Small Law Firms

4 Reasons Why My Job Searching Tactics Have Changed Over The Years

It feels nicer to be in a position where you can apply only for the jobs you really want.

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It’s been just over seven years since I started writing at Above The Law. To celebrate this anniversary, I want to write about the topic I first wrote about: my job search. Believe it or not, I am still looking. But how I do it has changed. In a nutshell, I have narrowed my choices significantly. I’ll explain some of my reasons for this.

First, I haven’t looked as actively as I did in the past, mostly because of my solo practice. Unsurprisingly, employment opportunities tend to come when you are also very busy. If you are self-employed and have a stable practice, you don’t have time to research companies, try to connect with the proper people, and get intelligence. Worst of all, you might not be in a position to leave immediately. Have an exit strategy in place whenever you are looking.

Second, at the moment, there are certain practice areas I do NOT want to touch with a thousand-foot pole. Of course, I may want to expand my horizons in the future. But as you limit your practice areas, the scope of your job search also narrows.

Third, you gain more intelligence about the people and the profession. Most law students and new attorneys have little to no idea about the industry and the people in it. So they apply to as many positions as possible and pick the best firm among them, usually the one that pays the most. But in most cases, you do not really know what you are getting yourself into. The partners interviewing you may be very nice, but once you are on the firm’s payroll, they turn into drill sergeants. Or you may be doing something different than what you anticipated.

Over the years, I have met a lot attorneys, ranging from excellent to mediocre (to put it very nicely). I have also heard good and bad things about certain attorneys, usually through their partners, associates, or others. After gathering this information, I have removed some firms and businesses whom I previously wanted to work for as I am near certain we would not be a good culture fit. On the other hand, there are some excellent law firms I would love to work with because I think I can work well with the people.

Finally, your personal life can also limit your choices. Chances are very likely that I will stay in Southern California. At some point I would like to have a family here, and they may not want to move somewhere far away. For some employers, this may not be an issue if they have a good work-from-home policy, which is what many are doing in light of the pandemic. But when it eventually passes, many will probably want to return to office life. But as someone establishes roots in a certain area, it will take very compelling reasons for them to lift those roots and move.

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You would think that employers or recruiters would be impressed to know that their firm is on your very short, exclusive interest list. But that is not the case, especially when many other applicants are telling them the same thing. So you might still be ignored, the same way that you would ignore someone trying to sell you something you don’t need.

So while I still hope to find a job where everyone can mutually benefit, the search can get harder at times. However, it feels nicer to be in a position where you can apply only for the jobs you really want as opposed to searching out of desperation. I’ve been there, and it can be demoralizing and depressing. When all is said and done, if you are going to sacrifice sleep time for an employer, you should at least be happy to be there.

Steven Chung is a tax attorney in Los Angeles, California. He helps people with basic tax planning and resolve tax disputes. He is also sympathetic to people with large student loans. He can be reached via email at sachimalbe@excite.com. Or you can connect with him on Twitter (@stevenchung) and connect with him on LinkedIn.

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