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.”
Articles under Job Success
Texas Legal Recruiting Remains Strong for In-house & Law Firm Jobs
Last week, Texas Monthly summarized the results of a new report from Citi Private Bank’s Law Firm Group, that showed that demand at Texas law firms dropped by 7.1 percent the first half of 2016. (See “Texas Firms See Greatest Drop in Demand in First Half of 2016” by Brenda Jeffreys.)
The Pay Gap in Texas Legal Jobs
Income Inequality in the Legal Community
Income equality in the united states is a hot topic in political campaigns and in the news and shows no signs of abating. We have noticed a similar trend among the compensation for lawyers. The top group of lawyers are highly paid, typically at large law firms or those in-house legal departments who hire from the large law firm ranks. Starting one’s legal career at a large law firm is thus the ticket into the highly-compensated group.
Tips for First Month on a New Job
Starting a new job can be stressful. This article by Fast Company written by Ximena Vengoechea provides good strategies to keep in mind.
The Science Behind the Most Successful Careers
If you doubt the power of belief – even for just one moment – you are forsaking your most powerful ally: your brain. If you doubt that changing a few beliefs can dramatically alter the trajectory of your career, then your career may fall far short of its true potential.
Trends in Corporate Legal Departments
Our team of Texas legal recruiters recently attended the annual conference of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC), the professional organization that promulgates ethical standards and best practices in the legal recruiting profession. The key note speech was presented by James Merklinger, Vice President and General Counsel of the Association of Corporate Counsel. His talk about in-house legal department trends was insightful and we thought would be of interest to many of our readers. Below is a brief summary of our annotations:
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.
Success Begets Success: Enhance Client Development
Competition in and among private law firms has never been greater, and the pressure on lawyers at all levels to develop new business is intense. Many law firms compete for the same business clients and being a talented lawyer with excellent legal skills is no longer enough. Today’s lawyers must have the ability to attract, retain and expand relationships with their clients, which is often easier said than done. Very few graduate from law school with business development training. Frequently, the pressure to bill sufficient hours during associates’ early years leaves little time and energy for client development efforts, especially when you’re not sure where or how to start.
A Niche Law Practice Should Be Your New Year’s Resolution!
“To succeed in the new world, you have to sell yourself. You go to a brand-name college, not to imbibe the wisdom of its professors, but to make impressions and connections. You pick a niche that can bring attention to yourself and then develop your personal public relations efforts to let the world know who you are.” – Alan Wolfe, New York Times Book Review, 7 Jan. 2001
Are Recruiters Relevant in the Social Media Age?
With the ease of making connections via social media and job postings reaching more people than ever before, many people ask if a recruiter’s fee remains a beneficial expense. Companies and law firms face mounting cost-containing pressures, and external recruiters are often a cost targeted for reduction. All employers agree that their most valuable resource is its employees and hiring the right – or the wrong – person is a decision critical to the bottom line. So the question becomes whether a recruiter can result in a better hire? Our clients say yes – when certain conditions exist.