In-House Counsel

Why You’re More Than Just Your Job Title (And How To Embrace It)

What truly matters is how you perceive your career journey; not what others perceive it should be.

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Job open for unemployed businessmen or laid off people, new vacancy for jobless people after economic recovery in Coronavirus COVID-19 crisis, people standing in line apply for job with virus pathogenWhether we like it or not, our job titles shape our identities. It’s how we introduce ourselves at a conference, bar association event, or in the grocery store line to the stranger behind us when they ask what we do. In the legal profession, the identity of being a lawyer, a partner at XYZ law firm, or general counsel at ABC company, brings a level of prestige and self-worth. We’re conditioned to chat about what we do because it makes our parents and family members proud, it gives us and those around us bragging rights, and the outside world respects us more.

For years, I loved telling anyone and everyone I was a lawyer — especially when I was in Biglaw and in-house. While the title stroked my ego to the outside world, on the inside, I struggled with the feelings of not wanting it to be my only job title for the immediate and subsequent future. I straddled between being a writer and a lawyer, an intersection that seemed to be a fork in my career road.

The first time I realized just how much my identity as a lawyer mattered to others was when I attended a networking event for entrepreneurs. It was the week of February 2015, just four days after I formally left the practice of law — the moment I shed my job title. I was no longer Wendi Weiner, in-house counsel at a Fortune 200 company. I was now on a new journey, transitioning to being a full-time entrepreneur while chasing my writing dreams and helping people find their career happiness along the way.

Introducing myself with a job title change wasn’t something I had rehearsed. I didn’t hold back and simply blurted out: “I’ve been a lawyer for more than a decade, but I left the practice this past week to follow my dreams of being a writer. I actually write resumes and LinkedIn profiles for lawyers and executives.”

I said it with grace and with a smile, expecting the person I was talking with to be intrigued and for it to lead into subsequent conversation. Instead, I was met with, “Why would you stop being a lawyer to become a writer? That’s just dumb! You’ll never make the type of money as a writer that you would make as a lawyer.”

While it’s been over seven years since that conversation, I still vividly remember the feelings I felt when I heard his response. At the time, I didn’t have 75-plus media outlets behind my name to point him to (or a viral CNBC article that shared my story). I didn’t have seven-week-plus client waitlists, and I didn’t have a brand where people knew of me before they spoke to me. I was simply a lawyer who finally acted on her lifelong goal of being a professional writer. I didn’t know at the time of the conversation what I had been building and what it would become.

Six months later, I had the opportunity to reintroduce myself to that conversation partner at a subsequent event. He immediately recognized me and asked how I was doing. When I told him about the projects I was working on and some of my recent publications in the HuffPost and Forbes which had expanded my speaking roster, he engaged in the follow-up conversation I expected us to be in six months prior. He asked how he could brand himself better digitally and what I suggested he do to improve his online presence. Beyond his interest in hiring me for branding services, he quickly realized that I was more than just my job title.

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To the outside world, being a lawyer represents a measure of success. There’s an element of prestige others perceive that goes along with our profession — the outside world sees us as highly educated, competitive, analytical, business-minded. The outside world also associates lawyering with making loads of money. Yet, if we take an alternative path, our success or worth is immediately questioned as though we’ve failed. It seemed inconceivable that a lawyer could leave a lucrative career to do something like freelance writing and coaching, make more money doing it and find personal fulfillment along the way.

That day in February 2015 changed the spectrum for me and how I introduced myself to others. While being a lawyer is very much still a part of my identity and how I market myself in my line of work, I’ve come to realize it’s just one of the many titles within my life — professional writer, executive branding coach, wife, daughter, dog mom, friend, etc. — and I am more than just one of those titles.

If you’re making a career pivot out of law, you might be struggling with the identity you’ve held onto for so long. Perhaps you’re taking a career break, or you’re in between jobs. Maybe you’re leaving an Am Law 100 firm or Fortune 10 company and wondering if it’s the right move. You may feel overwhelmed just thinking about facing a naysayer who questions your abilities or new journey. You may feel anxious about introducing yourself to others with your new or unknown job title.

While our job titles shape our identity, the reality is that we’re all more than just our job titles — we’re more than the success tied to being a partner, a general counsel, or a Biglaw associate. Your job title doesn’t define you, and it doesn’t predict where you may be five, 10, or 15 years.

Success is rarely measured by what others think of us, yet we allow society to dictate what success means. My definition of success might be different than yours, and that’s perfectly okay. Our definition of success changes over time and into a new decade. The success that you once equated to becoming managing partner may now be tied to arriving home by 5 o’clock every day to have dinner as a family.

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What truly matters is how you perceive your career journey; not what others perceive it should be.

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 [email protected], connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.  

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