Job search
Attention Law Students: Use Legal Writing In Your Job Search
October 25, 2010
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to talk to some students at New York Law School about networking, job search, and non-legal careers for lawyers. These students are facing the bleakest economy since the Depression, particularly in the legal sector. Law firms have imploded. Mega firms have merged with mega firms to create ultra-mega firms, thereby necessitating layoffs. And law schools continue with traditional On Campus Interviewing that largely address the top 20% of the class – law review students, Moot Court Board students, and the like.
For the other 80%, even a summer job may not be likely. Nor will a volunteer position at a legal agency because of the sheer inundation with resumes triggered by the scarcity of paying jobs.
So how can a law student distinguish himself or herself? Write.
The New York State Bar Association has several practice sections with a journal for each section. Approach an editor by phone or e-mail to see their processes for accepting articles for publication. Spending some of your summer by researching a legal topic for an article with your byline will be a good investment. For job interviews during the Fall, your fellow students will be armed with excerpts from briefs, motions, and memoranda they wrote during the summer. You will be armed, on the other hand, with a published article in a prestigious journal read by your interviewer’s peers, competitors, and clients.
Plus, there’s a bonus. You can use your article research to network. When you pick your topic, find out the leaders in that area of law. Then, send an e-mail request for an interview so you can include their views on the topic in your article. Suddenly, you are building a network of power!
So, even if you can’t get a legal job for the Summer and you wind up in a part-time position for the family business, a professor, or a non-profit organization where you get school credit in lieu of a paycheck, use some of your Summer to put those legal writing skills to work.
Of course, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with The Bluebook again. Oh well, who said Summer reading was supposed to be pleasurable anyway?
david@davidkrell.com
Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to talk to some students at New York Law School about networking, job search, and non-legal careers for lawyers. These students are facing the bleakest economy since the Depression, particularly in the legal sector. Law firms have imploded. Mega firms have merged with mega firms to create ultra-mega firms, thereby necessitating layoffs. And law schools continue with traditional On Campus Interviewing that largely address the top 20% of the class – law review students, Moot Court Board students, and the like.
For the other 80%, even a summer job may not be likely. Nor will a volunteer position at a legal agency because of the sheer inundation with resumes triggered by the scarcity of paying jobs.
So how can a law student distinguish himself or herself? Write.
The New York State Bar Association has several practice sections with a journal for each section. Approach an editor by phone or e-mail to see their processes for accepting articles for publication. Spending some of your summer by researching a legal topic for an article with your byline will be a good investment. For job interviews during the Fall, your fellow students will be armed with excerpts from briefs, motions, and memoranda they wrote during the summer. You will be armed, on the other hand, with a published article in a prestigious journal read by your interviewer’s peers, competitors, and clients.
Plus, there’s a bonus. You can use your article research to network. When you pick your topic, find out the leaders in that area of law. Then, send an e-mail request for an interview so you can include their views on the topic in your article. Suddenly, you are building a network of power!
So, even if you can’t get a legal job for the Summer and you wind up in a part-time position for the family business, a professor, or a non-profit organization where you get school credit in lieu of a paycheck, use some of your Summer to put those legal writing skills to work.
Of course, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with The Bluebook again. Oh well, who said Summer reading was supposed to be pleasurable anyway?
A Social Media Marketing Story
October 13, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
Rachel Levy is a Boston-based marketer who reinvented her personal brand. She built a go-to person status in social media marketing by embracing the challenge of mastering the intricacies of social media. The reinvention has resulted in consulting with corporate clients, blogging at www.rachel-levy.com, and Tweeting to thousands of followers as BostonMarketer.
The road to reinvention began on a different path -- job search.
I didn’t know a lot about social media, but I felt that I should know it from a business perspective. The job search transitioned into consulting for clients. I added another layer to my marketing skills.
Her marketing skills were already formidable from experience at Jim Beam Brands, Kraft Foods, and Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston. The experience is vital to Rachel’s keen understanding of social media. Where others see social media as a mere novelty, Rachel sees it as an extraordinary marketing opportunity for corporate America. Unfortunately, the opportunity may be missed.
Social media is a tool for the marketing tool belt. But companies have a lot of room to be more effective in how they utilize Facebook, Twitter, and other social media and networking web sites. They might not view social media as an integral part of a marketing strategy because social media is relatively new. They need to be willing to invest time in developing a strategy.
Once a company develops, refines, and implements a social media strategy, another challenge will manifest. How do you measure effectiveness?
Companies will change measurement tools. Instead of cost per impression, the measurement may be cost per engagement or cost per conversation. The cost will be rooted in time and salary, not a dollar amount in the advertising budget.
To learn more about Rachel Levy’s social media insights, go to her web site at www.rachel-levy.com and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BostonMarketer.
david@davidkrell.com
Rachel Levy is a Boston-based marketer who reinvented her personal brand. She built a go-to person status in social media marketing by embracing the challenge of mastering the intricacies of social media. The reinvention has resulted in consulting with corporate clients, blogging at www.rachel-levy.com, and Tweeting to thousands of followers as BostonMarketer.
The road to reinvention began on a different path -- job search.
I didn’t know a lot about social media, but I felt that I should know it from a business perspective. The job search transitioned into consulting for clients. I added another layer to my marketing skills.
Her marketing skills were already formidable from experience at Jim Beam Brands, Kraft Foods, and Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston. The experience is vital to Rachel’s keen understanding of social media. Where others see social media as a mere novelty, Rachel sees it as an extraordinary marketing opportunity for corporate America. Unfortunately, the opportunity may be missed.
Social media is a tool for the marketing tool belt. But companies have a lot of room to be more effective in how they utilize Facebook, Twitter, and other social media and networking web sites. They might not view social media as an integral part of a marketing strategy because social media is relatively new. They need to be willing to invest time in developing a strategy.
Once a company develops, refines, and implements a social media strategy, another challenge will manifest. How do you measure effectiveness?
Companies will change measurement tools. Instead of cost per impression, the measurement may be cost per engagement or cost per conversation. The cost will be rooted in time and salary, not a dollar amount in the advertising budget.
To learn more about Rachel Levy’s social media insights, go to her web site at www.rachel-levy.com and follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BostonMarketer.
Laid Off Means Don't Lay Down
June 02, 2009
by David Krell
david@davidkrell.com
A layoff, firing, cutback, or Insert Euphemism Here presents the massive challenge of repackaging your skill set for another buyer. Refining your resume, interview skills, and job search strategy becomes a daily chore. The work is tough. The rewards, somewhat elusive in this brutal economy.
Productive breaks in the job search refresh the mind, renew the body, and revive the spirit.
Reading.
Exercising.
Meditating.
Writing will also be a productive use of time during a layoff. What better way to show your expertise than starting a blog, writing an Op-Ed piece for your local paper, or authoring an article for a scholarly business or legal journal?
Channeling the writing skills that you use to burnish your resume, cover letter, and follow-up E-Mail communications can be an immensely valuable resource during a job search. Ceteris paribus, a tangible example of your expertise, passion, and knowledge will set you apart from the competition.
Wouldn't you rather show your depth in an article than explain it in a cover letter?
There's a hidden networking value as well. With the credential of researching an article, getting into inner sanctums will be smoother than if you're armed solely with a resume and cover letter.
Wouldn't you rather appear as an insider with sincere interest about the opinions, experiences, and challenges of decision makers than a simply competent professional with similar credentials as the competition's?
david@davidkrell.com
A layoff, firing, cutback, or Insert Euphemism Here presents the massive challenge of repackaging your skill set for another buyer. Refining your resume, interview skills, and job search strategy becomes a daily chore. The work is tough. The rewards, somewhat elusive in this brutal economy.
Productive breaks in the job search refresh the mind, renew the body, and revive the spirit.
Reading.
Exercising.
Meditating.
Writing will also be a productive use of time during a layoff. What better way to show your expertise than starting a blog, writing an Op-Ed piece for your local paper, or authoring an article for a scholarly business or legal journal?
Channeling the writing skills that you use to burnish your resume, cover letter, and follow-up E-Mail communications can be an immensely valuable resource during a job search. Ceteris paribus, a tangible example of your expertise, passion, and knowledge will set you apart from the competition.
Wouldn't you rather show your depth in an article than explain it in a cover letter?
There's a hidden networking value as well. With the credential of researching an article, getting into inner sanctums will be smoother than if you're armed solely with a resume and cover letter.
Wouldn't you rather appear as an insider with sincere interest about the opinions, experiences, and challenges of decision makers than a simply competent professional with similar credentials as the competition's?