As part of this
recession, there has been a habit of ranking cities in order of which have the
best employment outlooks. But when
it comes to finding work, it’s not as simple as looking at a list of cities with
rosy employment outlooks and then picking up to move there. Legal industry job seekers in every
locale must employ a few strategies to increase their chances of finding work
regardless of where they live. Let’s take a look at a few tips:
1.
Take
a realistic look at your city’s overall employment outlook for attorneys. Because the reality is that while a
city may have a rosy outlook for those working in hospitality, medical or other
non-legal industry, it may be lacking in jobs for attorneys. Or, it may be lacking
in jobs for certain types of attorneys. Use local trade publications targeted
at attorneys to find out the true employment outlook for your industry.
2.
Create
a realistic timeline based on your research findings from above. If you find that the employment outlook
for attorneys is tough in your city, you know that it’s going to take a longer
time to find work than other job seekers whose industries may currently offer
more opportunities.
3.
Consider
the job outlook in surrounding cities and suburbs. If you’re willing to travel
or even to relocate an hour or two away from your current city, you may have an
easier time finding work. This is
a far cry to moving across the country for a job which can be expensive and
risky if you haven’t already secured a job before the move. Many attorneys looking for work
overlook opportunities in smaller towns and suburbs because they are focused on
bigger cities. But you may
increase your job search success if you also expand your efforts to towns
within a commuter distance from the city in which you currently live.