Valerie A. Fontaine earned her JD from UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings) and her BA, Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, from UCLA. She was on the Editorial Board of COMM/ENT, a Journal of Communications and Entertainment Law. Valerie practiced law with a prominent Los Angeles law firm and entered the legal search profession in 1981. Valerie is past Secretary to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC) and former Chair of its Newsletter Committee. She currently serves as a consultant to NALSC headquarters.
Beware of the fine line between appropriate follow-up and pestering. Proper follow-up communicates interest, enthusiasm, and initiative; conversely, improper follow-up communicates naivety about the recruitment process, excessive assertiveness, or even desperation. One of the most difficult aspects of job-hunting is waiting. Once you send a resume to either a recruiter or a prospective employer, allow…
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Past performance often is the best indicator of how a candidate will perform in the future. Therefore, most prospective employers take reference checking seriously, and so should the candidate. If you plan ahead, choose your best reference sources, prepare them properly, and follow-up appropriately, you can maximize your chances of receiving those all-important stellar references.…
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Rejection is an integral part of any job search process, so every job seeker must be prepared. The following are a dozen ways to deal with rejection: 1. Understand that the vast majority of employment inquiries—whether you are looking for a position as a senior partner or a junior associate—end in rejection. Remember that,…
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Making a geographical move along with your career move takes some planning and preparation. Candidates considering relocation, either within California or between states, should: clarify personal and professional reasons for moving to a particular geographical area; determine marketability in the target locale; if moving out of state, check into the Bar admission requirements; consider the…
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