Save the Dates

Upcoming Off-Campus Recruiting Events:

Southeast Intellectual Property Job Fair (SIPJF)
Atlanta, GA law.gsu.edu/careers/sipjf
Registration Now Open—DEADLINE Wednesday, April 29

Southeastern Minority Job Fair (SEMJF), July 31 - Aug. 1,
Atlanta, GA Registration: May 8 - May 29 http://www.semjf.org/

Southeastern Law Placement Consortium (SELPC),
Aug. 15 - Atlanta, GA. Look for registration in June
http://www.selpc.org/ DEADLINE - July 8

Mid-Atlantic Legal Recruiting Conference (MALRC),
Aug. 15 - Washington D.C. Look for registration deadline in
early July

LGBT Annual Career Fair & Conference
Thursday, Sept. 10 – Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009
New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
Early registration pricing in effect until July 31st.
LGBTbar.org/Annual

Equal Justice Works Conference & Career Fair
Look for registration in Mid-July
www.equaljusticeworks.org/events/ccf/general

IMPACT Career Fair, Aug. 7 - Arlington, VA
Register: www.law.arizona.edu/Career/Impact/
studentregistrationintro.cfm DEADLINE - July 5

OTHER 2009 Job Fairs:
July 19-25 National Black Prosecutors Association Job Fair,
Memphis, TN
July 30-31 Loyola Chicago Patent Law Interview Program,
Chicago, IL
Aug. 7-8 Heartland Diversity Job Fair, Kansas City, MO
Aug. 13 Boston Lawyers Group Job Fair, Boston, MA
Aug. 14-15 Minnesota Minority Recruitment Conference,
Minneapolis, MN
Sept. 2-6 Hispanic National Bar Association’s Annual
Convention & Job Fair, Albequerque, NM
Sept. 10-12 Lavender Law, Brooklyn, NY
Indianapolis Bar Association - Diversity Job Fair
Aug. 6-7, Indianapolis, IN
Registration Now Open— DEADLINE July 10
law-indybar-csm.symplicity.com/students

Five Tips For Becoming An Opportunity Maker

The article, Five Tips for Becoming an Opportunity Maker By Ari L. Kaplan, Esq. is an excellent must-read for law students. In the article, Kaplan notes that while "on-campus interviewing is over ... the real fun begins. Whether the process was successful or not, here is a secret: you have more control over your career destiny than you realize. The key to success in the law is using your time in law school wisely because you will not have a similar chance again. Those who plant the seeds for opportunities that will materialize as soon as next summer and over the span of a lifetime are destined for success.

To read the entire article including the FIVE TIPS, click here.

What Is The Patent Bar And What Do I Need To Know?

Come by the CCS and pick up information about the Patent Bar provided by PLI (Practising Law Institute). The information includes scholarships, career briefings, and patent bar review information.

Six New Fellowships Available To Students

What is a fellowship?

A fellowship is a monetary award (scholarships), connected to working in a specific field. Selected students complete extra training in a field or have funding to continue research without having to devote time to working outside their field, or to resorting to additional loans for support. The duration of a fellowship can be one year or longer, depending on the opportunity. Since fellowships often involve working in your area of study, garnering one can kickstart a career and make an impressive addition to a resume. Working with professionals, receiving mentoring and making connections in your chosen field and geographical location often leads to job offers and better career opportunities in the future.

Stop by the CCS or email and request a copy of the most recent list of amazing fellowships available.

1) Georgetown Law Center Clinical Fellowships
2) Staff Attorney/Graduate Teaching Fellow First Amendment & Media Law
3) Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship Program ("WLPPFP")
4) The Greenwall Fellowship Program in Bioethics and Health Policy
5) The Villers Fellowship Villers Fellows
6) The Wellstone Fellowship

Building Relationships ... NOT Soliciting Work

Career Services Offices and legal employers across the nation have one truth in common. We all know that "informational interviewing, a/k/a networking, is the most effective job search technique for many law students, as well as graduates." Take a moment and read the article written by Linda E. Laufer, Director of Career Development - Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. In this helpful article, Ms. Laufer discusses that networking, when conducted properly, " [is]much more than a job search method. It is a way to build relationships that can last throughout your career." For helpful advice, tips, and motivation to begin your own networking campaign, take the first step by reading this article.

Are you looking for your 3L timeline?

Did you miss Thursday's program, OMG . . . I'm a 3L!?!?!?!

To get a copy of the 3L Timeline, send an email to Jessie. Make your counseling appointment today to start your job search early. We look forward to working with you!

FAQ ... How Do I See A Counselor?

Answer: The Center For Career Services Counselors are available and ready to meet with you to discuss your career planning. If you have a quick question, feel free to stop in during Walk In Hours to meet with the "on call" counselor. Walk In Hours are available Monday-Thursday from (9-3) If you have a more specific question about your resume, cover letter, career planning, upcoming interview, you name it . . . . feel free to make an appointment with a Counselor by:

• Emailing careers@law.ufl.edu with some of your available dates and times to meet
• Stopping by the CCS (244 Bruton-Geer) to schedule an appointment
• Calling the office to discuss setting up an appointment (273-0860)

Remember, the Counselors' schedules fill up very quickly, so make sure you book your appointment in advance or utilize the walk-in hours. We look very forward to working with you!

Interview Preparation

As we move closer to the very busy fall interviewing season, make sure you have reviewed these quick tips to make your interviews a success.

• 1. Triple check your location and interview times. Do not let things like parking, construction, or traffic be an excuse for being late.

2. Bring extra copies of your resume, writing sample, transcripts, and anything else the employer has requested. Have everything organized in a portfolio. Now is a great time to show how prepared you are.

3. Do your research in advance. Make sure you are ready to answer this question, "So, tell us why you want to work for XYZ." If you are provided with your interviewers' names ahead of time, make sure you have a great understanding of where they work and what they do.

4. Make a great first impression. In short, look and dress like a professional. You want to be viewed as a future attorney -- not a law student. (Hint: Leave your backpacks at home)

5. Turn off your cell phone. Turn off your cell phone. Turn off your cell phone.

For other interviewing secrets from the Employers' Perspective, make sure to get a copy of "Interviewing - What You Need To Know" and "Interviewing Secrets - What Employers Want" available on the CCS website (in the Forms/Handouts section).

GOOD LUCK!

Top Ten Tips . . .

FACT: Much of recruiting can take place outside the office and traditional interview setting. Remember, you are being evaluated at employer receptions, meetings, meet and greets, and social gatherings. The good news? These opportunities are an excellent way to get to know attorneys and future colleagues in a less formal setting.

Make sure you are prepared before the big event by reviewing TOP TEN TIPS … RECEPTIONS AND COCKTAIL PARTIES. We look forward to hearing about your successes!

Thx for the IView! I Wud ♥ to Work 4 U!! ;)

With interview season upon us, make sure you are keeping your emails and thank you notes professional. A recent Wall Street Journal article, "Young Job Candidates Find Too-Casual Tone of Textspeak Turns Off Hiring Managers" explains how your lack of professionalisim could cost you your job.

"After interviewing a college student in June, Tory Johnson thought she had found the qualified and enthusiastic intern she craved for her small recruiting firm. Then she received the candidate's thank-you note, laced with words like "hiya" and "thanx," along with three exclamation points and a smiley-face emoticon. "That email just ruined it for me," says Ms. Johnson, president of New York-based Women For Hire Inc. "This looks like a text message." Hiring managers like Ms. Johnson say an increasing number of job hunters are just too casual when it comes to communicating about career opportunities in cyberspace and on mobile devices. Thank yous on paper aren't necessary, but some applicants are writing emails that contain shorthand language and decorative symbols, while others are sending hasty and poorly thought-out messages to and from mobile devices. Job hunters are also using social-networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to try to befriend less-than-willing interviewers. These incidents typically involve . . . TO CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE, CLICK HERE.

Bidding For Phase 2 Employers Is Now Open!

Bidding for Phase 2 is now open and will close at NOON on Monday, August 4th.

Phase 1 Bidding Is Now Open!

Bidding for PHASE 1 employers is open from now until NOON on Monday, July 28th. Our advice?? Do not wait until the last minute to submit your bids.

Good Luck!

EIW Bidding Closes TODAY at NOON

The window of time for submitting your bids for Early Interview Week is quickly ending. The window for bidding closes on MONDAY July 21st at NOON!!!!!

Good Luck!

List of OCI Employers Will Be Released Today!!!

Yes. The list of OCI employers will be released today when it is complete. Please refrain from calling or emailing the office with requests for information about the list. These requests will only delay the release of the names as we address your concerns. In the interest of fairness, the list will be released to all students at the exact same time and no early requests for the list of employers will be granted.

Remember, you will have from NOON on Tuesday July 15, 2008 until NOON on Monday, July 21, 2008 to complete your Early Interview Bidding.

Also, it does not matter if you bid on the first day or the third day of the bidding phase, as all resumes are sent to employers AS LONG AS YOU BID DURING THE APPROPRIATE TIMES. In other words, there is no "first come, first served" policy. That being said, we don't recommend waiting until the very last minute to bid for employers, as you can never be too careful with technology, power failures, bad Internet access, broken servers, uncharged laptops . . . . .

GOOD LUCK!

Let's Talk About Writing Samples

Legal employers often request writing samples as part of a student's application packet. This request often raises many questions from students.

How long should my writing sample be?

What writing sample should I use?

What if my writing sample is off-topic from the employer's subject area?

OUR ANSWER: A legal employer is not typically interested in your 35 page treatise on any subject as part of an application. While having a writing sample that mirrors the employer's practice area is an ideal situation, in reality, this rarely ever happens. For many students, the only piece of legal writing they possess is a brief or memo from their first year Legal Research & Writing course. This document can be a great writing sample . . . . with some minor adjustments.

A good writing sample should be about 5-8 pages or so of your BEST legal analysis. Employers typically do not need the fact summary, table of contents, or question presented page as part of a writing sample. Read through your available documents and determine what the best example of your abilities to reason thoroughly, argue strongly, and demonstrate your talent of concisely and articulately writing like a lawyer. That portion of your complete document should be your writing sample. After selecting which pages are you model example for a writing sample, include a brief cover sheet with the following information:

• Your name and title of the document. (i.e. Writing Sample - Jack Bauer)
• A paragraph explaining what the document contains (i.e. The following document represents a section of an XYZ I completed in my XYZ class in Fall/Spring (whatever semester). The issue involved XYZ and the brief/memo/etc. argued the position of XYZ or concluded XYZ. The entire XX page brief is available upon request. The goal is to provide your reader with a snapshot of what the entire document contains and suggest an avenue for your reader to obtain a complete copy of the document if they so choose.

Remember, you as the author have the opportunity to provide the best showcase of your writing ability. If an employer has requested a writing sample, they probably will use what you provide in making a hiring decision. Make it easy and approachable for your audience so that your best writing is highlighted.

Uploading Grade Information For UPCOMING OCI Bidding

In preparation for OCI bidding opening up on July 15th, we have received tons of emails and questions about the proper way to provide grade information to OCI employers. See below for your fool-proof way of providing accurate and easy-to-read grade information to those employers who request it.

PROVIDING GRADE INFORMATION

1. Log into ISIS and pull up your grade information
2. Open a WORD document
3. Type this sentence on the top of the WORD document: GRADE INFORMATION FOR (INSERT YOUR NAME) <-- your name information is very important!
4. Highlight and copy your grade information from ISIS
5. Paste your grade information to WORD
6. Convert your document into a PDF and save

This method is the best way to provide grade information to employers. Scanning your transcripts is cumbersome and often does not upload correctly. Keep is simple with the above-instructions and you should encounter little to no problems. Email us if you have any questions.

Timing For Out-Of-State Employers

A second year law student recently contacted us with the below question:

"I am a rising 2L and interested in working outside of Florida next summer (specifically big firms in Atlanta, D.C. and North Carolina). From talking with 2 and 3rd years, I know that many non-Florida employers don't travel to Gainesville to recruit on-campus. When would you recommend contacting these employers with my resume? How do I even find out who to apply with? Thanks."

While our on-campus interviewing program is one of the largest in the Southeast, many employers (both private and public) may find it inefficient to travel to every law school in the country to interview candidates. For those employers, it is essential to get your information to them in a timely and professional manner.

1. Identify where you want to apply. If you have an idea about where you want to be geographically, make a list of the employers in the area that interest you. Use websites including the NALP directory, Martindale, and local bar associations.


2. Compile a list of their interviewing dates to determine when your best time to send in your resume for consideration. For example, let's say that you are interested in sending your resume to Jackson, Abdul, & Cowell LLP - a firm not visiting UF Law. You go to their website and learn that the firm will be interviewing at local schools in the area in September and October. In this example, you would want your resume and cover letter to be in their hands in mid to late August/early September for consideration. Then you would calendar to follow up with the employer in September. If you wait until after October to initiate contact, the chances are high that they have already filled their summer positions.


3. Start working on your materials now. When you apply with out-of-state employers, you will need a strong cover letter explaining why you want to work in that particular area and for that particular employer.

For more advice and information, check out the Out-Of-State Job Search strategies guide -- located in the CCS. Click here and request a copy if you can't make it to the office.

Frequently Asked Questions ...

From time to time, we see the same types of questions being asked over and over again from different students. For everyone asking a question, there are probably two of you who have the same question, but don't want to ask....

We are here to help. Pay attention to The CCS Blog often for answers to your most pressing questions. If you have a question you would like to see displayed and answered, feel free to email us.

"What exactly is an off-campus recruitment event?"

"Why would I want to go to one?"
~Anonymous rising 2L

An off-campus recruitment event benefits both UF Law students and employers. For students interested in a certain geographic area, it provides access and opportunities to interview with employers who may not come on campus to interview students. Off-campus recruitment events can also be targeted to students with a specific interest in a particular type of law. This year's off-campus recruitment events include participation from all types of employers from Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Boston, Tallahassee, Phoenix, New York City, Washington, DC, and more. Employers benefit from the off-campus recruitment events because they have the ability to go to one location and see students from many different schools. Off-campus recruitment events typically resemble the OCI interview structure at UF Law. If you are selected for an interview, you will know well in advance so that you may plan your travel accordingly. Interviews are typically 20 minutes in length where you will have the ability to showcase your best qualities for your interviewers. Many employers will then select call-back candidates to interview with more attorneys at the actual firm or agency location. While traveling expenses to the individual off-campus recruitment events are yours to manage, these events are a fantastic way to fully maximize your internship and job searching strategies. Participation should absolutely be considered from any student interested in out-of-state employment, exposure to more firms, or certain federal or government entities.