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Creating An Effective Career Management Strategy

Whether you’re at the beginning of your legal career or 15 years in, this is something you need to do.

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Most clients come to me when they are faced with a crossroad in their career, usually in the form of one of these situations:

  • the client has reached the ceiling of growth at their company and acknowledges it’s time to move on;
  • the culture and mission of the company or firm has taken a turn and no longer aligns with the client’s own values; or
  • the company is approaching a major transition (acquisition or financial downsizing) and the client needs to be prepared for a job search “just in case.”

These situations are proactive in nature as clients are thinking ahead of what to do and taking next best steps.

Whether you’re at the beginning of your legal career or 15 years in, I wholeheartedly believe in creating an effective career management strategy. This means you will always be prepared for the unexpected twists and turns because you’re actively updating your career documents, you’re performing ongoing annual audits, you’re continuously building your professional network, and you’re consistently reevaluating your goals. Below are detailed strategies to help you ensure you’re always improving your career health and outlook.

Set Annual Goals, Including 5- And 10-Year Plans

Most of us are often focused on the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities of our roles — we settle into a firm or company and put the annual goals on the backburner until personal evaluations come around, and we’re forced to reflect. By setting annual goals and writing down short- and long-term career plans, it provides a working checklist that you can audit year after year to see if you’re growing in your career trajectory or in need of a reboot. This also means performing a yearly audit and looking outside of your role to determine if you’re continuing to develop professionally — research and consider obtaining certifications such as the CIPP/US if you’re increasing your skills and interest in data privacy, or even consider leadership development training courses and programs to advance your executive presence for a future seat in the boardroom. Engage in CLEs and other professional development opportunities to build knowledge in key areas, as well as learn about new and emerging areas of practice.

Keep An Updated Brag Book And Career Portfolio

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A key facet of career management is keeping an updated brag book and career portfolio — this includes your resume, deal/transaction sheet with representative engagements (i.e., case results), professional bio, and a current LinkedIn profile. Opportunities often present themselves when we least expect. Schedule an audit every six months on your leadership and functional responsibilities, new areas of accountability, key projects you’ve led or worked on, and other representative engagements that showcase your legal skill sets. Reflect on your LinkedIn profile and analyze specific areas where you can increase its optimization.

Manage Your Network And Nurture It

Having a strong network is key in the digital age. If you’re in the beginning years of practice, seek out mentors, and explore connecting with experienced lawyers who are where you want to be five or 10 years from now. Don’t be afraid to build that network on LinkedIn and send messages with a request to connect, including explaining your interest in setting up a coffee chat. Read up on current trends and observe the movers and shakers in your practice area that are blogging and speaking about these legal trends — watch how they leverage their subject-matter expertise. Build relationships with recruiters. By continuously nurturing your network, you are setting yourself up for more legal career opportunities down the road.

Your career management strategy is a long-term one that will continue to grow and evolve over the course of your legal career across the ebbs and flows of the changing landscape. Consider it a work in progress that needs constant fine-tuning and reflecting.

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Wendi Weiner is an attorney, career expert, and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for attorneys, executives, and C-suite/Board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications about alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at wendi@writingguru.net, connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.  

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