Job seekers recognize the need to network but self-marketing within your organization is just as important when you’re gainfully employed. Excellent performance is not enough; you need to distinguish yourself in the office to earn promotions and recognition or, in some cases, avoid layoff. Don’t wait for others to notice what you do well. Proactively,…
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When it comes to advancing your career, it helps to be self-centered. To survive slow economic times or thrive in good ones, you must demonstrate your value to your organization’s bottom line. It is your responsibility to document your work; you can’t expect others to remember and recognize all that you do. An essential career…
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The old saying, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it,” is true, even if you’re not talking. According to Albert Mehrabian’s oft-cited study, our verbal content provides only 7% of the message the interviewer receives; body language communicates 55% and tone of voice accounts for 38%. Therefore, when someone says one thing…
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Congratulations! You have done an excellent job at the screening, or initial interview. Now you are invited to come in for one or more follow-up interviews. You need to build on what you did right the first time around, and be prepared to do even more. See our previous Hot Tip, “Preparing for the Callback…
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A typical hiring process consists of a screening, or initial, interview and one or more “callback” interviews. All of the strategies you used to succeed in your first interview apply to subsequent interviews—but more so. The callback interview involves more people, more time, more scrutiny and more pressure. In this Hot Tip, we will discuss…
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Like the dating scene, the job interview process may start with a rendezvous for coffee at a local café. Although the meeting is held in an informal setting, don’t forget that the rules of interviewing apply. You still must prepare, dress appropriately, and sell yourself. Presenting your case in a public place presents some challenges,…
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Like car engines, the hybrid combines the best of both worlds. Once you get some legal experience under your belt, we recommend a combination functional/chronological resume format rather than a straight reverse chronology of your work experience. Format choices Chronological A chronological resume is organized by your employment history in reverse order from the present…
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College and law school placement offices tout informational interviews as a strategy for students exploring their career options, but it is an important tool for experienced attorneys making transitions in their legal careers, as well. If you find yourself unemployed, underemployed, or in need of retooling your practice skills, knowledge gleaned from informational interviews can…
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Senior attorneys have further issues to consider when negotiating and evaluating offers of employment. Achieving equity status is not necessarily the “be all and end all” of a partner-level offer. Other, equally important issues involving your partnership rights and responsibilities and the financial health of the firm need to be addressed. Because a lateral move…
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Timing and the question of who goes first are important aspects of negotiating the compensation component of an offer for new employment. Generally speaking, the job seeker should not offer compensation numbers and should put off discussing that information as long as possible in the interviewing process. Information is power, so each party to the…
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