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posted on April 24, 2014 by

Dress for Success: Interview Attire

Dress for SuccessIn the Bay Area, choosing the appropriate attire for an interview can be a tricky endeavor. You don’t want to arrive underdressed and appear unprofessional, and you don’t want to arrive overdressed (especially for an in-house interview) and indicate you aren’t a fit with the culture.

Here are some helpful guidelines:

  • Always wear a suit to interview at a large firm. If you are concerned that wearing a suit will alert your current firm that you are interviewing, tell your recruiter, who can confirm with the firm ahead of time that business casual will be acceptable with the interviewers given the circumstances.
  • Wear a suit to interview at most mid-size and small firms, though if meet with a firm that exclusively represents startup companies you may want to go more casual – the firm’s culture may be more in line with their clients and a suit could show you don’t understand the culture. Your recruiter should be able to give you insight.
  • If you interview with a financial institution, wear a suit.
  • For most non-tech companies, a suit is appropriate.
  • For technology companies and startups, business casual is usually your best bet. If you do wear a suit to interview at a technology company, a light color and less traditional pattern is a better option. If you aren’t sure, always confirm with your recruiter!
Filed Under: job search Tagged With: ,
posted on April 24, 2014 by

Job Search Advice for Recent Law School Graduates

Law Job Search Recent GradYou’ve graduated law school, passed the bar, and you’re ready to find a job. Here are our top tips for your job search and links to some other resources.

  • Will a recruiter be able to help you? Recruiters are hired by companies and firms to find candidates with specific credentials and skill sets, and those companies usually won’t pay recruiter fees for someone with less than two years of experience. Big firms rarely bring on junior associates who haven’t come through their summer associate program and, because recruiters also make candidates more expensive, smaller firms likely won’t accept submissions from recruiters. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have options – it just means a recruiter probably isn’t the solution for you.
  • Informational Interviews. Reach out to people who work in an area of interest and find out about their work. This networking will give you insight into these jobs and may give you access to positions that never go on the open market.
  • Volunteer on a committee. Simply attending networking events doesn’t give attorneys any insight into your skills or work ethic. If you join an organization and volunteer to help on events, the attorneys will see that you work hard and are reliable. They will get to know you and want to vouch for your candidacy.
  • Focus your resume. It’s tempting to try to put every bit of experience on your resume, but a “kitchen sink” resume doesn’t make you look like the right candidate. You should tailor your resume to that particular job opening. To the extent it accurately reflects your experience, use language from the job posting in your work description.
  • Proofread your resume. Be sure to have at least three reliable people review your resume for typos or other errors. Don’t send out a resume in a rush because it will likely have a mistake!
  • Search job postings – good sites to start with include indeed.com, simplyhired.com, linkedin.com, your law school career page, and even craigslist.com.
  • Apply Through An Employee. When you find job openings, try to submit your resume through someone who works at that firm or company. It greatly increases your chance of getting an interview.
Filed Under: job search Tagged With: ,