Job Searches

Why Following Generic Job Search Advice Is Not Enough

For those of us who don't have the prestige premium, generic job search advice is not enough. So how do we stand out?

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It seems like every day, there is a new article that tries to give job search advice to the unemployed masses competing for positions that are slowly but surely being replaced by machines. If you read enough of them, you’ll see that they regurgitate the same tips we’ve heard since high school. But for those of us who don’t have the prestige premium, it is not enough. So how do we stand out?

Let’s critically examine the most common job search advice.

Focus your job search. The idea is that you should not be applying to every job available. Know what you are good at, note all of your accomplishments on your résumé and apply only to the positions that fits your qualifications. Learn everything you can about the firms you want to work for — everything from the firm’s professional culture to the hiring partner’s favorite restaurants. The problem is, until your custom-tailored job in fantasyland becomes available, your goals have to be put on hold. It’s hard to stay focused when you are thinking about how you will pay the rent, food, and student loan bills.

Network. All kinds of advice is given about networking: Meet a lot of people. Meet the right people. Give your elevator speech. Follow up. Work closely with key people by participating in committees or side projects. Leverage your family connections. But for most people, networking is “notworking” because most of the advice amounts to little more than just showing up. The relationship building process can be extremely slow, especially if you are trying to build a non-superficial one. After the first meeting, you will be easily forgotten, so you have to make a lasting, positive impression on the people you meet.

Don’t be a d-bag. Be friendly. Be humble. Mind your manners. This sounds simple enough. But memorable lawyers tend not to be the friendly ones.

Persevere. Don’t give up! Keep sending those résumés! Pound the pavement! Stay positive! Winners never quit and quitters never win! Oh, stop it. Look, eventually this gets old. You begin to develop a tolerance to positive thinking. After searching for months with nothing to show for it, your confidence begins to wane. You start to read about the reduced need for lawyers due to outsourcing, automated document review, and the possible proliferation of nonlawyers giving legal advice. You second guess yourself. Eventually, depression sets in. For some of these people, perseverance will just prolong the agony.

So one problem with generic job advice is that it tries to provide answers to everyone. It gets more readers that way. So it has to appeal to the lowest common denominator by avoiding or severely limiting the use of specifics. But because of the problems I laid out above, the generic advice will only work for the shrinking number of people with lots of time and money. Those with little money cannot afford to be choosy. Those with little time can only persevere for so long.

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Another problem with generic advice is that it is freely available. Your competition also knows it and will apply it. And your competition is larger than you think: de-equitized partners, former solo practitioners or small-firm partners, current solo practitioners struggling to make ends meet, disgruntled associates whose firms didn’t match the DP bonus scale, doc review lifers, and those in the shadows working in non-law. This means that you have to do more than follow the generic job search advice.

So what do you have to do to stand out? Good question. I’m trying to figure that out. If you have any suggestions, contact me. In the meantime, I want to share what I plan to do. I’m quite shy here so I won’t get into specifics.

Reach out to people who I want to meet and get to know. I don’t consider this networking because I’m not trying to solicit jobs from these people. In short, I am not reaching out to lawyers or law firms. I plan to reach out to fashion experts, new mothers, leaders of social causes I am interested in, and even celebrities. Many celebrities manage their own Twitter accounts. Most will ignore you but a number do respond to their fans. One good thing about being a lawyer is that most people will give you their attention and a greater level of respect. It’s an opportunity to meet new friends, and practice relevant people skills like emotional intelligence and empathy.

Learn a new practice area. I think it would be a good time to expand my skill set. While the general advice seems to be “develop a niche” and “specialize”, it wouldn’t hurt to learn something new and explore other options. I joined a few specialty groups and committees. Since the committee members live nowhere near me, I am sure that they will be very generous with practice advice and materials since they do not see me as competition. In addition, I plan to spend some extra time at the library reading practice guides. I will also need a local mentor as well.

Continue my existing solo practice. Doing all of the above is going to cost money. So it’s back to the hustle.

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Two weeks ago, when I wrote about why solo practitioners and small law firms pay peanuts to their associates, I received a lot of angry rants and sob stories asking for help. For a subsequent post, I would like to provide some guidance to those trying to get out of their predicament. If you have any suggestions, please send them to me.

Shannon Achimalbe was a former solo practitioner for five years before deciding to sell out and get back on the corporate ladder. Shannon can be reached at sachimalbe@excite.com.

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