“Looking back, though, not getting an OCI job was one of the best things that could have happened to me.”
Thirteen OCIs, four in-firms, zero job offers. That was the kind of horror story I had heard about again and again before the recruit. I just didn’t think that it would be my story.
By the beginning of 2L, I knew that I wanted to practice union-side labour law. Despite the fact that there was only one union-side firm interviewing in the recruit, I felt the social and financial pressure to participate. When in-firms came around, I knew deep down that I wasn’t particularly interested in any of the firms I was interviewing with. However, I had connected well with some of the people at the firms and decided that I could stomach doing work I hated as long as I liked the people I worked with.
On Offer Day, my stomach dropped as the time on my phone went from 5:00 to 5:01. I knew I wasn’t going to get a call. Even though I hadn’t been all that invested in the firms to begin with, not getting a job seemed like confirmation that I wasn’t cut out to be a lawyer. Everyone would know I was a failure. I was ashamed. That Friday, I met for coffee with one of the partners at a firm I had interviewed with to find out what went wrong. “If it’s any consolation, everyone who met you loved you,” he said. Somehow, that made me feel worse.
However, that same partner also suggested that I needed to show more of a “demonstrated interest.” I took his words to heart. I networked and talked my way into volunteer spots at both Downtown Legal Services’ Employment Division and Advocates for Injured Workers (AIW) in the second term. I ended up spending my summer at AIW and getting great hands-on experience that made me a better candidate during the articling recruit. Throughout the summer, I asked the lawyers I worked with to connect me with others in the field and cold-emailed people doing work that interested me. It was amazing how many people were willing to provide help if I just put myself out there and asked for it.
For those who walked away from this recruit jobless, just know that there’s more than one path to success.
I scheduled 10 interviews during the articling recruit, of which, I attended 8. I ended up with four job offers, including one from the firm that was my top choice throughout the process.
This time around, I didn’t have to feign interest. I only applied to places that did work that I was passionate about, and that came across during my interviews.
Despite all the challenges, I don’t regret going through the 2L recruit. It taught me how to “play the game” and lit a fire under me that got me to where I am today. I now have that union-side labour law job that I had been dreaming of and I’ll be working with a team of amazing, intelligent people.
For those who walked away from this recruit jobless, just know that there’s more than one path to success. In the grand scheme of things, your 2L summer is not as significant as it may feel right now. There will be tons of opportunities next semester, in the articling recruit and beyond – opportunities that you may find more interesting. Don’t make the mistake of letting this experience impact your self-worth and self-perception. The OCI process can be arbitrary and unfair; some of the brightest, most capable people I know walked out of the recruit without a job. Looking back, though, not getting an OCI job was one of the best things that could have happened to me. I hope it is for you too.
