Managing Your Legal Career
King County Bar Bulletin
Landing the Advertised Position
By Karen J. Summerville
Q. In your most recent column you explained how to use networking to discover opportunities in the hidden job market. What about advertised positions? Should I still be reading the classifieds?
A. Yes! Even though most positions are never advertised, you should not ignore the classifieds in your search. In terms of allocating your time, though, you should probably spend more time networking than answering ads. This is especially true if you are a more experienced attorney or if your paper credentials are not sterling. The individuals who are most likely to land a job through the classified listings are those who look great on paper and have between two and five years of experience.
Where are attorney positions advertised? The most common sources for attorney listings are the Washington State Bar News, King County Bar Bulletin, and Washington Journal. Additionally, the offices of career services at most law schools publish periodic job listings. For example, Seattle University School of Law publishes the monthly "Job Watch Newsletter", and the University of Washington School of Law publishes the "Attorney Employment Bulletin" (the "Green Sheet"). These publications are available for a fee.
Seattle University also provides a telephone Hot Line that is updated weekly and available to all attorneys seeking full-time employment. Seattle University grads can also access the Internet Job Announcement Bulletin Board, a password-protected database, by obtaining the monthly password from the Office of Career Services. The Washington State Bar Association also maintains a telephone Jobline that is updated weekly. Most attorneys don't think of looking in the local newspapers, but The Seattle Times-PI Sunday "Job Market" often includes legal positions. (Check both "A" for Attorney and "L" for Lawyer.)
For legal and nonlegal positions, you can call the employment hotlines set up by numerous, individual businesses and government agencies. The Seattle Public Library can be a source for lists of job hotlines in the greater Seattle area. The library is also an excellent source for employment periodicals and other reference materials on career development.
More recently, law firms, businesses and agencies with job hotlines often post them on the Internet. The Internet can also be an important source of information if you are researching a firm or company in preparation for an interview. Now it seems that any serious career search is not complete without Net surfing as well as networking!
Q. In the past two months I have applied for several advertised positions. I believe that I was more than qualified for these positions. But I never got a single interview. Do you have any suggestions?
A. Let's look at your resume and cover letter. When applying for a position in response to an ad, your resume and cover letter are the only basis upon which an employer can make an initial assessment of your ability to perform the job. First, your cover letter should express your interest in the position. You could begin, "It is with great interest that I submit my application for the litigation associate position . . . . " Be sure to specify which position you are applying for. Many firms receive dozens of unsolicited resumes each week, and you want your resume to land in the right pile.
The next two or three paragraphs should detail how you meet the requirements of the job. For example, if the ad states, "Excellent research and writing skills required," you will want to give examples of your successful brief writing. If you were on law review, mention it. If there is a requirement you can't satisfy, it is probably best not to mention it in the cover letter. Often employers include everything in their wish list in an ad and will consider applicants who satisfy most of the requirements. Your closing paragraph should indicate where you can be reached e.g. at your office on a confidential basis or by leaving voice mail) and express appreciation and expectation ("Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to hearing from you in the near future."). For further guidance in preparing your cover letters, you may want to read, "The Perfect Cover Letter," by Richard H. Beatty.
In addition to a carefully crafted cover letter, you will want to include a resume tailored to the position that you are seeking. There is no single resume format that works for all occasions. You will want to look at a variety of different styles and determine which one is right for you. If you are a relatively new attorney, you may want to use one of the resume formats found in "Guerrilla Tactics For Getting The Legal Job Of Your Dreams," by Kimm Alayne Walton (Harcourt Brace 1995).
You will also want to ask people who are in positions similar to those of interest to you for comments and suggestions on your resume.
The true test of any resume is whether it gets read. No one is obligated to read your resume. One estimate is that the average length of time spent reviewing a resume is just fifteen seconds! To ensure that yours receives a more thorough review avoid a cramped resume with small type. This "shotgun" approach to resumes is one of the most frequent mistakes attorneys make, and it suggests that you can't decide what you want to do with your life or your JD.
Ideally, you will want to create a resume that highlights your experience that is directly relevant to the specific position for which you are applying. This takes more time and effort than simply enclosing an "all-purpose" resume. But if you want to be one of the few applicants to receive an invitation to interview, you should make the extra effort. Good Luck!