What to Do While Awaiting Bar Results

Courtney Brown 
Graduate Fellow 
Law Career Development 

     It has been almost two months since law school graduates took the July 2016 bar exam. Some of you may be wondering what you can do during this waiting time to help you get a job when you pass the bar exam. The time while you are waiting for results is time you should use to increase your chances of getting the job when you pass the bar, and below are some ways you can be using the next month and a half.

1) Bridge Fellowship 

     This is a great time to look for volunteer opportunities in the community no matter where you are currently living. Volunteering will allow you to gain valuable practical experience and continue to improve your skills. This is also a great way to meet new attorneys that can be references for future jobs, and get experience in different areas of law. Also by doing this, you are helping organizations and populations that need the help and usually do not have the necessary resources.
     As a recent graduate myself, I understand that volunteering as we struggle to pay our bills does not sound like a good option. However, GGU tries to help with the financial difficulties that recent graduates face while taking on volunteer opportunities by providing Bridge Fellowships. The Bridge Fellowship program supports recent graduates in making a successful transition into the legal profession by providing them with a stipend for the volunteer work they do. If you are interested in the program and want more information, make an appointment at LCD prior to the next application deadline on October 15th.

2) Networking and Informational Interviews

     Use the extra time you now have to set up informational interviews with lawyers, mentors, and alumni that you didn’t have time to meet with before. These interviews may help you narrow down specific job possibilities that you did not think about during law school. Interviews also allow you to learn more about the field you think you want to enter after you pass the bar.
     Now is also a great time to become involved with local bar associations. These groups provide opportunities to meet lawyers, find mentors, and learn more about areas of law that may be of interest to you.
     For more tips on networking and informational interviews, visit the LDC Blog.

3) Career Kickstart Bootcamp Webinar

     GGU is giving new graduates a great opportunity to take part in a FREE webinar by Susanne Aronowitz. This weekly webinar series will be airing Mondays from noon to 1 PM PST from October 10th to November 14th. The program will give you the tools to conduct a job search, develop a professional network, and help employers recognize the unique value you have to offer. For more information and to sign up, please visit the webinar sign-up form. Spots are limited!

4) Polish Your Resume and Online Profiles

     You never know when the perfect opportunity is going to show itself. So make sure you are spending the time now updating your resume so that includes recent job experience, awards, and leadership experience. Having a resume that is polished means that when an opportunity presents itself you will be ready to apply and send in application materials that you are confident about.
     Along with updating your resume, make sure you are also updating your online profiles, such as LinkedIn. Make sure you have a proper headshot and that it includes all recent work experience. A potential employer could be pulling up your information without you realizing it, and having your profile updated could assist you in getting the job you want. For more tips on updating your LinkedIn profile, visit these blog posts.

5) Enjoy This Time!

     Although job searching is very important, especially now that the legal field is saturated, it is also important to enjoy this time before becoming a lawyer. You most likely will never have another time in your life where you have the free time you do while waiting for bar exam results. Now is the time to pick up a new hobby that you didn’t have time to do when you were in law school. Take a cooking class, teach yourself how to knit, or do projects around the house or apartment that you have been putting off. This is also a great time to spend time with friends and family you have neglected the last three years, and especially neglected this summer.

Your Words are Your Craft and Your Reputation: Don’t Let Up on Proofreading—In Your Job Search or Your Career

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow

Every new lawyer knows the feeling: You just passed the Bar and got sworn in. Now you are applying for a job at a firm that sounds like an amazing opportunity. This will be your first real job as a lawyer. You type up an engaging cover letter outlining exactly why you are a great fit for the firm. You sell yourself like an ad man from the 60s writing about the new Rolls Royce for a billboard in Times Square. There’s no way they won’t hire you after reading this.

Then you read over your cover letter again. And spot a typo. And another typo. Frantically, you scrutinize your letter again and again searching for any little mistake you may have made. After all, one misplaced comma or misspelled word could kill your chances for scoring the job. Before long, your brain starts hurting. And your anxiety skyrockets.

If you fret about making typos in emails to hiring partners and other colleagues, there is good news. A line of research going back several decades shows that, as you advance in your career and earn a reputation in your profession, you can get away with being less formal in email contact with colleagues. Further, typos and proofreading mistakes matter less than when you are an entry-level job seeker.

Stop ‘Wasting Everyone’s Time’: Five Tips to Help Employers Help You Find a Job

By Frank Zeccola 
LCD Graduate Fellow 

An email by a partner at a large national law firm has gone viral across the Internet in the last month. In the message, the partner complained that sending thank you notes after your interviews with BigLaw firms is “Just a complete waste of everyone’s time.” The subtext is that thank you notes add very little value to your prospects of landing the job but cost large firms money by clogging employees’ inboxes with unwanted emails. Whether this advice translates to small, midsized, or public interest law firms remains to be seen, but a general guidepost is probably: “when in doubt, leave it out.”

The bigger picture issue is that hiring and training new employees costs money—some estimates range as high as $300,000 per new lawyer.

 As a new lawyer entering the marketplace to find your first job, the last thing you want to do is waste employers’ time at any point in the hiring process. If you can show that you can seamlessly transition from job applicant to employee without any wasted time and effort on the part of the employer, you stand significantly improved chances of landing the job.

To do that, here are five tips for helping employers help you in the job hunting process. Further, these tips will help get your resume to the top of the pile and increase your chances for scoring the job:

Battling Your Brain And Finding Those Lurking Typos

by Jared Solovay
Director of Private Sector Programs
& Administrative Director of Honors Lawyering Program

A few years back, the following paragraph made its way around the Internet:

“Arocdnicg to rsceearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer are in the rghit pcale. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit pobelrm. Tihs is buseace the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.”

It turns out that there was no such study at Cambridge University, but that’s really beside the point. What’s remarkable about this paragraph is that, despite the fact that nearly every word is misspelled, most readers can still process the content at normal speed. Thanks to a phenomenon known as pareidolia, the brain turns out to be quite adept at spotting overarching patterns and filling in the missing pieces.

The problem is that as helpful as these mental shortcuts can be, when it comes to proofreading your own work, your brain can do you a disservice. Time and time again, when reviewing students’ resumes and cover letters, I find misspelled words arising from missing letters.

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.

A FONT OF WISDOM: The Experts Weigh in on the Right and Wrong Fonts for Your Resume

by Jared Solovay 
Director of Employer Relations
Administrative Director of the Honors Lawyering Program 
Law Career Services

Students occasionally ask me which fonts make a positive impression in a resume, and which do not.

My standard response is to invoke Justice Potter Stewart (“I know it when I see it”); when you have looked at enough resumes, you know what feels polished and professional, and what feels sloppy and informal.

I suspect that answer is too coy to be satisfying, so I was intrigued when I came across this analysis of the question.

The results from these “typography wonks” may surprise you.

What Is Your Name Brand?

by Michelle Queirolo 
Grad Fellow 
Law Career Services

During law school, and your professional legal career, you should consciously manage your brand. What is a brand, you might ask? Dictionary.com defines “brand” as “a kind of variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic.” This is the exact purpose of your brand – to set yourself apart from the rest, to highlight the distinct qualities that you can bring to employers, and to show employers and clients what kind of an advocate you are. (For more info on what a brand is, and the importance of a professional brand, read this Forbes article.)

A professional brand is developed by your reputation, which is essential in the legal community. Your reputation is demonstrated by your style and professional interactions, your paper trail, your social media profiles, and your involvement in the community. Ultimately, your personality and values drive your particular brand, so it is vital that you remain genuine.  

At a Loss for Words After You’ve Submitted Your Resume?

By Michelle Queirolo
LCS Grad Fellow

A follow-up phone call to an employer after submitting your application provides a multitude of benefits, from inquiring about the interview timeline to landing an interview itself. This helpful article not only describes these benefits, but also offers a script on exactly what to say when following up, which you can tailor to your own situation. Try writing your script out or creating an outline so you can refer to it during the phone call if need be, but remember not to sound robotic in your delivery. Although we do not recommend that you directly request to speak with a supervisor or request an interview right off the bat, this article still provides useful tools on how to obtain valuable information about the employer and the available position. So make yourself stand out from the rest and start planning your next follow-up phone call now!

Happy New Year! LCS is Open

We're here to help you prepare for PI/PS Day!

Resume/Cover Letter Review: Drop by Law Career Services (40 Jessie Building, 5th Floor) to receive assistance with your resume and cover letters.

• Tuesday, January 6: 11:30 am - 1 pm 
• Wednesday, January 7: 11:30 am - 1 pm 
• Thursday, January 8: 11:30 am - 1 pm
• Friday, January 9: 11:30 am - 1 pm 
• Monday, January 12: 11:30 am - 1 pm and 4 - 6 pm 
• Tuesday, January 13: 11:30 am - 1 pm and 4 - 6 pm 
• Wednesday, January 14: 11:30 am - 1 pm and 4 - 6 pm

If those times don't work with your schedule, call us at (415) 442-6625 to set up a time convenient for you.

Microsoft Office Tutorials – for FREE!

By Henghameh Poya, LCS Intern

Ever wonder, "How do I alter the margins in my document?" "How do I add those equations in Excel?" You're not alone. Legal employers expect their interns and attorneys to be self-sufficient when it comes to computer skills; check out these resources that offer videos and step-by-step instructions.

1. Straight from the source

This website offers video tutorials for all of Microsoft's available programs. You can also choose which version you have and whether you're using a PC or Mac. Try using the search bar at the top of the page to navigate you to what you're looking for.

2. If videos aren’t your thing

This website offers step-by-step instructions (with pictures) on how to do a variety of tasks. It also offers some helpful explanations on what the tools do and what they would be useful for. The directions may differ slightly depending on the version of Office you’re using, but you'll get a nice overview from this website.

3. Just another option

This website is another text-based instruction site, but it's not quite as comprehensive as the previous one. It offers some simple instructions and gives you the option of choosing which version you're using.

Tip: If there isn't a tutorial for what you're looking for, try running a Google search with a brief description of your question. Example: "how to add column Microsoft Word."

Happy New Year!

by Elisa Laird-Metke

Law Career Services welcomes everyone back from the winter break! LCS counselors are available to meet with you to help with applications for spring and summer jobs. Make an appointment by calling (415) 442-6625

If you need just a quick resume/cover letter review, drop-in hours are also available. Stop by Monday, January 6 through Friday, January 10 between 11:30 and 1:00 pm daily at 40 Jessie, 5th floor.

Don't forget that PI/PS Day applications are due January 16!

We look forward to working with you in 2014!

Properly Tailoring Your ResumeCan Make a Big Difference

by Jan Nussbaum, Assistant Director for Professional Development

A properly tailored resume can make a big difference in landing you an interview. I have personally experienced this first hand and when working with recent graduates.

• Dissect the job description and then tailor the resume: Go over the job description with a fine tooth comb. Identify those skills that the employer finds most important and talk about this in the resume (and cover letter). If you don't have an important skill, determine if you can correlate experience that you do have with the required expertise.
• Tell a story: Provide the reader with a clear picture of your skills and capabilities. For example, if the potential employer's clients are mostly newly arrived immigrants and the motions and briefs you would work on involve halting deportation, don't simply list that you have interviewed clients, drafted motions and briefs, and assisted at trial. Paint a picture for the reader about the types of clients, subject matter and complexity of the litigation you have experience with. Thus, even if you did not work on immigration cases, the reader can easily determine whether there is some synergy between your experience(s) and his/her practice. 
• The resume needs to stand on its own: Often candidates discuss why they are qualified for a position in the cover letter, but fail to adequately describe this is detail in the resume. Keep in mind that often the cover letter gets separated from the resume, or the reviewer does not have time to read it. Your resume will need to stand on its own.  
• Eliminate or pare down any work experience that is not on point to what the employer is looking for in a candidate. You have only seconds to say to the reader that you are worth talking to, so let them focus on applicable information. Every time period in your school and work career does not have to be accounted for in the resume. During the interview you can explain gaps and additional experience if asked. At this stage of the game, potential employers are primarily interested in your relevant legal skills and other experience pertinent to the job. Personal interests are not essential to list if space is an issue. Especially for students, recent graduates and new attorneys, employers want to see that you can keep your resume to one page.

As always, if you have any additional questions or need additional assistance, don't hesitate to contact me. 

"Tailor the Resume" - What's This Mean?

by Jan Nussbaum
Assistant Director for Professional Development

I am coming up on my one-year anniversary of working at LCS and supporting you on your job search and professional development. During this time, one thing that I have consistently observed on resumes is the lack of detail in fully describing work performed to provide potential employers with a compelling picture of how an applicant's qualifications may fit with a position or be of benefit to the employer.

Now I can hear you exclaiming out loud that, "How am I supposed to do this when I've been told to keep the resume to one page and to be concise, especially when I'm told employers only allow a few seconds to review the resume!"

Here are a few pointers:

Eliminate or put in summary form any work experience that's not on point to what the employer is looking for in a candidate. You have only seconds to say to the reader that you're worth talking to so let them focus on applicable information. You don't have to account for every time period in your school and work career. You can explain later gaps and additional experience if asked. Personal interests are not essential to have listed if space is an issue.

Dissect the job description. Print it out and highlight any areas where you have experience or can correlate other experience to what they are looking for in a candidate. Use this as a guide to add detail to the resume accordingly, being careful to use the same jargon found in the job description or any other employer materials.

Tell a Story. With or without a job description, provide the reader with a clear picture of your skills and capabilities. For example, let's say that the potential employer's clients are mostly newly arrived immigrants, and that the motions and briefs have to do with halting deportation. Many law students will simply list on their resume that they have interviewed clients, drafted motions and briefs, and assisted in trial. But that doesn't paint a picture for the reader about the types of clients and cases you worked on so they can easily determine whether there is some synergy with their practice. The reader doesn't have time to connect the dots. Using the above example, maybe your work experience dealt with asbestos litigation. If you describe your clients' backgrounds and the complexity of the litigation, the employer can get a much better picture on whether your experience can transfer to his or her immigration practice and make your stand out as someone he or she will want to talk to further.

Give it a try, and those of us in LCS are happy to give you input and direction.

Lawyers Really ARE Different ...

... At least when it comes to resumes.
If you are using your pre-law school resume to find legal positions, you may be missing an opportunity to connect effectively with employers. This helpful article explains the differences between legal and business resumes.

Remember, when it comes to communicating with prospective employers, you want to focus on how your information will be received.

- Susanne Aronowitz

Crunching the Numbers: Class Rank

by Susanne Aronowitz
Associate Dean for Law Career Services

Now that Fall grades have been finalized and class ranks have been calculated, students are often confused as to how to present this information to prospective employers. (If you are wondering whether you ranking warrants mention on your applications, consult with a career advisor at LCS.)

Regardless of whether you consider yourself to be a “numbers person,” you must get it right when it comes to presenting your class rank. Misrepresenting your academic credentials comes with harsh consequences: in addition to losing out on the job you were seeking, you may be subject to disciplinary action at GGU, which could ultimately jeopardize your ability to get licensed by a state bar.

Here are a few pointers to get it right:

Reporting Your GPA. Present your cumulative GPA exactly the same way as it is reported on your transcript; do not round the numbers to the nearest whole number. For example, if your GPA is 2.999, you should list it on your resume as 2.999. (When reporting your undergraduate GPA, use the cumulative - as opposed to major - GPA awarded by each institution attended.)

Reporting Your Class Rank. Divide your place in the class by the total number of students in the class as reported to you by the Registrar’s Office. Class rank percentages are typically reported with whole numbers; to get to a whole number, round up to the next highest number as your class rank. In other words, if your class rank calculation places you in the top 9.99% of the class you will need to list it as Top 10%, not Top 9%.

Here are a few illustrations:

Raw Ranking: 23 out of 219
Calculation: 23 ÷ 219 = .1050 or 10.50%
Class Rank: Top 11%

Raw Ranking: 54 out of 274
Calculation: 54 ÷ 274 = .1970 or 19.70%
Class Rank: Top 20%

Remember, grades and class ranking are only some of the credentials that employers consider in a hiring process. Let the diligence and detail-orientation you use with your academic credentials set a tone for the way you construct your entire application!

Attorney Resume Shuffle: Is It Time Yet?

by Susanne Aronowitz,
Associate Dean for Law Career Services & Alumni Relations

Recent graduates often ask, "when should I move the education section on my resume from the top of the page to the bottom?"

You can move your education to the bottom of the resume when your legal experience can offer a full picture of your skills and expertise. For most attorneys, this occurs several years into practice, and well after their first attorney position. The education section highlights important information, including academic success, leadership, and identification with affinity groups. Does the work experience that you present provide enough detail to generate an employer's interest? Until your work experience can effectively showcase your legal skills, expertise, and level of responsibility, consider leading with your education.

Resume / Cover Letter Tips

Thanks to all of the students who took advantage of recent resume & cover letter drop-in hours at Law Career Services. We were glad to see students incorporating the feedback into polished application materials.

We learned a few things ourselves, and wanted to pass on some tips to help you with your materials:

1. Paper, please. When bringing in your documents to be reviewed by a counselor, please bring in a hard copy for us to review.
   
   
2. Timing is everything. Please allow enough time prior to an application deadline to prepare your applications, incorporate the feedback you receive from a counselor, and upload or submit your materials in the manner requested by the employer or job fair. As many students learned the hard way, it can be very time-consuming to submit your applications. The sooner you can take care of it, the better.
   
   
3. Whether and how to list GPA, Dean’s List, and class rank. Students must be extremely cautious when presenting academic credentials. You may not indicate Dean’s List and similar accomplishments to employers until you have received official communication from the school that you have earned them. Once awarded, students are encouraged to present Dean’s List, Witkin Award and CALI award on their resumes (please make sure you understand the criteria for earning these accomplishments!). As a general rule, students should list class rank if it is Top 30% or better, and GPA if it is 3.5 or better.
   
   
4. Help is available! Please remember that LCS has handouts on resumes, cover letters, transcripts, writing samples and reference lists, all of which can be downloaded from the Resource Library on LCSonline. First-year students can also view a video from the main page of LCSonline of a recent Resume/Cover Letter Workshop. If you have not had your documents reviewed, please make an appointment to meet with a counselor at LCS.

Ace Cover Letters: Customizing for Employers

by Leslie Hom

A great cover letter explains why you want to work for this employer. The reader should be left with the impression that the letter was written solely for them. To be effective, you need to research the employer, figure out what’s important to them, and highlight how you are a good match.

First, gather information. Review their website and written materials. Search Google and talk with others who may know something to learn about their reputation and priorities.

Second, ask yourself these questions:

1. What is compelling about their cases or clients?
2. What is meaningful about the work they do?
3. Do they have a mission statement that reflects your own values?
4. What connections can you draw that link their work with your strengths and experiences?

Last, write your cover letter with your notes on hand.

Tip: Use IRAC to organize your writing in a cover letter.

Related Link: Cover Letter Handout

The Beauty & Blueprint of a Cover Letter

by Leslie Hom

I have the pleasure of guiding students through the challenging and exciting process of preparing job application materials for their first legal positions. I often see them laboring over their resumes but not their cover letters. Why?

“Cover letters are hard.” “Employers do not read them.” “I do not know why I want to work for this employer. I just need a job.”

These are some of the responses I hear from law school students about their cover letters. This is when I unveil the beauty of the cover letter.

Writing a cover letter requires that you clarify what you want and what you bring to the table. This is an important process that takes time and thought. Great cover letters answer two questions: why do you want to work for this employer and why should this employer hire you. In that process, you get a chance to ground yourself in what is important to you about your work. This is invaluable to you in finding a place that fits and work that is meaningful.

Cover letters and resumes have different purposes. Resumes are about presenting a record of current and past accomplishments. A cover letter forecasts the future based on your past experiences. You can identify broader career themes in a cover letter, including one’s career objectives and a summary of skills that would not be used in a legal resume.

The other reason to ace the cover letter is that employers do read them. They can make the difference between you and another candidate. And in this competitive market, why leave it to chance when you can send a spot-on letter to your target employer?

Here’s the simple and effective cover letter blueprint:

Paragraph 1: Introduce yourself.
Paragraph 2: Answer the question: Why do you want to work there?
Paragraph 3: Answer the question: Why should they hire you?
Paragraph 4: Wrap up. Thank them for their attention.

Tip: Read your letters aloud before sending.

Related Link: Cover Letter Handout