Office of Career Services

Current Students

FAQs

What services can the counselors in OCS provide?

All counselors are available to meet with you for one-on-one counseling sessions to discuss your career interests and objectives, job search strategies, resume polishing, interviewing skills and networking techniques; to evaluate employment experiences; and to help you make informed career decisions.

How does OCS help students obtain jobs?

The counselors provide individual counseling sessions to help you design a job search that fits your personal interests and needs. We advise on the preparation of resumes and cover letters and serve as a clearinghouse for job information. We also maintain a print and online resource library of up-to-date legal career information. In addition, our videotaped "mock interview" sessions help prepare you for your job interviews. We inform you of relevant programming at local bar associations. Each winter Hofstra Law School takes part in a public interest job symposium held at New York University School of Law. The event brings together law students interested in public interest practice with a wide variety of employers from the public sector. OCS assists students in submitting resumes for the symposium and conducts a workshop to discuss strategies for success at this event. And finally, we prepare and present panels and programs at which Hofstra alumni/ae, upper-class students, faculty and leaders in the legal community share information about their job searches and career paths.

When should I visit OCS?

Every student is encouraged to schedule a career counseling session at least once during each year of law school. You need not wait for an invitation to meet with a career counselor.

Due to National Association for Law Placement (NALP) regulations, first-year students may not schedule individual counseling sessions until after November 1. However, first-year students may attend all programs offered by OCS. This regulation was designed to allow new students to become acclimated to law school and comfortable with their studies.

How often should I visit OCS?

Every student should visit OCS at least once a year, but there is no set schedule. Whenever you have a question or feel you need assistance, come by.

Where do students work during the summer?

OCS posts hundreds of part-time and summer employment opportunities on its password-protected Web site. Students use their summers to explore a wide range of employment opportunities, from small, medium and large law firms, to public interest organizations, to in-house legal departments of corporations and Fortune 500 companies, to state and federal governmental agencies, to judicial externships with state and federal judges, to nonlegal opportunities including consulting and banking. OCS surveys students about their summer employment experiences and makes these evaluations available in binders in our Resource Center to assist all students in researching prospective employers.

Can I fax documents from OCS?

Use of OCS' two fax machines is offered to students for sending and receiving employment-related correspondence. The rules and regulations for use of the fax machines are:

1. Any single facsimile transmission must be 15 pages or less. For transmissions of more than 15 pages, prior permission by OCS staff (excludes student aides) is required.
2. A maximum of 10 facsimile transmissions are permitted per person, per day.
3. A maximum of 2 facsimile transmissions are permitted at one time when other people are waiting to use the machine.
4. A maximum of 3 international facsimile transmissions are permitted per person, per semester without charge. A person wishing to transmit more than 3 international facsimiles will be charged at a rate of $.25 per page.
5. It is the individual sender's responsibility to wait for receipt of a facsimile transmission confirmation. OCS cannot assume any responsibility for transmission failure.

How do I access student job listings?

OCS posts all job opportunities (except for on-campus interviews) on its password-protected Web site at symplicity.com. Job opportunities for students and alumni in both the private and public sector are posted on this site. Students access this site through the Hofstra portal. Hofstra Law School is also a PSLawNet subscriber, which gives students who are primarily interested in public interest or government positions an opportunity to access thousands of domestic and international opportunities on the PSLawNet database. Www.PSLawNet.org contains information on more than 10,000 public sector organizations. You must register to access the data, but registration is simple and free.

When is OCS open?

OCS is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except on Fridays during the summer when the office closes at 4 p.m.).

Can OCS help me find a job outside the New York metropolitan area?

OCS will assist students and alumni in obtaining full-time and summer positions throughout the United States and abroad.

I am from another law school outside of New York City. Can Hofstra's OCS help me?

Hofstra's OCS is available to graduates and students of other law schools who request use of the office through their law school career services office. In return, we ask that the other law school make its career services office available to our graduates and students upon individual request from us. Your law school should contact Doris Urbach at (516) 463-5871 or lawdzu@hofstra.edu.