January 02 2011

Staying Positive Throughout the Discouraging 3L Job Search

posted in 3L by Grant
Categories: Jobs

You’re in your third year of law school. Graduation, the bar exam, and your first day of work are right around the corner… hopefully. If you’ve made it this far, graduation is almost guaranteed, and the bar exam is inescapable. But the first day of work? Only if you’re one of the lucky ones. You thought after 2L fall recruitment, the competitiveness of job hunting would relax, but it is about to get worse. Instead of looking for a couple months of work, employers are looking to hire new christened lawyers to full time jobs. And you’re now competing with people who are on edge because they don’t have jobs, and most of them are desperate. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• You need to spend a lot of time concentrating on your job search, but don’t let it consume you. It is crunch time, so it is very important that you work diligently to find a job, exhausting every contact and lead you have. But you need to keep up your routines. If you’re a cook, keep cooking. If you like to work, don’t give up your time in the gym.   Maintaining your habits is the best way to stay sane, and not let the stress and worry of unemployment consume you.

• Maintain relationships with your classmates, but especially with your professors. With your classmates, this mostly means minimizing gossip. Those who have jobs may or may not tell everyone about it, but the news will get out. Do your part not to turn someone’s good fortune into gossip. By your third year, hopefully you’ve gotten to know some professors. They can be a valuable resource in your job search. Not only can they serve as positive references, but they may also be aware of some opportunities you may not have considered.

• Continue to build your network. At this point, you’ve probably met tons of people. And maybe you’re a little upset that the countless hours you’ve spent getting to know attorneys and professors haven’t paid off in the form of a job. However, you need to take a long-term perspective. You’re just looking for your first job. Down the road, this network can come back to help you out when you’re looking for your second or third job. Additionally, you can use your network to help you expand your network. They’ll know what’s going on in the legal community, and can hopefully help you find some more job leads.