Resources, Resources, Resources

Whew! It has been a busy year and you're almost through with final exams! We're gearing up to do planning for the next school year so we encourage you to let us know if there's any particular programming that would be of interest to you.  In the meantime, there are a ton of resources in the iTunes U library and the Symplicity Document Library to help you explore your career development options.  As a reminder, we're here all summer, so feel free to make an appointment (we're happy to do phone appointments too) so we can help you strategize your next steps.

Alternative Careers in Government

Are you interested in pursuing a federal job outside of practicing law? If so, consider these types of jobs that The Partnership for Public Service is seeing JDs successfully build careers:

Postgraduate Judicial Clerkships

Are you considering a postgraduate judicial clerkship? Not sure where to start? We have lots of resources in the Symplicity Document Library such as:

• Judicial Clerkship Overview (an introduction)
• Judicial Clerkship Guide (comprehensive resource filled with advice, guidelines, and law school processes)
• DePaul Alumni Judges List

In the Law Career Services Resource Library, this is a sampling of additional resources:

• Behind the Bench: The Guide to Judicial Clerkships by Debra M. Strauss
• Federal Almanac
• American Bench
• Yellow Book Judicial Directory

Nearly one-quarter of all state court clerkship applications are accepted in the spring of 2L year. Check out the Vermont Guide to State Court Clerkships (login/password in the Symplicity Announcements) as well as the State Court Supplement found in both the Symplicity Document Library and  Judicial Clerkship Guide.   Judicial Clerkship Nuts & Bolts presentations will be held on Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 4:45 p.m. in 901 Lewis and Thursday, January 27, 2011 at Noon in 901 Lewis so RSVP in Symplicity today for these sessions!

ABA Job Search Resources: Part II

Some (but certainly not ALL!) the programs highlighted by the American Bar Association (ABA) Law Student Division as offered by the other Sections, Divisions, and Committees of the ABA include:

• Business Law Section Diversity Program
• Children and the Law Center Internships
• Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law Internships
• Section of Litigation Judicial Intern Opportunity Program 

Check these and other programs and resources out today!

Chicago Committee Resume & Interview Workshop Event

Law Student Preparedness Series: Résumé & Interview Workshop
In Partnership with the Council on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Hosted by Reed Smith LLP
10 South Wacker Drive, 40th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606

Click to RSVP: RSVP

This workshop provides law students with information about how to prepare a professional résumé and excel in a legal interview. Attorneys from member firms and corporations will work with small groups of students to conduct mock interviews and provide feedback on their performance as well as their résumés.

*This program is open to only 12 minority law students. Please note that there will be two other Resume & Interview Workshops that will take place in November and December. Please RSVP by clicking the link above.

Interview Resources

Are you looking for interview resources? Don't forget about the Symplicity Document Library! In addition to the Interview Guide created by Law Career Services, there are additional tools from LexisNexis and Westlaw to assist you in using those tools for more effective research. Don't forget to utilize the ASK Program to arrange for mock interviews.

2010 Important FERP Dates

As a reminder, Law Career Services advisers have begun FERP 2010 Resume Reviews. For more information, including the important dates, please see the Announcements and the Document Library in Symplicity for more information.

Summer Networking Tips

Alisa has been using her commute time to read this summer on various timely topics -- legal education reform, networking, mentoring, and general career development. Here's five things you should be doing this summer to build on and strengthen your network:

1. Use Your Lunch Hour Productively: Attend a lunchtime seminar (the various bar associations, policy groups, and the College of Law offer programs throughout the summer), go out with the other interns/law clerks/summer associates to find out about others' projects and interests, check out the latest free art exhibit with a law school classmate. It doesn't have to be all about law school, sometimes it is just spending some time to strengthen a bond and get to know someone a little better. Though outside the lunch hour, attend events suggested to you by other attorneys, especially those supervising you, and set up coffee conversations with folks whose work or passions interest you.
   
2. Retool your resume and sync your online presence: developing the habit that each time you update your resume or your profiles online (LinkedIn/Google/Yahoo!/Facebook, etc. profiles, twitter bio, email signature line, wherever you control your image online), you need to update them all. It looks sloppy when you've missed one, so if you're not already checking your online presence regularly, start and regularize this habit.
   
3. Use Your Free Time Freely: volunteer with something that you love, read a couple of books for fun, find some free things to do around town (@explorechicago on twitter has some great stuff in Chicago), and just chat with people in line. It will make you practice communicating on the fly and you never know who you might meet while giving that doggie her bath at the shelter.
4. Develop a follow-up plan: You know a lot of people, you meet a lot of people. How are you keeping track of them all? (Using Sneider's exercises in her book below will help you consider who you know.) Have you developed a way to reach out that doesn't feel too often nor too infrequent. Contemplate what you have to offer your network, even if it is just sending an article on a mutual area (or just the other person's area) of interest. Not everyone is using all the same tools (not all everyone will be on LinkedIn for example), so you need to determine if using some kind of Excel worksheet or notebook system (see Gerson's Networking Log in her book below for an example) will work best for you. While you're at it, update your address book so you can create your holiday card list early.
5. Make an appointment with your career adviser: We're here all summer and we'll meet with you via phone if necessary. We want to hear about what you're working on this summer, what has excited you, and what has not. We'll be happy to encourage you on what you're doing well plus brainstorm some new ideas on career development, retooling your resume, crafting cover letters, and so much more. We're part of your networking team too.
   

Alisa's Summer Reading List: Never Eat Alone (Ferrazi), Best Friends at the Bar ( Smith Blakely), Educating Lawyers (Carnegie Report), To Kill a Mockingbird (Lee), Introduction to Type Dynamics and Development (Myers & Kirby), Revolt on Goose Island (Lydersen), Building Career Connections (Gerson), The Legal Career Guide: Law Student to Lawyer (Garner), A Lawyer's Guide to Networking (Sneider).

Syncing Your Online Presence

Each time you update your resume, you need to make sure you update your entire online presence. It amazes us how many alumni still have themselves listed as current law students in their Facebook bios months after graduation. Unfortunately, this just looks sloppy to employers who are trying to gauge how well you take care of your online presence. So start a habit now that every time you update your resume, you also update your entire online presence, including (though not limited to):

• LinkedIn Profile
• Membership Organizations & Directories (alma mater alumni groups, neighborhood, etc.)
  
• Your email signature line
  
• Online Resumes (on personal pages and in job engines like USAJobs.gov or Monster.com)
• Google/Yahoo!/Hotmail profiles
  
• Blog/Twitter/Facebook/MySpace bio
• Plaxo, etc cards
  

Retro Manners

Mary Crane writes about Retro Manners -- specifically, how to avoid those little gaffes that are costing applicants interviews and offers. In a tight economy, the smallest things matter and this article will provide you insight on the things you know but sometimes forget when you get nervous or harried.

Personal Branding

Personal branding is a part of your personal marketing toolkit. But how do you create one? First, you need to got through your CSI (Credentials, Skills & Interests) assessment. What do you bring to the table? What do you want to do with that? Second, develop your elevator pitch. Go through this Harvard Business School Exercise to develop and then determine the strength of your current pitch. Third, consider how your personal brand is (or is not) present in your cover letters, resume, LinkedIn profile, and how your references talk about you. Don't forget to make sure you're adjusting your personal brand techniques as you target different employers -- this blog posting will help you consider some key language to show that you've thought out your strengths, weaknesses, and why you'd be the right person for the job.

1L Hiring Index from NALP Directory of Legal Employers

The NALP Directory of Legal Employers allows students to generate their own custom index of NALP employers that hire first-year students. Using the Advanced Search feature, students can enter their specific criteria and then select 1Ls from the "Organizations that Hire" drop-down list. Employers that indicated Yes or Case-by-Case (CBC) will appear in the results list.

Resumes are Only One Step

As the 1Ls begin to access Law Career Services, this blog posting serves as a great reminder that the resume you are developing now is different from what you used in undergrad or get into law school, and part is an evolution of your CSI: credentials, skills, and interests. As with all evolutions, and all job search skills, they never really end -- they just become refined, enable you to go to the next level, and continue to develop those skills. So yes, your resume is a time-consuming piece to create, but it is truly just one piece of the puzzle. More on those other skills in upcoming posts.

Unstalling the Job Search

All too often career advisors are hearing something along the lines of what this recently interviewed college graduate said: "It's easy to fall into a routine of just copying and pasting in a new company name". All too often, jobseekers want the easy, one-stop process of applying online, from one job board, with one generic cover letter. That isn't going to cut it in this economy -- as this Wall Street Journal article points out, it will be a test of stamina, creativity, and using multiple methods to find your next opportunity.

PSLawNet Resources

PSLawNet is a subscription service for which Law Career Services provides students and alumni access for their public service job search. This rich resource, in addition to its national and international job postings, also has an additional career resource library covering a large range of topics, including government search resources, careers in criminal law, summer or career funding, and much, much more. The PSLawNet Advisory Board just met last week and additional resources are being developed. Create your account and check it out today and often!

Personal Marketing Plan & Networking

Before launching (or when re-evaluating) a job search, candidates are encouraged to think out their Personal Marketing Plans. This basically means the two to three qualities, skills, interests, and/or experiences you have to offer every employer, and then making sure those two to three things then translate well for each employer, and making adjustments as needed. Those two to three things should be reflected widely in your resume, in each individually crafted cover letter, in each interview answer, and in your follow-up communication. Tickled by Life provides a glimpse into thinking about your gold nuggets. You should also share this strategy with your mentors and networking contacts. Speaking of networking, the Lawyer Avenue Blog shares some insights on networking in this tough economy and why it is more critical than ever. Particularly insightful is her approach to networking -- essentially as relationship building first, job assistance second.