Career Advisor
- Know Yourself. Engaging in the self-assessment process early creates direction and focuses your job search.
- Have A Plan. Finding a job is now your full-time job. Set achievable goals and plan out your five day workweek schedule. Staying on a schedule will keep you moving forward.
- Update Employment Documents. Your resume and cover letter must be perfect. With the competitive environment, don’t let typos or bad formatting keep an employer from looking at your credentials.
- Understand Your Market. Conducting market research will help you uncover opportunities and make you a more viable candidate for jobs. The more you know the more attractive candidate you become.
- Stay Productive. Volunteer, join professional associations, and offer to collaborate on an article with an attorney or professor. Staying engaged will keep your resume updated and fresh. You want to show that you’ve stayed productive and engaged while looking for a job.
- Build A Network. Approximately seventy-percent of jobs are obtained through connections and referrals. Start networking and putting yourself out there NOW.
- Set Up Informational Interviews. Part of building your network is getting to know professionals. Offer to take an attorney to lunch or coffee and pick their brain about their practice. Ask about THEM and their career path. Resist the temptation to ask for a job.
- Follow-Up. Don’t let all your networking go to waste. Follow up and stay engaged with your contacts. Let them know when you pass the bar and send them articles relevant to their practice area.
- Be Creative. Look into part-time and temporary job postings. For example, you may want to consider starting your career in another geographic area such as your hometown. You can always lateral back into you target market after you have a few years of legal experience.
- Don’t Give Up. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Be persistent and take time-off for yourself. Setting a workweek schedule will enable you to stay productive and not burn out.
