New York Lawyer
May 29, 2001

Q:
For lawyers switching jobs, what is the most efficient job search technique?

Submit Your Question

Find More Answers

A:
Sadly, for lawyers or anyone else, there is no such thing as an efficient job search. Regardless of what employment sector you�re aiming for, unless you can target a very small area � geographically or in terms of some particular area of expertise � there simply is no way of systematically inventorying, approaching and penetrating the target market. It�s just too chaotic and changeable out there, so you just have to launch your search efforts and paddle like crazy.

On the other hand, it is possible to conduct the most effective job search your particular career objectives will allow. Basically, this is always a matter of getting the most appropriate visibility you can, any way you can. Put simply, broad brushes work better than laser beams unless you are possessed of such a unique and esoteric skill set that potential employers will seek you out (that is why the specialization trend in law practice does offer some employment security for those in �hot� areas � although it can be murder on specialized practitioners whose discipline goes out of vogue).

Job seekers pursuing linear career paths may have the easiest time of it: what they want to do is a logical extension of what they�ve already done, and they don�t present the job market with the thorny question of why they�re making a career shift (�Are you running toward something, or away from something?�) or of what capabilities they offer now that they�ve abandoned their previous �product identity.�

Similarly, career shifters � meaning those who are changing some major dimension of their identity (such as setting, specialty or client base) but are still pursuing work that is in some way law-related � present less of a challenge to the job market than out-and-out career changers pulling a paradigm shift and recasting every aspect of their identity. The �I�m changin� everything� group presents the job market with three tough issues: First, now that you�re an �ex-lawyer,� what are you? Exactly what do you want to do or to be next � are you clear and focused in your objectives? Second, what value can you provide (and can you prove it in a way that I believe)? Third, the issue of motivation: Why are you leaving a profession that you worked so hard to join?

Generally speaking, there are basically four major job search techniques: 1) answering ads; 2) getting placed through a recruiter, search firm or other buyer�s agent; 3) making direct contact with potential employers, usually through mass mailings; and 4) informal interpersonal networking to gain visibility and learn about leads. For those who have the luxury of a linear career path and a tightly-focused employment objective � those who are running a �conventional job search� -- ads fill roughly 15% of the openings, recruiters another 12-15%, mass mailings/direct contact 3-5% and face-to-face networking 65-70%.

For career changers, the numbers are entirely different: Ads: 0% (ever see an ad that says: �Wanted: Ex-lawyer�?). Recruiters: 0% (if possible, it would be minus 50%; recruiters are basically risk-reducers who placed safe, conventional candidates and conventional, clearly defined boxes). Direct contact: still no more than about 3-5%, if that (Dear Mr. Jones, if you should have an opening for a . . . an . . . uh . . . highly-motivated . . . uh . . . � See the problem with product identity?). In short, career shifters and career changers usually find new work and careers through networking.

Why? Because it�s built on personal contact that allows someone to size up those characteristics that go beyond resume recitations of your technical skills and educational credentials. It allows people to witness the personal qualities and interpersonal strengths that might be the core of a productive new role for you. It allows you to explain your motivation for change in an informal conversation and � this is very important � explain how your past accomplishments in a technical professional setting would translate into �transferable abilities� that would provide value in some entirely different setting. Anyone who has worked in a law firm, for example, is a consultant. You sold time for money � that�s what all consultants do. Even if you remove the technical dimensions of being a highly-specialized consultant, the basic activities and orientation remain to be transferred to another kind of consulting environment.

Similarly, if you�ve been been a litigator, you�ve been involved in project management. All cases follow the classic project management sequence of: a) diagnose issues/assess needs, b) develop strategic/tactical plans, c) implement, d) monitor and evaluate, e) trouble-shoot and fine-tune, f) get result, get check and move on. Other �transferable abilities?� The ability to keep your head when those about you lose theirs . . . the ability to negotiate effectively among people who have adverse interests . . . the ability to acquire new skills rapidly (�quick study�) . . . the ability to marshal and organize huge amounts of detail. Get the picture? For potential employers to get the picture, you must learn to translate law-related tasks and functions into terms your new target market will understand and value. If you can do that, opportunities suddenly open up.

Even for hard-core introverts, networking works. It�s working when someone you�ve been chatting casually with says, �Have you ever thought about becoming . . . ?� Or, �Boy, we could really use someone like you.� Or, �I know someone you really oughta meet.�

Many lawyers who have made successful career changes will chalk their successful transition up to coincidence or �being in the right place at the right time.� The truth is, they were beneficiaries of a numbers game: they were in a lot of places at a lot of times, waving their flag, getting visibility, building contacts and making generally favorable impressions � important if you�re moving from being a specialist to a generalist.

The key to an effective job search? Try everything. All the time. But if you have to prioritize your time and efforts, practice becoming a skilled networker. Honest, it�s the best way to market the True You.

Sincerely,
Douglas B. Richardson
President, The Richardson Group