Category Archives: Interview

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November 16, 2011

Don’t You Forget About Me

Welcome to Matinee Wednesday. 1980-1989 was the era of big hair, big dreams and great movies. Take a break from work and grab some Junior Mints.

Breakfast Club (1985)

Breakfast Club

imdb.com

They were five students with nothing in common, faced with spending a Saturday detention together in their high school library. At 7 a.m., they had nothing to say, but by 4 p.m., they had bared their souls to each other and become good friends. To the outside world they were simply the Jock, the Brain, the Criminal, the Princess and the Kook, but to each other, they would always be the Breakfast Club. Written by Anonymous

LESSON: You never know how the people you meet will change your life and affect your career. Every event you attend, whether you are forced to attend or choose to go, is an opportunity to meet someone who will change your life. Will they introduce you to your future spouse? to your future boss? Will they tell you about a trip they recently went on and inspire you to go as well. You have something in common with everyone in the room; you are all there. That is even more true if you are at a work related event.

Meeting new people, those outside your circles can change your life. After law school many of my friends married other lawyers. Yes, they were from the same circle, they understood each other. I recently met an archaeologist. It was thrilling to talk about something new and also have what I do be interesting to someone else. Everyone knows or needs a lawyer, it’s good for business development to talk about what you do in a positive way.

September 28, 2011

LAW STUDENTS: 3 Things to do NOW to Prepare You & Your Resume for a Job Search

3 Job Search Tips for Law Students
Tara Kachaturoff of TeachMeLaw Radio and I spoke recently about what law students can do now to get their resume ready for a job search post-graduation.

Read the bolded language in the interview transcript below to see what the three simple tips are and let me know if you have any follow-up questions.

Tara: The students that are in school right now, who are probably a little concerned about when they pop out of the system, and they have to get a job.

What are a couple of things or one or two things a law student can do right now to get their resume ready for a job search? What can they be doing while they’re in the classroom and studying?

…

Jessica: Things that they can do to help bolster their resume, definitely, take advantage of any clinical opportunity that their school offers.

Tara: Which is meaning like an internship, right?

Jessica: An internship or an externship; I don’t know what the statistics are at different law schools. Most of them offer clinical programs or the career center can put you in touch with law firms that are looking for law students.

Tara: And if not, you could just start dialing, get on line and find a law firm nearby so you could make your own internship. Be proactive.

[laughter] [Yes, there is fun in a job search]

Jessica: Yeah, everyone likes free help. And there are very many regulations and rules about what you can do and can’t do, most law firms do know that. At the City Bar we were talking about the fact that so many small firms really need the help, but they don’t have the time to train.

Approaching a small firm or maybe working with your career center to get you placed at a small firm would really be a good opportunity, because you’re definitely going to get thrown in right away and learn immediately. Because whether they have the time to really sit and train you or not, you’re going to have to learn very quickly.

Tara: Right.

Jessica: Also, I did countless informational interviews, making connections one a week, one a month. Online, Skype, over the phone making connections, and then pursuing them to gain more information. If you think you want to be a real estate lawyer, that’s great. Go talk to one. Go talk to a commercial real estate attorney at a big firm, at a small firm, all different types. I thought when I was deciding what to do, “Well, maybe I’ll practice real estate law.” I went to a real estate CLE class and wanted to kill myself.

[laughter]

Jessica: That’s not what I’m doing now. Just go to classes. Take CLE classes. They’re not free but there are options. Talk to the person sitting next to you. Are they happy? Do you want to be happy? Talking to people, finding out who they know. What industry publications they read.

All those things can really help you determine what you want to do which can then help you decide which elective classes you want to take, or even which clinics to pursue.

Tara: And what’s great, you could even do it taking an attorney to lunch every week, or to breakfast or buy them coffee once a week. You’d meet a lot of people in three years.

Thank you Casting Words for this transcript.

September 26, 2011

Attorney’s Counsel – Why and What Now?

Attorneys Counsel Logo Tara Kachaturoff of TeachMeLaw Radio and I spoke recently about Attorney’s Counsel. Since some of you do not yet know what I do and why, here is a portion of the interview transcript so that you all know where I gained my expertise and why I love what I do. If you have any questions, fire away (no pun intended)!

Tara: You have a really interesting business. And it’s more relevant than ever especially in the economy today.

Jessica:  I’m an attorney. I went to law school. I am now Principal of Attorney’s Counsel, which is a resume review, interview skills assessment and social media firm. We help lawyers, and occasionally other professionals, perfect the skills and documents to move their career forward.

…

I did practice for a number of years. I did Holocaust restitution and women’s health product liability before going back to legal recruiting, which I had pursued in law school. I did tons of legal placements for a number of years and then at the end of 2008, the industry dried up. I had been working very closely with the New York City Bar Association, first as a member of the Career Advancement and Management Committee.

Now I’m currently Chair of the Law Student Perspectives Committee. Knowing that I had that outlet, I was speaking in plenty of programs quite frequently I knew that people really needed job search help. Many lawyers still don’t know that they need the help. Also knowing and having been a member of the club that lawyers really want to talk to other lawyers, I started Attorney’s Counsel.

Now, my day-to-day is working with my clients. I’m also currently consulting with agencies that want to start their own temp division.

Tara: I really love your whole idea of your business and it’s in a niche. Obviously you have experience and you are an attorney. You help other people find positions or spruce up resumes or get a resume put up together in the first place.

Thank you Casting Words for this transcript.

July 29, 2011

5 FREE Resources to Find Whom You Already Know at Your Dream Job

Last week I wrote that resumes submitted through a person at the firm or organization will be reviewed first. Now, how do you find the people to whom you should send your resume?

The following are 5 free and simple things to do, some you may already be doing, to find people you already know at your dream job.

    1. LinkedIn – You are already on LinkedIn and updating your status regularly, now join groups, answer questions and “Follow Companies.” Find people who work at your dream job. How closely connected are you? Find people who have recently started (now might not be the best time for them to hand off your resume, let them get settled in, but now’s a great time to reconnect) and who have recently left (they still have friends there and can tell you recent news, hopefully without any bias or conflicts)
    2. Career Center – Career counselors at your law school know which firms are looking to hire alumni from your law school. They know which firms might not currently be looking but are more likely to hire alumni. They know how to update your resume and do mock interviews. Most schools have a specific counselor whose job it is to focus on alumni.
    3. College and Law School Alumni – Read recent news and join your alumni organizations. Attend alumni events when you can. I know I am always happy to help a current student at my alma mater (Brandeis University and Brooklyn Law School). Networking with alumni is easier. You know you already have something in common to discuss.
    4. Twitter – Follow the official tweets of the firm you are targeting, follow the people who have the job you want, people who work at the firm you want, and people who are connected to those people. Now engage them in a conversation, ask them what they think of a recent and relevant news article, find out what they like and don’t like and once you have an online relationship consider taking it off-line. There are many success stories of lawyers and law students using Twitter to engage people whom they might not have met otherwise.
    5. Mass email – You do not want to send your resume out as a mass email. However, writing to friends and former colleagues is a great way to tell people what you are looking for. Ask if they know anyone at your target firms and organizations. Be flexible. Everyone knows someone and that someone might be the one you’re looking for. Then offer to help them.
July 19, 2011

Recruiting Tips from the Insider’s View

A few weeks ago I attended a program at the New York City Bar Association sponsored by the committee I chair, the Law Student Perspectives Committee.

The program, Recruiting Tips from the Insider’s View, was well attended and the reviews were great. A lot of what was said by the experts from law firms and government employers has been said before but bears repeating.

It might be worth reading this post twice.

People ask why we, legal career and resume professionals, continue to use the same examples. The answer: People aren’t listening!

The simple advice remains unheard (use a professional email address) and the harder to tackle projects (update your resume), for which you really do need an expert’s eye, go ignored because you have too much to do (although if you hire someone to help you there is actually less for you to do…not more).

The advice given at this program was invaluable, and I’m sure you’ll agree when you follow it and your next position comes along a little easier and with less work you’ve been doing for the past few months sending out resume after resume.

  • Resumes submitted through a person at the firm or organization will be reviewed first, even if there is already a pile of previously submitted resumes waiting for review. If you do not know someone at your target firm or office, use your resources to meet someone.  A follow-up post is coming soon with a list of some of your best resources.
  • Do initial research on the firms to which you plan to apply. Only apply if they have practice areas you want to explore and offices in which cities where you would consider living.
  • Be familiar enough with the firm’s website and relevant current events.

The panelists also said that they realize 2Ls and 3Ls (second and third year law students) do not yet know exactly what they want to do. However, each applicant should have an answer to the questions Why do you want to work here? and Why are you interested in ____ practice area? If you are flexible, definitely say so.

Being willing to try different things, and to listen to those who know, is crucial in a job search. Whether you are just starting the search for the 1st job in your legal career or you have been practicing for years and are seeking something new, listen first.

June 8, 2011

5 Top Interview Mistakes

Do's-and-Don'ts-Jessica-Silverstein-Attorney's-Counsel

The top 5 interview mistakes that I have seen repeatedly, and it is (VERY) difficult to choose just 5, are:

  1. Candidates are unprepared. Either the job seekers don’t know enough about the company at which they are interviewing, enough about their own resumes, or they are unable to answer basic interview questions, for example their strengths and weaknesses.
  2. Candidates appear sloppy. Either their hair and clothing is a mess or their documents are treated as garbage in their bag. Please do not hand me an updated resume with finger prints on it.
  3. Candidates are rude to support staff in the office. The receptionist is the gatekeeper, the security guard will remember you and everyone talks. You never know who knows or who is who. We’ve been over this already [link to biggest mistake].
  4. Candidates are late or do not show up at all, without an explanation. People are human and emergencies happen but they must be communicated. People schedule their day and an interview is always a potential opportunity. Don’t show up and don’t get in touch and they will remember your name. It is a small world, especially when applying to multiple jobs within the same industry. Communication is key!
  5. Candidates smell bad. This one seems silly but no one can concentrate on your achievements when they can’t breathe. Your breath, your body odor and your clothing and hair all can offend an interviewer’s sense of smell. Just because you can no longer smell your own perfume doesn’t mean it’s gone. Don’t get me started on candidates who walk into my office smelling like an ashtray. I remember you later, but not in a good way.

There are countless stories of interview don’ts. If you need more, feel free to get in touch. Some people do not believe these things happen but people really do come into my office and put their feet on my desk. Besides being rude, dirty and offensive, it is overly familiar and frankly odd.

June 2, 2011

Are you making the biggest mistake?

Are you consistent? One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is that they are inconsistent. They are inconsistent with their message, their level of professionalism and their documents.

YOUR MESSAGE:
If you are a lawyer seeking to change practice areas or any professional seeking a position different from the one you have, your message must be consistent. A legal resume is not ideal when applying to a fundraising position at a non-profit, a professor’s CV is not appropriate for a position as a barista. You have to know your audience,  then send the appropriate documents and dress the appropriate way (or be overdressed) for the interview, and then send the appropriate follow-up note. If your resume is professional and you show up at the interview in a mini-skirt or shorts and flip-flops, or, in some cases, open toe shoes and no stockings or slip-ons with no socks, your message is inconsistent with the image you are seeking to portray. Do your research so that you can prepare to be consistent and professional.

YOUR LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM:
You are being watched. While the receptionist may not be the hiring partner or decision maker they will report back on your behavior so it ought to be professional. I have heard repeatedly that law students hoping to be summer associates get completely different reviews from partners as they do from associates that interview them. Why? They treat the partner with respect and associates either as friends or as simply not worth their time. Besides being inconsistent, those law students are fooling themselves if they think everyone they see and meet with will not give opinions that will contribute to the hiring decision. Plus, how often do you think you’ll be working with the partner? Not very much. With that associate you weren’t so nice to but you impressed the partner enough to get hired anyway? Yes, all the time…Good Luck! When you park your car in the lot and step into the elevator you never know who is who and you should treat everyone as a potential decision maker…or family member of a decision maker.

YOUR DOCUMENTS:
Your cover letter, resume, references page and thank you note all must match. The contact information heading, the font, the paper they are printed on, and the title you give your documents all must match. It shows care and consideration and consistency. All things an employer wants in an employee.

If the documents you send to introduce yourself and show your worth as a potential employee are not consistent there is no reason for a potential employer to believe your work product will be anything but the same.

January 26, 2011

I resolve to be an AFTER.

Analogy – the inference that two or more things that are similar to each other in some respects are also similar in other respects . . . In a legal argument, an analogy may be used when there is no precedent on point.

It is the agreement between otherwise dissimilar things that enables people to understand foreign, or otherwise confusing, concepts.

Here are two analogies that might resonate with you:

Networking and job hunting are like dating.


Career Coaching is like going to the gym.

There are many people who hate both. Which both? Career coaches and dating, networking and career coaches, dating and the gym, you choose. The point is they seem dissimilar and yet, it is the similarities that can help to move your career forward.

We’ve gone over networking and dating. Let’s explore the gym…

Do you go? Do you avoid it? Do you walk 10min at a time throughout the day? If you go to the gym alone you can get a great workout, maybe even the body of your dreams. But, if you work out with a persona trainer, yes, you are spending money to sweat, but you will get better results, more efficiently, and with more variety in your workout. I know, I don’t go to the gym without an appointment and although I keep appointments with myself, I need an appointment with someone else to get me to the gym. It’s the better, faster results gained while talking to another person, an expert, which moves me forward. Using a career coach is like using a personal trainer. Do you need one? Maybe not, but going it alone can lead to injury, lack of focus, laziness and quitting before you see any measurable results.

Here’s another (full disclosure) example: I broke up with an ex-boyfriend on a Sunday and by Thursday I was in the gym with a trainer (my 1st). I knew I couldn’t sit at home a cry and get fat(ter) and drown in more food and misery. Plus, I knew I wanted to look great when and if I saw him again. I did see him again, and I looked great, but it was the help of a personal trainer, an expert to guide me and push me when I needed it, which motivated me to succeed. Later, after I graduated from law school and I was preparing for my wedding, a new trainer was a part of my life. We worked together and were friends for years. He knew when I would get lazy, he knew when I wanted to cancel our sessions, but he also knew how to motive me. “Everyone you have ever known will be looking at your back, make it strong and stand up straight,” he said. With every lat pull-down I pictured myself in my dress. It worked!

Over 5 years, and a 2-year-old later, My husband just learned the term “muffin-top.” Another apt analogy…back to the gym! You never know when you’ll need the help again.

Let yourself become an After. Let your resume become an After.

Keep at it. You may not feel motivated to do anything after a break-up, a layoff or a realization that your bonus is anything but. Find the coach that is right for you. Once you get over the initial muscle fatigue you will be in better shape and will be better positioned to find the one you want. The One. The job, the boyfriend … and we’re back where we started; networking and job hunting are like dating.

April 22, 2010

Just Rolling Along – Transitions and Networks

There is an application on Facebook that I wish I invented called the “Friend Wheel.” It allows you to see all of your friends and their connections, or spokes in this case, to each other. It is amazing who knows who and how and from what time in their lives. Your wheel ends up looking like a web, a network of friendships and connections that can serve you in your life, in your job search and during any type of transition.

With the advent of social media, it is amazing to me that people still think it is acceptable to walk up to someone and hand them a business card. It’s odd and off-putting and often stalls a conversation before it starts. Not only may you not want to know them (which is a bad attitude), but if they are looking for business (which they probably are) or help from you (which usually means they want your business) then politely asking is better than shoving information in your face. Better to get to know you first. No, not like the Big Bad Wolf in Grama’s clothing…the better to see you with, my dear; it is best to simply start slowly. You are building a relationship.

More often than not when you meet someone you will have something in common to discuss, you’re both in the same place at the same time, and you are both hot, cold, hungry, energized, tall, short, lawyers, women, mothers, wearing shoes. Whatever it is, find it, see if the conversation is worth continuing and then decide if they are worth adding to your professional friend wheel. It may take a few meetings to determine this person’s, this spoke’s, connection to others or it may be instantly obvious. It may be that this person, or someone they know, will work with you through your next transition.

Everything in life is about transitions: the day you leave for college, the day you graduate, the day you start graduate school, and those days are not only school and career related. The day you get married, the day you bring home your first child, and the day you move into your first house, are all life events that generally happen at the same time as they happen to your friends. Yes, you will see the occasional birth or wedding announcement 10 years before you in your alumni magazine, but usually you and your friends are all going through the same life events within in the same 3 to 5 years. Take comfort in this. Transitions do not have to be nervous and scary times. “What is going to happen?” can be exciting.

Being a part of a group, for me, is a comfort; bringing people together, recognizing a commonality, is fun. However, I have a friend who never wants all of her groups of friends together at once, her birthday was always fun because she loved parties, but she was stressed because so many different parts of her life came together. I, however, love seeing everyone together and literally watching the connections and venn diagrams of people move around the room. It is those human venn diagrams that can help you through different transitions at different times.
Until then, make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold. I was a Brownie in 1st grade.

February 4, 2010

It Depends

Anyone who has attended law school has heard that “IT DEPENDS” is the typical answer attorneys should give to any question. Does it allow you to avoid accountability? To stall? To open the question up to additional analysis? Yes, yes and yes. It does all of those things.

After I drafted this post I attended the Brooklyn Law School annual alumni lunch (yes I drafted it quite a while ago, one can never be too prepared). One of the honorees, a well respected, world renowned international treaty expert recalled a story from his time at Brooklyn Law. Leon Charney reminisced about a professor, who told him that at a cocktail party when he is asked a legal question he should say “it depends.” It is the fact that he chose this story to tell, about this typical answer, that speaks volumes.

Not only is it safe, it is true. It does sometimes depend on many factors. Everyone, even thrill seekers, wants safe and true sometimes.

While it is important to differentiate yourself on your resume, it is still a professional document that should remain, on its face and at all times, true.

Can you be creative and still safe on your resume? It depends! Can you be creative and make up a job you didn’t have? No, it is not true.

Talk to a professional, before proceeding, to determine which questions will be met with “it depends” and which will garner a simple “yes” or “no.” There is personal style but there are also do’s and don’ts. Don’t be a resume don’t.