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December 23, 2008
Blog on Break!
With all of you on winter break, the blog will be on a temporary hiatus. We will return with all new posts on Monday, January 12. The CSO staff wishes everyone a very happy holiday season!
Posted by kcc17 at 03:14 PM
Conducting Informational Interviews
We’ve mentioned it in several of our recent posts, so you should know by now that conducting information interviews/networking meetings is an excellent use of some of your time over winter break. You’ve sent out your emails or letters and made your follow-up calls and now you have a couple appointments set up for a chat over coffee. Great! Now what do you do when you’re actually sitting face-to-face with people?
Just like in an actual employment interview, your goal is to have the meeting turn into a true conversation, with a natural back-and-forth and an easy rapport. But you’ll also want to make sure you’ve taken the time before your meeting to determine why you wanted to meet with this particular person and prepare questions ahead of time to make sure you get the information you’re seeking. The following is a list of some sample questions you might want to ask:
o How did you decide on your practice area?
o What courses did you take in law school that you’ve found to be most helpful to you in the practice of law? (You can ask the same question about activities or organizations they participated in.)
o What professional publications do they read or what professional organizations are they are member of?
o What’s a typical day like for you?
o What’s the most interesting part of your job, or the most interesting project you’ve worked on recently?
o What do you find most challenging about your work?
o What advice do you have for me in relocating to this market? (if you’re meeting with someone in a different legal market)
And, of course, always remember to close your meeting by saying thank you and asking if there is anybody else you should be talking to in order to learn more. And remember to send a thank you note within 24 hours of your meeting!
For more information and motivation on networking meetings, read Guerilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams by Case Western alum Kimm Walton.
Posted by kcc17 at 03:09 PM
December 12, 2008
Winter Break Checklist
The semester is over, final exams are wrapping up, and you’re looking forward to some time away from this place. Time away is a good thing, but remember that winter break is also a great time to take a big bite out of your job search. To help you stay in the swing of things with your search over winter break, the CSO offers the following helpful Winter Break Checklist:
____ Catch up on sleep
____ Update/Revise your resume and general cover letter
____ Send your resume and cover letter to lawjobs@case.edu for review by a counselor if they’ve never been reviewed or if it’s been a while
____ Spend quality time with friends and family
____ Log on to Symplicity a couple times each week to check new job postings
____ Read a non-law-related book (or two) and/or go see a movie (or two)
____ Reach out to area attorneys for informational interviews and/or shadowing opportunities
____ Get some more sleep
____ Apply to postings on Symplicity that are of interest you
____ Attend holiday receptions or other networking events hosted by firms, businesses, and/or local bar associations
____ Say “thank you” to the people in your life who support you and make your law school experience better
____ Make an appointment to meet with a CSO counselor in January to talk about your job search and career goals
Posted by kcc17 at 03:46 PM
December 10, 2008
What Not to Wear: Dressing for Holiday Receptions
So, you have set up an informational interview over winter break or have gotten an invite to a holiday reception or other networking event. Great! But now you are wondering "what should I wear to a holiday reception or for a networking meeting?"
If you are meeting an alumni or another contact in his or her office, wear a suit. Remember this is a business meeting. If you are invited to a holiday reception and the invitation doesn't specify dress, remember this is a business reception, not a holiday cocktail party so wear a suit. No cocktail dresses or tuxedos! Just wear your best suit, hose if you are a woman, a tie if you are a man, shine your shoes, and impress the employers with your personality!
Ok, you get it - wear a suit. But what if the person you are meeting or the event details say "feel free to wear business casual?" Keep in mind that "business casual" can vary from employer to employer and sometimes even person to person. Wearing khakis, a button down, and a sport coat may be "business casual" for one employer while cords and a sweater may be "business casual" for another. As such, trying to dress "business casual" can be difficult for potential candidates and visitors to the employer. Your best bet - you guessed it - wear a suit!
Just because someone says you can dress "business casual" doesn't mean you have to. You are better off wearing a suit the first time you meet with an employer or contact or attend a networking event and being able to gauge what might be appropriate "business causal" for next time. No employer, contact, or alumni is going to look poorly upon you for feeling that they were important enough to wear a suit for!
If you have questions regarding what is appropriate dress for different events in the legal community please feel free to stop by the CSO to chat with our counselors!
Posted by kcc17 at 12:58 PM
A decision to do nothing is a decision to do something!
Finals are almost over and winter break is about to start. No matter what you plan to do over winter break (ie. work, play, get ready for next semester or just enjoy your family) you should also be thinking about your job search. If you decide this winter break to bypass the employment search, you are making a decision not to be proactive in your search.
So when you have down time this winter break, think about what you would like to do this summer and/or post grad. Take a look on symplcity, which has a substantial amount of employment opportunities nationwide. While you are in your hometown visiting family and old friends, network! Let people know you are searching for employment. Request informal meetings with attorneys in town to learn more about what they do. Sit in on court hearings at your local courthouse and get aquatinted with the judge and procedures. Volunteer a few hours in the community to let people know who you are and to familiarize yourself with issues addressing your local community. Take risks! Few risks bring few rewards!
You decide if the glass is half full or half empty!
Posted by kcc17 at 12:51 PM
December 05, 2008
Managing the Stress of the Job Search
We in the CSO know how stressful the job search can be. We’ve all been in your shoes at one time and, the good news for you is: we survived it! And so will you. Right now your focus is on your finals, as it should be, and the CSO wishes you good luck for a successful exam period. But when exams are over, it’s time to dive into the job search once again (or, time to start your job search if you’ve been putting it off).
The following article, provided to us by our friends at the University of Minnesota Law School CSO, provides some excellent advice for managing the stress of a job search.
“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.” – Etty Hillesum
Reducing and managing stress is one of the keys to a successful search. Too much stress and you appear desperate. Not enough and people question your motivation. Only you can decide how much stress is the right amount! Here are seven steps you can take to significantly lower stress, improve your effectiveness, and ultimately shorten your job hunt.
1. Have a realistic understanding of how long a job search takes. Many job seekers have an unrealistic time frame for finding their next job. It always takes longer than you think. When you don’t have a realistic expectation for how long it can take it is easy to feel stressed out.
2. Develop a job search action plan. Map out where you want to go and how you are going to get there. Set specific daily and weekly goals; then develop a contingency plan for when Plan A doesn’t work. Once your plan is in place and you are emotionally prepared – take action!
3. Reduce unnecessary expenses immediately. Minimizing financial responsibilities and maximizing financial resources will significantly reduce stress. This is not the time to go stress shopping. The greater your financial resources the more flexibility you have to accept the right job offer rather than grabbing the first one that comes along.
4. Think of your job search as a job. Consider putting specific job search activities on your calendar and treat them like a job.
5. Spend time on the right activities. Do spend time developing high quality marketing materials – like a résumé, cover letter, and reference list; networking with friends and colleagues who can connect you to the right people or opportunities; and following up with potential employers. Don’t spend hours on the internet searching job boards for the ‘right’ job. Instead use the internet to research organizations, gain information about specific industries, and network with people who can assist with your search.
6. Evaluate your progress on a weekly basis. Stay on top of your search so that you can tell immediately if your search starts to stall and take steps to get it back on track. Assess what is working – do more of it.
Determine what isn’t working and revise your approach.
7. Take time to refresh your mind, body, and soul. Looking for a job, especially when you don’t have one, is something you carry around 24/7. Remind yourself to set regular office hours and knock off at a reasonable hour. That includes taking time off on the weekends. Take a walk, go to the gym, escape with a good book, or have coffee with a friend.
Be sure to touch base with your CSO counselor before you head home for winter break; she can help you set up or refine a game plan to help you utilize your winter break to the highest efficiency, as well as point you towards resources that will help you identify potential opportunities.
Posted by kcc17 at 04:52 PM
December 03, 2008
Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference
Case Western Reserve University School of Law students are invited to participate in the Twenty-First Annual Midwest Public Interest Law Career Conference, which will convene at Northwestern University School of Law on Saturday, February 7, 2009. The Conference is open to first, second and third year J.D. students enrolled at Midwestern law schools. Public interest and government employers from throughout the country will be invited to interview and/or participate in the informational “Table Talk” session.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND MPILCC, YOU MUST REGISTER WITH THE CSO NO LATER THAN Tuesday, December 9. To register, please stop by the CSO or email Ray Noscal at Ray.Noscal@case.edu.
Students will use Symplicity to upload their resumes and make their interview selections. Once you register with the CSO, you will be issued logins and passwords on December 15, 2008. You will be able to upload your resume and make employer bids on that day, as well. Resume uploads and bidding will close on January 9, 2009.
For more information about the conference see http://mpilcc.uchicago.edu/students.html
Posted by kcc17 at 09:28 AM