1.     Who is Eligible to Participate in the Taxation Interview Program (TIP)?

The following groups are eligible to participate in TIP:

Students currently enrolled Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) or New York University School of Law (NYU):

• Tax LL.M. students Georgetown Law students enrolled in the Employee Benefits Certificate, with or without the LL.M. degree
• Georgetown Law students enrolled in the Estate Planning Certificate, with or without the LL.M. degree
• Georgetown Law students enrolled in the Employee Benefits Certificate, with or without the LL.M. degree
• Of the above, students who will be graduating between the December 2008 and August 2009 academic term
• J.D./LL.M. in Taxation dual degree from Georgetown Law

Georgetown Law or NYU Tax Court Clerks whose clerkships are terminating between December 2008 and August 2009

2.     What are Some Important Dates to Remember? please note that the dates for the 2008-2009 academic year will be  posted soon

January 7, 2008	Students may start seeing employers who are beginning to register for TIP in Symplicity (https://law-tip-csm.symplicity.com/students/index.php?cck=1&au=&ck)
January 14, 2008	Students may research and bid for employers, and upload resumes and other requested documents in the system
January 28, 2008*	Deadline for students to bid for employers and upload resumes and other materials in Symplicity (5:00 p.m.)
February 13, 2008	Students may begin to schedule interviews in Symplicity
February 20, 2008*	Deadline for students to schedule interviews (5:00 p.m.)
February 21, 2008*	Alternates' opportunity to schedule and cancel interviews (one day only)
February 22, 2008*	Cancellation deadline for primary candidates (5:00 p.m.)
February 29, 2008	Taxation Interview Program

* There will be no exceptions made for any of these deadlines.

3.      Some Firms Have Requested Cover Letters or Transcripts in Addition to Resumes.  Should I Upload Documents Other Than my Resume on Symplicity?

Yes, you should upload onto Symplicity any and all documents requested by employers. If an employer has not requested a specific document (for example: a cover letter), Symplicity will not allow you to upload it. On the other hand, you may upload multiple requested documents onto Symplicity, including resumes, cover letters, and transcripts. 
In the case of transcripts, we recommend that you obtain a copy of your official LL.M. transcript as soon as you receive your Fall grades, and have it electronically scanned into “PDF” format. The only document students will not be able to upload is a writing sample; please bring a copy to your interviews, if requested by the employer.

4. How Can I Determine What a Particular Firm is Looking For – Their Hiring Criteria, Specific Needs, Positions Available, etc.?

Many firms have provided information about hiring criteria and needs in their profiles on Symplicity.  You should always consult each employer’s profile before bidding for an interview to see any specific information the firm has provided regarding areas of practice, academic standards, work experience, journal experience, etc.  Also be sure to read any Employer Description, as this section sometimes contains useful information about the firm’s practice areas and/or current hiring needs (“Review” button).  Finally, where such information is unavailable on Symplicity, visit the firm’s own website and check out their “Careers” or “Employment Opportunities” sections, as firms will often indicate their standard requirements and current needs in these sections.

5. When, Where, and How Should I Submit my Resume for Firms That are Listed as “2009 Resume Collect Only” Participants?

Some firms will sign up to collect resumes through TIP, but will not be coming to interview at the Embassy Suites Hotel. To see the list of “Resume Collect Only” firms, click the “On-Campus Interviewing” button on the top banner, and select “2009 Resume Collect Only” under “Session” contained in “Search Filters.” From there, follow the same process for submitting resumes as you would to bid for firms coming to TIP. If the firm subsequently wishes to arrange an interview or collect additional materials from you, they will contact you directly. 

6. How do I Upload my Resume Onto Symplicity?

While logged into Symplicity, you will see a banner at the top of the page that includes a “Documents” button. Click the "Documents" tab, and you will need to select the “Add New” button on the lower left portion of the page.  You will be asked to assign a “label” to the document (basically a file name), to select what kind of document you are uploading (resume, cover letter, transcript, etc.), and to select a document to upload.  Click the “browse” button to search for a file on your computer, locate the file you wish to upload, and click “Submit.”
Once you have uploaded a document, it will be reflected on your documents list, and will automatically be converted into PDF format.  Immediately after a document is uploaded, you will see the word “converting” in the “status” box for that document. When the document has been converted to PDF, the status will change to “ready” and you will be able to view the PDF version of the document.

7. How Should I Obtain/Provide Copies of my J.D. and/or Undergraduate Transcripts Upon Request?

You should upload all requested transcripts onto Symplicity in PDF format. Your J.D. (or equivalent) and LL.M. transcripts are available from the Office of the Registrar for a fee of $5.00 each. All transcripts must be requested either in person, by fax, or by mail, as a signature is required.  (Transcripts cannot be requested by phone.)  All transcripts should be requested from the Registrar at least 24 hours in advance of the date needed.  *Most employers will accept photocopies of your official transcript; however it is advisable to bring an original copy on the interview date for any employer who may require it. 

8. How do I Bid For Interviews on Symplicity?

Before you may bid for an interview with a particular employer on Symplicity you must have uploaded into your profile each of the documents requested by that employer.  (See above Question 6: uploading documents.)  Once you have logged in and uploaded a resume, you will click the “On-Campus Interviewing” tab on the top banner to see the list of firms for which you may bid.  This page will list all firms who are interviewing as part of TIP (Resume-Collect Only firms are listed separately under the “2008 Resume Collect Only” Session tab), and the number of available interview slots with each firm. 

Always click the “Review” button and read the information posted before applying. In the rightmost column for each employer you will see an “Apply” button.  When you click this button, you will see more detailed information about the employer, including participating office locations and hiring criteria.  On the right hand side of the page will be a box entitled “Bid Details.”  This box will list all of the document types requested by the employer, with a drop-down menu next to each document type.  You must choose documents of each requested type in order to place your bid.  Simply select the appropriate documents from the drop-down menus, and click “apply” to submit your bid. You may withdraw bids at any time prior to the bidding deadline by clicking the “withdraw” button on the main bidding page.  *Note: Some firms will list multiple offices, for which you will apply separately. These firms may or may not allow you to actually interview with more than one office. Other firms will list several office locations under one schedule, and may prompt you to rank your office preferences when submitting your bid.

9. How Will I Know if I Have Been Selected for an Interview?

Each student will receive an e-mail each time he or she is selected for an interview. However, students should log in to Symplicity (in case the automatic e-mail notification is not working) at any time during the selection period (February 13-20, 2008) to see their bid status in the "On-Campus Interviewing" section.  Under the “Employers/Bidding” tab, you will see a list of all employers for which you have placed a bid.  In the column entitled “Invitations” you will see the status of your bid.  If you have been selected for an interview, you will see buttons to “accept preselect” or “decline.”  If this column reads “pending” then the employer has not yet accepted or rejected your bid.  If the column reads “not selected” then the employer has submitted its selections, and did not accept your bid.  Students who were selected as alternates should be notified via e-mail and will see an “accept alternate” button if and when a space becomes available. However, students should periodically be checking Symplicity to determine if they have been selected as an alternate.

10. How do I Schedule Interviews on Symplicity?

In the "On-Campus Interviewing" section, under the “Employers/Bidding” tab, students who have been selected for an interview will see buttons to “accept preselect” or “decline” each interview.  To schedule an interview, click “accept preselect.”  The ensuing screen will allow you to select your interview time from a list of available slots.  In addition to slots that have already been reserved by other students, employer breaks and times for which you have already scheduled other interviews will be blocked out.  On the interview scheduling screen, you will also have the option of updating your application materials. You are not required to do so, and employers may or may not refer to your updated documents prior to your interview. If you have uploaded a new resume or transcript since placing your bid, you may choose appropriate documents from the drop-down menus on the interview scheduling screen.  If your documents have not changed, or if you do not wish to update your documents for a particular employer, you may ignore this section and click the signup button at the bottom of the screen. 
*You should always bring an updated copy of your resume with you to the interview.

11. What Happens if a Student Declines an Interview?

Declining an interview is final!  If you choose to decline an interview, your slot will be made available to an alternate, and you will not be able to schedule an interview with that employer.

12. Will I be Able to Re-schedule Interviews?

Yes – so long as there are still open slots available that do not conflict with your own interview schedule.  To reschedule a previously scheduled interview, click the “Scheduled Interviews” tab in the “On-Campus Interviewing” section.  Under the “Interview Date” column, click the date of the interview you wish to reschedule.  This will return you to the interview scheduling screen, and allow you to choose a new time if there are still slots available.  You may also still update your documents from this screen.

13. How do I Cancel a Scheduled Interview?

We strongly discourage interview cancellations.  If, however, you find it absolutely necessary to cancel an interview, we ask that you do so as soon as you are aware of the need.  Visit the "On-Campus Interviewing" section of Symplicity, select the “Scheduled Interviews” tab, and click the “Cancel” button in the right-hand column for the interview you wish to cancel. 

*Note: This cannot be undone!  Once you have canceled an interview, your slot is made available to an alternate, and you will not be able to reschedule.