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Remember that everything on your resume is fair game during the interview. Pull out your resume. Read through it carefully, think about every line, every accomplishment. Why is it on your resume? What technical qualification or “soft” skill does it convey? What is the story behind it? What did you learn?
Learning from seasoned lawyers truly helps law students gain perspective on where they want to take their legal career in the future. In this edition of the Law Student Podcast, New ABA Law Student Division Chair Johnnie Nguyen talks with Colorado’s U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn about his career experiences and how he came
If your goal is to work in the public sector, your first stop in your job hunt should be this directory.
Asking for—and getting—letters of recommendation is not as hard as you think. The law professors and practicing attorneys you’re nervous about won’t be surprised by your request. They know jurisdictions can require bar candidates to submit these letters as part of their bar application. They were in your shoes once too—they all applied for bar admissions, and likely they had to collect similar letters from people they didn’t feel they really knew well.
To make the right career move, be sure you’re not asking the wrong career-change question.
It's not exactly Game of Thrones. But in OCI, you gotta play to win. And we're here to help you slay at your on-campus interview. We've gathered our the top information on everything that goes into OCI, interviewing tips, help with your resume and cover
As a law student looking to land that perfect job out of law school, you can never have enough help. And we've got a great new tool for ABA members to use to get noticed in their job search. Meet ABA Career Forward,
Q: I dread looking at my phone in the morning. Every day I am inundated with emails, usually from offices in an earlier time zone. The emails often contain random requests that don’t seem as if they would take much time, but they end up blowing up my mornings. Sometimes partners want
Didn’t get past the first round of interviews? There are ways you can interviewers for feedback to help you on your next opportunity. But you have to take the right approach.
Admittedly, before I enrolled in law school, I shared the view of many lay people of what lawyers do for work: That is, they go to the courtroom and argue for their clients. It did not take long to realize how skewed that view of the legal profession
How do today’s law students (yes,we’re talking about students like you) stack up when it comes to making smart job-search moves?
Studies have found that approximately one out of every five students pursues an alternative career path after law school. There are many different careers that can benefit from your law degree. The job that’s best for you will ultimately depend on your most valuable skills and what you want to do.
How does one tell if a firm is truly committed to diversity and inclusion? While many firms tout their commitment to service, diversity and inclusion, and professional development of its junior attorneys, law students should consider the following tips when evaluating a firm’s culture to determine if it is the right fit.
While working at a large law firm has the potential to be lucrative, attorneys worldwide continue to demonstrate that it’s absolutely possible to pursue your career goals regardless of the salary you’ll earn.
Legal Honors Programs are the primary hiring vehicle for entry-level attorneys in the federal government. But many law students do not know that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a Legal Honors Program. If you are currently a 3L, applications for the 2019-2020 program are due by September 21, 2018.
If you “followed the rules” but feel like you don’t fit the role you found yourself in this summer, not all is lost. That feeling can serve as a tool to place you on the path meant for you, so don’t ignore it.
This article will discuss some benefits and challenges if your office is considering hiring new prosecutors who once served the public as police officers.
Today, most employers are allowing job candidates to submit their resumes electronically—whether by email or by uploading their application package into an online database. In many cases, employers require the candidate’s resume to be uploaded, but also allow candidates to attach other documents like a cover letter. So job candidates are asking themselves whether a cover letter that’s electronically delivered needs to be signed, just like a cover letter that’s mailed.
Q: I have been told that I should try not turn down work, but I have also been told not to take on too much work. I am not sure when I should say, “no.” Do you have any suggestions about when and how I should decline work? A: You are
For many law students, there is a point during the final year of their studies that they find themselves presented with a monumental decision: whether to pursue a career in the governmental or public service sector, or attempt to break into private practice law firms. Student Lawyer magazine has gone
You’re busy with school. The bar exam looms, and career choices are pending. You’ve got no time to think about how the American Bar Association fits into your world right now. Maybe you can get to active involvement with the ABA later. I completely understand that mentality. But based on my own experience, it may mean that you’ll miss out on opportunities that could, literally, shape your career.
It can be difficult trying to figure out exactly how you want to use your law degree. Do you want to work in the government? For a large firm? A smaller or medium-sized one? A public interest group? Lucky for us, we lawyers have lots of options. One of the best
Up until now, you’ve been climbing a ladder. You got good grades in high school, which helped you get into a good college. Then you worked hard in college so you could get into a great law school. Now you’ll be tempted to view law school as just another ladder. You’ll
Back in 1995, when I graduated from law school, the common approach to finding a job after law school went something like this: Examine job board. Submit resume. Wait for requests for interviews from participating law firms. Attend numerous interviews. Receive several job offers. Select future career path from among those
Q: I’m a law student getting ready to attend holiday receptions hosted by law firms. I hear so much about what I shouldn’t talk about, what I shouldn’t wear, what I shouldn’t do. So what can I do? How I can stand out in a room where everyone’s wearing a
Before the Bar is the blog of the ABA Law Student Division. It brings together a diversity of opinions, experiences, and voices from those associated with the law anywhere in the world and is targeted to law students, current, past and future.
Unless stated, the opinions shared by our writers do not reflect the official position of the American Bar Association.
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