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,m anaged 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