Go ahead and take that imperfect job

Let me start by saying that I get it:  the economy is bad and finding work can feel next to impossible, even if you have phenomenal experience, great academic credentials and have worked at some of the best firms in town.  Having said that, I have to admit that I am little surprised at the lack of flexibility I am seeing in some of my candidates.  The days of being recruited by firms and having multiple offers from which to choose is gone (that is not to say that it won’t come back, but for now, it is a thing of the past).  Jobs are few and far between, and firms can choose from the best of the best.  One would think that in light of the small number of jobs out there as compared to the number of out-of-work attorneys, said out-of-work attorneys would not complain about a job offer that is less than “ideal.”  Apparently, this assumption is completely wrong.

Take a corporate associate with whom I am currently working.  Nice individual, very smart, with great credentials.  She was at the top of her game before the market crashed, but when it did, she was laid off by her AmLaw 10 firm.  That was 10 months ago, and she is still not employed.  Even so, it seems like every time I call her with an opportunity, something about the opportunity just isn’t “right.”  The firm doesn’t pay enough; it’s located in the suburbs rather than right downtown; the position is too focused on finance (an area she has experience in but does not particularly enjoy).

As I said above, I get it.  It really sucks to be out of work, especially when you previously had an untarnished record of getting into the best schools and top law firms.  But the fact remains that this economy does not support the “perfect job.”  Firms are going to pay less, and the jobs that exist are going to be otherwise flawed.  But, that does not mean that you, Ms. Unemployed, should reject every opportunity that comes your way.  We all have to make sacrifices, and if that means driving to the ‘burbs or making 15% less than you would have back when salaries were inflated, then so be it.  At least you will be employed, and I can almost guarantee that if you put up with some of the flaws of the job, when things improve, many of those flaws will disappear.  Salaries will go up again, and more work will come through the door, thereby allowing you to choose projects that are a little more interesting to you.  Hell, when times are good, some suburban firms might even open an office in the city, and if you have put in your time, you might be able to help establish the new office.

I guess what I am trying to say is suck it up while the economy still stinks, and as it improves, so will your job.  That is, if you are willing to accept one that is not perfect.

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The Boutique Alternative

Undoubtedly, most of my conversations with candidates involve whether or not they will be able to find a job in 2010 — and how today’s market compares to 2009/2008.  The going commentary is that the first 8 weeks of 2010 have been markedly more active than 2009 (which was essentially a flat-line on the associate hiring side of the coin).  While this bit of information should lift some eyebrows and produce chants of joy, I find more and more candidates have become disillusioned with the job market and disgruntled with New York Big Law in general — leading to feelings of “leaving the practice,” “moving away,” or “taking time off until Big Law starts hiring again.”

All of this confuses me and here is why:  Big Law is not the only game in town.  That’s a fact!  It’s a fact that bears repeating:  BIG LAW IS NOT THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN.

Big Law occupies only a small percentage of the overall law firm populace.  In fact, outside of that small percentage, you can find boutique firms, middle market firms, small firms, solo practitioners, virtual law practices, and any number of other “opportunities.”  However, people forget this fact, and we all need to be reminded of what truly exists out there.  Granted, it may not be where you saw yourself upon graduating from law school.  However, these often overlooked places offer real jobs, real opportunities, and real experience.

For anyone who grew up in small town America (that would be me) in the late 70s/early 80s when the steel mills were closing, we saw our parents and our friends’ parents lose their pensions and their livelihood when the steel mills shut down.  What else did we see?  We saw those same parents finding other jobs…anywhere they could.  Some left their professional jobs with corporations for solo practices as consultants.  Some left their career-inspired jobs to do free-lance writing or dedicate their 9 to 5 to other income-producing pursuits.  Others stayed in the professional world but in entirely different professional roles.  The bottom line here is that people did whatever they could to keep moving forward, and a little while later when the economy evened out and jobs were hopping again, some of them moved back into the roles they had originally but with different employers.  Some of them enjoyed their new work too much to make a change backward.  All of the above-referenced parents retired with professional accolades and a pension at the end of the day.  A friend of mine described this single-mindedness as follows (and as told to him by his father):  When you don’t know what to do, DO SOMETHING.

What does this mean for lawyers right now?  It means that Big Law isn’t the only game in town, and if Big Law is hiring selectively and slowly right now, that’s okay.  Other opportunities exist so be mindful of them, look for them, interview for them, stay connected, involved, committed to your career.  Be flexible, open-minded, and see yourself in the larger picture.  Hopefully, the legal job market will continue to make careful steps toward improvement and hiring, but, until then, you cannot put your life or career on hold.  As they say, the character of a man or woman is not measured by success, but by adversity.  I believe that to be true, and it also bears repeating.

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What’s wrong with me?

I suppose it’s possible that I haven’t had enough caffeine today, and it’s making me cranky, but after I read this story about the e-mail flame sent by an NYU B-school professor, I found myself siding with the professor.

http://deadspin.com/5477230/nyu-business-school-professor-has-mastered-the-art-of-email-flaming

A student apparently complained to the professor by e-mail–upset that he wasn’t able to attend a class after arriving late–around an hour late.  But, since it was the first class of the semester, and he was visiting all of the course he was considering that met during that time slot, he should have been allowed to sit in on the balance of the first class.

The professor responded by e-mail.  “…get your s**t together.”  The professor challenged his assumptions about whether it was appropriate (even on the first day of classes) to walk in an hour late.  The professor suggested that just because the student couldn’t have known the professor’s policy regarding lateness, he was still expected to conduct himself according to certain standards.  The professor pointed out that though he has no stated policies with respect to urinating on desks, for instance, there is still no tolerance for it.

I sort of hate to admit I come out pro-professor on this one.  His response e-mail was a little harsh–but also right on, in my opinion.  I hate to be such a stickler for decorum, but the professor is right–professionals should be responsible for their behavior and shouldn’t complain about the lack of consideration when they were–admittedly–terribly late.

I received 9 e-mails from lawyers on Saturday asking to be considered for jobs.  Well, 9 resumes attached to e-mails.  One included a brief cover letter that addressed me specifically.  That was nice.  Several just had sentence fragments.  Two had no text whatsoever.  I don’t need a fancy cover letter when potential candidates approach me.  Even so, it is nice to see a concise and pleasant greeting.  “Thank you for your consideration” goes a long way.  I don’t ignore resumes from any potential candidate, but the way a person introduces themselves to me does make a difference in my overall evaluation.  To paraphrase our NYU professor, there are lots of things that are hard to manage in a career.  Politeness and decorum isn’t one of them, so it’s important to get that right.

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The good news and the bad news

The most frequent question I’ve been getting is:  “are things better out there?”

The answer is mixed.  First, there isn’t yet one easy response that applies to all cities, all practices areas, and all lawyers.  For instance, there is good partner level movement–a tremendous amount in fact.  The associate market is changing–which is fantastic–but not quickly and not across the board.

Second, the beginnings of a recovery in the marketplace doesn’t immediately mean that everyone will instantly get re-absorbed into the workforce.  What we see here in New York is a definite upswing in work, which is fantastic news for lots of folks in the legal market.  For example, a lot of firms are doing a tremendous amount of securities work, both transactional and compliance, and our current needs reflect that trend.  The bad news is that the hiring higher-ups have their pulse on the market, and they suspect that in lateral hiring, they can be particularly choosy.

And they are.

The changes in the marketplace are not so simple as whether the economy is failing or whether it’s in recovery.  We are still in an environment where those with the ability to hire new lawyers are testing the market to see the type of the talent they can get.  How selective a firm can be will change depending on how much competition they have in the market.  As the overall work-flow increases in a particular practice and region, job opportunities will expand more meaningfully.

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