Jobs

If your job search leaves you little to be thankful for, count your blessings

By Donna gerson

Poet T. S. Eliot had it wrong-November is the cruelest month. The days grow shorter, exams approach like a tsunami wave of anxiety, and the holiday season is upon us. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, and a bit lost this time of year.

Anxiety, tension, and disappointment are all emotions that can hamper your job search. Too often I see law students who are so focused on a particular shortcoming-for example, failure to make law review or achieve an A in Torts-that they dwell on this fact to the exclusion of other career-building opportunities.

As a group, law students are among the most ambitious, self-critical people I have ever encountered. The drive to achieve accounts for their astonishing successes in all sectors of the professional world, but these successes sometimes come with a high price. By focusing unduly on shortcomings, students deprive themselves of the opportunity to explore different career paths and academic offerings, to become leaders within the law school community, and to contribute to the profession.

So, November might be an appropriate time to give thanks for all of your achievements and begin to chart a course for the coming year that will help you reach your individual career goals.

 

Redefine success. Law school emphasizes a very quantitative definition of success: Professors usually grade their students on a strict curve; moot court competitions rank participants in order of skill; the on-campus interview process targets specific students who meet an employer’s profile. Law, in general, is premised on winning or losing, so it’s easy to become caught up in an either/or definition of success early in your career.

Marti Moore, a career counselor in private practice, notes that when students are immersed in a specific subculture, they judge themselves by that subculture’s narrowest definition of success. Many law students become slaves to grades as the sole measure of their success and, as a result, a barometer of self-esteem. While your GPA is important, grades alone don’t translate into long-term career success.

Daniel P. Goleman’s groundbreaking book, Emotional Intelligence (Bantam Books, 1997), discusses the concept of emotional intelligence as a stronger indicator of life success than IQ alone. He defines emotional intelligence by factors such as self-awareness, altruism, personal motivation, empathy, and the ability to love and be loved by friends, partners, and family members.

While focusing on doing your best academically is important, equally-if not more-essential is to maintain a balance among classes, your job search, and a meaningful personal life. Take time this month to cultivate your emotional intelligence, as well as your raw intellect. Enjoy the outdoors. Connect with friends outside of law school. Go for a walk. Visit a museum. Share your feelings with others or through journal writing. Moore highly recommends journaling as a way to assess your anxieties and to keep things in perspective. Recent studies on journal keepers note that the act of writing about feelings is itself a stress-reducer.

 

Deal with disappointment. Mick Jagger was right: You can’t always get what you want. Your dream employer may ding you. You won’t receive every interview, nor will you receive every offer. In fact, every single law student will encounter frustration with a job search at some point in the process, and that will entail rejection that can be both painful and disappointing. Realize that you might not always get what you want, but with a little introspection and information gathering, you will eventually get what you need.

Caroline M. Olson, manager of attorney recruitment for Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP in Philadelphia, stresses the importance of remaining positive throughout the job search. "Despite the fact that the job search process can be a grueling one, you do need to work to maintain confidence that you have value. [Students] may not get the first-or even the fifth-job that they want, but they will eventually find a job with the right fit," Olson says.

"Despite your best efforts, there will be times when every inquiry is met with, ‘Sorry, we’re not hiring (you!),’ and you begin to think the words job hunt and failure are synonyms," says Deborah Arron, author of What Can You Do with a Law Degree? (Niche Press, 4th ed., 1999). "So get a sense of accomplishment from tasks you can control instead of believing that getting a job is the only measure of success. Consider your day successful if, for example, you nail down an appointment, or make three telephone calls, or write a thank-you letter the same day as an appointment, or put in a full job-search day. These little successes will keep you going through all the ups and downs that lead to the big success."

Some students rebound from rejection with equanimity and continue to plug away at the job search. Other students become mired in the negativity of the moment and waste precious time and emotional energy. If you find yourself feeling angry, frustrated, or cynical about the job-search process, honor those feelings. But then give yourself a deadline for feeling lousy and move on.

 

Clarify your goals. Harboring a vague notion of what to do after graduation can contribute to high stress levels. When I ask students what they want, they sometimes look at me, stunned, and answer, "a job." Simply wanting a job is not enough; the more specific you can be about your employment goals, the more likely you will be to experience success.

Wherever you are in the law school process, take some time to assess your career goals. By separating and prioritizing your professional and personal goals, you will have a clearer picture of where you need to focus your attention. Ask yourself:

• What law school classes have I enjoyed?

• What practice areas interest me?

• What kind of work environment would best suit my personal style?

• Where would I like to live? Am I limiting myself by not thinking of other locations?

Keep yourself focused on your individual goals and the mechanics of employment will fall into place.

Donna Gerson is director of career planning and public interest opportunities at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.