The article titled “Your Career Fitness Plan” was published in the January 2013 inaugural issue of the Chicago Bar Association YLS Careers Update newsletter.

As the holidays approached, I wanted to shed some unwanted weight and start the New Year as a New Me.  Like most tasks, I looked for a quick and easy way to drop the pounds.  After a failed search for a magic weight-loss pill on the Internet and at the drug store, I finally spoke with personal trainers at my local gym who told me that there was no easy fix to my big problem:  I needed to follow a weight loss plan, which required limited calories, exercise, and discipline.

Similarly, some of my clients, who are new attorneys or attorneys in transition, want to start the New Year in a new job.  Like me, they are impatient and look for the magic pill.  Instead of reaching for easy results, the better approach is to formulate a Career Fitness Plan.  A Career Fitness Plan involves five tried and true steps.  The steps are:  (1) Introspection; (2) Resume review; (3) Cover letter evaluation; (4) Interview skills assessment; and (5) Networking.

(1) Introspection

People looking for a new position first need to be introspective about their strengths and weaknesses, and their goals. They must consider what they enjoy in their professional lives and during leisure time. People can also take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) to learn more about themselves. The MBTI is a personality self-assessment tool that can assist individuals in getting to know themselves, who they are, and how they react to the world. Significantly, the MBTI is an instrument that can help you find career happiness in the legal profession or in an alternative career to law. After completing their self-examination, a job seeker should have insight about positions that fit his personality. This helps identify people with whom to network with by engaging in informational meetings.

(2) Resume Review

Resumes should be reviewed for proper format, style, appropriate descriptions of educational and work experience, and checked for spelling or typographical errors. Ideally, a professional, colleague, friend, or family member should look over your resume. It can always be improved and polished to accentuate your strengths and accomplishments. In addition to highlighting qualifications, resumes also show a potential employer organizational and writing skills.

(3) Cover Letter Evaluation

Like resumes, cover letters provide potential employers with another writing sample. An effective, well-drafted cover letter should be brief, persuasive, well reasoned, and grammatically perfect. It should tell an employer about the candidate and the position being sought. It should then explain how the candidate’s skills and experience fit the needs of a particular position. Ultimately, the cover letter should generate interest so that the potential employer wants to learn more and reads the resume.

(4) Interview Skills Assessment

You should practice your interview skills by engaging in mock interviews with a professional career counselor (such as RxSUMELAW), professor, family member, friend, or colleague. It is better to practice answering questions rather than being unprepared in an interview. The feedback and lessons learned from a mock interview are invaluable.

(5) Networking

It is advantageous to your career to network. When networking, people should cultivate relationships by expanding and/or reconnecting with contacts. By reaching out to contacts, people can discover information, gain exposure, and learn about job opportunities. Key contacts might include previous professors, friends, colleagues, social acquaintances, alums from law school or undergraduate school, or previous employers.

Setting up informational meetings allow candidates to learn more about an area of the law and/or work environment. Additionally, informational interviews can provide a window into an employer’s expectations and identify the required skills for a particular job. Talking to someone practicing in an area of law that sounds appealing may reveal that the daily activities of that area aren’t interesting. Conversely, it may reveal that a position that was previously dismissed, is actually a good fit. Moreover, informational meetings may provide information about additional contacts or jobs that are available but not publically posted.

Just like my weight loss plan, a Career Fitness Plan for a new legal position will be hard. They both require tenacity, a positive attitude, and mental and emotional discipline. In the end, I achieved my weight loss goal by following my plan. Likewise, a new position can be achieved by sticking to a Career Fitness Plan. Good luck on your career path!

If you would like further information about this subject matter, please contact me at susan@susanbsilvermanconsulting.com.