Parsing the No

I was recently asked by a law student to explain what a firm means by the language that they choose to use in a rejection letter or e-mail. While this student is doing beautifully in her on-campus interviews generally speaking, she is (like many of her contemporaries) collecting her fair share of rejections.

There is “we are unable to offer you a position at this time…” and there is “while we find your credentials outstanding, our class of 2010 is filled. We will contact you if anything changes…” There is “your background does not suit our needs.” Does one bit of prose suggest there is more hope for the future than the other? What can we read into this “no” that gives us more insight? Can you tell me what they mean?

I, Carey Bertolet, regret to inform you that while your question is quite reasonable, and while acknowledging that hope springs eternal, I must at this time inform you that the answer is in the negative.

While some language in one letter may be more promising, or gentle, than the next, I have never found that any real meaning should be ascribed to any of it. Feedback, to the extent one can get it, isn’t going to be between the lines. An honest assessment of your resume and presentation to a firm will be far more effective in figuring out why you got a no than poring over a letter. And, in an economy where everybody has their fair share of rejection, don’t dwell too much on the opportunities that won’t pan out now–stay focused on those that will.

Look for Opportunities Where Others Do Not See Them

One of the most frustrating things for me in this current economy is the fact that so many attorneys do not see all of the opportunity that is out there. I want to be very, very clear with you: There are opportunities for all types of attorneys in the current market. Regardless of your practice group or experience level, there are numerous opportunities for you to find excellent positions in this market. Finding postitions for people in all markets is exactly what talented recruiters do.

You need to understand that even if you are in a legal practice group that is slow and there do not appear to be a lot of jobs in your market there is a very good chance that this is localized. The problems with your practice group are either localized to the type of market you are in or they are localized to the the region of the United States (or world you are in). The worst thing you can do is feel as if there are no opportunities.

I have recruited attorneys in the worst of economies and can assure you there are always opportunities. If you are at a small firm that is going under (or has laid you off) there is a very good chance there are opportunities for an attorney like you in a larger firm in your geographic area. Conversely, if you are at a large law firm the chances are very good there are opportunities for you at a small law firm. If you are in a small city there are opportunities in larger cities and if you are in a large city there are opportunities in a smaller city.

Anthony Robbins, the famous motivational guru, did not begin to get famous and gain serious traction in his career until he started doing something that sounds crazy to many people: He started giving 10% of every dollar he earned to charity. While this is something that certainly brought him a lot of positive energy, it is also something that he credits with teaching him to think in terms of abundance and not scarcity.

A good recruiter (and we are good recruiters at BCG Attorney Search) thinks in terms of abundance. You should think in terms of abundance as well. There is more than enough to go around and this opportunity is everywhere… You need to take it and go after it!

I read this morning in the National Law Journal about the fact that there is still a ton of business in places like Dubai and China and lots of American attorneys continue to get offers there. Sometimes you need to go elsewhere to find opportunity. Most Americans families at some point came to this country because they believed they could find opportunity here.

Opportunity exists here and it exists for all attorneys. You need to go after this opportunity and see this opportunity where others see obstacles.

Monday’s Random Resume Tip

This is a short post, but one that will be immensely helpful for your legal resume.

Here it is: When describing your experience with an employer, never use more than 3 bullet points at once, unless they are broken up by subsections/subheadings.

It’s my opinion that people rarely read more than 3 bullet points before jumping to the next heading/employer on your resume. Some resumes have 5, 6, or even 10 bulleted sentences under each employer. Unless they are broken into subsections/subheadings, this can be very tedious because the reader needs to figure out exactly how the bullets fit into your overall experience (which usually covers a range of areas).

Imagine how annoyed you would be if you had to read a brief that had no headings. Same thing goes with your resume.

Ed Good, a writing instructor at my old law firm, used to always stress the importance of providing “context before detail” and providing a roadmap for the reader. By using subsections/subheadings under each employer, you will be helping the reader immensely. And for that, your potential employer (and your legal recruiter) will thank you.

Dependents’ Day

It is ironic to me that just days after we celebrated our nation’s independence, I got a call from the parent of a young lawyer. Sadly, this isn’t unusual, it happens more often than you might imagine. I’m really terribly ambivalent about telephone calls that start “my son/daughter just graduated from law school and….” I’m ambivalent because who can criticize a well-meaning parent who is genuinely hoping to help their kid by gathering career advice? On the other hand, for those of us on the receiving end of the phone call, it can really undermine your child’s credibility. Er, I mean, your adult son or daughter’s credibility.

Also, it’s unprofessional.

On a cranky day, my instinct is just to say “tell them to call me directly” and hang up the phone. I’ve never been cranky enough to do it. I just try as best I can to answer their (the parents’) questions and send them in the right direction. I usually point out that it would *really* be better if their son or daughter was doing this work on their own behalf. I hear two responses. First I hear “oh well he or she is sooo busy.” Second, I hear that the parent is just trying to give them a kick in the pants to push them forward in their career. Neither of these excuses dull the absurdity, in my opinion. It certainly highlights the possibility that if your parents are doing the work of managing your legal career, you have more significant issues to overcome than time management.

Let’s All Hurry Up and…Wait

Several years ago, my colleague, Dan Binstock wrote an article called “Play the Waiting Game” that was published in the Legal Times. In his article, Dan discusses the nerve-wracking act of waiting to hear back from a firm after a second round of interviews. It’s quite funny but also provides very good advice so I often pass it along to candidates who find themselves in this unbearable juncture of the hiring process. Check Dan’s article out at: http://www.bcgsearch.com/pdf/60785.pdf

Now, three years after it was written, this article has become more relevant than ever. And, while it focuses on the waiting period after a full-round of interviews, the same principles can now be applied to ALL stages of the interview process. There is no doubt that as the market slows down, firms are being extremely cautious and deliberate in their hiring decisions. Whether you are between a phone screen and an in-office visit or between a full-round and the possibility of an offer, firms are taking their time. But, let’s focus on the positive side of what I just said–there are firms out there that are interviewing for lateral attorney positions and (gasp) they are hiring! Thus, we want to encourage all of you out there who are in the lateral job market to:

1. Start your job search as soon as you know you’ll need and/or want to make a move;
2. Be prepared to exercise the utmost patience throughout the process; and
3. Confer with your legal recruiter before sending any follow-ups to the firm.

Finally, keep in mind that the passing of time does not necessarily mean the response will be disappointing–it just means everyone is being careful and, in the end, careful hiring decisions result in greater job security.

Holiday Cards in August?

My colleagues and I have written a number of times on this blog about the value of on-line networking sites like LinkedIn (e.g. here, here and here.) While I’m a big believer in adopting new technology, I also know that it is important to hold on to some of the old ways of doing business. And one of the old ways of doing business is to send personalized holiday cards that demonstrate to clients that you are truly thinking about them.

Okay, maybe August is a little early to be thinking about holiday cards. But is it really? Do you have a holiday card list already prepared? Maybe it’s time to get a head start. Are you going to order your cards early enough in the Fall so that you can write personal notes on most of them before they are sent out?

Thinking about sending out e-cards this year? What about printed cards that include a facsimile of your signature? Guess what: no one is fooled. These and other tips about going back to the analog world when trying to connect with clients and referral sources.

Form Over Function

Technically, this is resume writing advice, but I hope that you take this advice as something much deeper in terms of how lawyers view their skills and value.

The questions I get so often are whether someone’s formatting is right, whether they are using the right terms of art, whether their language is similar to the language other candidate’s use to describe their practice. Those are valid questions, to be sure, but it occurs to me that the fact that these are the most frequently asked questions indicates that there is a lot more form than substance.

The most important thing about your resume is what it SAYS. I’m a stickler for resumes that have perfect form–no misspellings, no distracting formatting, no unnecessary information. Having an impeccable LOOKING resume is vital. But it’s not the point of your resume. I get the question “what do I say about myself?” but I can’t answer that question on anyone’s behalf.

That’s where you should start with your resume. Write down all of those things that only you know about the extent of your background.

Every attorney should be thinking critically about what they do and every single transaction, deal, negotiation and case that has made up their experience. Obviously, it is never appropriate to inflate your experience, but if you are content to just touch on the major points of your experience, you are doing yourself a disservice. I recommend to my candidates that the first step is to ignore page lengths, font, and format. Simply get on paper all of those things that you do–all of those things that would be relevant to a potential employers.

Have you taken the lead on a transaction or file?
Have you originated clients?
Are you published?
Have you handled a novel issue?
What industries are your clients in?

These are just a few places to start.

Your resume not only reflects what you can do — it reflects your enthusiasm for what you do. Think about that carefully. Does “write and research memorandum regarding various issues” sound like someone who loves what they do? Have you proven that you can articulate sophisticated issues of law or define complex transactions? If you can’t soundly answer those questions with a yes, start over again.

Sit down in a moment when you can think and review your experience carefully. Bring energy to the project, and be detailed. Let the formatting and tightening go, just focus on your individual experience and what drives you professionally. It will be worth it.

You know I love you, right?

I’ll just start with that, because I hate to be harsh.

I’ve ranted about this before, but nothing drives me crazier than an unprofessional presentation during a job search.  Most people would be surprised if they saw what I’ve been seeing–when the economy goes downhill, so does the work product of the resumes and cover letters I see.  I have lots of unscientific theories about why, but that’s not really the point of this particular post.

This post is about your e-mail address.  If your e-mail address is some version of your proper name (and only your proper name), you can stop reading.  For those out there with e-mail addresses on the creative, side, this is for you.  It’s tough enough in today’s economy–there is no reason to make it harder by using a ridiculous e-mail address.

You don’t have to pay for an e-mail address anymore.  So even if you love the SurfChick@whatever address you’ve been using for 10 years, get a new one.  CoolLawyer@address, go ahead and change yours as well.  The personal e-mail address you list for correspondence pertaining to your job search should be personal (i.e. not your work e-mail), but it shouldn’t be personal, know what I’m saying?  If your e-mail address references your hobbies (BakingManiac@…), your pet’s name (Fluffy’sMom@…), or whether you are attractive (CuteAtty@…), please do not put it on your resume.  Today I saw ANOTHER e-mail address with some cheeky innuendo.  Why are you harpooning your job search efforts?

There are times to show a little flair and a little individuality.  I love a good sense of humor.  But some of these e-mail addresses I’ve been seeing–they are distracting the heck out of me, and not in a good way.  You want someone to pay attention to your resume–but not negative attention.  Your e-mail address is your contact information–plain and simple.

I know you are funny, I know you are interesting.  I promise I am excited to review the details of your professional background.  Your e-mail address, however, should bore me to tears.

Build Your Book, Build Your Stable Future

First, your stability as an attorney in a large firm is directly proportional to the amount of business that you bring in. The more business you bring to your firm, the better your chances are that you will be allowed to stay. Despite glossy brochures touting pro bono programs, law firms are business machines driven solely by the bottom line. You may be a terrific legal writer with enviable courtroom presence, but if you’re not bringing in business by the time you’re a 6th-8th year, your position at your firm becomes precarious.

Second, with a book of business comes leverage and with leverage comes options. “Up or out” is a phrase we often hear to describe the progress of attorneys within their firms’ hierarchy. If you are moving “up” that means that you are developing business contacts and bringing in clients while billing the requisite hours and producing sound work.

For those attorneys that have failed to move up and keep pace with their business developing peers, then they will be pushed out. The career lifespan of a big firm associate is relatively short, about 8 years, so it is extremely important to start developing business as soon as you know what a stipulation is and how to get one. Having your own book of business gives you leverage in your partnership negotiations and it gives you options should those negotiations leave you wanting.

Third, building a sizable book of business will earn you the respect of your colleagues. It shows that you understand that new business is the life blood of your firm and that you’re willing to make that extra effort to keep it pumping. Given the competitive market and the daily mega-mergers, it may come to be that “of counsel” and “non-equity partners” become relics of a bygone era. Making the extra time to network shows your firm that you’re committed to them which will, in turn, make them commit to you.

Fourth, building your book is not only financially rewarding, but also personally satisfying. One of the junior partners I used to work with at my old firm was a dynamo at bringing in new clients. He took pride in his talent and felt that it helped make up for some other areas of his practice where he wasn’t as strong. Plus, working on your own cases that you personally staked gives you some freedom and elbow room. In many cases, you will be the senior decision-maker which can be a very empowering experience.

Finally, building your book doesn’t have to be drudgery. With the advent of Facebook and LinkedIn, it’s become easier to re-connect with old contacts while developing new ones. So seek out your former classmates, take them to the Watergrill and get cracking!

(Check out the following website for some excellent tips on how to develop business: http://www.clientfocus.net/)