Conducting a successful job search

Some of the greatest hindrances to a successful job search are fear, avoidance, and taking short cuts. A successful search takes adequate preparation, planning, multiple approaches, and a good follow-through system.

Assess your job search arsenal

Time – How much time can you spend on the search?

Required materials – Well-prepared resumes; personalized cover letters; writing samples; notebook or system to keep lists of contacts, dates of interviews, and follow-up actions (See Appendix)

References – Faculty (law school and undergraduate), administrators, employers (legal and nonlegal)

Contact lists – Compile from friends, faculty, mentors, bar members,  professional meetings, educational forums/CLEs, social events, Career Services, reciprocity contacts, family, and potential employers. Your goal should be at least 50 – 100 contacts.

Encouragement – Friends, family, and Career Services can keep you encouraged.

Financial resources – The job search will require money. Some expenses are a phone, transportation, interviewing clothes, postage, and printing.

Develop your list of potential employers

14A_8476 - webRequired usernames and passwords can be obtained from HIRE Bowen. Resources found there include:

  • Bowen Job Postings. On the HIRE Bowen home page, click the Job Postings tab. Employer job announcements sent directly to Bowen are listed here along with other popular sites with actual job postings.
  • Arkansas state jobs website
  • Linkedin
  • Reciprocity – Law schools share access to their job postings with students and graduates of other law schools through a process called reciprocity.  Email Bowen Career Services to have a reciprocity request submitted to another law school on your behalf.  You should not initiate contact with the law school directly.
  • PSJD Your Pathway to Public Service Jobs – A NALP Initiative with public interest opportunities and information on how to apply successfully for public interest careers.
  • EqualJusticeWorks – EJW offers several fellowship opportunities nationwide. Legal Aid of Arkansas might sponsor the right applicant interested in applying for the EJW Fellowship Program. Contact Career Services for more specific information. This site also is a great source on the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, including the Loan Repayment Assistance Program and the Income-Based Repayment Program.
  • OSCAR, the Online System for Clerkship Applications and Review – lists many federal chambers indicating ones which have actual openings and how to apply. Other federal court positions (legal and nonlegal) across the country, from probation officer to judges, are found at www.uscourts.gov.
  • Phone directory (local)

The greater the number of contacts and interviews, the greater the number of job offers.

Decide which strategies to use

Networking or referral campaign – Research and actual results continue to support networking as the No. 1 search strategy. It is most effective because it enables the job seeker to uncover positions not yet posted or even widely known. Even so, remember, the job search is still a numbers game.

Personal network worksheet

Networking log

Internal campaignSelf-marketing, volunteer positions, volunteering for positions, internships and externships: Remember here, after you find the job, “to be successful, look for work after you get the job!”

Job lists HIRE Bowen job postings, the Intercollegiate Job Bank (see link on this page), employer and Internet websites, newspaper ads and professional newsletters

Cold calls and walk-ins – Can be effective for small firms and solo practitioners in smaller, less formal markets including Arkansas.

Head hunters – Several new and recent graduates in larger cities have had success using professional legal job search agencies.  These agencies are fewer in smaller markets like Arkansas.

Contract work – Offering freelance legal services will allow you to keep your skills sharpened. Contract work also enables you to experience employers who may be of interest to you before a more permanent commitment.

Long distance searches

Many of the same strategies can be used, but you’ll have to convince a potential employer that you are serious about relocating.

  • Join the state and local bar associations in your target state or local community and start becoming familiar with available resources and the market itself.
  • Visit local area during summer and winter breaks; develop network. If you are returning home, it is important to get introduced to and involved in the legal community as soon as you can.  The development of your network is very important for your search
  • Subscribe to major city newspaper
  • Research legal directories for states of interest are accessible online
  • Network through professional and fraternal associations, religious affiliates, former school and classmates, as well as family and friends in the area
  • Attend job fairs and interviewing programs. Specific agencies and large private employers in some markets can only be penetrated via job fairs.

Don’t retreat

  • Try to identify a strategy not used before.
  • Contact old contacts three to four weeks after last contact with them.
  • Review your resume; it may need revising (network contacts may provide helpful input).
  • Analyze competition: What methods are they using?
  • Ask for the job.
  • Avoid taking long breaks. Anxiety builds, and it takes longer to restart!