A few thoughts on looking for a job
When you are looking for a job or developing your career, Jason Alba is the man in the know. However, I thought I would provide a few observations from a small company employer's perspective. Some of these comments may have less value if you are applying to large company with a human resources department.
1. What's your objective? There seems to be a large trend to add an objective statement at the top of the resume. My personal view is that they often do not help and sometimes hurt. If the objective is a vague restatement of the obvious - my objective is to find a firm which values my skills and where I can make a contribution - the first thought that comes to my mind is - isn't this everybody's objective. If the objective is off point, the objective may actually hurt you. Occasionally, I will see someone's objective that tells me they are looking for a different job. If the objective sounds like they are really looking for a job as a technical writer, I wonder why they are applying for a job as a legal assistant. Likewise, if the objective says - I am looking for a job as a legal secretary so I can get some experience before I start law school this fall - I wonder why I would want to spend four months training you only to have you quit.
Your resume is valuable real estate. If you are going to put an objective it should focused on the position for which you are applying.
2. Provide a letter. When we provide an email address for someone to respond, I feel less compelled to respond to each person. Of the 20 resumes we have received in response to our last posting, half had no legal experience and no indication on their resume that they were particularly focused on a becoming a legal assistant. Furthermore, many just say, "attached please find my resume." Make it clear that you actually care.
When I get a letter on nice letter head (pretty cheap at Office Depot) I look a little closer. Likewise, even an email that has a well composed letter makes me consider the person. Even with no legal experience, a well composed letter tells me that the person is likely capable of performing the job. In fact, the letter tells me more than anything on the resume, as there are numerous people who have experience but do not do the job well. Several of the best legal assistants I have hired had no training or experience in the field. If you cannot take time to compose a cover letter of more than one sentence, don't be surprised if you get no response.
3. Keep your resume short. When I was applying for my first job as an attorney, I was told to keep my resume to one page. Where possible, I think this is a good rule of thumb, unless you are applying for a highly technical job and you have numerous activities which are directly on point to what they want. When I make the first cut, I will often have made a decision on whether to talk to the person before the bottom of the first page. What ever is buried on pages 2-5 probably won't get noticed.
4. Have explanations for why you left previous employers One concern I have is when I get resumes where the person has bounced around a lot. If you have been working for 10 years and had 7 different employers, my first impression is that you won't be with us long, so why spend the time and effort training. If you worked somewhere during summer vacation or were hired for the position on a temporary basis, state it on the resume. Likewise, if you worked for three months at a firm and then they went out of business, I would let your potential employer know. One or two short stints of your own choosing will not hurt. " I realized that I was not a good fit for their company" - but a series of them says this is not someone I want to spend my time training.
5. You only get one chance to make a first impression If you get an interview, make sure you are making your best impression. Try to make sure that you are dressed (even somewhat overdressed) for the company. (It may not hurt to call anonymously and ask someone how formal the office is). When in doubt, overdress.
Our firm is a little on the causal side, but I still want to see that the person appreciates appropriate attire for a law firm. Flip-flops are not a plus. Neither is a summer sun dress, anything made of spandex or the latest hairdo from Vogue. Clothes that do not fit or are not ironed do not help either. You should look stylish when you go out with your friends. You should look professional (for the field in which your are applying) when you go to an interview.
6. Have some questions.
I really do not like to interview because I am not really good at it. Most of the information I need is on the resume. (I am sure if I knew how to do it better I would ask more questions). Thus, I commonly ask the candidate if they have any questions. I usually learn more about the candidate from the questions that they ask then what I have asked them. In particular, I like when they ask questions that suggest they are trying to determine if they are a good fit for the firm and that the firm is a good fit for them. Questions that imply I want to know if I will add value to your firm and if your firm is somewhere I want to work tell me that the person is not just desperate for a job and is looking for a win-win. If they add value and they like the firm, they will be a long term employee. Someone just looking for a job that pays better is likely to leave as soon as they can make a little bit more somewhere else.
7. Be informed
With the ready access to information over the internet, there is really no excuse for not doing a little bit of research on the company before the interview. You should not need to ask what type of law our firm practices. Look us up on web before you get here. With a little bit of knowledge, you can show that you are truly interested in the employer and make clear that you are looking to contribute, not just looking for a paycheck. "What is the most challenging aspect of intellectual property law for a legal assistant, and what skill should I work on to improve my abilities?" Is a lot better than "So what do you guys do?"
The same holds true for attorneys. Each year I get dozens of resumes from attorneys who have clearly not looked us up. If you have an English degree and really want to practice in the area of family law, applying to an Intellectual Property firm is a waste of your time and ours.
8. Sending a thank you note
I do not recall sending thank you notes after an interview. (It was so long ago that no one had email back then) I have been impressed, however, when I have received a professional (not kissing up) note thanking me for the interview and noting that, after talking with the people of the firm, the candidate remains (or is even more) interested in the position. If I am having a tough time deciding between two people, the letter will probably tip the scales.
9. Return the call
Finally, if you get called for a second interview, a call back, or whatever, return the call. I am amazed at the times when we have narrowed the candidates to the final three and one or more simply does not respond. If you are going to be out of town during the time frame the company says they will make a decision, just inform them in advance that you may be out of town for a couple of days or provide a mobile telephone number. It is a shame when you get back from vacation only to find they went for No. 2 when you did not respond for more than a week.
If you are not calling back because you are no longer interest in the job, you are making a huge mistake. No one is offended if you say that you have taken another position, or have been offered a promotion. But not calling back says makes you seem a little flakey. And you don't want flakey to be part of your personal brand.
Enough of my ramblings. I do not claim to be an expert on any of these matters, and readily admit that I often fail to decide by the date give, or forget to send follow-up letters. However, I thought that one or two of these comments might help.
1. What's your objective? There seems to be a large trend to add an objective statement at the top of the resume. My personal view is that they often do not help and sometimes hurt. If the objective is a vague restatement of the obvious - my objective is to find a firm which values my skills and where I can make a contribution - the first thought that comes to my mind is - isn't this everybody's objective. If the objective is off point, the objective may actually hurt you. Occasionally, I will see someone's objective that tells me they are looking for a different job. If the objective sounds like they are really looking for a job as a technical writer, I wonder why they are applying for a job as a legal assistant. Likewise, if the objective says - I am looking for a job as a legal secretary so I can get some experience before I start law school this fall - I wonder why I would want to spend four months training you only to have you quit.
Your resume is valuable real estate. If you are going to put an objective it should focused on the position for which you are applying.
2. Provide a letter. When we provide an email address for someone to respond, I feel less compelled to respond to each person. Of the 20 resumes we have received in response to our last posting, half had no legal experience and no indication on their resume that they were particularly focused on a becoming a legal assistant. Furthermore, many just say, "attached please find my resume." Make it clear that you actually care.
When I get a letter on nice letter head (pretty cheap at Office Depot) I look a little closer. Likewise, even an email that has a well composed letter makes me consider the person. Even with no legal experience, a well composed letter tells me that the person is likely capable of performing the job. In fact, the letter tells me more than anything on the resume, as there are numerous people who have experience but do not do the job well. Several of the best legal assistants I have hired had no training or experience in the field. If you cannot take time to compose a cover letter of more than one sentence, don't be surprised if you get no response.
3. Keep your resume short. When I was applying for my first job as an attorney, I was told to keep my resume to one page. Where possible, I think this is a good rule of thumb, unless you are applying for a highly technical job and you have numerous activities which are directly on point to what they want. When I make the first cut, I will often have made a decision on whether to talk to the person before the bottom of the first page. What ever is buried on pages 2-5 probably won't get noticed.
4. Have explanations for why you left previous employers One concern I have is when I get resumes where the person has bounced around a lot. If you have been working for 10 years and had 7 different employers, my first impression is that you won't be with us long, so why spend the time and effort training. If you worked somewhere during summer vacation or were hired for the position on a temporary basis, state it on the resume. Likewise, if you worked for three months at a firm and then they went out of business, I would let your potential employer know. One or two short stints of your own choosing will not hurt. " I realized that I was not a good fit for their company" - but a series of them says this is not someone I want to spend my time training.
5. You only get one chance to make a first impression If you get an interview, make sure you are making your best impression. Try to make sure that you are dressed (even somewhat overdressed) for the company. (It may not hurt to call anonymously and ask someone how formal the office is). When in doubt, overdress.
Our firm is a little on the causal side, but I still want to see that the person appreciates appropriate attire for a law firm. Flip-flops are not a plus. Neither is a summer sun dress, anything made of spandex or the latest hairdo from Vogue. Clothes that do not fit or are not ironed do not help either. You should look stylish when you go out with your friends. You should look professional (for the field in which your are applying) when you go to an interview.
6. Have some questions.
I really do not like to interview because I am not really good at it. Most of the information I need is on the resume. (I am sure if I knew how to do it better I would ask more questions). Thus, I commonly ask the candidate if they have any questions. I usually learn more about the candidate from the questions that they ask then what I have asked them. In particular, I like when they ask questions that suggest they are trying to determine if they are a good fit for the firm and that the firm is a good fit for them. Questions that imply I want to know if I will add value to your firm and if your firm is somewhere I want to work tell me that the person is not just desperate for a job and is looking for a win-win. If they add value and they like the firm, they will be a long term employee. Someone just looking for a job that pays better is likely to leave as soon as they can make a little bit more somewhere else.
7. Be informed
With the ready access to information over the internet, there is really no excuse for not doing a little bit of research on the company before the interview. You should not need to ask what type of law our firm practices. Look us up on web before you get here. With a little bit of knowledge, you can show that you are truly interested in the employer and make clear that you are looking to contribute, not just looking for a paycheck. "What is the most challenging aspect of intellectual property law for a legal assistant, and what skill should I work on to improve my abilities?" Is a lot better than "So what do you guys do?"
The same holds true for attorneys. Each year I get dozens of resumes from attorneys who have clearly not looked us up. If you have an English degree and really want to practice in the area of family law, applying to an Intellectual Property firm is a waste of your time and ours.
8. Sending a thank you note
I do not recall sending thank you notes after an interview. (It was so long ago that no one had email back then) I have been impressed, however, when I have received a professional (not kissing up) note thanking me for the interview and noting that, after talking with the people of the firm, the candidate remains (or is even more) interested in the position. If I am having a tough time deciding between two people, the letter will probably tip the scales.
9. Return the call
Finally, if you get called for a second interview, a call back, or whatever, return the call. I am amazed at the times when we have narrowed the candidates to the final three and one or more simply does not respond. If you are going to be out of town during the time frame the company says they will make a decision, just inform them in advance that you may be out of town for a couple of days or provide a mobile telephone number. It is a shame when you get back from vacation only to find they went for No. 2 when you did not respond for more than a week.
If you are not calling back because you are no longer interest in the job, you are making a huge mistake. No one is offended if you say that you have taken another position, or have been offered a promotion. But not calling back says makes you seem a little flakey. And you don't want flakey to be part of your personal brand.
Enough of my ramblings. I do not claim to be an expert on any of these matters, and readily admit that I often fail to decide by the date give, or forget to send follow-up letters. However, I thought that one or two of these comments might help.
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