Students
The Center for Career Strategy and Advancement offers a
variety of services designed to assist you in your search for a personally
fulfilling and rewarding career. Our services include individual counseling,
recruitment programs, mock interview and resume review programs, and
career-related programming.
Mock Interview | Resume Review | Practice Tracks | Summer Housing | Non-Northwestern Programs
Individual Counseling
The Career Strategy Center staff
comprises six career managers, including a public interest advisor,
an LLM career manager, and a career manager for judicial clerkships
and nontraditional careers, available to meet with you on a one-on-one
basis to discuss your career goals and assist you in developing a personalized
employment search process, review resumes and cover letters, and provide
general career development guidance.
Recruitment Programs
The Fall
On-Campus Interview Program (OCI), our largest recruitment program,
is an excellent opportunity for students to obtain summer and/or permanent
employment. Fall OCI is open to all second- and third-year law students;
however, most participating employers are seeking second-year students
for summer employment.
Early in the second semester, the Career Strategy Center sponsors a smaller recruitment program, attended primarily by employers seeking first-year law students for summer employment. While many students have obtained employment through Winter OCI, it is just one of many strategies that first-year students use to obtain summer employment.
The Career Strategy Center also works with students interested in participating in Off-Campus Recruitment Programs sponsored by The Law Consortium, of which Northwestern is a member. These programs are held each fall in Atlanta, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
Students seeking public interest employment will have the opportunity to attend and participate in the Public Service Reception, held in the fall at one of the Chicago-area law schools; the Midwest Public Interest Career Conference, held at Northwestern Law in February; and the Equal Justice Works conference and job fair in the fall in Washington, D.C.
Meet the Employers Night
This annual event sponsored by the Career Strategy Center will be held February 28, 2007. It offers a great opportunity for first-year law students to learn about employers who recruit on-campus prior to students bidding for on-campus interviews in the fall.
Updated 02/22/07
Programs & Panels
Throughout the year, the Career Strategy Center hosts a myriad
of programs designed to help students identify specific career paths;
improve job search, interviewing and networking skills; and navigate
the legal recruiting marketplace. Our programs have included Law 101
Panels, which introduce students to some of the common legal practice
areas; judicial clerkship discussions; and other programs such as Researching
Employers and Networking; and Overcoming Market Challenges and Managing
Your Career.
Mock Interview and Resume Review Programs
The Career Strategy Center offers mock interview programs to
help students hone their interviewing skills. The Alumni
Coaching Program pairs current law students with Northwestern Law
alumni who have agreed to conduct one-on-one mock interviews and feedback
sessions with students in the summer and early fall. In the winter,
there is a separate Mock
Interview Program to assist first-year students in preparing for
Winter OCI and self-directed employment searches.
Through the Resume Review Program held each summer, students may submit their resumes to their career manager for review and individual feedback.
Practice Tracks
In cooperation with the Chicago Area Law School Consortium,
the Career Strategy Center presents Practice Tracks each November, during
which about 60-70 attorneys in various practice areas are available
for table talk information sessions with students.
Summer Housing Information
Information on how to find an apartment or sublet yours for the summer.
Non-Northwestern Affiliated Programming
Some of these programs sponsored by non-profit and for-profit organizations
may have fees associated with attendance. If they do, you should contact
the sponsoring organization to see if there are student discounts available.
Chicago Bar Association
American Bar Association's Career Counsel
American Bar Association's Student Lawyer
Practising Law Institute
