In challenging times: create hope
“Create opportunities. Create a different path forward. Keep your long term vision, but create shorter term goals – that’s going to create hope.”
That was the message GW College of Professional Studies Director of Career Services had for the GW paralegal students, alumni, and friends who attended this week’s webinar “Paralegal Career Planning in Challenging Times.”
Toni Marsh, director of the GW Paralegal Studies program, partnered with Nicole and the CPS marketing and recruiting team to plan the webinar, design the promotional graphics, push it out to students and alumni, and make it available to a wider community in record time.
“Everyone worked together to get this done. We knew our people were hurting and kind of lost right now and we wanted to get this message to them,” said Ms. Marsh. “We got an incredible number of RSVPs within just a couple of days and over 80 percent of those registered attended. That’s unheard of. In normal times you might get 30 percent of registrants to show up to an online event. This shows how badly our people needed to hear this message from us.”
Ms. Mintz offered more than hope and encouragement – although she offered plenty of that. She also outlined concrete steps people could take.
“Your path may look different now - but that doesn’t take away from your overall goal of being in the legal field, of being a paralegal, of contributing, of making a difference,” she assured the audience. “Focus on your strengths, create a narrative and weave that narrative throughout everything you do.”
She urged attendees to take this time to ensure their online presence was up to date and dynamic. She offered tips on how to use LinkedIn to create a strong digital profile, to show up in employers’ searches, and to network. In creating that narrative, she advised attendees to focus on their strengths and how they have demonstrated those strengths through their accomplishments.
Most important, she said, “Don’t stop looking.”
Managing Consultant, Federal Talent Transformation, IBM Consulting
4 年Great work, Toni Marsh and Nicole Mintz!