A career services advisor can be an amazing resource in law school as you navigate OCI, externships, clerkship applications, and more. However, it’s important that you find the advisor who can best help you reach your personal goals! To do so, follow along with this new series to learn about each CSO advisor at Boston College Law School. Here is our interview with Soo Lim.

What is the best piece of career advice you can offer students?

This is just general advice, but it applies for careers as well: Never ever ever give up! It may sound corny, but it’s true. When I first joined the Career Services Office in 2004, I had been rejected twice before. The first time the position was posted, I applied and received a rejection letter immediately. The second time, I interviewed with the office, but the offer went to someone else. When the position opened up for the third time, I received a call that if I was still interested in the position, it would be mine. I then stayed for nine years and returned in 2020. The job search (and frankly, your career) is not a linear path. Perhaps it is for some, but for most, it’s a meandering path with some obstacles thrown in there for good measure. I suppose it would make things less stressful and much easier if life moved in a straight line, but the opportunity for growth wouldn’t be nearly as magnificent. And, I’m here to reassure you that everything will be ok. Hold onto your goals, but alter your path as often as needed, and let CSO help you.

How would you describe your advising style when you work with students?

When I meet a student for the first time, I try to find common ground right away. Whether it’s having lived in New York or New Jersey, having attended a similar small liberal arts college, or sharing love for a certain activity, food, or team, I try to connect with the student to earn their trust immediately. From there, I try to get to know the students. I ask questions, but really I just want to listen. Everyone has a story, and I want to hear it. Then, the advising piece: I do my best to answer any questions the students may have in an honest yet supportive way. If we’re conducting a mock interview, I’ll point out which responses were good, which were great, and which need tweaking. But most importantly, I try to instill in students that no meeting is ever a “one and done.” I want students to make additional appointments and continue building a working relationship until we reach their goal. I often refer to students I meet with every few weeks as “my regulars,” and I take great pride in that. 

What do you like to do for fun?

Now that my daughters are either graduated from college or in college, I’m a bit disconnected from my town, so the friendships that have remained are invaluable. I like to spend time with those friends, whether it’s going out to eat, going for a walk, enjoying a concert, or even sharing silly videos on TikTok. 

What do you do on a typical weekend?

In the summer, I’m often on Cape Cod being a beach bum and enjoying time with friends. We have themed cookouts, karaoke night, and Disco Dance Night. For the rest of the year, I enjoy relaxing, going for walks, riding my Peloton, and binge watching all types of shows. I particularly enjoyed Squid Games and Only Murders In The Building. If you want to watch something truly bizarre, I recommend Dark — I needed a flow chart to understand the alternate universes, but this show will stick with you. Now, I’m currently watching Season 3 of Lupin and Season 7 of Billions.

---

Tess Halpern is a third-year student and president of the Impact blog. Contact her at halperte@bc.edu.