L E G A L S U P P O R T N E W S F O R G R A D S S E E K I N G J O B S I N T H E L E G A L P R O F E S S I O N

ISSUE 2 OCTOBER 2012 – FROM THE OFFICE OF SONJA MOFFETT, ERD 757-635-5534

THE ADOVCATE is here to continue to help you with your professional

development and identifying opportunities for you.

Our guest writer this issue shared vital information during ON THE AIR!

Cynthia S. Whitcomb is currently the Legal Administrator for Collins Einhorn

Farrell and Ulanoff in Southfield, Michigan. Prior to her current position she was

Staffing Manager for a large, 190 lawyer firm. For the past five years she has

been an instructor in Oakland University’s Paralegal Program teaching Ethics &

Law Practice Management. Upon speaking with Ms. Whitcomb, I learned some

valuable information that I thought she should share with you with hopes of

getting you from where you are to where you want to be.

this issue

Change – P1 “The Quintessential Candidate!” – P2

Virtual Assisting Alternative – P3 Resources from ON THE AIR! & Jobs – P4

Continuously Educate Yourself

PERSEVERE!

When you come to the end of your rope –

tie a knot and hang in there! When you

quit, you allow your competition to win!

Stay active and engaged in the process.

There is a saying that KNOWLEDGE IS

POWER and it is true. What you don’t

know has and will continue to hurt you.

My goal is to educate you and connect

you with professionals who have been

where you are. If they cannot hire you

right now – they can tell you information

that I cannot offer you. With that said, I

hope you will become more involved in

what we are doing on your behalf to help

you get there. I am here to support you

and I hope you will support me in those

efforts going forward.

“THE QUINTESSENTIAL CANDIDATE” By Cynthia Whitcomb

Cover letters and e-mails are nice but

often overlooked as the recruiter quickly

flips to your resume, I suggest keeping

them short and to the point. If the

posting asks for salary requirements, the

cover letter is the place to state them.

Recruiters often have a budget for the

position, salary expectations are used as

a screening mechanism to avoid wasting

everyone’s time. Failure to state salary

requirements when asked, will more

than likely deep six your resume.

Congratulations, let’s assume for a

moment that your resume has made it

into the “yes” pile and the recruiter calls

you for a quick telephone interview.

Make sure you are alert, friendly and

responsive if you want to make it to the

next phase. I once called a candidate to

discuss his qualifications, it was around

2:00 p.m. and I could tell that I woke

him up from a sound sleep, he was

groggy and unresponsive. Granted,

there may be many reasons why this

person was napping in the afternoon,

but quite frankly he went right into the

“no” pile as soon as I hung up the

phone. Crazy ring tones (heard by the

caller) can also be viewed negatively.

Feel free to express yourself through

music once you have landed the job!

Hopefully this little peek into the mind

of a legal recruiter will benefit you as

you navigate the rough waters of job

searching!

As we all know, landing a job in today’s

competitive legal market can be daunting but

the good news is that it’s not impossible.

Have you been beating the bushes trying to

launch your paralegal career or conversely,

are you a seasoned legal professional forced

into the job market due to downsizing,

outsourcing or other job climate conditions?

Perhaps you have sent out hundreds of

resumes but haven’t been called for an

interview, despite the fact that you were the

“perfect fit” for the job. There can be many

reasons why this scenario may occur; as a

legal administrator responsible for

recruitment at a mid-sized law firm and an

instructor in the paralegal program of a large

university, I would like to shed some light on

why your resume seems to disappear into a

“black hole.”

A while back, I was perusing a blog where an

individual with a master’s degree claimed to

have sent out over 1000 resumes to law firms,

over a three year period, without ever being

called for an interview. In the few sentences

used by this individual to lament his plight, I

spotted at least 4 grammatical errors. One key

ingredient to successfully presenting your

resume to a prospective employer is to have it

completely error-free. Lawyers are

notoriously intolerant of employees who use

poor grammar, spelling, or punctuation.

Why? Because the work product that goes out

from the law firm must be perfect or as close

to perfect as humanly possible. Attorneys

refuse to waste time proofreading a

paralegal’s work for grammar issues.

Translate that into a hiring situation and it is

evident why lawyers are not inclined to hire

someone whose resume exhibits grammatical

weaknesses. Keep in mind that for virtually

every position that is posted, approximately

200 resumes flood in within the first two

days. You can plan on your resume getting

less than one minute of cursory review before

the recruiter decides whether or not it goes in

the “yes, no, or maybe” pile. A sure-fire way

for a one-way trip into the “no” pile is to have

spelling or grammar issues.

A number of years ago it became popular to

include a category on resumes entitled

“Objective” with a description of the

applicant’s goals. Beware of using the

Objective category when applying for a

position. Resumes make a beeline into the

“no” pile when the objective stated is

contrary to the goals of the company. For

example, a resume is submitted in response

to an ad for a paralegal but lists as an

objective to “become a lobbyist in Lansing”

– well hello black hole. Why is this an issue

assuming the candidate is an otherwise

perfect match for the position? The

response is simple, the employer’s objective

is to hire employees who will be committed

to the position, who want to make a career

with the company and who will not be

looking to leave within a year. It is

expensive to recruit, hire and train an

employee, the company’s goal is to do it

once, successfully. If you feel strongly

about using the Objective category, tailor it

to the job you are applying for and gear it

toward the employer. In other words, don’t

say that your objective is to obtain training

and experience although perhaps that is

your true objective. Rather, couch it in

terms of what you intend to bring to the

table, what you can offer the employer.

Remember, you only have a few short

seconds to catch the eye of the recruiter,

you need to make the most of them.

Another tip is for your resume to make

sense. Seems simple, right? Many resumes

consist of half sentences filled with big

words that are intended to make the

candidate sound sophisticated. Clear,

concise wording will win the day. The

recruiter needs to quickly obtain a clear

understanding of your experience and

education, they won’t spend a lot of time

trying to figure out what you are trying to

say. Similarly, be clear with your education

– if the posting is seeking a college graduate

and you are a year from completion, don’t

try to mislead the recruiter into thinking you

already have your degree by using

ambiguous language.

Out of the Box Strategy for Getting Yourself on the Market Now!

VIRTUAL ASSISTING

In addition to internships, externships, and volunteering, Virtual Assisting can help you gain experience while earning pay. This requires excellent interpersonal skills and confidence in your abilities. Some of you know for a fact that anyone who hires you will appreciate what you have to bring to the table. If you can make your own case – you could become a resource to independent attorneys. Getting out there & Getting it done

Join your local Bar Association or Paralegal Association as a student member (less expensive fees) – list me as your campus contact if necessary.)

o Get involved with your chapter as a volunteer and become a valuable asset – show your talent as a member of the organization – writing, coordinating events, creating the presentations, doing research and anything else required by the committee you volunteer for.

o Have your CALLING CARDS ready at all times. You will meet lawyers and other legal support professionals who will tip you on openings they hear about at their firm or other firms. This is the unadvertised job market you hear about – word-of-mouth. This is why it seems jobs are filled before your resume reaches the employer’s inbox.

INTERESTED IN A WORKSHOP ON THIS TOPIC. EMAIL ME. IF I GET AT LEAST 4 INTERSTED PARTIES, WE CAN MEET FOR A SESSION.

DO YOU KNOW THESE PEOPLE? Networking and getting to know people who can help you get to where you want to be is very important. If not these ladies – choose firms that you wish to work for and monitor their sites for jobs, news and information important to them. Also, get to know WHO’S WHO? This demonstrates your interest in working for their firm. You can tailor your resume or proposal to their needs based on your skills.

• Audrey Forbush — Plunkett Cooney PC • Julie Gafkay — Gafkay & Gardner PLC • Denise Glassmeyer — Young Basile Hanlon & MacFarlane PC • Cynthia Haffey — Butzel Long • Monica Labe — Dickinson Wright PLLC • Marilyn Lankfer — Varnum LLP • Marla Linderman — Linderman Law PC • Anna Maiuri — Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone PLC • Cary McGehee — Pitt, McGehee, Palmer, Rivers & Golden PC • Valerie Newman — State Appellate Defender Office • Rosalind Rochkind — Garan Lucow Miller PC • Carol Rosati — Johnson, Rosati, Schultz, & Joppich PC • Sangeeta Shah — Brooks Kushman PC • Amy Timmer — The Thomas M. Cooley Law School • Ann Marie Uetz — Foley & Lardner LLP • Rebecca Walsh — Reiter & Walsh PC • Linda Wasserman — Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP

LIMITED EXPERIENCE? A DEGREE IS NOT ENOUGH… THERE IS ALWAYS MORE WORK TO DO! FREE CERTIFICATIONS CAN HELP YOU! A GREAT STRATEGY TO COUNTERACT YOUR LACK OF EXPERIENCE IS TO INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE.

Is a software in high demand by many firms in the area according to our on the air panelist, Lori Howes-Hurren, Litigation Paralegal, & Collections Manager At Hertz Schram PC. Take these free skill enhancement courses and get certified. Get the relevant skills you need to be an asset to your new firm.

Your SCE credential will boost recognition of your skills and demonstrate your

software abilities to an employer. There is no cost to take the SCE exam and the

student has two attempts to pass. If the student is unable to pass the SCE exam

after two attempts, he or she will be required to take the preparatory course or

wait 1 year before being eligible to retest. Certification is current for a two-year

period. http://accessdata.com/training/certifications

CERTIFICATION RECOMMENDED

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Summation Certified Adminstrator (SCA) – Summation

Summation Certified Administrator (SCA) – iBlaze

Summation Reviewer

iBlaze Fundamentals

Summation Case Mgt

iBlaze Case Mgt

Summation Admin

iBlaze Admin & Loading

IMPORTANT WEBSITES

www.legalsearchonline.net

www.paralegalmentor.com

NALA membership is a terrific way to

stay in touch with paralegals from

throughout the United States. With

communications, there is also

leadership, and volunteer

opportunities. Read more about these

programs in this section of the web

site.

www.nala.org

PRINT CHEAP CALLING CARDS

Vista Print has predesigned templates

you can choose from and you can order

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Click on or Cut and Paste this link in

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MI Appellet Division is hiring a PART-

TIME GENERAL CLERK in Detroit MI.

www.sado.org

Quicken Loans is hiring a paralegal in

their Trust Dept.