Major Legal Services®: Candidates: Strategic Plan for Job Hunting

The following thoughts are offered for individuals making a move from one job to another. Many of them also apply to recent graduates who are seeking their first legal professional position.

Research your marketplace. Learn expectations for performance as a paralegal, attorney, or legal secretary, both in a specific practice area in general and in a particular practice area with the employer you are pursuing. The best information comes from individuals that have worked or are working in the departments or specific areas in which you are interested.

Go after opportunities that are compatible with the way you work and the kind of person you are. Be realistic about the demands of a job and what you are capable and willing to give.

Be aware of the importance of timing in the marketplace. If the economy is doing well and unemployment is low, chances are you will have more opportunities from which to choose. Also be aware of seasonal fluctuations in hiring during the year within the legal profession -- some months tend to be very active while others, like the winter holiday season, are comparatively flat.

Use all the resources available to you, but keep a tight reign on where your resume is going and when. You should maintain control of the search regardless of the resources you are using. Networking with practicing legal professionals, accessing the job banks of professional associations, checking with the career resources center of your educational institution(s), sending your resume to firms and corporations directly, and working with professional legal recruiters are all good avenues to follow. Just be sure to keep a log of when, to whom and by whom your resume was directed. Simply having your resume appear before a hiring official from two different sources could eliminate you from consideration.

Be especially careful if you do not want a current employer to discover you are looking elsewhere. Applying for "help wanted" classified ads and "blind ads" (where the identity of the employer is withheld in the ad and you reply to a post office box) are dangerous strategies. Someone at the receiving end may know someone at your firm. Their contact with your firm is usually very innocent -- to obtain a reference on you. Yet it can be detrimental to your future with that firm.

It may be best to work with a reputable search consultant who can make discreet inquiries at the offices of the potential employer and educate the hiring officials regarding the delicate and confidential nature of your search. If the legal recruiter is well-connected in the legal community, he or she should be able to introduce you to virtually any firm or corporation in which you are interested.

Investigate the integrity of your search firm and search consultant. Ask for references from other legal professionals that have utilized the recruiter's services in the past and speak to them about their experiences. Many consultants work on some kind of commission basis. Some can be overly aggressive in their zeal to make a placement. Though the firm or corporation pays the recruiting firm, the consultant should be acting in your best interests. He or she should be interested in hearing what you want and need from a job in detail. The recruiter should not be wasting your time submitting your resume and/or setting up interviews for you for positions which do not fit the profile of the types of jobs in which you would be interested.

In addition, the search consultant should only forward your resume to a client after he or she has identified that client to you by name and you have authorized the consultant to present you as a candidate for a particular position. If you do not request this information from the recruiter, you will not know to whom your resume has been presented, and you will lose control of the search process.

Use the Internet to post your resume or search for jobs. But be careful -- maintaining the confidentiality of your search can be a challenge.

Perform informational interviews to learn about firms and corporations, their working environments, expectations, culture, et cetera. The interviews can be conducted with anyone familiar with the firm or corporation and the people that work there. The best sources are current or former employees. A good search consultant can usually put you in touch with these people. Do not forget the wealth of information available to you via a quick search on the Internet, or at your local public library.

Your strategic plan for a job search can include many avenues and resources. Having a plan will result in a satisfactory move in furtherance of your career goals if you are also organized, thorough, and diligent in moving forward while maintaining control of the process.