Tips for Your Job Search

One of the major tasks on my to-do list in preparing for the end of my clerkship at the Supreme Court of Florida was finding my next job. About a year out, I started focusing on what area of law I thought I might enjoy practicing and setting up meetings with attorneys who currently practice in that area.

When I was in the very early stages of my job search, I had no idea that it would consume so much of my time--emailing potential employers, traveling for interviews, and talking to friends and family about the process. (Not to mention coordinating dog-sitters and dry cleaning!) When I told my Grandpa about my job search, he had the following advice:

"Enjoy it. This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing."

My initial reaction was, "Seriously? It makes me anxious thinking about narrowing down these opportunities and deciding on one job. How can he make this seem so simple and fun?" As I thought more about it, though, I realized he was right--as always. While I was over-analyzing every communication and researching each firm, I missed the fact that this should be fun and exciting. This is an opportunity for which I had worked my whole life. Never again would I be interviewing and determining where my first job as a practicing attorney would be--what city, what firm, what area of the law. I needed to interview these firms just as much as they needed to interview me.

Having finished the process (with a job I confidently believe was meant to be the one) and reflected, I came up with these tips. On a side note, looking for the right job is a lot like dating--first, awkward dates and hoping for a call back and then figuring out how to choose the one. If these tips will help someone searching for a job in the future, I'm glad I wrote them down in this public format.

1) Use your connections.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel or start completely from scratch. All of the friends and connections you have are there for a reason and want to help. Reach out to peers from school, professors, or maybe even a stranger with whom you have something in common--same Alma mater, former employer, etc.

Of course, don't call someone you have never met and with whom you have no connection expecting them to recommend you to their best friend. But, so long as you can establish a connection, reaching out is worth a shot and oftentimes rewarding. Oftentimes, at least in law, firms don't post positions but, instead, rely on recommendations to make hiring decisions. Getting your resume on the right person's desk through a connection could make the difference; it did for me.

Almost everyone I encountered was more than willing to offer advice or forward my resume. Each person with whom I met offered an additional piece of useful advice or wisdom. One specific piece of advice that I received years ago played on repeat in the back of my mind throughout the job search process:

"Once you make a decision, everything will fall into place." - Melanie Griffin, Dean Mead (Tampa)

2) Be yourself.

It is so easy to feel pressure in interviews and meetings to give the "right" answer, especially when you think you really want to work with that person or firm/company. Don't forget to be yourself and be honest about your goals and interests. Firms/companies generally want to hire a person; they want to know your interests and passions. The conversation at several of my meetings shifted to sports and TV shows rather than my resume, and that's okay. They want to see who you are, what drives you, what you enjoy. That being said, you should be able to explain everything listed on your resume because someone will ask.

3) Take notes.

As you go through the interview process, keep notes. While you may remember every detail just as your interview finishes, it will be difficult to recall those details that could make a difference in your decision after you've had 10 more interviews or meetings. Be candid in your note-taking. Write down everything you remember--good and bad--so you can reflect on those details later when you're in the decision-making stage.

4) Don't be afraid of rejection.

The day I accepted an offer from my top choice firm, I went home and literally had a rejection letter in the mail from another firm. They were writing to tell me they were not inviting me back for another interview.

Rejection is part of the process and necessary for you and the firms/companies to mutually select each other. Don't be afraid of it. In fact, some rejection may help you in the long run by narrowing your options.

5) Trust your intuition.

When it feels right, it probably is right. If something feels off, it's probably not the best fit. Every time I met with friends and mentors throughout my job search, they said my eyes lit up when I talked about the firm I ultimately joined. Don't ignore those signs.