EIP

You may be scheduling Preview interviews or looking ahead to EIP. Before you get too far into the process, review the OCS page on Evaluating Firms for Your Own Success. Knowing in advance how to evaluate the firms can help you know what to look for or ask about in your interviews.

Preview interviews may occur in the next few weeks, and some of those interviews could result in offers to join the firm. Our podcast on Early Offers discusses some of the unique considerations to weigh if you receive an offer prior to EIP.

If you still haven’t heard from firms you bid on through Preview, you may be wondering if you should follow up. This is a very busy time for firms, and it may take employers some time to evaluate their applications. We have asked employers to invite students for Preview interviews no later than Friday, July 8.

Be sure to update your tracker as soon as you hear from firms! Our list – which allows you and classmates to track your progress – is only as good as the information we receive.

If you haven’t received any invitations to interview through Preview yet, don’t panic. Remember, different markets and firms work on different timelines. You can check in on the firms on which you bid on the Interview Tracker to see if they have begun extending interview invitations.

Thank you to those who have already registered for EIP. As a result of EIP registration responses and Preview bidding, we have some information to share regarding which markets students are applying to this season.

EIP will be here before you know it. Now is a great time to move on to Leg 6: EIP Bid List in the EIP Roadmap. Your goal in the next few weeks is to put together a list of firms with whom you would like to interview at EIP using the research resources in Leg 3 and the bidding guidance in Leg 6.

Heard from Preview firms? Be sure to update your tracker as soon as you hear from firms.

Now that Preview bidding is complete, ensure you are ready to schedule and manage Preview interviews. It is critical to respond promptly to emails and phone calls from employers. Employers have been asked to schedule interviews around your work schedules. If you are asked to interview during times you have work commitments, you are encouraged to let the firm know that and seek alternate interview times.

Each student participating in EIP Preview should have received a link to their Interview Tracker, a  survey for reporting progress with Preview firms to OCS. Update your Tracker promptly after you hear from firms.

As firms start outreach to students about Preview interviews, make sure your voicemail is set up and professional and that you are checking it frequently. Also be sure to check your spam folder to ensure you do not miss messages from employers.

Many of you have taken advantage of our Market Intelligence reports, podcasts, and resources. We team up with legal recruiters from the various EIP markets to provide these resources. These recruiters can also be a great resource in learning about firms in a given market in greater detail.

Employers will schedule and host your Preview interview(s), and we anticipate that many employers will use Flo Recruit, the same platform we will be using for EIP interviews this August. If you’re not familiar with the system, checkout the 3 Min Student Interview Training Video and test your audio, video, and network connection.

Bidding for EIP Preview closes tomorrow, July 16 at noon ET. Leg 5 of the EIP Roadmap (bit.ly/eiproadmap) has everything you need, including information on how to bid strategically, assess firm selectivity, and enter your bids in CSM.

Firms will receive Preview applications tomorrow after the close of bidding, and interview invitations could begin in the days to come. Firms have been asked to offer interview times outside of business hours. Once your Preview bids are in, turn your attention to understanding how to schedule and manage Preview interviews (Leg 5 of the EIP Roadmap) and interview prep (Leg 4).

Remember that a summer associate program is a chance for you and the firm to determine whether or not there is a good fit. If you find that the firm is not a good fit, your personal circumstances have changed, or your firm does not make offer decisions prior to EIP, you may decide to participate in EIP as a rising 3L.

Bidding for EIP Preview closes this Thursday, July 16 at noon ET. Leg 5 of the EIP Roadmap (bit.ly/eiproadmap) has everything you need, including information on how to bid strategically, assess firm selectivity, and enter your bids in CSM. Be sure to bid using an updated resume that includes this summer’s job.

Remember, we are offering extended drop-in hours this week ahead of the Preview bid deadline on Thursday, including midday, late afternoon and evening hours.

If you are considering applying for a diversity scholarship or fellowship at a law firm, you may have seen that some applications are accepted prior to EIP, while other firms wait and invite their 2L summer offerees to apply. HLS students may begin the application process for these opportunities prior to EIP and outside of Preview (this is an exception to our employer policy prohibiting early interviews).

You may be wondering how firms you interviewed with as a 1L fit into your Preview and EIP plans. Some of you may be in the rare situation where a firm has already given you a 2L summer offer after interviewing you for a 1L position.

Whether an employer requires summer associates or incoming associates to submit to mandatory arbitration for employment-related disputes, including disputes regarding sexual harassment and/or discrimination, may be an important factor for you when evaluating firms.