Sankey diagram of my articling search - continued until after gradaution (inspired by canuckfanatic)

[RubberDucky]

Hi all! 

I used to read every one of the "articling search" posts on the forum and it really got me through some tough times, especially canuckfanatic's post. So I wanted to share my experience as well! 

A little background: I didn't do the summer OCIs so I started looking for articles the summer of 2L. I initially only applied to postings, but started networking near/after graduating law school. I have pretty average grades, some clinic experience, and some student group activities. Did 3 moot/trial competitions but didn't win anything.  

**side note: I would strongly recommend applying to summer jobs. Those would've been great for practicing interviews, even if you don't get hired. I had severe interview anxiety; I would stutter a lot, forget the things on my CV, can't get words out of my mouth (once, an interviewer literally stopped me from trying and said "its ok, I get what you mean"). Working on this during 3L made me miss a lot of amazing opportunities that I felt was perfect for me. 

My strategy: I think eventually, what made my application stand out, is tailoring my cover letter and resume to fit the job. I knew what I wanted and so I didn't apply to everything. Only to the jobs I know I can be passionate about. I made sure to write an eye-catching intro to all my cover letters. Also, I personalized my cover letter a little bit, to show my personality. I think because of the time/energy I spent on these cover letters, I got good results (even though I didn't have the time/energy to make more applications). I had no luck with cold calling so can't really speak on that. I did follow canuckfanatic's tips (although I didn't attach my application to the emails) but I haven't really heard back from anywhere. 

Searching for a position after graduation: this sucked but I tried to keep my spirits up. I was really lucky to have super supportive friends and so I was able to maintain my positivity. I also checked in regularly with my career counsellor and tried to network (here and there, not a lot). To anyone in the same situation as I was: please don't stop reaching out to people and network. Once you do that, you'll feel a lot less depressed; you'll feel like you're doing something productive to attain your goal. There's nothing wrong with you. A lot of times, luck has more to do with the outcome than anything else. 

Assess your situation clearly: interviewing is a two sided activity. Not only is the interviewer assessing you, you are also assessing the firm. I know it's super tempting to take the first offer you get, but please think it over carefully if you're getting a weird feeling after the interview. The offer I got before my current firm made some strange comments in the interview, along with some other rude behaviours, so I decided against it. I think I would rather have no job than be in an [potentially] abusive situation. Best decision I've ever made, even though it did not feel like it after graduating with no articles. I know I'm in a very privileged position not having to pay rent/bills, so I realize there are others that don't have this option (again, assess your own situation to make the best decision for yourself). 

**side note: being forced to network actually allowed me to develop good conversational skills, so I have zero regrets despite the 3 months of emotional/mental hell. 

Reapplying for the next cycle: when I thought I wouldn't be getting an articling this year, I reapplied to the 2022 postings because the deadlines were coming up. I applied to 3 places, got 1 interview. I got a second interview after that, but had to turn it down because I was already employed. SO, even if you're graduating with no articles, don't worry. If you keep trying, eventually you will get there. While I was networking, I spoke a number of lawyers who took 1-2 YEARS to find articling. All of them are in very good positions now. I remember how anxious I was near the end of the school year, so hopefully this was able to give you a peace of mind!