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Effective Job Search Strategies for Lawyers

Effective Job Search Strategies for Lawyers. Be Warm, Active & Interactive. Warm means some connection to your contact Active not passive Interactive-know someone in the organization Most jobs are secured by warm contact Don’t rely solely on published ads. Lawyer Specific issues.

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Effective Job Search Strategies for Lawyers

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  1. Effective Job Search Strategies for Lawyers

  2. Be Warm, Active & Interactive • Warm means some connection to your contact • Active not passive • Interactive-know someone in the organization • Most jobs are secured by warm contact • Don’t rely solely on published ads

  3. Lawyer Specific issues • Resistance to warm techniques • Feeling of being “special or different” • Marketing can be solo, one on one, group or leadership • Usually one on one is the most productive

  4. Published ads • Not always about a job opening • Could be about a union requirement to advertise • Often job is already filled by interim candidate • Headhunters are useful in special cases • Career counselor very useful

  5. Group Techniques • Job fairs • Volunteering-Increases your connection with the organization –Creates networking possibilities • LAP events • Attend seminars or lectures

  6. One on One • AKA-Networking • 75% of all jobs found this way • This is the hidden job market • People will hire someone they know over someone who is better qualified • No connection is too remote

  7. Networking • A process of community building • Don’t ask people “if they know of a job for you” • Ask for something that they can do-How would you go about getting a job in your field?

  8. Resistance to Networking • What gets in the way of your networking? • Usually some form of fear • i.e..-I am embarrassed • The reason I’m not making the call is….. • Complete the sentence with 5or 6 endings

  9. Resumes and Cover Letters • Should answer the questions-What can you do for my business? and why should I interview you? • Focus on employers needs more than your credentials or goals • What skills are needed-Do my skills match?

  10. Resumes • Do your own • Rewrite as required • Emphasize your strongest points • Show results-not just titles • Be accessible and very easy to find • Be the person with the right skills, the right knowledge base, motivation and results

  11. Resumes-2 • Be descriptive of your skills, experience and credentials • Content has only one purpose-to prove you are well qualified to do the job • Chronological resume-used for similar jobs up the ladder • Most common form of Resume in Law

  12. Resumes-3 • Functional resume-used if your background is varied-ie. law and management • Organizes by category • Targeted resume-used for a specific job-or when you are off in a new direction • Show your qualifications-describe actual achievements rather than listing job titles and dates

  13. Resumes-4 • Be descriptive-not flowery • Describe tangible, measurable, results ie.got 500k award for client • Always mention law degree,even for non law jobs-it is an impressive credential • If more than 5 years-lead with accomplishments

  14. Special Situations • Gov’t jobs-describe education and training using exact words in job description • “disconnect your natural intelligence and creativity and break up your education and employment history into a large number of tedious redundant paragraphs”

  15. Special Situations • Scannable resumes-focus on key words, use industry jargon and nouns • Use key action words-developed,delivered,negotiated,managed etc. • Use basic fonts, avoid italics,bullets,underlining,graphics etc. • Use one side only

  16. Professional Profile • See example • Story style format • Some consultants say this is more effective than traditional resumes

  17. Internet Approaches • Search engines-general i.e.. Google. COM or Dogpile.com • Legal technology research center- lawtechnology.org • About specific law firms-Martindale. COM • Job Boards-rileyguide.com/jobs.html • Careermosaic.com • Monster.com

  18. Internet Approaches-2 • Top lawyer sites; • Eattorney.com • Emplawyernet.com • Law.com • Lawmatch.com • Legalstaff.com • For academic-chronicle.com • For Salary Comparisons-careers.yahoo.com or jobstar.org

  19. Posting your resume • Allows employers to seek you out • Some sites charge for this • Your personal data is out there, which could pose a problem • Safer if to a corporate web site • Get a separate email address,ie. Not your work email

  20. Electronic Resumes • Personal web sites are useful • Send attachments by PDF or RTF • Chat lines are good for insider information • Greedyassociates.com • Blogs are good-Lawyer blogs are found at radio.weblogs.com/0104634 • List serves are good

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