Now I Really Know How You Feel. I was Happier Not Knowing

The impact of the Coronavirus pandemic has hit as close to home as can be. Because of the pandemic, my wife, Gwyneth, may no longer be able to practice her profession. In fact, her entire profession may be going down the tubes. At least for now.

Like many of my clients, Gwyn has to explore her career options. Unlike many of my clients, this is an involuntary exploration; most clients come to me voluntarily because they want jobs they actually enjoy.

Gwyn loves her job. She has a Masters Degree in Gerontology and 22 years experience in the field. She does geriatric care management, assisted living placement and nursing home marketing. She helps seniors and their families explore their residence options when they can no longer live on their own.

She meets with seniors and family members in hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and private homes to assess their situations. She can no longer do this. She can’t see people in hospitals because the hospitals are generally not letting outside professionals into their facilities for fear of contagion. The nursing homes are wary of admitting new patients for the same reason. The assisted living facilities are in the same boat. Even home care agencies are impacted, because a homecare worker may be a carrier or go into the home of someone who is infected.

The senior care industry is in a true mess – I don’t know how else to describe it. This will eventually change when the virus runs its course, but who knows how long that will be? There are many healthcare marketing and admissions professionals who are going to be unable to practice their trade and will need to find new careers.

My wife, like my clients, is very smart and very accomplished within her field. But she doesn’t know about the transferability of her skills. Like many of my clients, she is wondering about what else she can do with 20+ years of experience, what else is out there for her, how can she maintain her income and so on. She is wondering if her training, her graduate degree and two decades of experience will all be wasted. She is asking the same questions of herself that my clients ask of themselves. It is a scary, uncertain time for her.

My expertise is career change; I can help my lawyer clients, but I can’t really help my wife. I know diddly squat about the transferable skills of her profession. When it comes to the transferability of the skills used by lawyers and executives with 20+years of experience, I have substantial knowledge and can help them find new career paths. I am a subject matter expert. But that very specific knowledge is not going to help my wife.

I always understood, from an intellectual standpoint, why the thought of a career change can be so intimidating. I intellectually understood why so many lawyers fear change, because they know they are competent and know what they are doing in their profession, but don’t know what’s involved in something new. I intellectually understood why they were so uncomfortable not knowing what else is out there for them that leverages their skills but applies them in new ways, and still generates a good income. I understood all of this intellectually.

Now I am living it. I liked it better before.

— Bruce Blackwell

This is Why I Still Do This Work and not Go Sailing Instead

This is one of the most amazing days I have had at Career Strategies. Two of my clients accepted offers this morning before I finished my coffee; one of my relocation clients received two offers within the last few days; another overseas client has two interviews coming up for jobs in the U.S. this week, including one set up this very day. I haven’t even had lunch yet.

This day reminds me of another day, when Crain’s New York Business had three of my clients listed in their weekly People in New Jobs page. Almost the whole column was about Career Strategies clients.

I had been thinking about the possibility of taking early retirement, but knowing that I used my skills, insights and  experience to help these people find new and better careers, and to get them excited about their jobs again, is keeping me excited. Besides, I don’t like golf all that much and there’s ice on the lake so I can’t go sailing. It’s more fun to help people find jobs they love.

Does Your Resume Pass the “Two Sneeze” Test?

Academic research has shown recruiters read resumes in a systematic pattern, taking 6.25 seconds to make a yes/no decision; yet, 75% of the time, resumes don’t make it through an ATS to the recruiter’s desk at all!

That’s sobering new information from Career Thought Leaders, a research  and advisory council that provides certifications and Best Practices guidance for career professionals.

If your current resume isn’t grabbing a recruiter in 6.25 seconds – if your special contributory value can’t be clearly shown in about the time it takes to sneeze twice — then your resume is bad. Plain and simple.

Use the stopwatch on your cell phone and see how much of your resume you can read in 6.25 seconds. Not much, right?

Further, if your resume isn’t even making it to the recruiters’ desks because it is screened out by the computerized ATS, or Applicant Tracking System, that all recruiters use, you have a poor resume, one that is hurting your job search.

We can turn a poor resume into a powerful one. For a free consultation about your resume, call us at 914-940-4300 or click here to make a 30-minute telephone appointment: https://live.vcita.com/site/bruce.blackwell/online-scheduling?service=d6dc6699

To learn more about how we can help you find a new and better job through our dynamic resume and job search services, click here: https://www.careerstrategiesgroup.com/

This is a 30-minute call that can change your life.

5 Essential Job Interview Tips

By the time a company or law firm decides who they want to interview, it is reasonable to assume that all of the candidates have the skills and experience to do the job. One candidate will win the position, and all the others will lose. Here are some interview tips that can help you avoid coming in second.

1. Know your brand strategy – What 3 to 5 key sales points do you have that would show your value, and why you have a unique blend of skills that would make you a better candidate than your competitors. Make this solid skills, not general fluff – “I am good at writing and research” is general fluff that your competitors can say. What are your 3 to 5 best points?
2. Put a positive spin on why you are seeking a new job – Cite nothing negative (long hours, hate billing clients, don’t like rainmaking, etc.) Look for other reasons why you are on the market … but make sure they relate to things that would benefit the employer, not just you. A statement like “I want to be able to help a company grow by applying a wider range of my experience than I can at the firm” is much better than saying, “I hate billable hours.” What are your key reasons for wanting a change and how can your next employer benefit from your service?
3. Be prepared for the hard questions that you don’t want them to ask — Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes — what concerns would they have about your candidacy? Too young and inexperienced? Too old and over-qualified? No experience in the employer’s industry. No experience in the job function? Not great academics? Too many job shifts? Try to determine the concerns will they have about you, and then create your defenses. Turn those potential lemons into lemonade!
4. Support your claims with PAR stories – Every lawyer makes the same claims about being good at writing and research, doing “out of the box thinking,” being a creative problem solver and issue-spotter. But few people back up their claims with evidence. Prepare a series of Problem-Action-Result anecdotes, each about a minute long (no more than that!) to illustrate and support your claims. Be prepared with an array of them, in different skill areas.
5. Know the mission of the job and the immediate priorities – Ask the interviewer about the first challenges the newly hired candidates will need to address. Cite from your PAR stories how you have dealt with that type of challenge – or one similar – in the past. Look for relevant examples and make the connections for them. “Well, I’ve negotiated hundreds of contracts before, and am very good at getting favorable terms when I negotiate. While I’ve not done that specific type of contract before, I understand business objectives and how to make deals that work out profitably for my clients. I can do the same for you, too.

By being prepared with success stories to support your claims, by focusing on the employer’s needs and not your “wants,” and by knowing why you are a better candidate than your competitors, you can come out the winner and not the second-place finisher in the interview process.

If you have an important interview coming up, or want to sharpen your interview skills, let’s talk. Just click here to schedule a free call: https://live.vcita.com/site/bruce.blackwell/online-scheduling?service=d6dc6699

#jobinterviews, #interviewskills, #jobs, #careercoach

Happy 27th Birthday to Career Strategies!

Twenty-seven years ago today, I woke up, put on a suit and tie, grabbed a cup of coffee, kissed my wife on the cheek, drove to work, and opened the doors at Career Strategies for the first time ever. It was a Monday. My first advertisement had appeared in the Sunday newspaper. The headlines was: “Shorten Your Job Search.” Will the phone ring or not? Will this new business make it? Everything I owned was on the line. It was all or nothing.

Well, the phone did ring. It rang twice that day. One fellow, Michael P., made an appointment. He was a Dallas Cowboys fan, but other than that, was a great guy. He became my first client. The phone has been ringing ever since. To the more than 2,000 people who have turned to me for career advice, better resumes and support during an often difficult time, Thank You!  To the good people who have been part of my professional team over the years, Thank You. Here’s to more great years for us all.

New: Have Questions about your Job Search or Career Options? Ask us! Free 30-min. Consultation

If you have questions about your job search methods, your resume, or your career options, you can get them answered. For free. For a limited time only, we are offering a no-charge, no strings, 30-minute consultation with one of our legal and executive career experts.

We will handle any topic or type of question relating to professional development, job search, career growth or career change. The only catch is that you must be a lawyer, executive or professional and there is a limit of one 30-minute session per person. To schedule, call our 24/7 line at 866-898-4228 or use the scheduling link below.

If you are having problems in your job search, are thinking about making a move, or aren’t sure what’s out there for you, schedule a free consultation with us today! You will be glad you did. 

Here are some of the typical concerns that we can help with:

Q: How does my resume compare against others in my profession?

Q: Are there better ways of finding jobs than applying on Indeed and LinkedIn?  I’m not getting

anywhere!

Q: What kind of non-legal jobs are out there for me? What do other lawyers do?

Q: I have been doing this work for a long time. Am I qualified to do something else?

Q: I want to change careers but can’t go back to an entry level job. Is there any hope?

Q: I am 58 years old. Who is going to want to hire me?

Q: I am getting interviews, but then I never hear back. What am I doing wrong?

Q: I don’t have a network that I can use. Are there other things I can do to find leads?

Career Strategies Group has been guiding legal and executive careers since 1992 and has helped thousands of professionals find new jobs or new careers. We are A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau, and our founder is a charter member of the career transition panel of the New York City Bar Association.

What Factors Tell You It’s Time for a Career Change?

What Factors Tell You It’s Time for a Career Change?

Feel stuck in your current job? Bored? Under-challenged? Dread Mondays? Think you are not doing what you meant to do with your career? If this sounds a bit like you, you can do something about it. If your professional life is bordering on the miserable, then it is time to start exploring your career options … After all, you have only one life, and you are in control of it. Or not. That’s your choice.

We have compiled five factors which will indicate whether or not you should seriously consider a change in your job or career track.

Too much roteness in your work.

We nearly all face occasional boredom at work – but that feeling should be temporary. If you are bored more than a few days a week, if you find the work to often is challenging yet somehow tedious and mundane, you need to think about making a change. If you are bored now, it doesn’t get better over time! The more you master your craft, the more you are put in a silo, the more boring it becomes. This depletes your creativity and energy so that when you finally do get home, you feel exhausted and struggle every morning to get out of bed to get ready to go to office. Success Story: One of our clients went from being a litigator to being the Chief of Staff for an international firm. “I love it,” he told us. “No two days are ever the same.”

Work is challenging but unfulfilling.

You may be good at your job … maybe even gifted … but at the end of each day you don’t feel connected to the outcomes you have produced. Your work is lacking meaningfulness. Deep inside, you know that you are not living a life of purpose, and you job is not really reflecting who you are or what you want from life. Your family and friends may think you have it made … but you don’t! When you feel your work isn’t accomplishing things you feel are worthwhile, it’s a sign you should start exploring making a change. Success Story: One of our clients went from being a partner in a law firm to becoming the Executive Director of a non-profit agency dedicated to a cause about which he feels deeply.

You catch yourself wishing you had a different job.

If you find yourself envying the jobs that other people have, or if you sometimes browse through Indeeed.com just to see what else is “out there,” then you seriously need to start thinking about what interests you. You often feel jealous when you come across an article or mention of a person in a different kind of job, wishing the article should have been about you. Success Story: We had a client who really loved computers and technology. She transitioned from being an intellectual property attorney to doing computer programming and system development.

You work only for money but aren’t having any fun.

Let’s face it. Money is important. But so, too, is quality of life, working with people in a collegial atmosphere, being engaged by your work, feeling good about what you are doing, and pretty much being happy most days about your career. Unfortunately, many lawyers mistakenly believe that they can’t make as much money doing something else, so they endure their days just to get that big paycheck. But the reality is our clients nearly always transition into jobs paying more money than they were making as lawyers. Success Story: Our client, an unhappy, unappreciated associate at an international law firm, increased her already good salary by $40,000 when she transitioned into a new role in professional development.

Your self-esteem is dwindling.

Self-esteem is something that propels us forward, personally and professionally. If you don’t believe in yourself, it is hard to get others to believe in you. Clients. Bosses. Girlfriends.  Spouses. Potential employers. Law is not a “nice” profession: Bosses second-guess you or give good assignments to others. Clients complain behind your back. Partners look at you sideways when your billings are down. You lose one lousy case and it wipes out all of your past victories. I have had many lawyer clients whose self-confidence was in the toilet. If you find yourself in the middle of nowhere regarding making decisions at the work, are second-guessing yourself, worried about how you are being seen by your colleagues, and are negative about any growth possibilities, then it’s time to move on to something new that will rekindle your inner strength and restore your self-confidence. Success Story: We had a client who was in the self-esteem basement after having been beaten up by her partners when a case went bad. She was held to blame even though she had told them at the very beginning the case was doomed and they shouldn’t take it. She is now with a new law firm, in a brand new practice area, and is excited about applying her past skills in this new direction. She’s back!

How we help.

We take a crawl-walk-run approach at Career Strategies Group. Taking the first step with us does not commit you to making a career or job change; it only commits you to looking at some of the possibilities. We start by applying a structured system to help identify your realistic career options. By realistic, we mean jobs that –, based on our assessment tools — you will like, have the transferrable skills to do, can get hired to do, and can get paid what you need to be paid. We will come up with a short list and talk through the possibilities with you. We almost always identify jobs that our clients didn’t know existed, or that they knew about but didn’t think they were qualified to do.

If one of the options really strikes a chord with a client, then they can move forward and have a resume prepared. If none of the options are appealing, or if the timing isn’t right, they can elect to stay where they are. There’s no pressure.

Going for a career change is not easy … but it’s not all that hard, either, if you are willing to face your fears, roll up your sleeves, and keep moving forward. We’ve helped several thousand people just like you find career paths they enjoy and feel good about. Call today for a free initial discussion about your career and job goals. We will let you know if we can help you.

We are Recruiting for a Recruiting Company!

Legal Recruiter Needed for Major, Lindsey & Africa

Although we do recruiting ourselves, we also maintain very close relationships with some of the country’s finest recruiting organizations. We have been asked by our friend and colleague at one of the best them, Elizabeth Long of Major Lindsey Africa, to help her find one or two business-oriented lawyers who would like to become MLA legal recruiters in New York. We are happy to oblige. If you are interested, please email your resume and a cover letter to Jobs@CareerStrategiesGroup.com.  Here is the job description she has provided to us.

Major, Lindsey & Africa has legal recruiting offices in more than 20 major markets across the United States, EMEA and Asia Pacific. We provide in-depth market insights on a global scale that deliver superior results for clients and candidates. We have an immediate opening in our New York office for an In-House Search Consultant to focus on retained attorney search activities and business development for our corporate clients. Ideal candidates will be experienced search consultants and/or practicing attorneys with a compelling existing network.

Responsibilities:

• Manage active searches for existing and new clients, including:

o Consult to clients on their needs and compensation;

o Develop search/candidate criteria and perform research utilizing various proprietary, legal and internet sources, to identify qualified candidates; o Initiate contact with targeted candidates

o Screen and interview qualified candidates; Assess and make recommendations to clients regarding hard and soft skills presented by qualified candidates.

• Develop new client relationships through targeted business development efforts, including cold calling decision makers at relevant employers, targeting legal team management and the C-suite;
• Cultivate existing relationships through consultative information sharing.
• Conduct and disseminate market research to identify industry trends, best hiring practices, and potential client accounts.
• Consult with clients on the myriad issues that corporate legal departments face, skillfully conducting meetings to diagnose their situation, and make recommendations as to the value our services may add.
• Negotiate fee agreements for a retained search firm.

Qualifications:

• JD degree with top credentials are required.
• 5 to 10+ years’ experience working in a large law firm, in-house law department, and/or executive or legal recruiting firm, ideally in the local legal market.
• Ability to initiate and develop new client business.
• Stellar communication skills; MLA has a high-standards culture that requires accurate and fluent oral and written communications.
• Excellent research experience and skills.
• Positivity, hustle, drive, and a “can-do” attitude are crucial. Recruiters are expected to project a positive outlook when tasked with daunting challenges.
• Proven project management experience and strong organizational abilities.
• Able to present a confident demeanor, a broad perspective and have the ability to listen. Willingness to reach out to prospects via both cold and warm calling. High energy; able to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Entrepreneurial, risk-positive spirit.
• Extraordinary dedication to client service.
• Strong team orientation; interested in being surrounded by and being a supportive colleague.
• Palpable interest in receiving feedback and constructive criticism.
• Sense of humor.

About the Company:

• MLA has a culture of hard-working, smart, collaborative, and driven colleagues, who enjoy continued personal and professional growth.
• We provide an excellent support platform that includes new recruiter training and mentoring to learn the business, robust candidate and client databases, access to for-fee market research tools, administrative support, and established and proven policies and processes.
• MLA is focused on continued learning and development and provides access to an online training database, plus scheduled onsite training sessions across offices and practice groups.
• We have a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, internally at MLA and with our clients. MLA has a Diversity Council and Employee Resource Groups available to all employees.
• Our compensation structure allows unlimited upside potential in commission earning, plus financial support in the form of a base salary and full benefit package.

Will You be a Job Search Winner or Loser?

7 Questions to Ask Yourself about Your Job Search

There are good ways and not-so-good ways for doing a job search. Is your campaign going to be successful or is it going to languish? Here are a few questions to help you decide.  If you answer “no” to any of these, there’s good news for you at the end of this article. But first, ask yourself the following:

1) Have you identified your Unique Selling Proposition? What makes you a better candidate than someone with like kind and quality of experience? If you do not have a clear “brand strategy” and unique “personal messaging,” your search will take much longer. You will miss out on interviews for jobs you could have won.

2) Do you have a well-defined Marketing Plan to guide your search? Have you identified your target market, the people who can hire you, the companies where you best fit, and the information sources you need to stay current about changes affecting your potential employers? Have you established a specific methodology for your campaign? If you have not, you are trusting to luck.

3) Are you being creative in your approach to the job market? If you are merely posting your resume on job boards, responding to advertised positions on the internet, talking with recruiters, using LinkedIn and doing some networking, you are taking necessary steps. But, you are doing what everyone else is doing! If you are not being creative in your search, you are missing out on 80% of the available positions that are not posted on the internet or listed with recruiters.

4) Do you have a strategy for penetrating the Hidden Job Market? Old-fashioned networking alone will not get you there. There are many tools available if you look for them and know how to use them. As a lawyer or executive, you are no doubt good at finding information – so use that skill to get smart about your job search methods. If you are not ahead of the curve, you are behind it!

5) Does your resume show your accomplishments, or simply your duties and responsibilities? Your competitors have had essentially the same duties that you have had. What makes you more attractive than they are? If your resume isn’t showing results you have produced, you are under-representing yourself.

6) Do you have an intriguing telephone introduction when calling the CEOs or GCs who can hire you? Is your plan for calling the hiring executive simply to ask if they have seen your resume and would they like to meet you? If so, your chances of arranging an interview are minimal.

7) Do you have a plan for getting resumes to companies that are not advertising openings? Only 10-20 per cent of available positions are advertised. But beyond that, if a company’s Board is not satisfied with their current GC, CEO or COO, they are certainly not going to post that job on their website! If you are not reaching out to companies, they will not be reaching out to you!

If you have (honestly) answered “yes” to these seven questions, then we applaud you and you probably don’t need us. But if you have answered “no” to even one or two of these questions, then you are likely to be spending a lot longer on your job search than you need to or want to. We can fix that, and fix it quickly.

Our new Job Search Accelerator involves 1 to 3 session coaching programs to address specific job search issues.

Don’t have a clear brand strategy? Our 1-session Messaging program will help you develop compelling communications that will enable you to break away from the pack of other candidates with similar experience.

Not sure how to get your campaign done quickly? Our 3-session Marketing Plan program will create a map that will guide you to your career destination in the shortest route possible.

Not sure what to do besides respond to classifieds, contact recruiters, and network with your contacts? Our 2-session Innovative Job Search Methods program will give you powerful new tools that will leave your competitors in the dust.

One, two or three coaching sessions with us can shorten your job search by months. While we still offer comprehensive programs of 15 to 25 hours of expert guidance, some people only need an hour or two to deal with specific issues. Our Accelerator program now makes that possible.

We have guided more than 2,200 senior-level lawyers and executives through successful job search campaigns. Perhaps we can do the same for you.

Give us a call today to find out about our new Job Search Accelerator services.