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October 1, 2007 | Vol. XI, Issue 7
Career Services: Let's Get Real—Exploring All of Your Career Options
 This week, the Center for Career Services tries to dispel some of the myths you may have been told about finding your first job in the legal field and give you the reality. It's important to remember this: The best jobs do not always go to the best candidate. They go to the best job strategist.
Myth: Most UF law students and graduates obtained their employment through On-Campus Interviews (OCI).
Reality: Approximately 30 percent of students obtained their employment through OCI. Which means that 70 percent of students found jobs elsewhere.
Myth: Florida law firms are only interested in hiring the top 10 percent of students.
Reality: The majority of Florida law firms are mid-sized and are not seeking students at the top of their class. Only 10 percent of all practicing lawyers nationally work at firms of more than 100 lawyers.
Myth: All Florida firms looking to hire students for clerkships and employment come on campus.
Reality: Small and mid-sized law firms are less likely to participate in OCI and routinely hire students as a result of direct contacts and other means.
Myth: Firms only hire students during the fall semester.
Reality: Many legal employers hire on an "as needed" basis as opposed to the hiring cycle of large firms. Many organizations, including government entities, will not know their hiring needs until spring or later.
Myth: There is a list or website of jobs and employers that are interested in hiring law students.
Reality: 80 percent of all job openings are not advertised. Positions in organizations are often available and later filled without ever being advertised.
Where Do I Find Advertised Jobs?
Read on to learn about the resources you should check regularly (weekly, even daily) for advertised openings.
UF Law's Job Bank (contained in Symplicity)
The Job Bank lists job listings, (both part and fulltime), including entry-level and project assistant positions from many types of employers both in and out of state. The Job Bank is updated daily with postings that employers send to us specifically targeting UF law students and alumni.
CCS Hotline Listserve
The CCS listserve highlights specific opportunities, important deadlines, and last minute openings. If you are not receiving the CCS’ “hotlines” go to www.law.ufl.edu/career/resources/hotline.shtml.
Inter Collegiate Job Bulletin Exchanges
Your CCS shares its job bulletins with dozens of other law schools from across the nation, and in turn, you have access to the job postings from other law schools. BYU's Clark Law School organizes the site with all of the member schools’ postings. Go to www.law2.byu.edu/Career_Services/jobBank.htm to access the site. You will be prompted for a username and password, which you can find in the CCS.
Bar Associations Advertisements
Go to the bar association/s (state, county, city) of where you want to work. Most can be found online, and have a system by which openings in the area are posted. For example:
- The Florida Bar News publishes ads on the 1st and 15th of each month. These are available online at www.flabar.org under "Professional Practice" and then "Positions."
- Local and county bar association newsletters often contain listings (i.e. http://www.jaxbar.org/bulletin/bulletin.php)
- Also check out the The Florida Bar website for a list of links to all voluntary bar organizations by city, region or specialty.
Association Websites and Newsletters
Organizations made up of attorneys in specific practice areas often have websites or other resources that contain postings. For example see http://www.healthlawyers.org and click on "Career Center."
Internships-usa.com
Check out www.internships-usa.com for a listing of internships in a great variety of areas, including government, public interest, and corporate areas. You can find the username and password to this site in the Center for Career Services.
Government Jobs
The CCS has a variety of resources outlining internships within the Federal and State Government. They include:
Individual Legal Employers Web Sites
Both traditional legal employers and non-legal employers often post openings on their companies' websites. Examples include Progressive Insurance at http://jobs.progressive.com/ or Lexis at http://www.lexisnexis.com/employment/. Your favorite company may have an internship or job program. Go to the corporate website where listings are typically found under "careers."
Individual circuit or district websites also post openings
If you know where you want to work, check out the individual websites for the circuit and district:
For a complete list of websites, usernames, and passwords you have at your fingertips as a UF Law student, stop by Career Services for one of our bookmarks.
Where Do I Find Unadvertised Openings?
In order to find an unadvertised opening, you need to know how to identify potential employers.
Potential employers can be found anywhere. Start with a Lexis or Westlaw search, looking for UF alumni in the cities where you are interested in working. Then expand your search to include professional directories, membership lists, alumni directories, and additional Lexis and Westlaw searches. Make sure everyone you talk with knows that you are interested in working in a particular area. You never know who may have a contact in the city where you want to work.
While research takes time, the students who research potential employers are the ones who find the most career satisfaction. Sending a mass mailing of your resume out with the thought, "I'll do any type of law, anywhere" is a waste of time. Quality not quantity should be your mantra.
Once you have a list of researched potential employers, you can begin working on your targeted mailings, a job search tactic successfully used by 14.5 percent of last year's UF Law students that led to their employment.
What is a targeted mailing?
A targeted mailing is a mailing including a resume and cover letter sent to an employer you have thoroughly researched before writing or sending the correspondence. You must have the name of a person at the organization. If you cannot find the name of a person, call and get the name of the hiring attorney, recruiting coordinator, or person in charge of hiring.
Letters to organizations that are not addressed to an actual person are not read. Follow up if you do not hear from them within two weeks.
Stay tuned for next week’s FlaLaw Online, in which we’ll discuss the finer art of letter writing and the importance of identifying your game plan, setting goals for yourself, being organized, and covering all of your bases in your search for a job.
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