As a law student you are probably part of a social networking site such as Myspace or Facebook. As good as these sites are for keeping in touch with friends and sharing photos, they can be dangerous as you hunt for a job. All those favorite quotes, inside jokes, and photos that your friends enjoy and find funny can rub a potential employer the wrong way. A profile with too many references or photos about partying can make a law firm question your professionalism. So what can you do?
● Set your profile on private
● If that isn’t good enough shut it down while you look for a
job
● Be sure your friends use privacy filters too
● Ask friends to use a nickname for you in their postings,
not your actual name
● Ensure your personal webpage(s) exude professionalism
● Don’t put your website/blog address on your resume if the
content isn’t appropriate for employers
● Blog about a legal topic, become an expert
There are professional networking sites that are “user friendly”; these can be helpful in networking with friends of friends who are in the practice area you are interested in or in the geographic location of interest to you. The information in these profiles is basic i.e.: job and education.
When you become an attorney and join a firm it is likely that the firm will put you on their webpage. Typically, a brief biography or a resume summary is posted. You want to be sure the posted information is accurate and to update.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
The Thank You Note
According to the vast majority of employers, sending a thank you note after an interview is still important. It shows that you are grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to visit with them, and in this day and age, more and more employers are not seeing gratitude and appreciation from potential employees. So, take advantage of this opportunity to shine and send that thank you note.
Mailing the note is still the best way to go, as it takes more time and effort to do, and the employer realizes this. It’s just far too easy to tap out an email thank you. However, an email thank you is better than not sending one at all.
Given that we are going to mail the thank you note, the question often comes up as to whether the note should be typed, or handwritten. Most now say a nice, conservative card with a handwritten note is the best way to go. Caveat … if your handwriting is hideous, type/print it out.
Another frequent question about thank you notes is whether or not you can send a “group” thank you note if you were interviewed by a panel, or individually, but by more than one person. The quick answer is “No”. It’s always best to send an individual note to each person you interviewed with.
The biggest question about thank you notes concerns content. At a minimum, thank you notes MUST thank the person for his/her time and reiterate your interest in the position. Additionally, it’s always best if you are able to personalize the note a bit more by bringing out something positive from your interview. For example, you might say “I’m glad you feel that my medical background will help in the field of insurance defense.”
Finally, we are often asked when thank you notes should be mailed. The answer, within 24 hours of your interview. Period.
Remember, use this as a time to shine. Show your gratitude and eagerness to move forward with this employer. Also, since the employer will see this as another writing sample, make sure there are no typos or grammatical mistakes and that the name of the employer and attorney are spelled correctly.
According to the vast majority of employers, sending a thank you note after an interview is still important. It shows that you are grateful and appreciative of the opportunity to visit with them, and in this day and age, more and more employers are not seeing gratitude and appreciation from potential employees. So, take advantage of this opportunity to shine and send that thank you note.
Mailing the note is still the best way to go, as it takes more time and effort to do, and the employer realizes this. It’s just far too easy to tap out an email thank you. However, an email thank you is better than not sending one at all.
Given that we are going to mail the thank you note, the question often comes up as to whether the note should be typed, or handwritten. Most now say a nice, conservative card with a handwritten note is the best way to go. Caveat … if your handwriting is hideous, type/print it out.
Another frequent question about thank you notes is whether or not you can send a “group” thank you note if you were interviewed by a panel, or individually, but by more than one person. The quick answer is “No”. It’s always best to send an individual note to each person you interviewed with.
The biggest question about thank you notes concerns content. At a minimum, thank you notes MUST thank the person for his/her time and reiterate your interest in the position. Additionally, it’s always best if you are able to personalize the note a bit more by bringing out something positive from your interview. For example, you might say “I’m glad you feel that my medical background will help in the field of insurance defense.”
Finally, we are often asked when thank you notes should be mailed. The answer, within 24 hours of your interview. Period.
Remember, use this as a time to shine. Show your gratitude and eagerness to move forward with this employer. Also, since the employer will see this as another writing sample, make sure there are no typos or grammatical mistakes and that the name of the employer and attorney are spelled correctly.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Tips for the Big Day (Bar Exam)
After all your studying is done and you think you can’t possibly learn any more, keep in mind these tips for the days of the bar exam:
Stay at a hotel. If you live more than 15 minutes from the test site or you have to travel through any of Tulsa’s road construction sites, consider staying at a nearby hotel.
Dress in layers. The room where the exam is given will be too cold or too hot, it is never just right. Also, wear shoes that won't make a lot of noise when you walk this will be annoying and distracting to everyone.
Don’t bring your cell phone. If you must bring one, turn OFF the ringer. Failure to do this may cause you to lose your test-taking privileges and will annoy everyone, including you, if it goes off.
If you will use a laptop, make sure it is in very good working order. Also, bring two of every peripheral thing that you might need. If you are allowed, use spell check.
If you will be handwriting, write legibly and follow directions. Try to spell correctly and use good grammar.
Bring more pens and pencils than you think you might need. Don’t forget an eraser.
Bring two watches. If you don’t, invariably yours will stop working and you don’t want to run out of time.
Bring your earplugs and use them. Noise will be distracting and people will walk around during the exam.
Don't talk about it. There will be people during the breaks discussing the questions on the exam. Avoid these discussions! A rehash of what has passed never does anyone any good, and everyone will have written a slightly different answer.
Don’t forget to eat. Go out for dinner after the first day. Eat well, go home or to your hotel room, flip through your flash cards/outline, and go to sleep early.
Relax after the exam. Take a vacation, just go somewhere. Go to the lake, hike, or see a movie. Just do something not related to the law - have fun.
Stay at a hotel. If you live more than 15 minutes from the test site or you have to travel through any of Tulsa’s road construction sites, consider staying at a nearby hotel.
Dress in layers. The room where the exam is given will be too cold or too hot, it is never just right. Also, wear shoes that won't make a lot of noise when you walk this will be annoying and distracting to everyone.
Don’t bring your cell phone. If you must bring one, turn OFF the ringer. Failure to do this may cause you to lose your test-taking privileges and will annoy everyone, including you, if it goes off.
If you will use a laptop, make sure it is in very good working order. Also, bring two of every peripheral thing that you might need. If you are allowed, use spell check.
If you will be handwriting, write legibly and follow directions. Try to spell correctly and use good grammar.
Bring more pens and pencils than you think you might need. Don’t forget an eraser.
Bring two watches. If you don’t, invariably yours will stop working and you don’t want to run out of time.
Bring your earplugs and use them. Noise will be distracting and people will walk around during the exam.
Don't talk about it. There will be people during the breaks discussing the questions on the exam. Avoid these discussions! A rehash of what has passed never does anyone any good, and everyone will have written a slightly different answer.
Don’t forget to eat. Go out for dinner after the first day. Eat well, go home or to your hotel room, flip through your flash cards/outline, and go to sleep early.
Relax after the exam. Take a vacation, just go somewhere. Go to the lake, hike, or see a movie. Just do something not related to the law - have fun.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
ARE YOU OVERCOMMITTED?
You can be over committed professionally and outside of the office. Does this sound like you? Maybe you want it all and are trying to have it all - at the same time. Perhaps it is better to have it all but not all at once. You may have:
● Too many clients
● Too many projects
● Too many leadership positions
● Too many speaking engagements
● Too many conferences
Usually people can maintain the juggling act of overcommitment for awhile before things start to fall apart, then the negatives begin to show:
● Work product declines, quality and quantity
● Communication and timeliness go by the wayside
● Business and personal relationships suffer
● Commitments are missed
● You become someone not to be counted on
● You suffer from overwork and stress
● Lack of sleep becomes a problem
So how can you avoid being overcommitted and learn how to say no. Reasons you may want to say no:
● Scattering energies and accepting all invitations can
cause others to undervalue your participation
● You could wind up spending 90% of your time on low priority projects
● For each opportunity you accept there will be others that you will have to decline
So how do you say no to other people, activities, and your boss? You can say no without using the actual word. Basically, it a yes but situation so figure out which works best in a given situation:
● Say something like: “That's an interesting project. I'm
really busy with the XYZ assignment right now, so let me
know if you want me to re-prioritize.”
● Suggest a timeline that works better with your other commitments
● Suggest another specific person who could do the project
● Seek assistance, if you can only do the work with help ask for it up front
● Let them know what else you have going on they may not know about
Sometimes to achieve a bit of balance for something very important to you ie: your child’s birthday or your 10th anniversary, shut off the phone and turn off the BlackBerry. Try to safeguard those times and live in the moment.
● Too many clients
● Too many projects
● Too many leadership positions
● Too many speaking engagements
● Too many conferences
Usually people can maintain the juggling act of overcommitment for awhile before things start to fall apart, then the negatives begin to show:
● Work product declines, quality and quantity
● Communication and timeliness go by the wayside
● Business and personal relationships suffer
● Commitments are missed
● You become someone not to be counted on
● You suffer from overwork and stress
● Lack of sleep becomes a problem
So how can you avoid being overcommitted and learn how to say no. Reasons you may want to say no:
● Scattering energies and accepting all invitations can
cause others to undervalue your participation
● You could wind up spending 90% of your time on low priority projects
● For each opportunity you accept there will be others that you will have to decline
So how do you say no to other people, activities, and your boss? You can say no without using the actual word. Basically, it a yes but situation so figure out which works best in a given situation:
● Say something like: “That's an interesting project. I'm
really busy with the XYZ assignment right now, so let me
know if you want me to re-prioritize.”
● Suggest a timeline that works better with your other commitments
● Suggest another specific person who could do the project
● Seek assistance, if you can only do the work with help ask for it up front
● Let them know what else you have going on they may not know about
Sometimes to achieve a bit of balance for something very important to you ie: your child’s birthday or your 10th anniversary, shut off the phone and turn off the BlackBerry. Try to safeguard those times and live in the moment.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
MANAGING STRESS … YOU CAN DO IT!
Stress. Reports show that 20 – 25% of lawyers suffer from stress so severe that it impairs their practice. As a professional, you MUST learn to manage your stress. Managing your stress involves identifying the source, reflecting on why this stress is present and invoking a game plan on how to deal with it.
Stress can have an external or internal source. If you are, and have always been, a worrier, now is the time to get a grip on this habit. Why? Because to the people you work with, your level of stress often appears disproportionate. This may cause your supervisor to worry, thinking you are unable to cope with the stress of practice/work, resulting in him/her giving the better projects to others, keeping you from client contact and passing you over for bonuses and promotions. This habit can be unlearned with attention and perseverance.
Another example of an internal stress source is the Type A, hypercompetitive, perfectionist. If this is you, you most likely set high standards, don’t like making mistakes and are accustomed to outperforming your peers. When starting a new job, this attitude will cause stress. Your new supervisor doesn’t expect you to be perfect; he/she understands there is a learning curve. Take advantage of your time as a newbie – see it as a learning opportunity to ask questions of the seasoned attorneys and learn from them.
If your stress source is external, stemming from working on a case you personally find disagreeable, disliking your client, or the human drama associated with your practice or a particular case, remember to keep breathing and to keep an emotional distance from the client/case. Don’t hang on to negativity.
Talk to others to get ideas about how they deal with stress and try those on for size. Realize, however, that we all manage stress differently, so if those ideas don’t work for you, investigate other alternatives. Finally, if your stress level is consistently high for a prolonged period of time, please consider seeking the perspective of a trained mental health professional.
Stress. Reports show that 20 – 25% of lawyers suffer from stress so severe that it impairs their practice. As a professional, you MUST learn to manage your stress. Managing your stress involves identifying the source, reflecting on why this stress is present and invoking a game plan on how to deal with it.
Stress can have an external or internal source. If you are, and have always been, a worrier, now is the time to get a grip on this habit. Why? Because to the people you work with, your level of stress often appears disproportionate. This may cause your supervisor to worry, thinking you are unable to cope with the stress of practice/work, resulting in him/her giving the better projects to others, keeping you from client contact and passing you over for bonuses and promotions. This habit can be unlearned with attention and perseverance.
Another example of an internal stress source is the Type A, hypercompetitive, perfectionist. If this is you, you most likely set high standards, don’t like making mistakes and are accustomed to outperforming your peers. When starting a new job, this attitude will cause stress. Your new supervisor doesn’t expect you to be perfect; he/she understands there is a learning curve. Take advantage of your time as a newbie – see it as a learning opportunity to ask questions of the seasoned attorneys and learn from them.
If your stress source is external, stemming from working on a case you personally find disagreeable, disliking your client, or the human drama associated with your practice or a particular case, remember to keep breathing and to keep an emotional distance from the client/case. Don’t hang on to negativity.
Talk to others to get ideas about how they deal with stress and try those on for size. Realize, however, that we all manage stress differently, so if those ideas don’t work for you, investigate other alternatives. Finally, if your stress level is consistently high for a prolonged period of time, please consider seeking the perspective of a trained mental health professional.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)