Originally published in Student Lawyer magazine, October 2003 (Vol. 32, No. 2). All rights reserved.

Jobs

The job market has taken a dive. What can you do to thrive?

by David C. James

These are tough times when it comes to finding a job. The class of 2003 had it as bad as any since the early '90s. It may turn out the class of 2004 has it just as bad. The economy is cyclical with its busts and booms, but you can't wait for the economy to turn around. So what do you do? You do what job seekers do during good times-only more so.

When you interview for a job even in the best economy, an employer usually will interview many more applicants than just you. This means the odds are against you. You turn the odds in your favor by contacting lots of employers and interviewing as many times as possible. When the economy is bad, more applicants are chasing fewer jobs, so the odds are you'll have to interview more times to get the one job you need.

You're not desperate, however, so you don't want just any job. At this point you're still in school. Your student loans aren't due yet. Ultimately, though, you should realize that in a tough market it can be smart to be less discriminating than when jobs are plentiful.

You may have a good idea of what you're looking for. You may prefer a particular area of law, in a particular geographic community, in a particular type of practice setting. But because there are fewer jobs, it behooves you to revisit all your criteria.

Be flexible. Some criteria are preferences, not essentials. Think in terms of getting that first job from which you can later move when you're better prepared-more competitive-for your dream job: the job in the area of law you want, in the location you want, in the type of practice setting you want. Identify entry-level positions that will provide the experience you need to be more competitive for a better position. You may be familiar with an analogous concept-buying a starter home and then trading up when your fortunes improve.

If there is an area of law you definitely prefer, make finding a job in that practice area your No. 1 priority. Once you're working in a particular practice area, that's what you're best qualified to do. Hence, when you later look to change jobs, you'll generate the most interest from employers in the same practice area.

Employers prefer to talk about what applicants actually have done. Put more starkly, applicants want to talk about potential; employers want to talk about experience.

The upshot is that you need to make wise decisions, even as a law student, about where you choose to work. If as a law student you decide to clerk part time-whether for pay, for academic credit in a clinical internship or externship, or as a volunteer-the practice areas in which you work are the areas in which you're most qualified when seeking your next position. So choose wisely. You'll enhance your marketability if you manage to do law-related work while you're a student.

That's not to say you're guaranteed a permanent position upon graduation with the employer for whom you worked as a student. Legal employers often have more clerk, clinical, and volunteer positions than jobs for entry-level lawyers. If you're determined to parlay a part-time student position into a lawyer position, you need to evaluate prospective employers' track records for hiring lawyers from among the students who've worked for them. To do so, you should ask the right questions when interviewing. Some employers will tell you they try to hire directly from the ranks of students who worked for them. Others will tell you their entry-level lawyers seldom are hired right out of law school.

Regardless, it's always a winning proposition to work or volunteer in a legal setting while you're a student. By trying out practice areas, you know better what you want and don't want to do. You become better qualified to compete for positions in the practice areas you've worked in. You turn mere potential into successful experience.

Working as a clerk, clinical student, or volunteer helps your job search in other ways. Not least is the prospect of having the lawyers you work for act as references. They even may be willing to sponsor you to their friends and colleagues who are hiring.

It's obvious that your friends and acquaintances in the legal community are in positions to know of job openings and perhaps give you a boost with recommendations. But don't stop with your contacts in the legal community. Enlist the help of everyone you know: classmates, neighbors, the person who cuts your hair, and all your friends and acquaintances in whatever organizations you're involved in. You probably have friends and family spread far and wide.

So look far and wide for a job. If you focus on one geographic region to the exclusion of others, you dramatically reduce the number of employers you can apply to. Law students sometimes tell me they're strictly looking in San Diego for a job as a prosecutor. The city has four prosecutor's offices-federal, state, county, and city-and this year there won't be four prosecutor's jobs available among all of them. The offices receive applications from across the country. So virtually all would-be prosecutors who limit their applications to offices in San Diego are bound to be disappointed this year.

You can open up a world of new possibilities-and dramatically improve your odds-by being willing to consider many geographic regions. The right job involves practicing the kind of law you enjoy. Consider establishing yourself as a practitioner in a less desirable location while you wait for the economy to improve. You can apply later to an employer in the location you prefer.

You're facing the worst legal job market in a decade, so you need to contact more employers than you otherwise would. This means you need to spend more time on your job search than you otherwise would. Job hunting takes time and effort under the best circumstances. Even if these were the best economic times, I would advise you to take pains to research employers and tailor flawless cover letters and résumés to each one. I also would advise you to choose writing samples with the particular employer in mind and make sure each writing sample reflects your best efforts.

To gain an edge, take no short cuts. Commit to three keys to finding a job in this economy: gain real-world experience, be more flexible, and be prepared to work harder on your job search.

David C. James (dave.james@abanet.org) is the hiring lawyer for the office of the San Diego city attorney.

For more career and job search guidance, visit the ABA Career Counsel at www.abanet.org/careercounsel/students.html.