Career Services brought legal recruiting consultant Ann Skalaski to speak on Wednesday about how to manage job searches in this economy. Skalaski served as the assistant dean for career services at UF Law from 1991-1996 before starting her own company.

“You really have to adopt a new perspective,” Skalaski said. “The market is what it is; you need to understand what it is. You need to be prepared to work harder.”

Skalaski stressed a few essentials to help students in their job searches.

Students need to go into a job search with a positive attitude, Skalaski said.

“Your attitude is probably the most important thing when it comes to job searching,” she said. “I guess that’s the career counselor coming out in me or maybe the mom.”

Your attitude is also the only thing you can control about your job search, Skalaski said.

“Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it,” she argued.

“That means the current economy can only impact your job search by 10 percent if you do the rest.”

The right attitude starts in law school, Skalaski said. In addition to being positive, students need to look at their careers as a long-term plan, she said.

She advised against worrying about salaries or perks early in job searches, but instead to focus on what interests each particular student.

“I promise you, if you pursue the area of law that you are passionate about you really want to do, you will be successful,” she said. “The ideal job is one that positions you for the upturn to do what you want to do.”

In order to make a long-term career plan, Skalaski said students have to figure out how they’d like to use their law degrees. It is impossible to have an effective strategy if the student does not know what he or she would like to do.

Skalaski advised against mass mailings in this economy and instead advised students to try to develop more personal relationships through networking.

“Networking really is the best way to get a job,” she said. “It’s the most important activity you can engage in. There are countless studies out there that say 80 percent of jobs come from networking.” Skalaski repeatedly stressed networking as a means to get a job in this market. She also suggested earning an L.L.M. if that interests the student as a way to not enter the job market until it improves.

“The winning approach to all this is you have to just accept that the market has changed,” Skalaski said. “You can’t do anything about it; you just have to accept it and move on.

Develop a long-term view of your career. Work with the people in Career Services because they really, really want to help you. Take ownership of your job search and invest in relationships.”

Career Services is bringing in legal job experts over the next couple weeks to help students land the job of their dreams – even in the current recession.

Ann Skalaski, a legal recruiting consultant, will speak on Jan. 28, in the Chesterfield Smith Ceremonial Classroom (HOL180) about managing your job search in an economic downturn.

On Feb. 4, Kimm Walton, author of four legal job search books will head a program called “Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams,” also the title of one of her books.

“You’ll come away from these programs with concrete tangible things that you can do right then and there,” said Linda Calvert Hanson, assistant dean for career services. “You will be so excited about getting started and encouraged.”

Skalaski was the assistant dean for career services at UF Law from 1991-1996. Before that, she worked at Holland & Knight, LLP as the director of attorney recruitment and as the firm’s first attorney development manager.

In a down market, law students have to use different strategies to market themselves, which Skalaski will explain in depth, Calvert Hanson said.

Walton has spoken at UF Law before and has been a big hit with students, Calvert Hanson said.

“[Walton] just does an outstanding job of really inspiring and motivating people, as [her book] says, regardless of your grades, your school, or your work experience,” Calvert Hanson said. “The students connect to her. We will come out after the program and she will stay there and talk to them for hours afterwards. She will talk to them one-on-one; she will answer each and every person’s questions.”

After these two programs, on Feb. 5 (2Ls and 3Ls) and Feb. 6 (1Ls), Dr. Martha Peters will speak about discovering your ideal career through self-assessment.

Calvert Hanson anticipates that this program will help students figure out ideal careers for themselves. Many students are not sure what they would like to do, and many alumni are not happy with their jobs because during law school they did not take the time to identify their values and learn about the type of work environments in which they will thrive and find career satisfaction, Calvert Hanson said.

“Our society today is just on such a fast track that you’re kind of almost programmed: ‘OK, I’ve got to get through undergrad, I’ve got to get through law school, and then I have to get a job,’” Calvert Hanson said. “You hardly ever have a chance to stop and think about what is going to make you happy, what is going to be rewarding and fulfilling for you.”

Career Services put these programs in place to help guide an anxious student body toward their career goals.

“What we’re really finding with the students right now is that we have a group who are what we call ‘the deer-in-the-headlights.’ They’re just kind of like, dazed and ‘Oh my gosh, what am I going to be doing?’ (mostly 1Ls). The 2Ls are more resigned, and the 3Ls right now are really eager to do something. They really want to do something, but they don’t know what. These programs that we’re going to provide are going to help give them the next step.”

Be sure to read the CCS Buzz each week for up-to-date information on programming, recruiting, networking and volunteer and “SHIP” opportunities available through the Center for Career Services.