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Weekend Open Thread
4 hours ago
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Input
Hey all....HP wonders whether you are really finding this blog useful? HP started it after being frustrated with the "new" generation and thinking you needed some guidance and really just needing to vent. Can I get some feedback as to whether I should continue on these topics? Other topics? Close down the shop? Do you know if people are really interested? I welcome your input too.
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18 comments:
Yes, it's interesting. I'm guessing you don't get many comments purely because the blog doesn't have much visibility. Go send in a link to abovethelaw.com or similar and you'll get more traffic.
If you want something to post on, a post re candidates from non-conventional backgrounds (i.e. mature students, international candidates) would be interesting.
I check your blog every day. I am a 1L in NY and am doing anything I can to get an edge. I would like to see more diverse posts...not just about call backs/etc. Give me some real information on your experiences, some stories, and fun stuff as well as the technical aspect. There is so much negativity about the profession, and it would be really nice to read some positive things from a successful person within the field.
I agree with what's said above. I'm a 2L currently going through the call back process and I find your comments really valuable. Granted, most of it we were told by our Career Services, but since most of us assume that Career Services has no clue what they're talking about, it's good to get confirmation from the real world.
Really enjoyed the "not-stellar grades/lots of callbacks" post because I'm in that situation right now and was feeling somewhat nervous about it. So it was good to hear that personality does count for something.
Would love to hear what you think about new NALP guidelines for accepting and declining offers.
I agree. I'm a 2L, and I've found your inside perspective really helpful and reassuring. Thanks!
some more insight that we haven't heard before would be helpful.
As a 2L going through the OCI process I've found the blog very helpful. Perhaps you could deal with how to handle particular types of interviews - going on callbacks I've gotten ones where there are tougher questions about work I've done, others that are very chitchatty... and also how to answer questions/what to ask when talking to associates versus partners would be helpful.
I like this blog and think it's useful, but I tend to give up on websites when nothing changes for several days at a time. I would like it better if you posted either more often or on a specific day of the week so I know when to check for new info.
I'd like to see some examples of things that interviewees have done in the past that got them dinged. I sometimes feel too stiff during interviews because I'm afraid of saying something that will reflect poorly on me. For example, if they ask me how my weekend was at my interview monday, would it be appropriate to mention going to a bar with a friend who was in town?
Great blog HP...really enjoying all your posts, keep it up!
For your next entry, could you talk about good law firm social etiquette? For example, at official firm functions, how mandatory is attendance for new associates? Are they expected to stay for the entire duration of the event? Should conversation be kept to friendly banter, or work related as well?
Perhaps more broadly...what should be the goal of new associates at these functions...to establish rapport with other associates/partners/clients, or something else?
Thanks!
Azamat
I bookmarked this blog upon reading your first entries about professional behavior and maturity, which I enjoyed a lot. While recent posts have been focused on OCI, and even though I'm a 3L with a job offer, I'm still learning tons from your postings, as the same do's and don'ts apply to future job searches.
I would suggest the following:
1) Definitely keep this blog!! It's a valuable resource.
2) Invite other attorneys to write more about law firm life, but as another poster commented, cynicism about the profession is just rampant out there (Above the Law hurts more than helps - it gets trashier by the day and makes a mockery of the profession). Many of us are hungry for stories about *nice* people advancing because they showed concern, demonstrated good work ethic, and treated people fairly and nicely. Those successes are the best kind of positive reinforcement.
3) I would suggest varying your target audience - for example, mixing posts about laterals, professionalism, war stories, and OCI. As I suggested in #2, this blog can be broader - it can be more about developing the right kinds of lawyers. Please tell us about the kinds of people you would LOVE to work with, and those who have earned your respect and admiration.
Thanks for creating and maintaining this blog!
Please don't shut it down! Keep it coming. I'm a 2L evening student and won't be looking for a legal-related job until I graduate. That being said, all of the suggestions, advice and wisdom have been invaluable!
I do check the site fairly regularly. However, the problems with the blog are as follows:
1. Most of the information sounds generic if not cliched. I should give you a list of examples to be helpful but I'm too lazy (I want to read a blog, not write one). If you have real insights, especially with specifics, then that'd be great. But most, though not all, of what you write is pretty basic.
2. You don't update the blog too regularly. That it is understandable due to your being busy doesn't change the fact that people in general only regularly check those blogs that are regularly updated.
3. You need to find a way to make yourself more noticed.
4. Perhaps consider trying to find a few other HPs you trust and create a website for all of you to share your thoughts. If each of you are able to give something useful twice a week that's 6 posts over 5 business days and it's a range of opinions. And don't use blogger. Get your own website.
I really like it. I'm a 1L and so the process is still a year away but I find your blog fascinating. I haven't read all the other comments but I agree with the guy that suggests you post a bit more regularly.
I really like your perspective. It's easy to find tips from attorneys and other students but I don't know of too many blogs and tips from someone that actually interviews and hires.
I agree with above poster, it would be great to have multiple HPs, partners and even associates, who you respect, post. Making the postings once a week with a specific topic (like the becker-posner blog) would be great. I think it might allow you, or other writers, to dig into the issue that is being addressed. Your postings are great but at times seem a bit cursory.
Overall the blog has been helpful though.
Not a whole bunch of time to jot this down, but I agree with Azamat above.
I like the blog, too, but I'd like to put in a vote against feel-good stories about the profession.
Please continue to focus on hiring and career issues--the theme of the blog is HP's office after all, not Partner's, Senior Partner's, or Experienced Yet Unjaded Lawyer's Office. If some pleasant stories naturally come up, of course they are very welcome. However, turning this blog into a cheerleading session for BigLaw would be doing your readers a disservice.
HP,
I read your blog everyday and it so useful. I'm a 2L in NJ deep in summer job hunt, and all tips are greatly appreciated. Hiring me would be greatly appreciated too, but I'll take what I can get ;-). Thank you for all your advice, you've been more helpful than career services!!!
thanks for doing this. i think it hurts to hear how much grades still matter in the callback staged (i'd hoped that i'd put them behind me, at least for now), but i guess i will continue to be defined by them until i'm not.
one specific question i had is about writing samples: mine is a motion i wrote from a summer assignment. good pick/bad pick? any other thoughts about them?
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