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February 21   

SMU Dedman School of Law  

From the Blog ...The 6Ps of the BIG 3 

Add Language to LinkedIn Profile to Help Job Search 

My favorite feature of SXSW is the programming track that focuses on the "future of work." The programs on this track include topics related to careers and recruiting. While the majority of attendees and speakers are in the technology, digital media or journalism fields, many of the ideas they share are relevant to the legal industry as well. I chose 10 ideas from SXSW 2012 to share with you.

1. Timebox your achievements if you job hop. If you've spent fewer than 18 months at any job listed on your resume, you will probably be viewed by potential employers as a job hopper.  One session at SXSW focused on how to overcome the job hopper stigma. If you are a job hopper, your resume should timebox your achievements in a particular position-quantify what you did in a specific timeframe to illustrate your accomplishments in a short period of time.  For example, "In my first 60 days at Miller Smith, LLP, I drafted a motion for summary judgment regarding ____  issue, argued the motion and obtained  ____ for my client."      
    
2. Your career is in permanent beta, employ ABZ planning.  One of my favorite sessions at SXSW was The Start-Up of YOU: 21st Century Career Strategy. The session was led by Ben Casnocha and Reid Hoffman, co-authors of The Start-Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career. The message from this session was that your career is in "permanent beta"---the world and your competition are changing constantly and, therefore, your career is never a finished product but rather a work in progress.  You must employ ABZ planning where Plan A is what you are doing now in your current career (e.g., practicing law).  Plan B is not what you do if Plan A fails but rather what you do when other opportunities with more potential arise (e.g., leave the law and start a business).   Plan Z is the worst case scenario, and it allows you to take the risk in your Plan B (e.g., if my debt rises to $X while starting a business, I'll work as a contract attorney on a doc review project). 
      
3. Strengthen your network (especially your loose ties). A second point from The Start-Up of YOU was to strengthen the loose ties in your network. As you probably know, the majority of people obtain new jobs through someone in their network.  Moreover, it's the loose ties in your network that aid in your job search because they offer informational diversity.  Your close or strong ties are going to be very similar to you; thus, those ties often read the same information and share the same information.  However, your loose or weak ties are more different and offer different information and leads.  
      
4. Take intelligent risks. A final point from The Start-Up of YOU was to take intelligent risks.  Anticipate risks (possible layoff or a replacement) and become resilient to risks.  You become resilient to risks by introducing risks along your career path.  Think of a flu shot---you build up your immunity to the flu virus by injecting the virus (flu shot) into your body.  Similarly, you become immune to risks by injecting risk along your career path.
        
5. Unplug.  Ironically, one session focused on taking a tech detox, a 24-hour break from technology. One of the panelists shared UNDO, a weekly email that suggests things to do in your weekly tech detox.  Past lists have included ideas such as introducing yourself to at least one neighbor you don't know very well, making a meal using fresh local produce, and taking a long walk (at least 5 miles) along a route you regularly drive or ride.      
    
6. Allow employees to be productive on day 1.   Scott Porad, the CTO of  Cheezburger Network, led a session that focused on successful on-boarding of new employees. The key takeaway was that new employees want to be productive on their first day on a new job. Porad pointed to a job satisfaction survey which revealed that achievement, recognition and growth led to job satisfaction while policies and administration led to job dissatisfaction. His solution was to remove the dissatisfaction factors from new employees' first day. For example, instead of completing health insurance and other employment forms on the first day, his new developers are writing code on their first day. He uses this productivity as a recruiting tool and lets candidates know that they will produce value on their first day. 
         
7. Offer a relaxing environment.   Relaxation fosters creativity, which explains why many people have their best ideas in the shower. More employers in the tech field are creating relaxing environments to fuel the creativity of their employees. For example, Google has a ping-pong table in its offices so employees can re-charge and become more creative on their breaks. During the Making of the Modern Office session,  Jennifer Crystal, the Director of Talent Acquisition at Opower, shared ideas that her company does to foster creativity, including offering free weekly massages, allowing employees to bring their dogs to work, and hosting quarterly "Innovation Days" where employees can present ideas to the company.      
    
8. Focus on employees' strengths. Instead of asking employees to improve their weaknesses, encourage them to develop their strengths.  StrengthsFinders 2.0 was recommended in several sessions.
            
9. Interview to determine "cultural fit." Another repetitive theme at SXSW this year was hiring for "cultural fit."   For example, to determine how candidates will think and react, ask a question like, "How do you prepare for a vacation and what do you do when you get back?" Or, "How do you get 15 kids from Point A to Point B?"   
            
10. Diversify beyond job boards. When hiring millennials, employers must diversify their recruiting efforts to reach top talent. Employers can't rely on job boards and must get creative and turn to people at the center of millennials' lives---such as, camp counselors, professors and parents. Some companies now have a section on their websites' career/recruiting page that is designed for parents of millennials since parents are increasingly more influential in millennials' career decisions.  

While many of the ideas above were first tried in tech companies or by tech professionals, law firms and lawyers can also benefit by tailoring the ideas to work with the legal industry.  I hope you discovered a few that might help your career or your firm.    

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About Amanda

Amanda Ellis is the Vice President of Search for Special Counsel.  She plans, designs and implements all direct hire training, development, integration and mentoring programs for the company's direct hire recruiters.   Prior to her current role at Special Counsel, Amanda worked as an Attorney Search Director at Special Counsel and her own search firm where she placed direct hire attorneys in law firms and corporate legal departments. 
Amanda is the author of The 6Ps of the BIG 3 for Job-Seeking JDs, the first book to teach lawyers and law students how to get hired using social networking sites.  Amanda is a nationally known speaker and has been retained by law firms as a consultant in litigation and other matters involving social media.  Prior to entering the legal recruiting field, Amanda practiced commercial bankruptcy law in Massachusetts and Texas.  Amanda obtained her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law in May 2001.  She obtained her B.S. in Business, summa cum laude, from Centenary College of Louisiana in May 1998.