News and Announcements
FIP -- Public Interest, Govt, Small Firms Interview Program
Our last few announcements have focused on Early Interview Week (EIW) -- because it has a slightly earlier deadline and a larger number of employers -- but we also want to remind you about the Fall Semester Interview Program (FIP).
FIP is designed to give students an opportunity to pursue summer positions with public interest organizations, government agencies, and small firms.
The application period for FIP 2012 Phase 1 ends at 5 p.m. on August 5, 2012. (The deadline for applying to employers interviewing during the phase 2 of FIP is August 20, 2012.)
We are currently expecting about 30 employers to participate in FIP, which will take place at the Haas School of Business Interview Center (a 5 minute walk from Boalt Hall) from August 27th through October 5th.
We expect more to sign up over the next few weeks, so it will make sense to regularly check the FIP sessions pages (via the OCI tab) in b-Line for the most recent list of participating employers.
FIP is structured more like the Spring OCI program (in which you may have participated as a 1L) than EIW. Interviews are assigned based on employer selections rather than a random lottery.
There are 2 phases to FIP 2012. We've split it up that way to give you a little extra time to submit application materials to employers coming during the latter half of the interview period (Employers interviewing between September 12 and October 5).
You can apply for interviews at any time during the application period (which starts on July 23rd for Phase 1 and on August 10 for Phase 2) via the OCI tab in b-Line. After the application period ends, employers review application materials and invite (via b-Line) students with whom they would like to interview to sign up for a slot. To view FIP employers, select "FIP 2012 Phase 1" (or "FIP 2012 Phase 2") from the drop down list at the "Session" search filter box in the OCI section of b-Line. For detailed directions on how to apply, follow the links under the FIP Mechanics Section of the EIW/FIP webpage (click on Jobs and Career Options on the right side bar and then on Interview Programs). For key dates and deadlines for FIP 2012, consult the EIW/FIP Calendar.
As we've mentioned before, an effective government, public interest, or small firm job search will need to focus on a range of strategies in addition to FIP. The reality is, despite our extensive outreach efforts, these types of employers do not find on-campus interviewing to be a good recruiting tool for them.
You should also be checking PSLawNet and the "Jobs" tab of b-Line regularly for public interest and government positions. Many government, public interest and small firms choose to post positions on b-Line in lieu of registering for one of our on-campus interview programs. We can also help you develop a targeted email list of employers who are not participating in FIP to contact.
Please don't hesitate to give us a call or send us an email or make an appointment to speak to any of the Attorney-Counselors at the CDO for help and guidance navigating your next job search. Alex Lee and Melanie Rowen are our public interest (as well as DA/Public Defender and plaintiff's side firm) specialists. Eric Stern handles government career advising. Samorn Selim specializes in smaller/mid-size firm careers.
By the way, we've prepared a static list (a pdf prepared on 7-11-12) of the public interest/public sector employers participating in either EIW or FIP as of that date, which you can find in the reports section (bottom of the page) of the EIW/FIP webpage. Because we expect more of these types of employers to be signing up to participate over the next several weeks, the various Sessions (EIW, FIP Phase 1, and FIP Phase 2) pages of the b-Line's OCI section remain the most up-to-date source for information about the employers that will be participating in on campus interviewing.
7/12/2012
