Preparing for EIP is a multi-step process that includes updating your materials, researching employers, bidding on firms, practicing your interview stills, managing callbacks, and ultimately deciding on offers. Take some time now to learn about the Early Interview Program and what you’ll need to do before starting your summer job.

Checklist

• Make sure you’re subscribed to the Hire Ground email and are reading new posts regularly.
• Like the OCS Facebook page to ensure you get key EIP information.
• Learn how law firm recruiting and hiring works.
• Evaluate how EIP fits into your career goals.
• Speak with an OCS advisor if you have questions about planning for EIP or your career goals.
• Deadline: April 23. Sign up for the Summer Mock Interview Program. This is an opportunity to practice interviewing and get feedback from an attorney located near your job this summer (even international locations).
• Review the Professionalism section of the OCS website and make sure you put your best foot forward throughout the EIP process.
• Watch  the EIP Orientation video if you missed the live program on March 21.
• Listen to the EIP Overview Podcasts.

Additional Links and Resources

• EIP Information for Joint Degree, Visiting and SJD Students
• EIP Orientation and Market Mixer (see firm list and attendees)

Get the following items out of the way early so you don’t have to worry about them later this summer.

Checklist

• Browse the summer employer receptions in CSM and RSVP to the events/firms that you’re interested in. Check regularly as new receptions are added throughout the summer.
• Listen to the EIP Foundations Podcasts.
• Update your resume.
• Deadline: May 21 – June 22. Participate in the OCS Resume Review Program.
• Take notes on your assignments and significant experiences during the summer job. Your notes will be helpful for interview preparation and conflicts review.
• Listen to our practice area podcasts to learn more about areas of law that may interest you. Learning about practice areas now will help with researching firms and drafting your bid list. 
• Plan out your wardrobe for EIP week and callbacks.
• Prepare other application materials: transcript, list of references, and writing sample with writing sample cover sheet.

Additional Links and Resources

• Networking and Informational Interviewing
• Law Firm Reception Etiquette

Bidding strategy is an important key to EIP success. DO NOT wait until the last minute to research employers and prepare your list. Start working on the Strategic Bidding steps early and give yourself time to reflect and refine your list before bids are due.

Checklist

• Listen to the Research and Strategic Bidding Podcasts.
• View firms that will be participating in EIP using the Employer Directory in CSM.
• Explore the Ask the Market Experts podcasts and market materials for insights about each market.
• Consider additional employers and apply directly to these firms who do not recruit through EIP, including non-EIP firms in mid-sized and large markets.
• Work through the Strategic Bidding page to create your draft bid list.
• Deadline June 5–July 22. Schedule a call with a market expert to learn more about firms in your target locations.
• Schedule a call with an OCS advisor to discuss your bidding strategy.
• Deadline: June 22–July 16. Sign up for the OCS Bid List Review Program.
• Deadline: July 13–July 23 @ 12pm (noon). Bidding for EIP opens. Upload your resume and enter your bids into CSM. There is no submit button for bids; the rankings you have entered at the close of bidding will be entered into the lottery.
• Deadline: July 13–July 23. For students interested in finance. Apply to investment banks through the Finance Employer Resume Collection.
• Deadline: July 23–July 26. Record interview conflicts in CSM.
• Deadline: July 27 @ 12pm–July 28 @ 3pm. Review your interview schedule and drop interviews that you do not wish to attend. This is your last chance to drop EIP interviews.
• Deadline: July 28 @ 12pm–July 30 @ 12pm (noon). Add EIP interviews in CSM.
• Deadline: July 30 @ 12pm. Deadline to upload (or update) your resume and transcript in CSM. The resume you have attached to your bids is what employers will see. Employers will not be given your transcript.
• Deadline: August 6. Apply to EIP Resume Collection firms.

Additional Links and Resources

• Researching Employers
• Ask the Market Experts

Do not underestimate the importance of the EIP screening interview. The interview, more than any other component of your application, is still within your control and can tip the scales in one direction or the other. The key to a successful interview is preparation. Being well-prepared means knowing what you want from a firm, knowing what the firm wants from an associate, and being ready to show the firm that those match. 

Checklist

• Review networking and informational interviewing. Meeting with attorneys and learning about their firms will help you stand out as a candidate at EIP.
• Attend summer receptions at firms that interest you.
• Deadline: July 30–August 2. Sign up for an interview preparation and practice appointment with an OCS advisor.
• Deadline: June – July. Schedule and complete your mock interview through the Summer Mock Interview Program. Review your notes and feedback.
• Review the OCS Interviews and Networking website.
• Familiarize yourself with the costs associated with interviewing.
• Look over your resume and make sure you can speak meaningfully about each entry listed.
• Review interview questions that employer may ask you and you should prepare to ask employers.
• Consult the Employer Directory in CSM to make sure you have the proper firm pronunciation and understand which practice areas are prevalent at your office of interest.
• Know what to expect in an EIP Interview.

Additional Links and Resources

• Ten Tricky Interview Questions
• Interviewing Resources (videos and podcasts)
• Practice interviewing with Interviewstream
• Researching Employers

Complete any last preparation steps now so you can focus on your interviews during EIP week. When EIP week is here you’ll want to know that you’ve set yourself up for success.

Checklist: The week before EIP

• Watch a Bird’s Eye View of the Charles Hotel for a quick overview of what to expect at EIP week and view the hotel layout.
• Listen to the Week Before EIP podcasts.
• Review the Recruiting and Interview  Program Policies.
• Review What to Expect at EIP to get an overview of EIP week, including the format for EIP Interviews.
• Event: August 3 @ 1pm. Attend the EIP Prep Program.

Checklist: Over the Weekend

• Review voicemail greeting and online social media presence.
• Put together a nice looking (i.e. no plastic or paper) portfolio with printed copies of your resumes, references, writing samples and transcripts, so that you can produce them readily upon request. You do not need to use specialty resume paper; regular photocopy paper will suffice.
• Print your schedule or save it to your phone so it is readily at hand, and review your interview schedule, including room assignments.
• Make sure you know the exact pronunciation of the firms’ names.
• Review which firms have hospitality suites and figure out a game plan for visiting those with whom you have interviews or are particularly interested in.
• Plan your commute and leave extra time for traffic, last minute bathroom touch-ups, and elevators (be aware that during EIP, the elevators at the hotel can become overwhelmed). The Charles Hotel is located at 1 Bennett Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (in Harvard Square).
• Pack a pen and paper to record your impressions immediately after your interviews (but do not take notes during your interviews).

Checklist: The Night Before EIP

• Lay out the clothes you plan to wear and ensure clothes are pressed and shoes shined.
• Take care of personal grooming: haircut, shaving, manicure.
• Get plenty of rest.
• The EIP Student Lounge in the Charles Hotel is open from 8am to 6pm daily during EIP. Plan to arrive early on Monday so you have time to orient yourself before your first interview that day.

Additional Links and Resources

• What to Expect at EIP
• Employer Directory in CSM

Get plenty of rest because the week will be hectic. You may be attending dinners and receptions in addition to your interviews, so clear you schedule of other obligations if possible.

Checklist

• Make time for breakfast, even if you are feeling nervous.
• Bring only what you need—there is no bag or coat check—and be prepared to bring your belongings with you or leave them with a friend.
• Check the Daily Add openings to see which firms have available interview slots. The daily add table allows you to add interviews for firms that are at EIP that day and have open slots. The table is open daily from 8:30 to 11:30 am.
• Review the list of EIP Employers and see which ones will have Hospitality Suites.
• Before your interviews, go to the bathroom to check your hair, teeth and overall appearance; turn off your cell phone.
• Remember that employers might not be wearing business attire when they’re not interviewing. Be mindful of your etiquette inside the hotel and around Harvard Square. Maintain your professionalism with every person you encounter, from hotel staff to recruitment staff to your classmates.
• Bookmark What to Expect at EIP for easy reference.
• Visit OCS Advisors and Peer Advisors at the JD Students table for questions, mock interviews, and general check ins. See OCS Resources to learn what’s available to you during EIP.
• Deadline: August 6 @ 12pm (noon). Deadline to bid on Resume Collection firms.
• Start scheduling Callbacks (see below for more information).

Additional Links and Resources

• Sample Responses to Common Firm Emails and Calls
• Recruiting and Interview Program Policies for Students
• Employer Recruiting Policies and Guidelines

Most employers that participate in HLS recruitment programs have a second round of “callback” interviews at their own offices before they make final hiring decisions. A callback interview typically lasts two to four hours and gives the employer the opportunity to evaluate your fit for the firm. Use this time to evaluate firms.

Callbacks Checklist

• Listen to the Callback Interviews Podcast.
• During EIP Week visit the Peer Advisors to report callbacks.
• Complete the Callbacks tracking survey (link will be posted).
• Review sample responses to common emails if you’re not sure how to respond to a message from a firm.
• Review the Callbacks FAQs during EIP so you know what to expect before you receive a callback offer.
• Review preparing for Callbacks for information about logistics, scheduling, what to expect, and advice on callbacks.
• Research your callback firms.

Offers Checklist

• Law firm offers typically stay open for 28 days. Understand the timeline for holding and responding to offers.
• Review the Offers page to learn about evaluating firms, salary and other considerations, second looks, and other variables you should consider before making a decision.
• Watch the Evaluating Offers videos.
• If you want to discuss your options and next steps make an advising appointment.

Additional Links and Resources

• Offers
• Callback Interviews
• Sample Responses to Common Firm Emails and Calls
• Recruiting and Interview Program Policies for Students