Patience is a Virtue – Especially During Your Job Search

Over the last 12 months the legal market has shown signs of recovery from the recession. For the most part, lateral hiring has increased across all regions and most practice areas. However, it may still be difficult for you to find a job in today’s market. First, the job market is extremely competitive. For every job listed, firms are receiving hundreds of applications from highly credentialed attorneys. Second, firms are taking their time to collect resumes, evaluate and interview candidates and to extend offers. Law firms are hiring judiciously and are taking longer than average to make hiring decisions. It is not uncommon for a firm to respond to an application two or three months after receiving it. Interviews are taking longer to schedule, offers are delayed, and as a result, applicants are forced to play the waiting game.

What can you do during this wait and see period?

1. Reset Your Expectations: To avoid frustration, try to think of your job hunt in terms of a marathon and don’t expect to sprint to the finish line. Give yourself at least 6 months to find a new job. If you are practicing in an area with fewer opportunities (T&E, Employee Benefits, even Litigation in some markets), you may need to give yourself a year to find the right job.
2. Cast a Wide Net: To increase your chances of finding a new job, make sure you consider all of your options and keep an open mind. Don’t rule out firms based on size, location or reputation. You will never really know what a firm is like until you have had an opportunity to meet the partners and associates and get a feel for the work, the culture and the people. You can always turn down an offer – just make sure you put yourself in a situation where you have offers to turn down!
3. 3. Continue to Do Good Work: Don’t slack off at your current firm just because you have decided that you don’t want to be there long term. Continue to gain great experience and update your resume to reflect the new matters on which you have worked.
4. 4. Network: Attend industry events and stay in touch with law school classmates and former colleagues. It is important to stay connected and plugged into the legal community. You never know who may be able to recommend you for a position or fast track your application.
5. Stay in Touch with Your Recruiter: The more often we hear from you, the more interested we know you are in making a move. We are your biggest career advocates and we will make sure to keep you informed of new opportunities that hit the job market as well as provide updates regarding your outstanding applications. Trust that we are going to do everything in our power to move your application forward, collect feedback and stay in touch with firms regarding your candidacy. However, if you don’t hear from us, it is simply because we don’t have anything new to report.

A Hot Practice Area for the Economic Downturn

On a meeting with our BCG Attorney Search recruiters earlier this week we discussed the candidates who were getting the most interviews. Without a doubt the “hot” market right now is for associates is labor and employment. I also had dinner earlier this week with the recruiting director of a large national law firm here in Atlanta. He said that labor and employment is so out of control in terms of its business it is incredible.

The great thing about the legal market is that the work moves around. When one practice area is experiencing issues another starts to get better. This is what is happening with labor and employment.

When people get laid off some file lawsuits against their employer. This is making labor and employment firms busier and busier. In addition, when companies andlaw firms prepare for large scale layoffs they hire labor and employment attorneys to assess the situation. Given the dire predictions for the 2009 calendar year and the increasing layoff in the market, I think this is going to be a great year for labor and employment attorneys.

What does this mean for you?

If you are in general commercial litigation do your best to get some labor and employment cases under your belt asap–this will make you more marketable. If you are a law student you should press for jobs in this field.

Labor and employment is going gangbusters. This is great news for labor and employment attorneys because you are now very, very marketable.

The BCG Attorney Search Difference

Most attorneys do not give sufficient thought to planning their legal careers. Sure, when they graduate from law school, they seek out the best jobs they can get. They practice for a couple of years, then at some point probably decide to seek new jobs. Yet sometimes even after working for a few years, and possibly even after multiple job changes, these attorneys still don’t know where they really want to be in their legal careers. If they do know, then they don’t know how to actually get there. Because of this, countless attorneys continue to follow unfulfilling career paths, and as a result many end up leaving the practice of law completely. Many of these attorneys could have built successful and rewarding legal careers, had they only been more aware of how to plan such a career.

Legal recruiters often are valuable assets to attorneys who are trying to find fulfilling career paths. Good legal recruiters are experts in the legal market. Their clients rely on them for advice on every issue that might affect their careers. Furthermore, their clients count on them to locate not just any jobs, but jobs that are perfect fits for each client’s own individual career goals.

Good legal recruiters do not merely know about the general legal market; rather, they forge close relationships with both law firms and candidates. They must grasp what each firm is looking for in potential hires, and must know about everything from firm culture to specialized practice groups. Additionally, they must identify what each candidate really is looking for in his or her career, and must know enough details about each candidate to (a) discern which employer would be the best fit for that candidate, and (b) successfully present the candidate to that particular firm. In short, good legal recruiters need to know where their clients truly want to go their legal careers, and how they can get there.

BCG Attorney Search is most successful legal-recruiting firm in the United States. The company has gotten jobs for thousands of attorneys, and the depth of its resources is unrivaled in the industry. BCG’s recruiters are first-rate attorneys who have practiced with major American law firms. Additionally, BCG works only on placing attorneys in law firms, and has developed unmatched expertise regarding the unique needs of attorneys.

Offer received from firm. Should you ask for moving expenses too?

I have always given a word of caution to lawyers in regards to negotiating the terms of an offer. Although your request may be perfectly reasonable, any time you attempt to negotiate the terms of an offer- you are at risk of the offer being retracted. Since this market is a tough one and there is a lot of stellar legal talent currently out on the market- you may not want to quibble with the firm over a small detail like moving expenses.

In a different market, it might have made sense to negotiate this point. In this market, where there are plenty of unemployed attorneys who would welcome any job offer- you may want to take the safe route and just accept the firm’s current package. If you decide to negotiate any points of your offer, please proceed with caution.

You landed an interview! Now breathe…

The market is tight and you’ve been looking for quite some time. Then, suddenly, you get the call from your trusted recruiter–an interview! Now, stop, take a deep breath and relax.

I was recently asked whether it is possible to show too much enthusiasm at a job interview. The answer is yes and unfortunately, the line is a very fine one. Why? Because showing proper enthusiasm for the position is absolutely essential. Afterall, who would want to hire someone who appears disinterested? At the same time, being over-eager never plays well either. It’s like dating–you want to appear interested, but never desperate (even if you are).

A few pointers for the over-eager: (1) Don’t make any comments about how relieved you were to get the interview or how long you have been looking for a new position; (2) Remember that one good way to express enthusiasm is to ask substantive questions about the firm and the position for which you are interviewing; and (3) Resist the urge to send daily e-mails checking in on your status after the interview. A simple thank you note is fine but think about the person who calls you numerous times a day following a first date–kind of scary. Don’t be that person!

It can be extremely difficult to remain calm when opportunities are scarce and the need to be employed is all too real. But even in scary times, it is necessary to remain confident, calm, and collective. And, when you do find yourself tempted to stalk the partner who interviewed you, try calling a friend or anyone else who will listen to you vent but won’t decide to “pass”!