Writing a Resume to Get Your First Law Firm Job

Writing a Resume to Get Your First Law Firm JobIf you are looking for ways to improve your chances of getting a job, one of the best methods you can use is writing a resume. A good resume will have your experience and education listed in the proper order and on the correct page. Doing this correctly will help your resume to show you the strengths you have and allow you to stand out in the job listing.As a new lawyer, it can be a little confusing to know where to begin when it comes to writing a resume to get your first law firm job. While many people consider the first step to getting a job to send out their resumes, this is not a wise decision. Asking for an interview at the law firm that you are applying to is the right way to start the process.To make sure you do not fall behind on getting your first law firm job, make sure your resume includes the basics such as the name of the firm you are working for, the year you graduated, and the legal area that you are hiring for. Having th is information on the application will give a potential employer a better idea of who you are and what type of lawyer you are. Also, ensure that your contact information is included and that you know the hours you can work and any special circumstances that would allow you to work outside the normal hours.After you have completed your law firm job, the next step is to look for employment with that same law firm. Another excellent way to get your first law firm job is to find a different firm and take on the client who has an opening in that same office. To find out if you can get a job with that firm, request a free case evaluation from the firm. This will let you know if they have a need for a new lawyer in that area and can determine if the firm is hiring or not.If you have applied for a job in the past, be sure to submit your resume and cover letter to the law firm where you were originally hired. While many law firms will no longer be in business, there will still be opportuniti es for jobs in the same legal field. The new attorney will be required to fill out and submit a resume and cover letter to that same law firm and be interviewed for the opening.You should never wait until you get your first law firm job to apply for another position. While the new attorney may be recommended to the firm for the opening, there may be someone who was recommended to them by a previous attorney in the same field. By starting out in your first job by having your resume and cover letter submitted for an opening, you will have an even better chance of getting the next job.When you have been assigned to an opening in a law firm and found that you were not recommended, do not be discouraged. There may be a new opportunity in the same area that you were hired for. Again, submitting your resume and cover letter to the law firm where you were previously employed is a great way to obtain another job in that same field.As you can see, the process of writing a resume to get your f irst law firm job is actually quite simple. The best advice that you can follow is to start with the basics and to follow through with the process until you have the job.

5 effective ways to stand out when youre writing emails - Debut

5 effective ways to stand out when youre writing emails - Debut When it comes to job hunting, the more you put yourself out there the more successful you’re going to be. Far from sending a couple of applications and hoping for a positive response, the vast number of students straight out of university applying for jobs means that employers are looking for a little bit more â€" and its down to you to make yourself known. Thankfully, universities offer plenty of networking opportunities, and nowadays its even easier to contact potential employers via the internet and social media. However, as if it wasn’t nerve wracking enough to reach out and put yourself on the radar of those you hope to one-day work for, the danger of committing a grammatical faux pas is a lingering worry. With just one fell swoop, your chances of securing that dream job could crumble around you. So, we’ve put together our top 5 tips for you to follow when writing to any potential employer, to help you stand out from the crowd and help you along the way into the job that you always wanted. Start as you mean to go on You only get one chance to make a first impression, so tailor the opening of your email to the person you’re writing to. If you’re writing to someone from a law firm, “Hello” is probably not the best start; if its someone from a niche magazine, however, “Dear Sir” is going to be too formal. Think before you click send. There are two main factors to consider: the person and the company. Do your research â€" know the company, check their social media, endlessly pour over their website. It sounds superficial, but tone is everything, and if you get off on the wrong foot you’re just setting yourself up for failure. Flattery gets you everywhere It’s a cliché, but its true. And, it shows your interest in the company. If there’s one way to stand out, its to look like you’ve been obsessing over their website/history for at least a week and then some! Cite specific articles or details that you enjoyed, and always relate it back to why you’re getting in contact. It not only shows your interest, but also lets them know that you fit right in with what they’re doing. Its win-win, really Keep it real As we said, tone is everything when you’re writing to someone for the first time, and if you’re putting it on its probably going to stand out a mile off. Yes, sometimes you have to be a little more formal that usual, but if you lay it on too thick its going to work against you. Again, this all depends on the person that you’re talking to, but even ‘formal’ has its limits. A few pointers: • Long sentences won’t make you look good â€" it just looks like you can’t use grammar! • Same with big words, just don’t do it! You just know you’ll use one in the wrong context and look a fool. • Show an interest in the work, but don’t pretend that you live and breathe it! You’re speaking to a real person, with a life outside of the office â€" they’ll see right through it! Hyperlinks Its always good to evidence work that you’ve done, but be sure to be neat about it. Endless lines of blue URLs will do you no favours â€" not only does it look unappealing, but it also looks like you don’t know how to embed hyperlinks into the body of your emails. A far tidier way is to attach the link to certain words (probably the title of what you’re referencing, or the name of the website on which its published). This way, the email reads coherently, and its clearly signposted to the reader where the link occurs. “C Ya” Much like beginning your email, the ending is the last thing the reader will see, so its essential that you get it right. And, again, it all depends on who you’re speaking to. As a rule, if you’re acquainted with the person, you can probably be a little more colloquial. Similarly, if it’s concerning a job that requires you to be a little more sociable, you don’t want to be too rigid. On a simple level, “Regards” or “Best” are probably safe bets, especially if you’re reaching out on a personal level. Its all about being approachable, and making that person want to be in contact with you. Connect with Debut on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more careers insights.

Making the Most of Co-Working

Making the Most of Co-Working More people than ever before are working from home. Some of these people just work a few days a week at home, instead of in their office, still working for an employer. Others, run their own business out of their house, often working around family commitments. Then, some work as freelancers. They use their skills to make money online or in the real world. They work doing something that they enjoy, providing clients with their abilities, to help them to get a good job done. Freelancers work as writers, photographers, designers, editors and in many other fields. The growth of the internet means that more people are able to make money in this way and it can seem like a dream come true. Before you get started, working from home can feel like the answer to all of your problems. You’ll be able to work more flexible hours. You’ll be able to work around your family. You’ll be able to sit on the sofa in your sweats, working as and when it suits you. Then, for many, reality sets in and it’s rather different. Many people that work from home fall into two camps. The first, procrastinate. They are distracted by home life. They find it hard to focus and instead spend their time watching Netflix and eating cake. They gain weight, their work suffers, and they aren’t able to make as much money as they’d like to, because they don’t focus on their work. The second camp become obsessive workers. They work all day and into the night. They take on extra projects, they never take time off, and they work much more than they ever would as an employee in an office. They spend less time with their family and friends, and much less time outdoors. Work takes over their lives, and they feel constantly stressed out and anxious. Despite the appeal of home-working, most truly struggle to find that perfect work-life balance that they are looking for. This is just one of the reasons that co-working spaces are becoming more popular. Working from a shared office can be an excellent solution to all of your problems that offers you the best of both worlds, and it can make a very real difference to your working life, and the success of your work, even if you only use your shared office for a day a week. But only if you make the most of it. Here are some tips to help you to do just that. Choose Your Office Well One of the main appeals of using a co-working space is that it gets you out of the house and helps you to avoid cabin fever. It also helps you to get more done and make the most of your time. But, only if you choose your office wisely. If you pay for a co-working space or membership that’s miles away from your home, or too far away from your children’s school or childcare, you won’t ever make the most of it. Even if you do use it, you’ll waste that much time commuting that you won’t get as much done as you should. That’s why location should be your primary consideration when choosing an office. That said, the location shouldn’t be your only consideration. You’ll also want to be realistic with what you can afford. If your funds allow, a more luxurious coworking space could offer you better facilities, more comfortable space and a better place to hold meetings. It’ll also give you a chance to make more successful contacts. Co-working offices are in every major city all over the world. Some, you just pay for when you use. Others, offer a membership which allows you to use any of their offices at any time, and others still let you hire a desk for a monthly fee. These can all be great options, but look at cost, location and the facilities on offer before committing to any. Get to Know People Another appeal of co-working is that you’ll get to be around people. One of the only downsides of home working or freelancing is the loneliness. Many people find that despite all of the benefits, they miss being around people. They don’t enjoy working alone all of the time, and they find that without people to share ideas with, the ideas stop coming. Even those that enjoy working alone can discover that they feel lonely and they miss the social aspect of working with others. But, co-working spaces aren’t quite the same as working with colleagues. You’re around other people, but you’re working on different projects, for various companies and even in different fields. It can be easy to sit at your desk, get your head down and get on with your work without ever communicating with those around you. If you want to make the most of your co-working space, you need to put yourself out there. You need to speak to the people that you are sharing an office with. Chat with them around the coffee machine, ask them what they are working on and get to know them. Socialize Getting to know the people that you are working around is great. You can share ideas, let off some steam and learn from them. But, that’s still not the same as making friends at work. To do that, you need to spend time with them away from the office. Go out for lunch together, start a group or just go for a drink once you’ve finished for the day. You might be working in different fields, but you are all working remotely away from a traditional environment. That’s something that you’ve got in common that could be used to build a friendship. Collaborate Collaboration is a great way to learn, to grow and to develop your business. You can use collaboration to attract new clients, to reach a new audience and to advance your business. In a co-working office, you are surrounded by talented professionals. By people that are keen to explore new ideas and work on different projects. Make the most of it by pitching ideas to your new friends. Find ways that you can work together for the good of everyone. Make the Most of the Facilities You could just go in, use your desk, chat with the people next to you and get on with your job. But, most co-working spaces have so much more to offer, and you should make the most of it all. There might be a coffee shop or kitchen facilities. There might be sofas or even a games room and TV. Some offices have meeting and conference rooms that you can hire when you need to meet clients or host networking events. Change Things Up Working at the same computer, within the same four walls every day can get boring. This can cause you to procrastinate, to become distracted and to lose focus. Your work and your productivity levels will suffer. Having a co-working space helps. It takes you out of our usual environment and helps you to feel fresh. But, you can do more. Change things up within the office. Swap desks, work in another area and move around as much as you can. Organize Your Time Wherever you are working, a lack of organization can be a terrible thing. You’ll never get as much done when you don’t have a plan. Go into each day with a list of things that you want to get done before you go home. Then, manage your time. Either assign each task a set amount of time or break it down into “before lunch” and “after lunch.” You’ll get much more done by simply taking a little time before you start to organize your day. Take Regular Breaks Most of us can only give something our full focus for around 30 minutes. After this, our minds start to wonder, we slow down, and our work suffers. You might be able to keep going for an hour without distraction, but after that, you won’t be working at your best. So, instead of working for hours before taking a lunch hour, why not take a lunch half an hour and give yourself a few more 5-10 minute breaks throughout the day. Go for a walk, get a coffee and have a chat with someone in the office. You’ll work more productively for it. Do the Right Work Some things, are easy to do at home. There are some small, manageable tasks that you can easily do sat on your sofa while the kids are running around or the TV is blaring. Don’t waste your new workspace on these tasks. Instead, use your time in the office to do the work that you’d struggle to focus on at home. The critical or difficult tasks that you need to give your full focus and can’t tackle when surrounded by distractions. Look After Yourself The key to making the most of your time is looking after yourself. Get plenty of sleep, give yourself time off to relax, eat well, exercise and generally take good care of your physical and mental health, as well as your mood, and you’ll be able to work much more productively, wherever your desk is.

The Most Important Interview Questions -

The Most Important Interview Questions - Photo by Alexander Drachman Whats the question that every interview includes? It may be phrased in a number of ways, but it is the underlying question in every single interview query: Why should we hire you? After all, interviewers want you to sell yourself. Its not up to them to figure out if you are a good match; it is up to you to draw the lines, connect the dots between your skills and their needs. If you dont know why they should hire you, you certainly wont be able to convince anyone else! Whats the other most important interview question? Tell me about yourself. Even if you are an experienced or seasoned professional do NOT consider this question an opportunity to launch into your life story. If you cant zero in on a few brief autobiographical details and connect them to the position, you will be wasting your time and the interviewers patience. So, how should you prepare to address these questions? Refer to your elevator pitch. Your pitch, which should contain information about you and your skills (customizible to individual targets) will focus on what problem you can help solve, include specifics about your abilities and accomplishments and demonstrate your expertise, interest and enthusiasm for their organization. Of course, all of these will be focused on the organizations needs. Your answers should NOT focus on what they can do for you make sure you demonstrate how you can impact them in a positive way. I invite you to refer to some of my earlier blogs for more advice about how to respond to interview questions to GET the job: 5 Tips to Turn Your Interviewer Into A Fan Behavioral Interview: Have STAR Stories to Share Keppie Careers will help you figure out why the interviewer should hire you and give you the tools and information to make sure that you can do it! Do you need a resume? A mock interview? Keppie Careers can help: www.keppiecareers.com.

Keywords to Use in Tech Writing Resume

Keywords to Use in Tech Writing ResumeAs in all areas of life, the selection of key words to use in tech writing resume is very important. You may use them yourself, or you may choose to let a professional writer create them for you.I am not here to tell you that you should be using this one word or that one word. I'm not even sure if it's even an option. We're just trying to find out which are the most common keywords, and which ones are best avoided. There are many more options than I can list here, but this is a simple one.And one word that you will have to decide for yourself. Just as with key words to use in every other area of your resume, you'll want to go with your gut when selecting keywords. Consider what works best for you resume.There is a growing demand for the Internet, and that requires people who know how to speak the language and use it well in today's world. Having the correct words in tech writing resume will help you create a unique resume that will get you notice d and picked up by the right candidates.To be competitive in today's world, you will need to stand out from the crowd, and be relevant to the job requirements you are submitting to search engines. In addition, you'll want to look for keywords that are specific to the job you're applying for. I know it seems like too much work, but there are so many others out there who are getting by without a few keywords or key phrases. In fact, many people have no idea what they're looking for!Of course, you won't find the perfect keywords by doing research, unless you have time. But, you can increase your chances of finding them on your own. If you are at a computer, there are plenty of free sources of information, such as the internet.If you search for 'search engines'job vacancy sites', you will find thousands of sites and pages about search engines, job vacancies, and other positions. You can use these sites to check out keywords you're interested in. If there are keywords you can use, then t ry out these sites. You'll be surprised at how quickly you find the right keywords, if you do it yourself.

Girl Scout Cookie Sales Secrets From the Top Sellers

Girl Scout Cookie Sales Secrets From the Top Sellers Dieters, brace yourselves: A battalion of schoolgirls has taken aim at your willpower. Armed with Trefoils and Do-si-dos, these persistent peddlers have infiltrated sidewalks, malls, and your Facebook pages â€" laying waste to calorie counts and racking up millions of boxes of cookie sales. About half of the world’s 1.9 million Girl Scouts participate in the annual fundraiser â€" now in its hundredth year â€" that bankrolls the organization’s projects, field trips, and community service initiatives. (All proceeds go to the local troop and council, a Girl Scouts spokeswoman says, but local councils may award prizes to top local sellers.) And while the average Scout sells 150 to 200 boxes of cookies each season, some Samoa slingers go well beyond that, selling thousands of boxes apiece. Here, five top Girl Scout cookie sellers spill their trade secrets. Youtube Julia Vieira Reis â€" Girl Scouts of Connecticut Level: Cadette (11 years old) Favorite cookie: Savannah Smiles Personal record: 2,200 boxes In 2014, the Scouts launched a digital cookie platform that lets scouts make sales through personalized websites â€" particularly useful for those with relatives across the country. Last year, Julia created a parody video of Adele’s “Hello” (“Hello from the outside, I must have knocked a thousand times”) and uploaded it to Facebook. The video was a hit among her friends and family, and drove lots of traffic to her personal cookie page. Julia is also a master of the personal brand: For Christmas, she asked her mom for business cards that list her website and her mom’s phone number. Now when she goes door to door, she leaves a card with customers: “That way, if they need any more, they can call you,” she says. “So you can continue to get sales.” Najah Lorde | courtesy of subject   Najah Lorde â€" Girl Scouts of Greater New York Level: Ambassador (15 years old) Favorite cookie: “Not a sweets person” Personal record: 2,833 boxes Like many Girl Scout troops, Najah’s sells cookies as pre-orders, so she doesn’t have the product on hand to tempt potential customers. Luckily, Najah is a master of phone sales. On the first day of her troop’s cookie season, Najah borrows her parents’ cell phones, locks herself in her bedroom, and calls everyone on their contact lists. Then, she nails the upsell. “I try to get them to buy a little more than they originally wanted,” she says. “Say they wanted to buy two boxes,” which would cost $8. “I’ll say, ‘Well, I mean, if you buy five boxes, that’s just $20, so instead of giving me a bunch of bills, you can just give me one bill and then we’re good to go.’” Najah also does face-to-face sales at church, school, and her parents’ offices. Killing the cookie game she says, is all about determination. “Everywhere I go is a possibility of a new sale.” Dierdre Moore | courtesy of subject Dierdre Moore â€" Girl Scouts of Eastern Oklahoma Level: Ambassador (17 years old) Favorite cookie: Tagalongs Personal record: 3,624 Talk about motivation: Dierdre’s troop uses the money raised in cookie sales for some pretty serious travel. In 2015, her troop went to Costa Rica; this year, they’re going to Greece. (Greece!) That gets the whole team fired up, says Dierdre, who estimates that she’s sold upward of 10,000 boxes of cookies over her dozen years in the Girl Scouts. And numbers matter: Every season, her troop floods the zone outside local shopping centers and superstores, setting up multiple cookie booths. Working with other scouts is “definitely an advantage,” she says. “Especially if there are two doors at a Walmart. We can get both doors.” Althea Collier â€" Girl Scouts of Greater New York Level: Cadette (12 years old) Personal Record: 1,500 boxes Favorite cookie: Samoas Althea’s Manhattan neighborhood isn’t great for door-to-door sales â€" too many apartment buildings, she says â€" so she has to improvise. Every weekend, Althea and her dad set up a cookie booth in front of Columbia University, in an area that sees a lot of foot traffic from students and passersby. Putting yourself out there isn’t easy, she admits. “I was really scared the first time we did it,” Althea says. “I didn’t get many sales that day, because I really just wanted to go home.” When she took a second stab at it, she knew she had to go all in. “The next time I decided to really put myself out there, she says. “I told myself to be brave.” Now, she says, “I always try to sell out.” Cassidy Hunt â€" Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles Level: Ambassador (17 years old) Personal record: 3,500 Favorite cookie: Thin Mints (but she offers a caveat: “It’s like having to pick out your favorite child”) As a Girl Scout veteran, Cassidy has loads of cookie-selling experience. But the years she has over most scouts can be a detriment, she says. “People usually want to buy their cookies from a little girl with pigtails,” she says. “I have to put a little more work into it.” To snag customers, Cassidy pushes the philanthropy angle, talking up the community service projects and educational opportunities that the cookies help fund â€" an annual food drive for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, for instance, or making holiday cards for kids in juvenile detention. It’s not easy, but Cassidy â€" and the rest of the girls on this list, for that matter â€" does the bulk of the work herself, without much help from her parents. “I want to be the center of sales,” she says.

7 Key Ways To Promote Your Personal Brand - Work It Daily

7 Key Ways To Promote Your Personal Brand - Work It Daily By now, you understand finding the perfect job requires more than simply writing a resume and posting it online. In fact, if you are going to take the “apply online” approach, you should spend no more than two hours per week at it. Less than 5% of jobs are ever posted online, so if you are going to find your next job fast you need to spend your time elsewhere. Related: What’s A Personal Brand And Why Do You Need One? The successful and savvy job seeker will develop a compelling personal brand and spend 75% of their time (or more) promoting it. Here are seven key ways to promote your personal brand: 1. Buy Printed Business Cards I am consistently shocked by the number of job seekers who have absolutely NO way of letting other people know how to contact them other than by shoving a resume in their face. And no, the ones you print at home on your own computer are NOT good enough! Business cards are inexpensive. Sometimes you can even get free business cards from places like Prints Made Easy or free shipping from stores like Office Max. As for what to put on your card? I recommend the minimalist approach. Put your name, e-mail address, phone, and LinkedIn profile address. You don’t need a title or a cute picture. Get a non-glossy finish and leave the back empty so people can jot down notes about you. When you're done reading this article, learn the three rules to smart business card etiquette. 2. Develop A Concise Elevator Pitch Give just enough information to make people want to ask you to tell them more. Don’t focus on your past, instead focus on your future. Nobody cares you have 15 years experience in micro-processors. They want to know what you can do for THEM now! Be memorable, but not flippant or “cutesy.” Lastly, rehearse it at least 100 times out loud BEFORE you use it in a group. You want it to be polished, but not too formulaic. 3. Show Up You have business cards and a concise elevator pitch, but what good are they if you sit all day at the computer? Plan a strategy to show up in places where your target audience is (i.e. potential employers in key companies within your target industries) or where the people who know them will be. 4. Listen And Build Trust Networking is NOT about you. It’s about building a relationship. It’s about helping people in your network of friends and colleagues connect for mutual benefit. It’s about finding out what someone else needs and helping them. 5. Complete Your LinkedIn Profile This is one of the most important online tools you will have. A great resource for learning more about how to beef up your LinkedIn account is from Joshua Waldman with Career Enlightenment. Check him out. He’s is THE premiere professional on this topic! 6. Follow Up Develop a press kit you can send if asked. Better yet, create a blog (I like WordPress). Online you can store video clips, PDF files, work examples and much more. 7. Send A Thank You Card Every career coach from here to Katmandu tells their clients to do this. It’s an inexpensive way to keep you on the top of someone’s mind. Personal, handwritten cards get past the usual gatekeepers and are absolutely read by their intended recipient. If these things are true, then why is it so few job seekers actually do it?! I must meet with 10-15 people per week. You would think my mailman and I would be on a first name basis after that. The reality is, only about 1 in 100 send a written thank you card. Does it make an impression? You bet it does! True, I don’t have any job openings. However, I do get calls and emails all the time from people who have openings. If I have a handwritten thank you note on my desk from YOU when I get the call, how much more likely do you think I will be to pass along your name to a prospective employer? Keep thank you notes and stamps at your desk within arms reach, and write thank you notes to everyone you talked to that day â€" in person or on the phone. Do this every night before you go to bed! Include another business card along with a note as to how much you appreciated their time. Trust me, it will make a HUGE difference! I hope you can see these things aren’t difficult. They aren’t hard to remember. They don’t require an advanced degree to implement. They are easy, and there are only seven of them. You can implement this strategy in just one week by doing just one each day. Have fun, and happy hunting! This post was originally published on an earlier date. Related Posts 3 Examples Of Great Personal Branding 14 Things That Impact The Quality Of Your Personal Brand There’s No ‘I’ In Personal Brand   Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!