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.

How to Get an In-House Job is Topic of NYC Bar Seminar

Transitioning from a law from job to an in-house legal position is a difficult challenge. The vast majority of the thousands of law firm attorneys I have counseled wanted to move to in-house roles. Only two — repeat, two — of my clients have wanted to move from in-house positions to law firms.

Effective Marketing for an In-House Career is the topic of a seminar being sponsored by the New York City Bar on Thursday, March 14 from 6:30 -8 p.m. p.m. at the City Bar building. I am honored to have been invited to be one of the 3 expert panelists for the event, which is open to all attorneys, whether City Bar members or not. Joining me on the dais are Anthony Bosco of Stone Turn and Adele Lemlek of Greiner Consulting.  

Winning an in-house job takes knowledge, creativity and effective personal marketing. These topics will be covered in the 90-minute seminar. Since many attorneys are uncomfortable networking, promoting and marketing themselves, we will be giving some techniques on how to contain (if not overcome) those fears.

We will also be covering how to build an upwardly mobile in-house career. To be successful, in-house lawyers need to market themselves both within and outside their companies. Building “brand recognition” is just as important in moving up the in-house ladder as it is in snaring that first in-house job.

How to approach the internal marketing process, who to target, how to make connections internally and externally, and how to be perceived by the executives as a business partner will also be discussed.

The panel will be moderated by Maxwell Silver-Thompson of Murphy & McGonigle, and is being sponsored by the City Bar’s In-House Counsel Committee, co-chaired by Daniel Wiig and Jack Lermer, and by the Career Advancement Committee chaired by Laura Torchio. The event fee is $10 for NYC Bar members and $25 for non-members. 

For those who are seeking to transition to an in-house job, or to move up the legal ranks, this will be an important, possibly career-changing event. 

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.

Are You Living “On Purpose?”

“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”

–Napoleon Hill

Do you love what you do for a living?

Do you look forward to going to work every day or do you grudgingly show up in order to pay the bills? Do you work past quitting time because it’s expected or because you’re “into it” and lost track of time?

Believe it or not, many lawyers and executives know their calling in life, their true purpose, and live “on purpose.”

Are you one of them?

Take this True or False Self-Scoring Quiz to determine whether you are operating from a place of purpose, and are doing the work that you area meant to do. .

1. When I get up in the morning I look forward to going to work ___True    ___False
2. I love the work I do — any external reward I receive I consider “the icing on the cake.” ___True    ___False
3. My work makes me feel rewarded and fulfilled rather than drained and exhausted. ___True    ___False
4. When I have spare time I participate in activities that I’m passionate about, and those activities reflect my purpose. ___True    ___False
5. I know what my greatest talents and strengths are, and I apply those attributes to my work in some capacity every day. ___True    ___False
6. I know I’m living my true purpose when others notice and compliment me on my abilities. ___True    ___False
7. My professional life reflects and is in alignment with my core values. ___True    ___False
8. I consistently base my decisions on my beliefs, not on the expectations of others, and, overall, I’m happy with the outcomes. ___True    ___False
9. If money were not an issue I wouldn’t change much of what I do and how I do it. ___True    ___False
10. My work environment is supportive of my personality and talents and allows me to not only show up as my true self, but to perform at my optimal level. ___True    ___False

11. When my work environment fails to provide me with opportunities to utilize my unique abilities, I look to make a positive change ___True    ___False
12. The good (and great days) at work far outweigh the occasional “bad” days. ___True    ___False
13. My work is enjoyable and often feels like play ___True    ___False
14. By fulfilling my own dreams and desires, I am making a positive contribution to the world as a whole. ___True    ___False
15. Determining one’s life purpose can take a long time, but I’m confident that, even when I question what my purpose is, I know that I have one. ___True    ___False

If you answered “false” to many of these, you may benefit from discovering how to find a career you can enjoy, one that is fulfilling, meaningful and allows you to live a life On Purpose. Living a purposeful life is as much about how things are done (with  passion and focus for example) as it is about what is done.

It’s also a great way to feel fulfilled regardless of the “job” you may find yourself in.

If your work life lacks meaningfulness and purpose, there is a way out. Call us today.

Author’s content used under license, © Claire Communications

Congratulations to our Latest Grad!

Major career change done in 10 weeks!

We are very proud of our latest “graduate,” an insurance defense litigator with a dozen years of experience who is now a senior operations staff executive for an international environmentally related services organization. The offer was accepted 10 weeks after completion of the career change resume we had prepared. Our client’s salary jumped by $38,000. As is so often true with our clients, they will make more money in their new, non-legal positions than they were making in their law firms. We offer our most recent graduate our sincere best wishes and all possible success in their new career!