Blog on the legal job market, how to best use an attorney recruiter to assist in your search for a new opportunity and musings on the job search process.
Consistency is the hallmark of good pitching in baseball, a golfer’s short game and a good resume. Employers are not just looking at the document you submit to them, but are looking at other information, what can be considered your “other resume,” and inconsistencies are going to be scrutinized.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal talked about a law firm headed by a graduate of my alma matter who imposed a ban on hiring law school graduates from Ivy League and other elite schools.
If you read this blog, you know that my favorite business blogger is Seth Godin. He is an insightful, relevant and prolific writer. He recently opined on the difference between hiring and recruiting.
Going into an interview there are some things you can control and others you cannot. You cannot control how much or what type of experience you have. You cannot control your prior educational background or work history.
Some of our blog posts offer useful information. This isn’t one of them. Here I’d like to pose several open-ended questions. Who is responsible for you to be employed after law school? You? Your law school?
Borrowing from the Boy Scout motto, a job applicant should always be prepared heading into an interview. You’ve worked hard on your resume, networking, and chasing job leads and now you are faced with your first interview for the position – don’t blow it due to your lack of preparedness.
We’ve come full circle from the Great Recession. The numbers are in and, according to The American Lawyer, mid-level associates are happier than they have ever been – but paradoxically, more prone to move to a new firm. These mid-level associates are actually working harder (as evidenced by the number of hours) and have been given more tools (at least technology that help them work longer, faster, better) and have more perceived job security than in recent years., but they are unsure about their future at their current firm.
This is not an illusive way of blogging about how to deflect work – it is actually about the consumption of alcohol in public.
My grandfather, it seems, loves tires. Every time I see him, he asks about my tires. How is the tread? What brand are they? How are they in the snow? he is sure that tires are the single most important part on the car.
We are hearing from a lot recent law school graduates lately and although the market has improved, jobs are still scarce for the majority of these folks. Creating a compelling resume can be a challenge when you do not have practical legal experience.
Look at any job posting or legal resume and there is sure to be something mentioned about having excellent communication skills. Everyone wants it. Every resume says that you have it. What is it?
I recently received a cover letter from a candidate that reminded me of one of my daughter’s favorite characters from Winnie the Pooh – Eeyore. After a few pleasantries, the letter proceeded to state that the candidate had a “very poor” first year of law school and that his GPA was “less than desirable”. I could almost hear the sad trombone sounds in the background as I read the letter.
Tendering your resignation is awkward at best and can get downright ugly in some situations. Whether you are leaving for money, career advancement or personality differences – offering a polite, professional resignation is always the best course of action.
The dog days of summer are a perfect time of year to assess your current employment situation. For many, late summer offers a chance to take a breathe from a hectic work year – whether you find yourself with some free time in the office or are out vacationing. Yes, loyalty is an admirable trait but if you are not willing to at least consider other jobs, you might be missing a real chance for career advancement.
Of course the grass is not always greener elsewhere, but you will never know unless you are willing explore other options from time to time. There may not be such thing as the absolute perfect job, but you might be able to improve certain aspects of your career that are particularly important to you.
So after some self-reflection, ask yourself if you are content with your current job or is it less than what you had hoped at this point in your career? If you hoped for more, now is an excellent time to consider a change because you may actually have time to update your resume, start networking, and perhaps test the market. Even if you are waiting for a year-end bonus, it is not too soon to start the process.
Although sometimes a move is necessary solely for career advancement, it is more common for people to consider new employment due to some negative experience with their current employer. However, it is never a good idea to dwell on this too much in an interview.
One of the better (non-Seth Godin) business books that I’ve read in a long time is Michael Watkins’ The First 90 Days. Watkins is a Harvard Business School professor and a job transition expert.
Going into an interview there are some things you can control and others you cannot. You cannot control how much or what type of experience you have. You cannot control your prior educational background or work history.
There are few phrases that are as over-used as “less is more.” It ranks right up there with “thinking outside of the box.” In some instances, less might be more, but when working with a recruiter, less is definitely NOT more – at least when it comes to the information given to the recruiter.
When is the best time to switch firms if you are a practicing attorney considering a move? Although there is no hard and fast rule, the window of opportunity for associates to move typically falls in the range of 3-6 years of practice.
Most people say “um,” “like” or some other sort of filler word when they speak. It’s just a way to fill time while we craft our speech in our heads (or it is just a bad habit).
