Recruitment Program FAQs

• What is the Mitchell Hamline Recruitment Program?

  The Mitchell Hamline Recruitment Program, formerly known as On-Campus Interviews or OCI, is an opportunity for Mitchell Hamline students to connect with employers who are seeking to fill current and future open positions for law students or attorneys. Through a coordinated series of programs and processes:

  • Coordinated Recruitment. Employers post open positions to the Recruitment Programs platform in 12Twenty, allowing students to apply for multiple jobs with a universal application deadline and generally similar interview timeline, enabling better, more-informed decision-making by employers and students.
  • Guided Preparation. The Office of Career and Professional Development (CPD) guides students through the application process, including:
    • Offering advice for researching employers and networking with attorneys
    • Providing feedback to application materials
    • Assistance navigating the 12Twenty application platform
    • Facilitating mock interviews and other interview preparation
  • Informed Hiring and Employment Decisions. Employers select candidates to interview and hold first-round interviews during a condensed time-span, enabling students to gather information about and assess opportunities in a singular time period before making decisions.
  • Learn more by watching the Nuts and Bolts of the Summer Recruitment Program (recorded April 2023) and Researching Employers, Networking, and Preparing for Meet the Employers (recorded June 2023)!

• Who can participate in the Mitchell Hamline Recruitment Program?

  • Students: All Mitchell Hamline students are invited to participate in the Recruitment Program and should carefully review the participating employers and their respective position descriptions and eligibility criteria to determine to which positions they would like to apply.
    • Some positions will seek students of a particular class year, academic background (for example, a science degree), or availability (i.e., part-time school-year or full-time summer position).
    • For example, some employers are looking to hire 2024 graduates as new associates, while others are looking for students for summer associate programs or law clerk or externship opportunities during the school year and/or summer.
  • Employers: 
    • Large Firms: Many large law firms will participate in the Summer Recruitment Program to hire for summer associate positions for the following year. For some of these larger law firms, on-campus recruiting programs, like Mitchell Hamline’s Summer Recruitment Program, are the only way they hire law students.
    • Small and Mid-Sized Firms: Oftentimes, small and mid-sized firms utilize the Mitchell Hamline Recruitment Program to hire school year and/or summer law clerks, with a potential to stay at the firm during the school year or start earlier in the spring semester and continuing through the summer and even beyond.
    • Public Sector and Nonprofit Employers: Public sector employers, such as county attorney’s offices, public defenders, and state and federal agencies, as well as non-profit agencies, are welcome and encouraged to participate in the Recruitment Program.
    • Corporate Employers in a variety of industries have also utilized the Recruitment Program to find students to fill summer, school year, and post-graduate positions.

  Larger law firms participating in the Recruitment Program often set required or preferred grades, class ranks, and other expectations. That being said, participating law firms are generally eager to hear from a wide range of students and aim to take a holistic view of students’ attributes and strengths. Other employers who participate in the Mitchell Hamline Recruitment Program, including smaller or mid-sized firms, public employers (such as County Attorney’s offices), corporations, and nonprofits, often place less emphasis on grades and other quantitative measures as much as the large firms.

  Who is participating in Mitchell Hamline’s Recruitment Program? You can view employers currently registered by logging into 12Twenty and reviewing the Recruitment Programs page. The list will be updated on 12Twenty as additional employers register…so check it frequently! Students are encouraged to research those employers participating and consult their JD Career Counselors if they have any questions.

• Is the Mitchell Hamline Recruitment Program accessible if I require the use of a screen reader or live captioning?

  Yes. The Office of Career and Professional Development will make every effort to work with employers to ensure that interviews and other recruitment activities coordinated through the Recruitment Program are accessible to students who may need accommodations due to a disability. Students with questions or concerns about accessibility with virtual or in-person interviews should contact careers@mitchellhamline.edu.

  Recruitment Program Guidelines and Resources

  Prohibition Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct

  1. Mitchell Hamline shares NALP’s commitment to fairness and helping make the legal profession accessible to all individuals on a non-discriminatory basis, free of harassment. Further, Mitchell Hamline is committed to providing a working and learning environment that maximizes the potential of each student, faculty member and staff member. Unlawful discrimination of any sort interferes with that environment and is prohibited. All employers participating in on-campus recruitment, or otherwise utilizing Mitchell Hamline resources to connect with Mitchell Hamline students, are expected to understand and abide by Mitchell Hamline’s Non-Discrimination Policy for employers.
  2. Likewise, Mitchell Hamline is committed to maintaining an environment free from the physical and emotional threat of Sexual Misconduct. Any employer participating in on-campus recruitment or otherwise utilizing Mitchell Hamline resources to connect with Mitchell Hamline students is expected to comply with Mitchell Hamline’s Sexual Misconduct Policy for Employees and Third Parties. All forms of Sexual Misconduct, as further defined in that policy, against employees or students are prohibited.
  3. Mitchell Hamline expects any employer participating in recruitment activities with students to partner in this endeavor to provide interviewing and recruitment environments that minimize the risk of any forms of discrimination and harassment. This includes ensuring that the employees or outside recruiters interacting with students on the employer’s behalf have been trained to avoid bias, discrimination, and harassment.
  4. No Retaliation: Mitchell Hamline prohibits and will not tolerate retaliation or intimidation against a person who reports or complains about discrimination, harassment, or Sexual Misconduct, or who participates in or supports the investigation of a discrimination, harassment, or Sexual Misconduct complaint.
  5. Corrective Action: Should a violation of Mitchell Hamline’s Non-Discrimination Policy or Sexual Misconduct Policy for Employees and Third Parties be substantiated through the applicable investigation process, Mitchell Hamline reserves the right to alter or discontinue the relationship with the organization or individual violating that Policy (including the individual’s employer), which may include a restriction of privileges or prohibition from participating in future on-campus recruiting events, utilizing Mitchell Hamline facilities for interviewing, and other placement services through Mitchell Hamline, in addition to any other form of recourse available under those policies or applicable law.

  Interviewing Resources

  Resumes and Cover Letters

  Nuts and Bolts of the Summer Recruitment Program (recorded April 2023)

  Researching Employers, Networking, and Preparing for Meet the Employers (recorded June 2023)