/13 to 8/6/13. |
|
7/31/13 |
RSVP for OCI Employer Reception in Symplicity |
This is the deadline to RSVP for the OCI Employer Reception. The OCI Employer Reception will be Monday, August 5 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. |
|
Early August |
Schedule a mock interview |
Once all interviewers have been confirmed, you will find this information available on Symplicity. Detailed instructions will be available later this summer. |
|
8/5/13 |
Deadline to sign and return "OCI Student Acknowledgement Form" to CPD |
|
|
8/5/13 from 5:00-7:00pm |
Attend Employer Reception |
The OCI Employer Reception is a chance to meet attorneys from the firms thatare participating in fall RSVP in Symplicity required |
| 8/9/13 at Noon | Deadline to apply (bid) for Fall 2013 OCI |
|
|
8/14/13 |
Review invitation status and begin scheduling interviews |
|
|
Starting 8/14/13 |
Prepare for your interview |
Web site resources: |
|
Day of Interview |
Bring hard copies of all relevant documents to your interview |
Web site resources: |
|
Post-Interview |
Follow up with interviewer(s) and notify CPD of any callbacks, offers and acceptances |
|
|
By 10/31/13 |
Complete CPD's OCI follow-up survey |
This is a requirement for participating in OCI. |
1. Log onto: https://law-stthomas-csm.symplicity.com/students
2. Log in with your St. Thomas username and password (the same username and password as your UST email).
3. If you have not already uploaded your Resume:
Click on My Documents at the top on the Symplicity toobar.
Click on Add New.
Click on the Document Type and browse for the file.
Note: Symplicity will not accept any file that is larger than 200kb. If you are having trouble with your file email lawcareers@stthomas.edu.
3. Click on the OCI tab at the top of the Symplicity toolbar.
4. Click on the Employers/Bidding/Application tab (Symplicity will default to the last tab you were on).
5. Click on Review next to an employer you are interested in bidding.
6. Once bidding begins on July 30th you will be able to select your application materials on the right hand side of the Employer's OCI Schedule.
7. After you have selected your documents click "Apply".
After past OCI seasons, CPD surveyed the students who went through OCI, asking them what advice they would give to students going through OCI in the future. We have information that will help you understand how each firm handled its interview process in the past. You can access this confidential information through Symplicity. In order to be as candid as possible to we do not make this information public.
To get to the OCI Tips from Students please log into the Symplicity Document Library and select OCI as document Type.
Some employers do not interview on campus, but they still accept resumes from our students. For these employers, you will need to upload your materials through Symplicity and bid just as you would for those employers interviewing on campus. The application process is identical, and the deadlines are still the same, but you will notice that there is no interview date listed. The employers will contact you directly if they’d like to follow up with an interview.
Remember, you're welcome to come to CPD for a resume review anytime this summer. Start early so you can get an appointment without any delay!
Consertative business attire as many legal employers maintain traditional dress codes.
Arrive at least 10 minutes before your interview and wait in the waiting area. The waiting area for rooms 125 and 138 is located in the Student Services Suite (MSL 124). If you are interviewing in MSL 173 there will be chairs available outside of the room. Unless specified otherwise the interviewer will come out and get you when they are ready.
Interviews will take place throughout the St. Thomas School of Law. To find which room your interview will be in please check Symplicity. Interview rooms may change last minute. Stop by the front desk in the Student Services Suite (MSL 124) to verify the room.
As a St. Thomas Law student, you are required to report your summer employment to the Office of Career and Professional Development. Therefore, you should respond promptly to all Career and Professional Development email requests for employment status or notify CPD as soon as possible of your summer employment status.
You are expected to attend all interviews for which you sign up. If you need to cancel an interview, you need to give at least 2 full business day's notice before the interview date. Please only cancel interview in the case of an emergency. If you have to cancel an interview, you will need to provide a written explanation and apology along with the cancellation notice to the employer.