Getting Rejected

Opportunities don't always pan out. It's a fact of life. But sometimes, it's an opportunity that in hindsight, is one where you needed to be rejected because – otherwise, you would have taken it!

When I was but a young lass in my first year of law school, I was going through on campus interviews (commonly called OCI). It's a semi-self explanatory term, but, for the uninitiated, large law firms will send representatives to various law schools for a first round of interviews. If you are selected, you are asked for a "call back" interview at the firm's offices. If you live out of town (I didn't), the firm even flies you in!

Pictured: The home of way too many lawyers.

I was fortunate enough to go on several callback interviews. And, though I did end up getting an offer eventually, I was rejected from every firm I applied to (except the one I ended up at, obviously). By all accounts, my ratio of callback rejections to offers is abysmal. And, most of them were squarely my fault. Here are the funniest.

1: Shortest Time to Rejection

This one took place at a downtown firm I was excited for.

I got into the firm, checked in at reception, and then went over to some convenient couches to wait to be called. Now, firms typically schedule callbacks around the same time, so a small cluster of interviewees normally form and swap stories of law school yore.

After a minute or two of sitting, I see three people chatting at the couch next to me. I strolled over to say hi. I break the circle and asked how everyone was doing. Two in the group immediately turned to me with shock on their faces. "This is our client. Please go somewhere else."

As a plus, the interviews themselves had no pressure!

2: What I Actually Meant

One of the things I was taught to do in interviews is to have an idea of what stories you plan on sharing and adapting them to the situation. (I don't always do this; it makes interviews feel less authentic). I prefer to find something in the room (like something on someone's desk) that seemed interesting and ask the interviewer about it. When it works well, it leads to very organic and friendly conversation.

Enter a firm that is famous for having a fun, less stuffy culture. I really wanted this. Large firms without an eye at their culture run the risk of becoming populated with a bunch of ivy league brats who chase prestige like it actually matters and are, quite frankly, just unpleasant (there are very lovely people who go to those schools too, but there are definitely those who fall into this category).

So I am very motivated going into my interview with the head of M&A (aka one of the most important partners). We exchanged pleasantries and began the interview.

At this point in my life, I really enjoyed ties. I had quite a few with crazy patters/colors that would typically be considered "unprofessional."

Pictured: A super professional outfit.

As soon as I sat down, I saw that this super important lawyer was wearing a blue tie with small pink elephants on it.

Pictured: I think this is the tie.

A minute or two in, I get the standard "What makes you interested in our firm, specifically?" I wanted to compliment the fact that the firm's culture was one that people could be themselves and not be super pretentious. I wanted to use the partner's fun, unconventional tie to make the point that you could really be yourself within that firm. What I actually said was:

"I want to be at this firm because it's a place you can wear a tie like that."

3: Prepare Prepare Prepare

Another thing that career services drills into you is that you should look up the person you are interviewing with so you have a bit of background. This is something I agree with, A quick glance at a firm profile (or LinkedIn) right before the interview is normally sufficient.

Enter a firm that had some really cool history. This was also my second *real* interview in my life, so I was pretty excited. I looked up the profiles of my interviewers, which lists things like practice area, school, recent matters, etc.

In the interview, we get to the point where you are supposed to ask questions of the interviewer. I asked him what he thought was interesting about being in the real estate department of the firm. He then began to regale me with stories about a deal with some interesting bumps along the way.

My mind flashed to the associate's firm profile and I realized that one of the matters listed must have been the one the associate was talking about. I wanted to show off that I had done my research, so I just asked "Was that XYZ Deal?"

I was correct. Too correct.

***

So, now you know why my callback to offer ratio is terrible. But, through the process, I did find a firm that was a good fit for me and the foot in my mouth.

But back to the point I was trying to make. Though we should be thankful for the opportunities we are given, we can also be thankful of opportunities we were rejected from.

Had any of those firms extended me an offer, I would have taken it. And, to be honest, I think I would have been miserable. It truly can be for the best.