How Long to Budget for a New Job? & What 3 Things Everyone Should (Whether Actively Seeking a Job or Not)

On January 9, 2020
In Job Search, Process, Timing

Lawyers often ask me how long they should budget to get a new job in-house. The Department of Labor estimates the average job search is 4.6 months. The fastest for lawyers, if you are hitting the market at the right time (hiring peaks spring and fall), are at the right level (3-8 years), in the […]

On October 20, 2019
In Career Management, Career Tips, Timing

The hot job market and the increasing societal acceptance of sabbaticals make gaps between legal jobs not as big a deal as in the past. The WSJ recently reported that nowadays you can step out of the workforce for up to two years, whereas ten years ago a gap of six months could be “deadly.” […]

On November 18, 2018
In Career Management, Job Search, Timing

I understand that lawyers are risk averse (that’s our job to manage risk!). But if you are passively waiting for market conditions to improve and for your perfect job to appear, that’s a bad plan. Know instead that demand for legal services is at its highest since the Great Recession. Is there no place to […]

On December 10, 2017
In Career Tips, Timing, Uncategorized

Should you shelve your job search now that it’s the holidays? No! Here are 3 things you can do now for your career: Use any downtime to review the market and get your resume ready. Go to targeted office parties, yours and others! You need to be remembered (in a charming way) when a job […]

On November 11, 2017
In Career Management, Career Tips, Networking, Timing

Even if you love your job, do these 5 things now so you can move elsewhere when you want to: Identify what kind of opportunity you’d be interested in, e.g., type of industry, key responsibilities, public vs. private, etc. Work towards getting experience for that kind of role. Be able to recognize when the dream […]

On August 26, 2017
In Interview, Process, Timing

Get ready for fall recruiting season! Start strategizing how to land interviews. To save you time, I am distilling the comprehensive post What No One Tells You About Landing an Interview into 3 short points: Show you are a good fit with the prospective employer through your tailored resume. Well-known brands like great clients you’ve […]

On June 19, 2017
In Departure, Timing

Summer is the perfect time to think about your career during the lull in recruiting. When deciding whether to stay or go, 4 factors to consider: Prioritize what you need. Is it compensation, stability, flexibility, a broader (or deeper) skill set, or dynamic culture? And what is your risk tolerance? You cannot have it all, […]

On March 15, 2015
In Job Search, Timing

Timing is everything in your job search. If you apply at the wrong time, the employer won’t pay attention, even if you are perfect. Conversely, you need to get in front of the hiring manager when he/she is paying attention, and now is the time to accelerate your search. Why? Because June through August is the summer […]

On October 20, 2014
In Timing

Even in this overheated economy there are predictable times of the year that recruiting slows: Thanksgiving, Christmas (and then summer vacation). Since you only have 4-5 weeks to go before Thanksgiving, your resume must be in the hands of the hiring managers now. It will still take a couple weeks for employers to determine their top contenders, […]

On March 30, 2014
In Job Search, Process, Timing

Did you know the hiring process grinds to a halt 3 times a year? The longest period is summer: mid-June through August. (The other two times are the last two weeks of November and the last two weeks of December.) The only exceptions to the summer slowdown are companies in explosive growth mode (vacation be […]

How Long to Budget for a New Job? & What 3 Things Everyone Should (Whether Actively Seeking a Job or Not)

Are Gaps Between Jobs a Big Deal?

If You Are Waiting for Market to Improve to Find Your Perfect Job, Stop Waiting!

3 Things to Do for Your Career over Holiday Season

5 Things to Do BEFORE You Hate Your Job (Because No One Wants to Hire an Unhappy Lawyer)

3 Things You Must Do to Land an Interview

Should I Stay or Should I Go? 4 Factors to Consider.

Timing is everything. Don’t miss the recruiting window now!

Get Going Now to Avoid the Holiday Slowdown!

Put Your Job Search in High Gear (summer slowdown ahead!)