Years ago, the Texas energy industry was thriving and candidates were driving the hiring process. Candidates could sit back and let the client sell them on why they should move from a job that is stable and fulfilling to an even better opportunity. But our legal headhunters saw a dramatic shift recently. Corporations suddenly held the bargaining chip – a job. Sometimes, the job was pulled before an offer went out to the selected finalist due to other corporate constraints.
Articles under Interview Tips
Enthusiastic Job Seekers Sought
Showing Enthusiasm in Your Job Search and Interviews Helps Land You the Job
ENTHUSIASM (noun) – a great eagerness to be involved in a particular activity that you like and enjoy or that you think is important. Intense and eager enjoyment; interest.
Is the Grass Really Greener when Changing Jobs?
As legal recruiters, one of the most common questions we’re asked is “how’s the job market”? Translation: I’m thinking about changing jobs and want to get an idea of what my chances are. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The job market in Texas continues to boom and the cycle of in-demand practice areas is continually in flux. Yesterday it was apples and today it’s oranges. Tomorrow, who knows.
What Are Today’s Hiring Managers Looking For?
Today’s candidates need to be fine-tuned and savvy to land their next career opportunity. Job seekers must take the necessary steps and measures to make sure they are marketable. How should a candidate communicate, present a resume or answer recruiter inquiries? Based on what we’re hearing from hiring managers and the clients we represent, here are some suggestions that might help.
Social Media and Your Job Search
Comprehensive network
Job seekers, employees and recruiters can get in touch with people of the same or similar background and extend their professional network with an aim to get noticed. Whether it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, or another platform, each one gives an opportunity to interact and grow your network.
Legal Recruiters Know Resumes. Texas Attorneys, Make Your Resume Count!
Your resume is the first impression you make, and first impressions are important. You only get one. As Legal Recruiters we read dozens of resumes a day, so we know what works. Research has proven that the average resume gets looked at for quick six seconds. For this reason, your resume needs to be concise, easy to read, and especially easy to digest. It also means that sometimes “less is more.”
4 Interview Questions Texas Attorneys should ask when being Recruited
Almost every attorney interviewing for a new position gets asked at some point during the interview: “Do you have any questions for me?” This is your chance to not only learn more about the position and the company but to also make a good impression with the questions you ask. As recruiters advising Texas attorneys on how to get the job they’re seeking, we heartily agree with four of the five questions that ZipRecruiter recommends. In fact, we also recommend that our attorney candidates ask: 1) Why is this position vacant; 2) Can you describe a typical workday for the lawyer in this position?; 3) How would you characterize the culture of this company/law firm, and; 4) What are the goals of this company, and how does this position and legal department factor into those goals?
The 8 Types of Legal Department Job Interviewers
When looking to join an in-house legal department, you will meet a variety of interviewers. Some will be lawyers and others not. While your legal department interviewers may be excellent lawyers or business people, they might not all be the most effective recruiters. You may encounter good interviewers having a bad day, inexperienced or unprepared interviewers, or those who have ineffective methods for eliciting the information they need to make the best hiring decisions.
Post-Interview Thank You Notes In The Information Age
Candidates frequently ask our Texas legal recruiters whether to send thank you notes after an interview. If so, how and when? The question has sometimes vexed us, given the vast changes the information age has brought to the workplace. Not all that long ago, law school graduates were taught to send out hard copies of their resumes on high quality “resume paper” and to always follow up with a note handwritten in black ink on Crane’s stationery.
Essential Traits of an Effective In-House Counsel
Every day at Momentum Search Partners, law firm attorneys call our recruiters seeking in-house positions because they want to work closer to the business team, be more involved in a company’s business decisions and be part of the overall “big picture” strategy that corporate legal work typically provides. Part of our job as legal recruiters is to dig deeper to determine which candidates really understand what being part of the business team means – and whether they can successfully make the transition. A critical factor is communication and the ability to connect with the business team. But what does that mean, exactly?