Do NOT Pass Up an Interview Just Because the Firm is Not Footing the Bill

We all know this is a very tough job market for attorneys.  There have been countless law firm layoffs and fewer openings for lateral hires at the firms.  As such, the competition has gotten out of control.  In fact, it is not unusual for a firm to interview upwards of ten attorneys for a single position.  Gone are the days in which associates are confident that they “have it in the bag” if they are invited back to a firm for a second round of interviews.  Instead, I am seeing attorneys invited back for third rounds, asked for a writing sample and references, only to be turned down in favor of another candidate.

While the competition is tough, the only way to obtain a new job is to actually get before prospective employers in an interview setting.  And in this market, it may require you to shell out a few dollars to do so.  For example, a few weeks ago I submitted a fantastic candidate, currently practicing in New York, to a firm here in Chicago.  The firm responded by letting me know that they liked the candidate’s resume and asking if I knew whether this candidate had any plans to be in Chicago in the next month.  If so, the firm would like to interview her, but the firm was not willing to pay for the candidate to fly into Chicago for the interview.

Knowing that my candidate had no immediate plans to come to Chicago, I called her and told her to book the first flight out here to meet with the firm.  While she was excited at the prospect of doing so, she pushed back at my suggestion because, as she put it “my [current] firm pays me next to nothing, and I cannot afford to pay for my own flight.”

While I felt badly for this candidate, I spent the next few minutes explaining to her that in this market, firms have plenty of candidates to choose from, so if she didn’t fly in for the interview, the firm was going to find other candidates who would.  Thankfully, it clicked with my candidate, and $350 later, she was on her way to Chicago and ready to meet with the firm.

Thankfully, the interview went very well.  In fact, the partner with whom she met liked her so much that he invited her back on the spot for another round of interviews while she was in town.  This time, the firm would pay for her to change her return flight so that she could stay in town for the interview.

This full round of interview took place yesterday, and while we have not yet heard whether she is going to be given an offer from the firm, the point of the story is that she would never have found herself in this position if she hadn’t taken the chance and come out, on her own dime, for the interview.

Notworkenoughtofillthedaylius

I remember the devastating day it happened: I had reached the end of the internet. You are probably getting the wrong impression of me. I am not a huge fan of the internet, and, under normal circumstances, I don’t spend much time on it. But a few months ago, I was an addict. To make matters worse, my condition was highly contagious. The other associates that workedin my section at my old firm suffered from it as well.

What, you ask, was the cause of this widespread plague, and how can I keep it from infecting me and my co-workers? I’m sad to report that there is no known cure at this time, but it is at least helpful to know the cause. The medical name is notworkenoughtofillthedaylius. It’s street name is “bored out of my mind.”

So, how did it begin to spread at my firm? It started with the departure of several of the partners in my section. Not all the partners, mind you, just the ones with business. What followed was several months of reassurances from management that, despite the fact that we were all sitting around twiddling our respective thumbs, our jobs were secure. They informed us that they were working to fix the problem. So, my fellow associates and I waited. And waited. And waited.In our offices. In front of the computer. With nothing to do. Computer screen beckoning. We seemed to collectively figure out that although we had no memos to revise, our Facebook pages needed some fixing. And our Linkedin pages. And our…I’m sure you understand the genesis of our disease by now. Sadly, given the lack of work and number of layoffs proliferating, you are not immune.

“Bored out of my mind” syndrome has other known symptoms besides excessive internet use. For instance, you may experience lack of interestin making nicey-nicey with partners, frequent two-hour lunches, or inability to make it to the office before 10 am. Additional symptoms include frequent coffee breaks, “working from home” approximately once a week, and excessive happy houring at approximately 4 pm.

Those infected with the disease often mistake it in the early stages for elation. They erroneously think, “This sure the heck beats 60-hour weeks in the salt mines!” However, as the weeks draw on, then the months, they see the truth. Seven-day work weeks start to seem like heaven on earth.

The truth is, the disease bears many similarities to depression. Let’s face it–going to work and having nothing to do for endless hours is no fun, and anyone who has beenin that position would agree that it’s much worse than being superbusy. What’s worse, having nothing to do allows the mind to go wild. Suddenly, all you can think about is how long the firm will continue to sign your paycheck. You are terrified that the ax is going to fall, and you have no work activities to divert your mind from that sense of doom.

Having experienced this condition myself, I sadly don’t have much advice as to how to deal with a slow legal market. I think what got me through the situation was simply knowing that I wasn’t alone. Everyone I worked around was experiencing the slow down as well, and, as the saying goes, misery loves company, right? More importantly, even at the darkest hour, I think I fundamentally knew that I would find my way out of it. And, although it took longer than I would have wished, I did. You will, too. I’m not saying that you can avoid a layoff through sheer force of will. I wish you could, but you can’t. I am certain, however, that whether you are laid off or stuckin your office worrying that you will be, the market will turn around and you will find work. That’s really all I have for you, so now you can get back to the internet.

Fear of Job Loss

According to a new study, nearly 30 percent of all large firm associates fear losing their jobs. While this may be a bit higher than it might have been several years ago, I imagine that this statistic is par for the course. Large law firms are not known for doing a lot of hand holding; and in both good and bad times, associates often tell us that they do not get enough feedback and are therefore worried about their tenure.

But what if work really is slowing down? Are you really at risk of being fired? Take a look at an article my colleague Carey Bertolet wrote on the subject.

Furthermore, how should you spend your time when there is “nothing to do?” Here is a partial list of suggestions:

• Write an article.
• Ask partners if they need help.
• Volunteer to put together CLE materials for a partner who is speaking at a conference.
• Join a bar association committee and volunteer for a high profile role.
• Check in with clients just to say hi. Invite them to lunch or coffee if they are local and use the time for relationship building.
• Attend CLE courses yourself.
• Meet classmates for lunch.

And if you really believe you are at risk of losing your job, start networking and job hunting. At the very worst you will gain more perspective on your current situation and learn something about the legal marketplace.