Rejection letter

I received my first rejection letter today from a NY firm. I interviewed with an Associate in late April, who told me that she was conducting the first round of interviews then a second round will be done by the Partner. I never made it to the second. I don't exactly know why, as I believe I had an excellent interview with the Associate. Did I ask for too much money? Was doing an H-1B sponsorship too much? I could only surmise that there were candidates more qualified than me, who asked for less money and who did not require H-1Bs. Nonetheless, I am impressed that the firm actually snail mailed me a rejection letter.

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From: Respectable boutique firm

To: FJD

Please accept our heartfelt thanks for taking the time to visit our office. Your resume and credentials were outstanding, and meeting you in person confirmed our high expectations of your experience, skill and professionalism.

Unfortunately, we must inform you that the paralegal position has been filled. The large number of highly qualified individuals who responded to our job posting has forced us to pass on several applicants who undoubtedly would have made a strong asset to our office.

While we understand this is (sic) may not be the news you had anticipated, we are highly confident that you will continue to find success as an immigration paralegal, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Very truly yours,

Partner, Respectable boutique firm

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To: Partner, Respectable boutique firm

CC: Associate

From: FJD

I received your letter dated May 10, stating that the paralegal position I applied for had been filled. I wanted to thank you for taking the time to let me know about your hiring decision. Your courtesy has earned you major points in my book. Not that it should concern you, but at least know that should any occasion discussing your firm arise, I would highly speak of your hiring etiquette. I also wanted to thank you for having confidence in my continued success as an immigration paralegal. Although I appreciate such a generous well-wishing, I would like to let you know that I intend to be an "esq." soon. I understand that the "esq." does not necessarily mean an increased in salary and greater job prospects for me, but I want you to take note nonetheless. Please, please, do not jinx the exam I am taking in July.

Thank you.

Respectfully,

FJD

Job search

Thank you Respectable Boutique Firm for bothering with a first class mail rejection letter.

I interviewed in some other firms which couldn't be bothered with the same courtesy. How rude! 

Here's a breakdown:

Job search: February 28 - May 11

Interviewed: 7 (NYC 3; DC 1; Boston* 1;  Dallas* 1; CA* 1)

Rejection letter received: 1 (NY)

Never heard from again: 3 (DC, Dallas, NY)

Firms which have yet to make a decision: 2 (Boston, CA)

Job I turned down: 1 (NY)

* by phone

I've sent thank you emails to each of the attorneys who interviewed me. One week after the interview, I also sent follow-up emails to HR or the attorney contact. I heard back once from Dallas HR that the attorneys still hadn't made a decision-- that was in March. They've since reposted the job ad, which clearly means I didn't get the job.

Washington DC

The DC firm isn't really in DC, but in a DC suburb. I can't believe I bothered my cousin to pick me up at the Metro station, drive me to my interview, wait for me for 1.5 hours, treat me and my friend to early dinner, then drive us back to the Metro station, for nothing! I took the Greyhound bus from NYC to DC. The least those suburb attys could do was to email me a rejection letter. How very rude of them not to! I didn't bother calling them after my default follow-up email one week from the interview. To think the senior attorney told me (as he ushered me out of his office), to talk to the managing attorney about my salary. But the managing atty did not make an offer. He discussed the job duties, what his vision was for the position, the health coverage the office has and then said, "I will contact you." Throughout the interview, he cannot understand why I would choose to stay in suburbia after I've passed the NY bar. Well Mr. Managing Atty., I didn't pass the bar. Even if I did, would I have applied to your firm if I wasn't sincere in wanting to work there? I traveled to your suburbia firm on my own dime, and you doubt my desire to get the job?!

California

The CA company (not a law firm) emailed me two days ago that they are still slowly going through all the applicants. The Director also hoped that I am doing well. I didn't reply to his email. May be I don't really want to work there?

Boston

The Boston firm replied to my email inquiry for an update two days ago. They said that the partners are meeting at the end of this week to make a decision. I asked the Boston HR to keep me posted on the hiring decision, whether good or bad.

New York

In NYC, I applied for 3 firms and interviewed with all 3. One already sent me a rejection letter. Another firm I've never head from again (I didn't send my default follow-up email one week after the interview. The position was more administrative than a Law Clerk/Paralegal job.)  The third firm, I rejected. Yea, I know, I don't really have the luxury to reject offers, but I did. Actually no formal offer has been made, but an offer was definitely coming. The hiring partner (HP) would have hired me on the spot but wanted to check with my ex-boss first, before making the offer. The HP would have contacted my ex-boss right there, but I said I would like to inform my ex-boss to anticipate a call from the HP. I told the HP I would contact my ex-boss in the morning and then I would email her my ex-boss' contact details. Well, when I woke up the next morning, I've decided I don't want the HP to even bother contacting my boss, as I knew I would be miserable working for the HP. I withdrew my job application. There was no point in wasting more time contacting my ex-boss, then drafting an offer, which I would just reject. I interviewed with the HP for 3 hours. My stomach was croaking loudly and she still did not end the interview. I knew then that that job would be the death of me. I would write a better account of this interview in a separate entry. This much I know, I should have charged the HP a fee for my services as a stand-in therapist. She just vented all her firm's troubles to me. Didja honestly think I would sign on and share your misery? No, thank you.

So there you have it, 7 interviews, with no real job prospect. Life sucks. Sometimes I wonder, since I am pretty average anyway, why can't I just have mediocre dreams? Why can't I settle for a good enough job that pays the bills? Why do I want a job that I would be really happy with?

Possible interview: Small firm in Southern California

Oh, there's another firm in CA that recently showed initial interest, until they learned that I am still living in NYC. The firm's email to me was, "Your background is impressive. Can you please email us a short, recent work that you prepared by yourself. How soon can you be in CA? We hope you're already here visiting. Do you still have 3 years left on your H-1B?" I responded to the CA firm within 2 hours of receiving their email. The next day, I was on high alert for all incoming emails/calls. But the CA firm did not even send an acknowledgment email. At around 7.30p.m. (Eastern), I called their office to ask if they wanted me to come by for an interview. (My email response to them had a 1.5mb attachment. I was concerned that my sample work went straight to their spam folder, hence I decided to call.) I said I needed to know ASAP since I would have to finalize travel arrangements. The Receptionist/Secretary/Paralegal placed me on hold (probably checked with the partner), then haughtily said, "Not at this time. We're still going through the other applications. We will let you know BY EMAIL if you would be invited for an interview."

Yikes. I thanked her and said goodbye. You see Ms. Receptionist/Secretary/Paralegal, I know you  must be allergic to calls from job applicants, but I wouldn't have called if your firm replied to my email. In my email, I asked when you wanted me to come by. I said I could fly this week and attend an interview on Thursday or Friday. I also said that I am open to an initial phone interview and thereafter an in-person interview. But I never heard a peep from you. You can't just tell an applicant, "how soon can you be in CA" and then leave her hanging! My cover letter was clear about my desire to relocate to somewhere warmer. I was ready to shell out $500+ to cover my trip to CA, because I was serious about getting the job you advertised. Ms. Receptionist/Secretary/Paralegal, it would be best to use a friendlier tone to job applicants like me. One day, a random job applicant might have your job OR might be your boss. 

I need a job SOON! Preferably not in NYC, but I'd take any reasonable job I can get.

The Inside Story

I maintain (try to) a couple of blogs for a couple of my interests (yes, let's be vague, shall we. I hope this vagueness is not a sign of things to come. But moving on.) I simply don't want one blog to represent the whole me, so I split them up-- charity work/cause, travel, sports, TV shows, you get the idea. Lately though, I have been following blogs not necessarily about my interests but more so about my predicament-- unemployed in the legal industry. Some of these blogs I read are: The Poor Paralegal, Things Could Be Worse (Just Give It A While), Legally Fabulous, But I Did Everything Right, Esquire Painting and other various law school scam/young lawyers/legal profession blogs. I enjoy reading these blogs, but cannot 100% relate since I did not obtain my JD in the U.S. So I thought, why not start a "law" blog of my own! I'm sure the guys at LLM Guide would be happy to know the inside story of how a foreign JD is making it (or not making it) in the U.S. Brilliant!

To the LLM Guide folks though, I must warn you that I don't have an LLM. So what's my deal? How could I possibly think that I could make it in the U.S. as a foreign JD, without an LLM? Am I dreaming? (Yes!) Am I crazy? (The jury's still out on this one.) Am I hopeful? (Truly.) But how do I intend to make it as a foreign JD without an LLM? Read on.

I have a U.S. Master's degree. A few years ago, I was awarded an international, one-year, full scholarship to attend a relatively competitive state school in the South.  My program of study was among those the school was most known for. After my year on full scholarship ended, I decided to leave the school (even with a Regent's scholarship for my second year) to finish law school in my home country. Once I've gotten my JD, passed the bar, worked for a bit, I thought, "hey, why not go back to the U.S., see how things would go." So I did.

I finished my M.A. without any student loans. I was on full assistantship on my 2nd year of graduate study. The assistantship covered full tuition and provided me with a meager (but sufficient) stipend. Before my MA graduation, I secured an internship in a small NYC firm. Well, it wasn't really an internship, as I had been offered full-time employment (no benefits). I was on OPT and my boss said H-1B and green card sponsorship were in the cards. Sadly, I left that job after one month (which meant that I quit after two weeks to give a two week notice. Or maybe I just gave my boss one week notice. But anyway...I quit.) I was working 6 days a week and my boss was calling me on Sundays too. It wasn't the job for me. I don't get paid a lot and the job wasn't challenging enough for me. I was oblivious to the recession.

After about two months of job hunting, I found another job in a small law firm. This is where I stayed for over two years. My boss sponsored my H-1B, I wasn't paid a lot (but at least I was getting paid the entry level prevailing wage for a Law Clerk),  and still had no benefits. I am a diligent worker and in no time, I have earned my boss' trust. This meant that my caseload was more than his and I stayed longer in the office. My boss was generally nice but can be bitchy. I suppose I was under a lot of stress, but amazingly still functioned in the office. I felt lousy that over two years I still wasn't given health insurance. There were times I cried in the bathroom because I couldn't work as fast as I could or should to keep up with all the clients' cases. One day my boss said, "this is how it is in all immigration firms, you know." The next day, I quit.

My boss was shocked. (Yea, why don't you Google "when your star employee quits!") I told him I wanted to take the bar. He said why don't you just take some time off. I was planning on applying for your green card next year. Well, well, well, you bosses all know the way to temporary nonimmigrant workers' hearts, don't you? Dangle the possibility of getting a green card! I was very tempted to stay on. But I realized, change is what I desire. If I stayed on, my life would be the same. I might still be unhappy (it also didn't help my mood that I generally dislike NY winters), and I would still want to quit after a while. I also did not adequately feel appreciated. I thought, if my boss really cared and thought I am a great employee, why hasn't he offered me health insurance? I don't ask for much and it would have been nice to know that my boss cared for my well-being. I don't really take sick leaves because I know if I did, my work the next day will double. I was unhappy, I was stressed, I wanted change, I wanted more. So I quit.

Now, here I am, 5 months unemployed, still without health insurance AND without pay. I didn't start my job search until March (after the February bar). I should have passed that bar. But I didn't. I should have studied for two months, but I didn't. May be I was too happy being without work. I slacked off for the better part of those two months. I crammed for two weeks! After the exam, I kept hope alive that I passed, but I wasn't totally surprised that I didn't.

So how do I go from here? I am retaking the NY bar in July. I am still looking for a job. I am thankful that I don't have student loans and my parents are supportive. I have not yet touched the money they gave me and I hope not to spend it. I will just re-take the bar and go home, unless I find a job before my authorized nonimmigrant status is up. I am looking for a job that I will keep for a long, long, long time. A job that I will love going to every morning.

To answer the most asked question among foreign JDs like me, "how to survive in the U.S. with a foreign JD?" I'd say you need a lot of perseverance and a lot of luck. I was not top of my class, I am not a genius, I am not rich. I am average by most standards. I have no network, I didn't get  my previous jobs because I know somebody who knows somebody. (I am not opposed to that, I certainly wish right now that I knew somebody. A lot of somebodies!) Heck, I am not even lucky. But I am determined. Everyday, I try to stay positive and tell myself that "Things will turn around. They always do."

I intend to chronicle how I fare as an unemployed foreign JD in the U.S. I hope that I would inspire average foreign JD Joes and Janes out there to follow their "U.S. esq." dreams. I hope that my luck would turn soon and that I would be showered with good, great, best of luck! Through all this, I have been getting motivation from The Daily Motivator (www.greatday.com). Perhaps it is fitting that today's Daily Motivator says:

Streak of Bad Luck -- ...The fates are not malevolently aligned against you. You’ve just chosen to see it that way. Your streak of bad luck will end at precisely the moment you decide it is over. The only thing that can make the future look bleak is your agonizing over the past, and that can end right now. ...With a renewed sense of purpose, look forward and move forward. Your future is yours to choose. (Read more: http://greatday.com/#ixzz1M4JRWygz)