The Downside of the Internet

Here’s a little secret: one of the first things a future employer will do is “Google” you. A good recruiter will Google you first – before the firm has a chance to do so. What is out there about you?

• Last week, I was recently speaking to an attorney who was interested in working with BCG on his job search. He is working at a big firm and was looking to make a lateral move. In our preliminary conversation, he mentioned that he had worked at two firms. After our conversation, I wanted to see what was out there about him – and I found that he had worked at a third firm as well. When I asked him about it, he asked me how I had heard about that. He was shocked when I said a ten second Google search. If I found it, any potential employer can find it as well. Be honest. Full disclosure.
• Yesterday, David Lat from Above the Law highlighted another unfortunate case. A 21 year old who is scheduled to begin Fordham Law School this fall was featured in The Horny Issue of Time Out New York. This information will come up on the Internet for years to come. This girl has already hurt her law career – and she hasn’t even begun law school or signed on the dotted line of her law school loans. Why would she want to handicap her future career prospects? Query whether a firm like Davis Polk would be interested in someone who has appeared in The Horny Issue or whether Fordham Law would want someone with such poor judgment. All types of people work at law firms – some with interesting and fascinating “hobbies.” What you do is your business – but it is better to keep it on the down-low.
• Recently, a candidate came to us and noted that he was gay, but that he didn’t want to advertise that fact to potential employers. (Note to job hunters: the vast majority of firms don’t care if you are gay.) Of course there isn’t any obligation for you to disclose your sexual orientation. It’s your business. Guess what? A super fast Google search. His sexual orientation disclosed to one and all. So, although he had intended to keep his orientation a secret, he really hadn’t.
• I am not going to even address the countless law students who have inappropriate photos and language on their MySpace or Facebook pages and other social networking sites. There are stories about those jobless people all the time.

Moral of the story? Always know what is out there about you! Do your best to control that information. If you don’t, you’ll be doing extensive damage control for a long time to come.

Unemployed? STAY BUSY.

A year ago, if someone had told me that the vast majority of associate-level candidates I would see during 2009 were going to be unemployed, I would have laughed (or cried). But it’s true. Unemployment is a reality for associates in all areas of law and at all levels. Lately, I have seen these associates fall into two categories: those who believe that staying busy in their substantive area of law will benefit their marketability to firms, and those who think now is the time to become one with the couch and rekindle their love affair with soap operas.

To most of you, I hope this is an obvious statement: the attorneys in the first category are going to get jobs long before those in the latter category. It feels almost ridiculous to have to say something that obvious. But I have my reasons. For example, I recently spoke to a candidate who called me about a new job posting on the BCG Attorney Search website. He has absolutely fantastic academic credentials and law firm experience, but in 2006 he left his last firm to obtain an additional graduate degree, and while doing so the market crashed. Consequently, he has been out of the law firm world for almost three years (two while in school and a year since graduation). Naturally, one of the first questions I asked him was to explain what he had been doing since earning his graduate degree a year ago. Imagine my surprise when he replied “not much.” I followed that up with “Have you been keeping up with the ever-changing rules and regulations of your practice area?” “Ah, not really,” he mumbled. “What about attending CLE classes?” I asked. “Um, that’s a good idea. Hadn’t thought about that.” (Really? Is that possible?) “Volunteering or doing contract work?” His reply: “nope.” You get my point. The guy had been doing nothing to help explain the growing gap on his resume (other than search the web for a permanent job).

As a recruiter, this makes my job infinitely more difficult. The first question a firm is going to ask me when I submit this candidate’s resume is to explain what he has been doing for the last year. Make no mistake, the majority of firms I work with are not turned off by a candidate who has been laid off from his firm, but they do want to know that the candidate is motivated to keep up with his legal knowledge and skills. Think about it. If you were the hiring partner at a firm, wouldn’t you prefer to interview the candidate who has been taking CLE classes, volunteering at a legal aid clinic, seeking out contract work where available and networking with former colleagues and friends all while contemporaneously looking for a permanent job over the candidate that has just been looking for work for the last year? Firms are not stupid. They know that while a job search is very time consuming, it does leave time for other activities. And in this economy, no matter your credentials, if you are not out there doing extracurricular activities, the guy sitting next to you (who has equally impressive credentials) is– and he is going to get the job over you.

So, get out there. I guarantee that it will help you land a solid job.

Weighing a Law Firm Offer?

A year or two ago, I happened upon an interesting questionnaire that NYU’s School of Law had on their website. The questionnaire was intended to assist associates contemplating full-time offers after their summer associate programs had ended. I thought it was a pretty useful tool and wished I could find something similar to send to my candidates who were considering a lateral move (because a lateral associate’s needs are often very different than those of a 3rd year law student)!

Then, last year, I was working with a patent litigation associate who had two offers from extremely different law firms (and to complicate matters, one was East Coast and the other West Coast). We talked at length about the two offers and ultimately revisited the initial reasons we had instituted the search to begin with. It was a very complicated decision for this candidate, and he spent a lot of time making pros and cons lists for each firm.

I realized my candidates could really benefit from a thorough offer analysis tool that would allow them to explore all aspects of the offer and their potential new firm. There are only so many moves that a lawyer can safely make in their career, and it’s important to look, look, look, before you leap.

Here is the article: Analyzing the Offer: A Questionnaire and Worksheet

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.

Learning to Wait With Grace: The Art of Patience

I hate to wait. Really, really hate it. It depresses me, puts me in a funk, and sometimes makes me act irrationally. But, as a legal recruiter, I’ve started to accept the fact that waiting is a critical part of the process for myself as well as my candidates.

Hence, I learned that even the most fabulous candidates will take time to place and this is becoming especially true in our current market. To that end, I’ve provided a list of quotations below regarding patience. Give them a read, take a deep breath, and remember that good things come to those who wait!

“Patience is passion tamed.”
–Lyman Abbott

“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”
–St. Augustine

“Endurance is patience concentrated.”
–Thomas Carlyle

“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not smashing it.”
–Arnold H. Glasgow

Going In-House: Look Before You Leap

I have recently spoken with several candidates who have expressed a desire to go in-house, and wanted to share some thoughts on making such a transition since I am a former in-house attorney. After several years of being a BigLaw attorney, I made the jump to go in-house at one of my firm’s clients, a very well-regarded private equity/investment management company. At the time, I wasn’t necessarily looking to make a move, but I didn’t think I should pass up such a great opportunity. After all, it had been ingrained in my mind that going in-house was the ultimate dream job for mid-level associates like myself. So, before I knew it, I had accepted my offer, given notice, and had started my new job as an in-house attorney.

I spent over six years at my in-house position, and feel very fortunate in that it proved to be an overall amazing experience. However, I think my situation was the exception to the rule as I have heard many horror stories that depict situations quite contrary to my own. The general thought is that going in-house means a better overall lifestyle, but that is not necessarily the case. In-house positions come in all shapes and sizes, and it is extremely important that you properly analyze each opportunity you come across because it can be extremely difficult to return to private practice, especially in this down market.

I recently wrote an article that discusses my experience as an in-house attorney because I wanted to help anyone thinking about going in-house understand the advantages and disadvantages of doing so before making that jump. Here is the link to the article: http://www.bcgsearch.com/crc/view-from-other-side.html. I hope you find it helpful!

Very very temporary?

I recently had a conversation with someone who didn’t want to add a contract position to their resume.  I am of the opinion that all positions, including contract positions, MUST be on the resume.  This lawyer disagreed.  She felt that because the position was brief, she hated it, and the work was so unlikely to create a future conflict it was unnecessary to put it on the resume.

I get what she’s saying–especially because a firm may view contract positions negatively, a short contract position seems like a likely candidate to fall off the resume.  Even so, I think it absolutely has to be on CV.  The truth is that partners and administrators at law firms will view it differently, but there are plenty of folks who will view the omission of ANY job, no matter how brief, as lying on one’s resume.  Certainly this is one side of the spectrum, but that’s the side I think it’s prudent to cater to.  If, during an interview, your conversation gets derailed explaining that you worked somewhere and then why you didn’t include it on the resume, I think it’s unlikely that the meeting will end on a positive note.  You’ve just caused a distraction–a distraction from the firm thinking about anything other than what a good job you’d do if they hired you.

I know it’s boring and conservative, this 100% disclosure and writing a resume to appeal to the most meticulous of hiring professional.  As time consuming as a job search can be, I promise it’s more time consuming to back-track over your rationale for omitting a job from your resume–and potentially will completely derail your efforts.

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.

Holiday Frustrations and your Job Search

For those who are taking advantage of the end-of-the-year lull to focus on a job search, this can be a difficult time of year. It’s sometimes a good moment to get people on the phone. I myself am enjoying a quiet moment of catch-up in the office and am able to connect with folks without a lot of distraction. Having said that, tomorrow I’ll be in full holiday mode, and not so easy to reach. For those job-seekers out there who are working hard, they may not be able to see much response or movement until after the holiday season. That can be incredibly frustrating.

If you want to take this time to look for something new, by all means. But manage your expectations about how soon you’ll be hearing back from people. One way to combat the frustration of sending out queries without response is to spend some time also just reconnecting with folks. It’s a logical time of the year to reach out to past colleagues and just wish them a happy holiday season and a nice New Year. I’ve gotten several warm notes from folks just saying hello–I’m sure those are the people that will be at the top of my list when the new year starts to hit its stride.

Focus for the remainder of the year on what you are sending out, and don’t worry about what comes back in, at least for now. Enjoy the holidays, and wish someone else a happy holiday season.

Marketing Tip of the Day: Be an abundant resource of information for your recruiter

Being an abundant resource of information, is one of the best ways you can help your recruiter market you to law firms. The best types of recruiters will be those who take the necessary time to get to know you and your professional strengths. A little extra preparation can go a long way, in trying to set you apart from the numerous other applicants vying for the same position. Freely give your recruiter all of the information he/she requests, along with any additional details about your background that you think will be helpful.

In order for your recruiter to create a cover letter that effectively markets you, he/she must collect and process useful marketing information about you. It often surprises me when candidates refuse to give additional and helpful information to their recruiters because they are ”too busy” or it is not convenient to do so. A recruiter’s ability to represent you is directly enhanced or limited by your participation and commitment to this process.

You and your recruiter are acting as one team, so put in the time and effort to help your recruiter maximize your chances for a successful job search.