Top 5 Career Tips from Lawyers at Leading Companies

I recently moderated at Facebook the ACC panel “When to Leap & When to Lie Low: Optimizing Both for Maximum Career Growth.” Serving as panelists were Allison Mull (DGC, Facebook), Johanna Ravelo (AGC, Facebook), Garth Bossow (DGC, Airbnb), Hannah Gordon (GC, San Francisco 49ers), Duane Valz (GC, Zymergen), and Valerie Alabanza-Cary (Director, Juniper Networks). Some key takeaways:

1. Know that your path will zig zag. All the panelists’ routes were not as they initially expected – they had to navigate economic downturns, layoffs, and cross-country moves.
2. You must proactively manage your career. No one will do it for you. Think about (at least generally) where you want to be, e.g., what role you want, what are your interests, what is your risk tolerance, what kind of comp can you live with. Run through possible scenarios and have this template in mind. That way, when an opportunity arises, you can spot it and assess it properly.
3. For junior lawyers to maximize opportunities in the future, spend the first few years learning your substantive area, get known for doing a good job, and then consciously pick up new areas.
4. Be a business partner for your clients, who often can be a good source of opportunities later.
5. The top warning sign indicating it’s time to leave a job: you can do it in your sleep.