CounseltoCounsel Blog

If you are in a job search, time can seem to stand still.  You send out resumes and hear nothing.  Or you get an initial response indicating that the employer would like to invite you in for an interview.  They say they will get back to you to schedule a time to meet; but weeks go by and you don’t hear anything.  And then there is the lag time after you actually have the first meeting.  You have a good first round of interviews, you connect with the interviewers, you send out thank you notes and you wait.

While it is a good idea to do periodic follow up during these lulls, it is also important not to be overly persistent.  You want the employer to know that you remain interested. But you don’t want to project an air of desperation.  If you don’t hear anything after an interview, wait at least a few days before following up again.

If you are working with a search firm, often your recruiter can be the squeaky wheel that helps keep the process moving forward.

The reality is that by the time an employer is looking to hire, they are already busy.   That is why they need to hire.  So their sense of urgency and your desire to have some closure may be in conflict (at least in the short term).

From the candidate’s perspective, you have had the interview and you are ready to move to the next step. Your job search is at the top or near the top of your priority list.  While employers are interviewing because they have a staffing need, the day to day demands of the business make it hard for the employer to move quickly.  In a law firm, for example, there may be several partners and associates involved in the search.  Each one of them may have client demands that make it hard to focus on the new hire.

Sometimes, the hiring process can be hampered by the schedules of other candidates.  You are in the mix, but in an attempt to be thorough, the firm wants to interview a number of candidates.  Each of these candidates may have their own scheduling conflicts.

I call this phenomenon “living on candidate time”.  Be aware that in all likelihood, if you are actively interviewing, your sense of time may be different than the employer’s sense of time.  The employer is likely to move more slowly than you would like.

If you remind yourself of this, then it may be easier to deal with the stress of not knowing.  You may still end up waiting a lot; but at least you’ll know that delay is not necessarily a reflection on your candidacy.  It’s just the reality when you are living on employer time.

In the most recent episodes of Counsel to Counsel (Episodes 10 and 11), I interview Larry Buchsbaum on the importance of business planning for lawyers and Betsy Munnell on how to incorporate social media into your overall marketing strategy.

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of attending a great panel discussion on diversity and inclusion (sponsored by the Association of Employment Professionals.)    The program included ample time to network so I made sure to get there extra early.  Shortly after my arrival, I ran into Neal Fay, a recruiter I see at a lot of recruiting functions.

Neal is the consummate networker.  He is personable, shows genuine interest in talking to you and always has something he is ready to discuss.  He clearly buys into the networking rule that I have written about: Be Interested; Be Interesting. Read more…

Networking is a great tool for business development.  If you are a lawyer in private practice, building solid referral relationships is the best way to grow your business and networking is a great tool to accomplish this.

One way to increase your networking effectiveness is to find common ground with the other professionals you meet. Read more…

In my latest podcast, I speak with Lauren Stiller Rikleen. Lauren is a nationally recognized expert on developing a thriving, diverse and multi-generational workforce.  She shares some great advice for women who are looking to advance in the practice of law.  Her wisdom is also very relevant to men.

Honored to announce that Counsel to Counsel has been named one of the Top 40 Legal Marketing Blogs.

When it comes to receiving gifts, I freely admit that I’m a tough customer.  There aren’t that many things that I want.  And when I do want something, I’m usually pretty picky.  But this past December, my colleague, Amy Levine, found me the perfect gift.  It didn’t cost a lot; but it was truly appreciated and it has been sitting on my desk ever since.

The gift was a small rubber unicorn which now serves as a daily inspiration for me. Read more…

Thinking about starting a solo practice? That’s what Matt Yospin did six years ago after spending his first two years at a large Boston firm. He has some great advice for anyone thinking about doing the same. See show notes for a lot more resources on starting a law practice.

In the classic self-help book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie told his readers that they should become genuinely interested in other people.  Nearly 100 years after the publication of that book, the rules of relationship building have not changed and this still holds true.  If you want to make a lasting impression on someone, show that you are interested in them.  Read more…

My colleague Amy Levine has some great tips for nailing your next job interview. In the program notes, I also mention my own interviewing tips which can be found here.