Career Management, GC, Job Search

5 Ways to Learn of a Job before it Goes Public

  • On April 17, 2016
Employers often have a candidate in mind before they even post their opening. Who gets to be that lucky person? Prospective employers often consult their own connections (the whisper network) first. To be an in-demand candidate, get to know these 5 sources: Senior management of companies. Executives and board members often ask their peers whom […]
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Career Management, Job Search

​​5 Easy and High-Impact Career Moves

  • On March 27, 2016
I know you are a busy professional, so here are 5 simple and free things that you can do now for your career: Start an I-love-me file. It can be electronic. Just forward to yourself emails from happy clients and announcements of deals you closed, money saved, or cases won. This folder will make your life easy […]
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Career Management, GC, Inhouse

Path to GC

  • On February 28, 2016
If your goal is to be a general counsel, make sure you:  Get experience with SEC and M&A work. Not all but most GCs come from a corporate/securities background. If you don’t have one, make sure you get relevant corporate work. Public companies contend with filings, and private ones need to think about exit strategies. Get […]
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Career Management

Top 5 Things to Do Now for Your Career

  • On September 13, 2015
The top 5 things you need to do while the market is still hot: Build a professional presence on LinkedIn. Your profile needs to succinctly describe your skill set and include a professional-looking picture. Increase your connections so you have higher odds of knowing someone at a potential employer. Self-assess. What sets you apart from […]
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Career Management, GC, Inhouse

How Do You Get the Top Legal Job?

  • On July 26, 2015
I listened to four GCs recently share their best tips on how they got to the top:  Evaluate where you want to go, and work backwards. Brian Cabrera of NVIDIA says to ask yourself what skills are you missing for that top job, and then go get them. Always take on new opportunities, even if […]
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Career Management, GC, Inhouse

4 Things GCs Say You Need to Do to Build Your Career

  • On July 5, 2015
I recently heard four GCs describe their path to the top: John Kuo of Varian Medical Systems, Jan Kang of AOptix, Brian Cabrera of NVIDIA, and Stephanie King of AdRoll. Despite having diverse backgrounds and working at companies in different industries stages, they gave consistent advice to lawyers aspiring to be GCs: Get your foundation. […]
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Career Management

Key to Getting Ahead: Understanding Executives

  • On June 28, 2015
Attorneys expect steady advancement in their careers, but legal jobs are structured like a pyramid. Many junior attorneys line the bottom of the org chart, and very few senior jobs are perched at the top. One way for attorneys to leapfrog ahead is to gain the trust of a senior executive. How do you know […]
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Career Management, Inhouse

Career Development Talk at Facebook

  • On May 17, 2015
I just moderated ACC’s sold-out career development panel Building Your In-House Career: What People Didn’t Tell You. For those who couldn’t make it, panelists who are senior attorneys at Facebook, Ariosa, Broadcom, and Cisco, shared some great insights:  Know what you want, and set goals for yourself – in writing! Research these goals by talking to […]
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Career Management

​​Start Your New Job on the Right Track!

  • On February 2, 2015
Orient yourself on your new job: Find out where power flows. Start with the org chart. Know who the important execs are, and who gets priority. Understand the business model so you can give solutions, not conservative advice. Review the important products and initiatives. Read the playbook and standard forms. Know the hot buttons (and don’t […]
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Career Management, Career Tips

Making Your New Year’s Resolution Stick!

  • On January 4, 2015
Happy 2015! If you made a resolution, this recent WSJ article ​gives pointers on how to make it stick. My favorites are below, which I’ve applied to the career context:  Set concrete and realistic goals. To get a new job, you need to break it down, e.g., (1) get your resume and LinkedIn bio in order, (2) scan job […]
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