Career Planning Calendar: Career and Professional Development: Resume Guide: Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law

August

2Ls: August
• Fall On-Campus Interviewing Program (OCI) continues with sign-ups on Symplicity for on-campus interviews. Interviews begin at end of August.

• Attend Fall Recruitment Workshop to hear from attorneys in area law firms and organizations discuss the fall recruitment process, what they are looking for, and how to do well in interviews.

• Register and make travel arrangements for career fairs. With prior approval, the CPDO will contribute 50% of students’ travel and registration costs for selected career fairs:

Equal Justice Works Annual Public Interest Career Fair to be held in October in Washington D.C.

Lavender Law Annual Career Fair to be held in September

Health Law Career Fair, Taking the Health Law Career Path: Student Conference and Job Fair to be held in October at the University of Pittsburgh

Hispanic Bar Association Annual Conference and Career Fair to be held in October

Impact Career Fair for Law Students and Attorneys with Disabilities to be held in September in Washington, D.C.

• Begin researching employers and sending out applications to large law firms and legal organizations for your 2L summer job. See [Link: 2L Summer Job Search: OCI and Beyond] for more information. Make appointment with the CPDO to discuss your individual job search strategy.

• Sign up for a mock interview with a practicing attorney arranged by the CPDO to help you prepare for the fall recruitment program.

• Attend Patent Law Interviewing Program in Chicago if you registered in February.

September

1Ls: September through November
Drexel University Earle Mack School of Law follows the guidelines formulated by the National Association for Law Placement (“NALP”) for the first-year law student job search. Accordingly, no placement services are offered to first-year law students by the Career and Professional Development Office (CPDO) before November 1. Moreover, first-year law students should neither send out resumes nor contact potential legal employers before December 1, nor should any scheduling of interviews or offers of a job take place until December 1. First-year law students can participate, however, in career panels programs that are presented by the CPDO and student organizations.

2Ls: September
• Attend networking events in the legal community to meet lawyers and judges.

• Fall Recruitment Program continues with on-campus interviews.

• Continue targeted mailings to large, mid-sized and small law firms for your 2L summer job.

• Application deadline for Department of Justice’s Honor and Summer Law Intern Programs: http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/arm/sp/sp.htm

• Check application deadlines for government/public interest summer internship programs. See http://www.law.arizona.edu/career/honorshandbook.cfm. Email the CPDO for user name and password information.

Also see Public Interest and Government Career Planning Guide for more information and links to useful internship directories.

• Meet with CPDO counselor to devise job search strategy for your 2L summer job.

• Career Panels: Attend programs throughout the Fall in practice areas that interest you.

October

1Ls: October

• Attend networking events in the legal community to meet lawyers and judges.

• Equal Justice Works Career Fair and Conference in Washington D.C. Speak with more than 200 employers from state and federal government, non-profit and public interest organizations about potential summer employment. First-year students can attend informational discussions with employers, but may not take part in the interview program. Register in August!

• Attend the information session for the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group’s First-Year Summer Internship Program, which identifies first-year law students who have overcome obstacles in pursuing a legal career or come from disadvantaged backgrounds or from backgrounds that are underrepresented in the Philadelphia legal community and helps those students to get summer internships with law firms and corporations in Philadelphia. For more information on the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group’s First-Year Summer Program, see the website here: http://www.philadiversitylaw.org

• Begin to research legal specialties and alternative career options. Learn how to use Vault.com, an online source of career information available to you through Earle Mack School of Law.

• For public interest employment opportunities, register at http://www.pslawnet.org/ to view public sector job listings.

2L: October

• Attend networking events in the legal community to meet lawyers and judges.

• Equal Justice Works Career Fair and Conference in Washington D.C. Speak with more than 200 employers from state and federal government, non-profit and public interest organizations about potential summer employment. Register in August!

• Continue targeted mailings to mid-sized and small law firms, along with other legal organizations, for your 2L summer job.

• Begin to monitor Symplicity.com for job postings for summer and academic year jobs.

November

1Ls: November

• The winter quarter begins the 1L Professionalism Series – mandatory workshops in: (1) Introduction to the Career and Professional Development Office; (2) Introduction to Symplicity.com; (3) Resume and Cover Letter Drafting; (4) Overview of Legal Specialties; (5) Effective Interview Techniques; (5) Professional Presence and Networking; and (6) Overview of 1L Summer Job Opportunities.

• Attend networking events in the legal community to meet lawyers and judges.

• After November 1, make an appointment to meet with a CPDO counselor and with your faculty advisor for career advice.

• Prepare your legal resume and cover letter after workshop in Professionalism Series.

• Study for first-quarter final exams. Good first-year grades are helpful in job placement.

2Ls: November

• All 2Ls are invited to attend any workshop in the 1L Professionalism Series.

• Attend networking events in the legal community to meet lawyers and judges.

• Continue targeted mailings to mid-sized and small law firms, along with other legal organizations, for your 2L summer job.

December

1Ls: December

• December 1: Some large law firms begin accepting resumes for summer employment.

Also see Public Interest and Government Career Planning Guide for more information and links to useful internship directories.

• Meet with 2L Peer Career Counselor.

2Ls: December

• Judicial Clerkship Program: Learn how post-graduate judicial clerkships help you gain valuable legal experience after graduation and how and when to apply to federal and state judges.

January

1Ls: January

• Submit completed application for the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group’s First-Year Summer Program to the screening committee.

• Summer Jobs Program: Learn from 2L students how they obtained their summer jobs and internships, with a particular emphasis on how judicial internships for your 1L summer help you gain valuable legal experience in the courts and how and when to apply.

• Continue to research summer job opportunities. Send out cover letters and resumes to judges and other employers that you have targeted through your research and networking. Meet with a CPDO counselor to devise effective job search strategies.

• Continue to check Symplicity and PSLawNet for summer internship and job postings.

• Summer Study Abroad Program: Learn from 2L students, faculty, and administrators about the benefits, disadvantages, and application process for summer study abroad programs.

• Attend the one-day Drexel Law Symposium on Career and Professional Development – hear from more than 40 judges and lawyers from all legal specialties on how to develop a fulfilling career in the legal profession!

• Meet with 2L Peer Career Counselor.

• Career Panels: Attend programs throughout the Spring in practice areas that interest you.

2Ls: January

• Career Panels: Attend programs throughout the Spring in practice areas that interest you.

• Continue to check Symplicity and PSLawNet for summer internship and job postings.

Also see Public Interest and Government Career Planning Guide for more information and links to useful internship directories.

February

1Ls: February

• Register for Patent Law Interviewing Program to be held in Chicago in August.

• Attend the Small and Mid-Sized Firm Reception with Donna Gerson, author of Choosing Small, Choosing Smart, as featured speaker.

• Attend the Consortium of Greater Philadelphia Area Law Schools Public Interest/ Public Service Job Fair.

• Meet with 2L Peer Career Counselor

2Ls: February

• Register for Patent Law Interviewing Program to be held in Chicago in August.

• Attend the Small and Mid-Sized Firm Reception with Donna Gerson, author of Choosing Small, Choosing Smart, as featured speaker.

• Attend the Consortium of Greater Philadelphia Area Law Schools Public Interest/ Public Service Job Fair.

March

1Ls: March

• Attend the Mock Interview Event and Reception. Sign up for a mock interview with a practicing attorney from an area law firm or organization. All interviews will be held at the Earle Mack School of Law with a networking reception to follow.

2Ls: March

• Nuts and Bolts of Fellowships: Learn about a range of post-graduate fellowship opportunities that can launch your career in public service.

April

1Ls: April

• What to Know Before You Go: Orientation to Fall Recruitment: Learn about the fall on-campus interviewing program (OCI) and how to use the fall season to search for 2L summer employment. Symplicity refresher.

• Register for Dupont Minority Job Fair.

• Register for Delaware Minority Job Fair.

2Ls: April

• Register for Dupont Minority Job Fair.

• Register for Delaware Minority Job Fair.

May

1Ls: May

• Leave your summer contact information with the CPDO if you are going out of town or out of the country this summer. Upload your resume, unofficial transcript, and a writing sample to Symplicity.

• Email the CPDO with information about where you will be working this summer or whether you are taking classes or studying abroad.

2Ls: May

• Email the CPDO with information about where you will be working this summer or whether you are taking classes or studying abroad.

June

1Ls: June

• Register for Philadelphia Area Minority Job Fair (to be held in September)

July

1Ls and 2Ls: July
• Participate in resume drop and on-line bidding for Fall On-Campus Interviewing Program.

• Register to attend the Impact Career Fair for Law Students and Attorneys with Disabilities to be held in September in Washington, D.C.

• Register to attend the Boston Lawyers Group Job Fair for Students of Color to be held in September in Boston, MA and Washington, D.C.

• Register to attend the American Intellectual Property Law Association Job Fair to be held in October in Washington, D.C.

• Register to attend the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Job Fair to be held at the Annual Meeting.

• Register to attend the National Black Law Student Association Job Fair to be held in September.

• Register to attend the National Black Prosecutors Association Job Fair to be held at the Annual Meeting.