Author Archives: lcrouch

Does Your Resume Need An Update?

Resumes are often a law firm’s first glimpse of you, so it is important to make a great first impression!  For example, it is a myth that your resume must include every single job experience you’ve ever had.  A resume is your opportunity to highlight experiences that are relevant to the job to which you are applying.  As such, you should carefully select jobs which were meaningful and which reflect the skills and abilities needed to perform the position you are seeking.  Including too many experiences can overshadow the more important ones.  Ask yourself what the experience demonstrates about you and whether it is necessary for this position.

Strategic Questions to Ask Your Interviewer

Legal Support Personnel.com has published a list of 10 questions you can ask a possible employer at the end of your interview.  There most likely will not be time to make too many inquiries, but you can utilize these to come up with some of your own.  For example:  You could ask–

“How would you describe the individuals who are successful in this position? What qualities or characteristics distinguish those individuals?”  or

“What are the greatest challenges of this position?”  or even

“At this point, do you have any concerns as to whether I would be a suitable fit for this position? If so, I would like to provide you with additional information that I hope would eliminate any doubt in your mind as to whether I would be an appropriate match for this position. I firmly believe that I am a strong fit and could make a valuable contribution to your team.”

To see the list in its entirety, Click here.

Need Legal Experience?

 

 Sally Kane writing for About.com has outlined ways to get legal experience during your law studies, or while you are looking for a permanent position upon graduation. 

 Internships, externships and clinics are a wonderful way to get your feet wet in the legal profession and this experiential learning necessity is much touted by Coastal and the Career Services Department alike.  Volunteer positions, both during and after law school, are also great ways to obtain quality experience and the non-profits, public interest organizations and legal aid offices would appreciate the help with tasks that really make a difference in the lives of people and the community.  While still in school, extracurricular activities like moot court, writing competitions, writing clinics and more hone your skills that may help you get your foot in the door of legal employers.  The more experience you gain during law school can only better prepare you for your practice in the future. 

Part-time legal jobs, like file clerks, court filers, data entry clerks and the like may allow you to work in the legal field, or in a particular firm you like until they will consider you for an associate position, if, for example, you are waiting for bar results, or they don’t have an opening.  Temping is another method where you may be placed in short-term assignments through a legal staffing agency.  Temping is a great way, also, to explore a particular firm and vice versa.  Some firms hire temporary employees to recruit permanent staff by testing them out on a trial basis, so keep that option in mind.

Contract jobs are becoming more plentiful in this market as law firms seek ways to reduce costs.  In a contract job, you are not considered an “employee” of the firm, but are an independent contractor hired to work on a contract basis.  Sometimes, these positions may work as a stepping stone to full-time permanent employment with the firm.

Research Your Target Market

One of the biggest mistakes law students make when conducting their job search is the failure to research their selected legal market.  While there may be many factors that influence where you want to practice, a significant factor should be whether there are opportunities there in the legal field.  Unfortunately, however, students often blindly select locales without ever considering what the local job market is like or whether the geographic location is already saturated with attorneys. 

To avoid this mistake, you must research your potential markets.  One of the best ways to do this is through informational meetings with local practitioners and judges, who are often finely tuned in to the local market.  In addition, you might contact the state’s bar association to request any demographics or surveys regarding hiring trends or average salaries. 

Researching the market should be one of the first things you do before you even commit to a state’s bar exam, so remember to start early.  Make an appointment with a Career Counselor in the Career Services Department to develop your individualized market research plan and ensure that you select the locale with the most potential, which can affect the time it takes to find a job, how hard you have to work for it, and what your compensation will be.

Networking in Smaller Gatherings

Networking is often most effective when you are at a smaller event .  Focus on opportunities that provide more intimate interaction with those attending, rather than huge receptions where it is difficult to establish a one-on-one connection with someone else.  The target attorney is more likely to remember you and to spend time chatting with you if you are only one of ten people attending an event, rather than 1,000 at a large reception.  Look for small gatherings sponsored by bar associations, including section breakfasts, small group CLE’s, and sports activities.  Moreover, people are often more relaxed and casual in small groups, so both you and your targets will be more comfortable and likely to make a real connection.

Create the Perfect Cover Letter

A cover letter is an important tool in your job hunt.  While a resume lists your education, experience and skills, it may not convey if you are a good fit for the law firm or organization.  That’s where your cover letter comes in–it helps the employer get a full picture of you, but it’s important to get it right!

1.  Tailor each cover letter to the firm or organization for the specific position you want.  Form letters (yes, employers can usually detect if it is a form letter) may eliminate you from consideration.

2.  Address your letter to the hiring partner or other designated person.  If you don’t know who that is–find out by contacting the firm.  Never, ever write “to whom it may concern”.

3.  Sell yourself.  This is your chance to let the firm know YOU are the right person for the job.

4.  It can be used as an opportunity to explain gaps in your employment, a return to school, staying home to raise a family or illness.

5.  Research the firm and possibly work in details like referencing a published case tried by the firm to give yourself an edge.  Showing you’ve done your homework will show that you are enthusiastic about this position.

6.  Check it and then double check.  Ensure there are no mistakes, whether they be spelling, grammatical, or factual, and make sure you’ve signed the letter.

7.  Use the right format.  If you have questions in this regard, please consult the Career Services Handbook in the Application Materials section, or make an appointment with one of our counselors through Symplicity.

Why should you schedule an Informational Meeting?

 

 Informational meetings are exactly what they sound like–interviews with attorneys to get information, not jobs.  You contact an attorney and ask if he or she can talk to you about a particular practice area, locale to practice in, or merely how he or she got into that field.  You are looking for tips, not a job, so the pressure is off both of you. 

You first make contact by email or telephone, and ask if you could meet to talk about their practice, or refer to something they wrote or perhaps a case he or she tried.   At the end of the meeting, don’t forget to ask the attorney if he could suggest other people you should meet–that way when you call, you can say who referred you, which may lead to another informational meeting.  You can also ask the attorney whether it would be okay if you contacted them again down the road if you had more questions.

Be sure to show up on time (not early or late), and show up with good questions.  Prepare to be there about 20 minutes, unless your interviewer wants to continue your talk, and always always send a thank you note for their time. 

Although this is not a job interview, you are not asking for a job, they are not offering one, and absolutely no resumes are given, there have been many jobs secured down the road after a meeting of this kind.  In the future, that attorney may be looking for an associate, or hear of another opportunity he or she may relate to you. 

To read more of Jay Shepherd’s column, click here.

A Hot Practice Area

How can you differentiate yourself from other candidates in this tough job market?  You need to have the skills many firms will be looking for.  One new and lucrative niche right now is in the area of E-Discovery.  It is vitally important and just as complicated.  As more data is stored electronically, businesses and law firms need an E-Discovery attorney to help identify, preserve, collect, process, review and produce this electronic discovery.  Further, law firms need expertise is advising them of relevant laws, how to protect e-files, and to advise them in trial.  If you develop the technical knowledge and skills, you can be on the forefront of this burgeoning field.