Looking for a Job? You Need to Put in the Effort

I’ve posted before how recruiters can help you. But a lot of the legwork to get a great job falls on you, not because I don’t want to help but because only you know what motivates you and what experience you’ve had. You need to sift through your experience to figure out your competitive advantage and articulate it in your own voice. Here’s the homework I give my candidates:

1. What are your interests/what do you want to do?
2. What are your achievements? List quantifiable results like you helped scale the company from X to Y%, launched # products in ABC countries, etc. Or company was investigated, no charges filed (absence of bad things counts too). You need a track record of success in the area you are interested in to attract employers.
3. What compensation do you want? Do you know what’s standard? And what is your tolerance for risk (e.g., getting part of your pay in equity from a startup)? Do you need to pay a hefty mortgage each month? Are you the sole breadwinner? Do you have family members to support?
4. What employers have a need for what you do that you are interested in? Who do you know there? Figure out the key people in legal and business, and get to know them now, not just when you want a job.
5. What is your relevant experience? Once you know the industry, job, or company you want to work with, think about what they need their lawyers to do, and fill in any holes in your experience now.
6. Are you a known quantity for the job you want? Do people in the community know you? Speak on panels, write white papers, mentor up-and-coming folks, etc.
7. If you are talking to a company, try to research it ahead of time and think what likely questions it would have about you, e.g., why are you interested? What relevant work have you done? Present your narrative in a way that it makes sense you are interested and it’s clear you won’t be jumping to the next opportunity.

I can’t do the work for you. Only you can answer these questions.