CBA Record January-February 2025
4 TIPS FOR A QUALITY JOB SEARCH Here are some tips on the main components of a quality search:
1.Take your resumé to the next level. Your resumé needs to tell your career story well and move engagingly beyond the “law school look.” That means you need to decide on the layout, length, and order of the information, use meaningful headings, blend tasks with results and highlights, and show a connection to your career through word choice and tone. 2. Spend time on your cover letter. Your cover letter (yes, people do read them) needs to engage the reader by providing your theory of the search—the reason(s) for your interest in them currently—foreshadowing, not repeating, the resumé. The persuasive focus of the letter is not on what you want to learn or the growth you’ll gain in the job but, rather, on what you can contribute to the workplace, its law yers, their clients, and culture. 3. Expand your network . In addition to applying for posted jobs, expand and access your network as you look to come upon or create your next job. Networking for a job can be done in person, but not always. A well-crafted (confidential) networking email needs to be direct about what you’re seeking in your search and what you’re asking from the recipient. 4. Be enthusiastic. Show enthusiasm at an interview, moving beyond the facts on your resumé to highlight what differentiates you as a lawyer and colleague. Too often, someone else is hired because the interviewer wasn’t sure the runner-up(s) really wanted the job. These tips briefly illustrate what does and does not constitute a quality job search and apply in any market. For more advice on searching smartly at every stage of your career, consider accessing and watching the October 2024 CLE program, Smart Job Searching at Every Career Stage, archived at Learn.ChicagoBar.org. Over its hour-long duration, Olivia Crooks, chair of the YLS Career Assistance Committee, asks me questions and fields participants’ queries, many of which apply broadly.
Finally, in addition to starting a quality search, lawyers also need the stamina to sustain that search until its conclusion. That’s easier said than done, in that the emotions in a job search take you on a roller coaster ride that most people dread. Things that take us out of feeling in control are difficult, as we know. For example, if you have interviewed for a job you really want but you don’t get, you can feel hopeless and back to square one. This is why, to sustain a quality search without experienc ing such extreme highs and lows, it’s important to add recent highlights to your resumé; tweak your cover letter and make it specific for each application or inquiry; and actively network continuously for that next job, rather than starting and stopping. The need for activity and momentum to continue throughout the
search is critical because, as in most things, no pain, no gain. Conducting a quality job search is an art, full of choices and nuances. Skillfully navigating its stages and decision points to bring it to a satisfying conclusion, with as little pain as pos sible, are keys for a quality process at every juncture in your law career path.
Kathy Morris is a lawyer, the founder of Under Advisement, Ltd., a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, and is the featured career counselor for the CBA Career Advancement Program.
New Year. New You. New Ways to Think About Wellness in 2025 January 21, 2025 | 3:00-4:30 p.m. In-person at the CBA Building | Networking Reception Follows 1.5 IL Mental Health/Substance Abuse PR-MCLE Credit | Register at Learn.ChicagoBar.org. Attorney and Wellness Advocate Erin Clifford of Clifford Law Offices will inspire you to think about wellness in new ways as you enter the new year.
CBA RECORD 29
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