Using Stories to Demonstrate Your Identity

By Alexander Hoyt-Heydon
Law Career Development Graduate Fellow
 
This past weekend, I was invited to a networking event by a friend whom I had helped edit his latest book. The event was to be held at one of the hotels in Las Vegas, and I admit I was curious what kind of networking would go on in such a place, surrounded by gambling, alcohol, and every kind of distraction known to man. As it turns out, what I had thought would be one big party full of people from all walks of life was in reality a conference discussing techniques and ideas behind the secrets of social networking. Suddenly the nondisclosure agreement I signed when I walked in made sense.

I was right on one part: people from all walks of life, various cultures, professions, and viewpoints were all in attendance. However, with the exception of myself and a handful others who were invited by friends, almost everyone there was operating on a much higher level of success. Leaders of industries were there, men and women who have influential positions in almost every business, and all of them with the shared mindset on how better to network and interact with the world around them. The list of speakers was rather impressive, and I want to share one of the most important techniques I learned that weekend: the power of storytelling to build your career.

Holiday Presents and Healthy Presence

By Alexander Hoyt-Heydon
Law Career Development Graduate Fellow

In my last entry, I talked briefly about the importance of keeping yourself healthy to help let your body do what it does best. A little over a year ago, the LCD blog posted a fantastic article about TED talks to watch before your next interview, as well as an article about networking during the holiday season. What do each of these have to do with each other? You might not realize it, but your personal health and well-being has a direct impact on your ability to network and find a job. How well you take care of yourself not only influences the way you feel about yourself, but also how those that you meet feel about you. Health is a key to your personal success in life.

Prior to attending Golden Gate University, I was a bartender, and to earn a little extra money during law school, I worked for a staffing agency that would routinely send me out to bar-tend for catered events all throughout the Bay Area. At one of these events, a tech company was hosting a guest speaker as she toured the country promoting her upcoming book. That speaker was Amy Cuddy, a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School, and her new book is about how nonverbal behavior and snap judgments affect people. If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s because her TED talk on how Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are, as well as her popularization of the ‘Wonder Woman’ pose, have made her one of the most watched TED talks over the last couple of years. As luck would have it, I was able to snag an advanced copy of her new book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges, and read it 2 months before its expected date of release.

Having a Happy, Healthy, Holidays

By Alexander Hoyt-Heydon
Law Career Development Graduate Fellow

The holidays are a great time for networking, as many bar associations host lunches, cocktail hours, mixers, and dinners for their members. These events are excellent opportunities for anyone in the legal profession to meet and mingle with a variety of lawyers and build their networks. And with so many discounts and specials offered to law students to join these bar associations, it’s hard not to find a reason to go out and enjoy the celebrations.

Yet for all the fun over the holidays, there is always one aspect that the legal profession notoriously forgets about until the time comes for their New Year’s Resolution: personal health and well being. Wellness is an important subject of many law blogs, normally taking the form of mindfulness; and it’s no secret that every other magazine today contains at least one article about how to improve your health and longevity. With so much information out there telling you how to stay healthy, it can become overwhelming.

Searching for Work in the Digital Age

By Alex Hoyt-Heydon
Graduate Fellow, Law Career Development

With the July Bar results being posted and holidays right around the corner, many recent law school graduates are feeling pressure to find a job and fast. Between rent, student loans, basic necessities, and yes, holiday shopping, the need to find a stable source of income, as well as move forward in your legal career, is a strong motivation to keep looking for work. However, you are not the only one looking for work. And trying to hone in on any one specific field can become a daunting task in a sea of legal specialties, firms, and potential employment opportunities.

Oddly enough, it seems that in this age of quickly advancing technology and internet dependence, most articles on looking for work still hold many in-person tactics for obtaining work. Things like leveraging networks, reaching out to personal contacts, and looking into opportunities where you have worked in the past are all great, tried and true methods for obtaining work, but may not necessarily help find the exact opening you are looking for. And for those law students who were not able to form a strong network during law school, finding that first legal job after graduation can be even more difficult. Enter the online search engine to help bridge the gap.

LCS Holiday Closure

Law Career Services will be closed from December 25, 2014 to January 4, 2015. The entire GGU campus is also closed. During that time we will not be available for counseling appointments and will not be updating job listings. We hope all of our readers have a pleasant holiday!

Etiquette for Professional Holiday Parties

by Sabrina M. Johnson
LCS Grad Fellow

You are attending Holiday Parties and you will want to make sure that you are there to enjoy yourself and strengthen your professional network. While you are thinking about which events to attend, you should also be thinking about how you will present yourself. This applies for organizational holiday events, as well as an office party.

Holiday Parties - Let's Mingle

by Sabrina M. Johnson
LCS Graduate Fellow

Holiday Party season is upon us. This is a great way to meet new attorneys in a welcoming and casual environment. Enjoy the season and boast your network.

Click here to view a list of upcoming holiday season events!

Keeping these holiday party tips in mind will allow you to enjoy your time:

1. Have an Entrance Plan. When you walk into a room, make sure you know where you are going. Head to the bar/food area or take a quick walk around the room. Having an initial plan helps alleviate anxiety and boost confidence. 
2. Prepare to Talk. Be able to talk about yourself. This includes both your professional self and other interests. "How about those Giants?" I am willing to bet that the Giants are a hot topic of conversation in San Francisco this season. 
3. Prepare to Listen. Listen to what others are saying, and use their name when appropriate. Active listening (eye contact and smiling) is an easy way to win over your audience. 
4. Dress the Part. Your outfit is your first impression, and while people don't necessarily notice a good outfit, they definitely judge an inappropriate one. Make sure your festive holiday attire is still professional. Remember, you can never go wrong with slacks and a collared shirt. 
5. Collect the Card. Casual conversations at holiday events tend to last 5 - 20 minutes. When you have a connection with someone or want to learn more, ask if you can follow-up with them at a later time. Be sure to get their business card. 
6. Follow Up with the individuals you enjoyed speaking with to wish them a happy holiday, invite them to join your LinkedIn network or to schedule an informational interview.

Don't be scared, LCS has you covered!

by Andrew Artelt
LCS Intern

With Halloween quickly approaching, tricks and treats abound, especially when it comes to your job search. As a future law school graduate, the job market may even be downright frightening. To add to it, your resume or cover letter may even have some unwanted cobwebs that need to be cleaned up.

Here at Law Career Services, we want to remind you of all the treats that we give out not only during the Halloween season, but on a daily basis:

• Job Postings – While working at LCS, I have been able to see the many potential job experiences located throughout the Bay Area, nation, and even internationally! It is so easy to forget to log into your LCSonline account and sift through the many job postings that are added on a daily basis. You can easily set up a Job Agent defined by geographic preference areas so that you automatically receive emails whenever a job posting in your preferred area is created. To set this up, log onto LCSonline, click “My Profile,” then click “Academic,” and finally, click “Automatic Email Notifications – Geographic Preference Areas.” Now you are set up with three geographic preference areas from anywhere in the world!
• Twitter and the LCS blog – If you’re reading this, you have found our blog. On the LCS blog, we not only post great articles written by the LCS staff, but also share networking opportunities and information regarding upcoming job fairs. Also, to make job searches even more convenient for students, LCS has created a Twitter account which has tweets about every new job that we post on LCSonline. Follow us and receive our tweets at @GGULCS.
• Handouts – Many times, we need a quick and efficient fix in our job search. For some, the issue may be a cover letter, others a resume. Either way, LCS has you covered with handouts that show many helpful tips! Come to the LCS office to see our display stand full of helpful information or access them via our electronic Resource Library in LCSonline.
• On-campus Information Sessions – LCS plans countless information sessions throughout the semester that focus on how to find jobs and different career paths. Many of these sessions are conveniently held during the lunch hour and are often recorded for those who cannot attend. These videos can be found on our YouTube page here.
• Career Counseling Sessions – The foundation of LCS is our career counseling. Our counselors were all once practicing attorneys. They have a wide variety of backgrounds that can help students find their perfect fit and assist with any job search matters that may surprise you along the way. We recommend that all students meet with an LCS counselor at least once a semester to make sure your career development plans stay on track.

Regardless of whether you say “Trick” or “Treat,” LCS has plenty to offer.

Five Steps to Boost Your Networking Skills

by: Melissa Smart and Jan Nussbaum 

  
Holiday party season is upon us, and for those seeking jobs there isn’t a better time to network.  Folks that attend holiday parties are often more relaxed and open to chatting with new colleagues.  Here are some tips from the Culture and Manners Institute to help you stay on top of your networking game as you attend parties.

•    Think of networking as research.  Ask questions and listen to the answers; this shows that you are taking interest in the other person and that will make them feel good.  Try to gather as much information about the person and the company or organization they work for.
•    Try to keep conversations organic.  You don’t want to be a walking resume, especially at holiday parties, so let the topics arise naturally.
•    Don’t be afraid to admit you are out of work.  If you are currently seeking a position share that with the people you speak with, but do so in a natural way that fits into the conversation. 
•    Write down what you remember from the conversation.  Immediately after the event, jot down something interesting from each conversation you had so you can mention it when you follow up.  Try writing it on the back of the person’s business card that you collected. 
•    Follow up.  Sending a holiday card or handwritten note to the people you met at the party shows that you found them interesting and really listened to what they said.  It is also a great way to stay on their radar in case they hear of any job openings.  Separately, send a follow up email inviting the person out to coffee for an informational interview.

For more helpful holiday party networking tips, see the Culture and Manners Institute website. 

1L Thanksgiving Strategy

Worried about seeing your family over the holidays and how you will handle their incessant (but well-meaning) questions about your career prospects? Check out these helpful tips to enlist your loved ones on your career team.

- Susanne Aronowitz

In Your Own Words:Grüezi aus der Schweiz!!

John Andy Brunner-Brown (JD 13)

Less than 48 hours after my last exam, the airplane touched down with a friendly notice from the flight crew - “Willkommen in die Schweiz; welcome to Switzerland.” Yet, spending my four weeks of winter break as a legal intern in the town of Zug instead of relaxing posed a potential problem: would the work burn me out or would the experience revitalize me? Fortunately, I quickly realized that working for Zwicky Windlin & Partner would be well worth the risk.

Despite having had only one semester of law school, the work was completely within the capacity of my legal education. On top of writing legal memoranda and researching international civil laws, the firm gave me opportunities to translate contract clauses, to meet with clients (either with a partner or alone) and even to draft a contract for a loan. Luckily, work did not always keep me in the office. By train or by car I traveled to Bern (the capital), to Altdorf (the hometown of the legendary William Tell), and to Morgarten to see the monument of the Battle of Morgarten. It’s always a pleasure traveling through the magnificent Alps and along the breathtaking lakes.

Even though the visit was short, my coworkers and roommates included me in their activities as if we had been old friends. Events outside of work included several dinners at “the boss’ house,” Christmas and New Year’s celebrations with my roommates and sledding during the lunch break.

Though I risked burning out in order to gain practical experience, the gamble paid off. Not only did I learn a great deal and gain valuable real-world experience, I was also able to enjoy the charms of a foreign country: its culture, beautiful scenery and delicious foods (Swiss cheeses and chocolates are amazing!). Most importantly, the experience re-energized me and made me all the more excited for the upcoming semester and my future legal career.

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In Your Own Words is an opportunity for GGU School of Law students and alumni to share the wisdom they have gained from experience. If you would like to contribute a blog entry regarding your job and/or externship experiences or your job search, please email us or call 415 442-6625.

The Sweet Spot

by Marcie Areias
Career Advisor

I refer to this time of year as the "sweet spot." Rarely do you have time to catch your breath and organize your job search. Rather, you are forced to jump head first into informational interviewing and applying for jobs. Because of this, strategic planning takes a backseat. This time of year, however, the job market is quiet, and it is critical that you use this time to organize your job search strategy. Try the following:

1. Online Job Search. Compile a list of all the online databases that post live job openings that interest you. A good place to start compiling this list is on LCSonline's Web Resource handout (available in the Resource Library). While there is no magic number for the amount of online job boards you should check daily, try 10 to 15. The goal is to ensure that no job posting is missed.
2. The "Who You Know and Want to Know" List. Being strategic is critical to conveying confidence. Use this time to compile a few spreadsheet lists consisting of people you know and people you would like to know. Track contact information, reasons for contact (alumni, does interesting work, etc.), dates and notes of each outreach. To get started, try www.martindale.com and Alumni Connect (www.ggu.edu/alumni).

Remember that using this sweet spot for organizing will lead to a more comprehensive job search and allow you to speak with confidence about your diligent job search efforts. Get ahead of the game now by planning for 2011.

A Word About Holiday Parties

by Marcie Areias
Career Advisor

It is time for the holidays and with that come holiday parties! Most bar associations and other legal organizations plan holiday parties that are upbeat in mood and full of food and fun. Seize these opportunities to meet new people in a welcoming and cheery environment. Holiday cheer is contagious, so head to these events and enjoy yourself.

Click here to view a list of upcoming holiday season events!

Keeping these holiday party tips in mind will allow you to enjoy your time:

1. Have an Entrance Plan. When you walk into a room, make sure you know where you are going. Head to the bar/food area or take a quick walk around the room. Having an initial plan helps alleviate anxiety and boost confidence.
2. Prepare to Talk. Be able to talk about yourself. This includes both your professional self and other interests. "How about those Giants?" I am willing to bet that the Giants are a hot topic of conversation in San Francisco this season.
3. Prepare to Listen. Listen to what others are saying, and use their name when appropriate. Active listening (eye contact and smiling) is an easy way to win over your audience.
4. Dress the Part. Your outfit is your first impression, and while people don't necessarily notice a good outfit, they definitely judge an inappropriate one. Make sure your festive holiday attire is still professional. Remember, you can never go wrong with slacks and a collared shirt.
5. Collect the Card. Casual conversations at holiday events tend to last 5 - 20 minutes. When you have a connection with someone or want to learn more, ask if you can follow-up with them at a later time. Be sure to get their business card.

Looking for Greener Pastures?

Are you considering relocating outside of the Bay Area after earning your law degree? Or are you planning to move home to begin law practice? LCS has many resources to help access job opportunities and build your network. Spring break is the perfect time to get started!

If you’ll be in the locale over Spring Break where you hope to work, start planning now:

1. Set up informational interviews with alumni and other attorneys in the area for the week of March 16.
2. Contact the local bar associations.
3. Establish reciprocity with the local area law school to gain access to their job listings, which will be better targeted to the area.

Set up an appointment with a counselor at LCS today to develop a strategy and learn more about the resources available to you.

Halloween Open House 2008

Thanks to all the ghosts, goblins and 1Ls who joined us for our annual Halloween Open House! In addition to lots of treats, 1Ls collected information about their LCSonline accounts, resume resources, upcoming events and some tips for using the winter break strategically.

Later this month, we will email all 1Ls when the schedule for our mandatory 1L Getting On Track with Your Career Development workshops has been posted. Each 1L is required to attend one of these small group sessions that will take place in mid-December (immediately after finals) and in early January. We recommend that you sign up for the earliest possible time so that you can make the most of your break between the semesters.