Many attorneys are finding that the job search is taking longer than expected and they are facing some tough competition as they vie for the best positions out there.  Even if you don't have a lot of experience or haven't worked at the "biggest and brightest" law firms there are strategies that you can give you an edge over the competition. One strategy is to increase your exposure and professional image by writing legal related articles.  We're not talking about law reviews, but more mainstream articles that can be found in legal industry magazines, legal newspapers, business journals and legal webzines.  Many law firms and other employers who may need to hire attorneys read the articles in these publications and might be impressed if you publish an article there.  Here's what you should do:

1.    Pick a topic that you're passionate about and that you have some knowledge and/or experience in.  You don't need to be an expert; but you do need to do your homework and present the article with a unique slant. Make sure that the article requires that you interview respected experts in the legal industry.

2.    Send a query letter to multiple publications, pitching the story you want to write about. You can find out how to write a query letter here http://www.poewar.com/how-to-write-a-query-letter/.

3.    Once the publication approves your article it's time to contact important legal industry contacts to interview for the article.  Make sure you pick people that you want to build a relationship with. When you contact them for an interview, mention which publication you're writing for and emphasize the fact that you want to receive their expert opinion for the article. Also, assure them that you won't take much of their time and make sure that the interview process doesn't take longer than 15 to 20 minutes.

By writing articles for several publications you can access powerful industry players and begin building relationships you can leverage to your advantage in the job market.  Stay tuned for more blogs on how to make it in a tough job market.

Growing your recruiting business during a recession can be both a challenge and an opportunity. Although a recession can be hard on everyone's bottom-line it can be beneficial to those willing to become resourceful and do what it takes to secure long-term client relationships.  Below are some tips on growing your recruiting business during hard times:

1.    Get creative.  When a recession hits, many companies become price conscious and value driven. While it may be unwise to discount your prices with clients without carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages, offering different service levels to fit different budgets could be beneficial.

2.    Don't take chances with sub par candidates--ever.  Carefully vet all candidates before sending them on client interviews. Try to match your client's "candidate wish list" as closely as possible, even if you think some of the requirements are unnecessary for the job.  Sending candidates who don't match the "wish list" to client interview with a client could kill any chances of developing a long-term business relationship.

3.    Specialize in your areas of strength.  Some recruiters who want to expand their business branch off into areas where they have little or no experience.  This could be a mistake. Working in areas that are outside of your areas of expertise could damage your reputation if you fail to deliver on your promises.  On the other hand, if you want to branch off into unknown territory, consider partnering with another recruiter who has the required skills and knowledge.

Many law school graduates searching for legal jobs are considering work outside of the legal field that may help them gain the experience they need.  There are many experiences and skills attained in a non-legal job that can be transferred to the law firm environment.  Let's take a look at some of those essential skills and which jobs may help you hone them.

1.    Well, first off, a law school graduate generally has already developed his/her analytical reasoning and argumentation skills along with the ability to comprehend large amounts of complex information. So finding non-legal work that utilizes and strengthens these abilities may be wise. Researcher, legal reporter/journalist or consultant may be good picks.

2.    The ability to persuade others with the written and spoken word could be valuable to a any law firm; but especially those focused on litigation. Sales and marketing jobs would definitely sharpen these skills and offer valuable hands-on experience with using persuasion effectively.

3.    Extensive ties to a community or the ability to network.  Having connections to (or the ability to forge connections with) influencers or powerbrokers can become a valuable bargaining chip when looking for work at a law firm.  Working with a company that allows or requires you to develop relationships in the community would help you develop a network of people that could be valuable to a law firm looking for inroads into a particular market. Think about working with a grassroots non-profit or community based organization to get experience networking in the community.

Many attorneys considering alternative careers who have years of experience, are often considered "older" workers.  According to a recent government report nearly 2 million job seekers are over 50 years old and often have a tougher time finding work than their younger counterparts. If you're an older attorney looking for work in an alternative career here are some tips that may help you overcome age prejudice:

1.    Don't try to hide your age.  There have been a few suggestions out there that older job candidates should look young and "hip" at any cost, including covering their gray and even getting Botox injections. This may be a mistake and a distraction from doing the things that will actually effectively combat age prejudice. Instead of trying to look young, try to appear professional, approachable and up-to-date with the latest happenings in that field when interviewing with potential employers. Which takes us to our next tip…

2.    Get up-to-date on current technology and industry happenings.  Oftentimes employers fear that older job candidates lack the current technological skills and knowledge required for the job.  One way to demonstrate that you're tech savvy is to register with some of the social networking sites such has LinkedIn and/or to create a professional web page that serves as your digital resume.  To prove that you're in the know about all the most recent developments in industry of your choice you may want to start a blog talking about industry news and events. Of course, let your potential employer know about the blog.

3.    Don't try to hide your experience, emphasize it.  Many older job candidates make the mistake of attempting to hide their many years of experience by rearranging their resume or leaving out important work experience.  Instead of hiding lengthy work experience older candidates should emphasize relevant work experience while highlighting the fact that they are current on recent developments in the industry.

There's a group of Detroit area law school students putting their law skills to good use by touring the country in a Winnebago/law office and helping low-income veterans obtain disability and pension benefits.  Read the story here: www.LAW.com

Many of these students are 2nd and 3rd year law students receiving hands-on experience which is rare if interning at very large law firms.  They have the opportunity to research claims, meet with clients, consult with them and decide if the case is worth referring to one of the pro bono attorneys. It's volunteer work like this that can enrich a law student's life, help a client and offer valuable experience for a resume.

One of the law student volunteers commented:

"It's helping individuals that nine times out of 10 are in need of assistance," Dillon said. "Being able to communicate with the client is probably one of the greatest benefits of participating with this clinic."

Some other benefits of volunteering often include:

•    Mentorship with experienced attorneys
•    Direct client contact
•    Greater work responsibilities
•    More fulfilling work

If you want to find volunteer opportunities for your area, begin your search by contacting LegalAid offices in your community.

Source Article Found HERE

Job seekers who want to make their resumes easily accessible for recruiters and employers should have a print resume for mailing or interviews, a text resume for emailing to recruiters/employers and a search engine friendly resume that can be found online.  How do you create an effective search engine friendly resume?

1.    You need a website. You can use a free website or purchase your own domain very cheaply.   You won't need to spend a lot of money and there's no need to learn html because most web hosts offer free, easy to use web templates.

2.    You need to create a resume that is designed to show up in search engine results when a recruiter or employer searches for candidates.  The first step to doing this is researching relevant keywords related to your field.  Mores specifically, what keywords will recruiters and employers use when searching for resumes online? If you’re a litigation attorney, an employer or recruiter may search for the phrases "litigation attorney" or "personal injury defense" if they're searching for attorneys with that expertise.  If you're a litigation attorney who specializes in defending plaintiffs in person injury cases, using those relevant keywords would increase the likelihood of your resume being found online.  

3.    Avoid using unusual terms or job titles that were specific to a former employer.  If your former job had an unusual job title, use relevant keywords to describe your former job. For example, "Operational Specialist" might be described as "In-house litigation attorney offering personal injury defense."  

4.    When you create your search engine friendly resume also use relevant keywords in the body of your resume to increase keyword density.  For example, "As an litigator, I have over 5 years experience in personal injury defense."

5.    Include links in you resume that will send the recruiter/employer to examples of your work or at least give them a view of your former employer's website.  Links serve to increase your online resume's  search engine rank.