New Attorneys How to Steal the Show at Your Law Firm Interview

New Attorneys How to Steal the Show at Your Law Firm Interview As a new attorney, the process of obtaining your first job can be exhilarating when your hard work pays off and you receive a call for an interview; at the same time, the process can be intimidating when you consider the numerous other new attorneys also answering those calls. From the day you took the LSAT to the moment you sat for the bar your focus has been on presenting yourself well on paper. Even the resume and cover letter that have led to your sought-after interview presented your skills and talents as just written words. But now you have an interview, and the telling of your story goes live. Are you ready? Todd Tenge, founder of a personal injury firm in Colorado, was once a new attorney, too. These days, he sits in the interviewer’s chair. As a welcome to the profession, Todd has put together a guide for you, the new lawyer in town. With step-by-step advice, compiled from experts, this guide will help you make the leap from new attorney to a member of the firm. Prepare for the spotlight First, you should know that your interview starts well before you sit down across a desk from an interviewer and answer questions. Often, the selection of a new attorney is a multi-step process that begins with a review of your resume and a little online research about you by the firm. To present yourself well in this phase, ensure that your resume is focused on your skills and expertise, concise, professional, and formatted in an easy-to-read fashion. Additionally, if you have not already done so, now is the time to clean up your online presence. Once you join a law firm, your behavior on and off the job become a part of that firm’s reputation. Your chances of being hired may suffer if a search of your name brings up embarrassing or controversial information. If you can’t eliminate troubling online facts, be prepared to address them if asked during the interview. Take the stage After you’ve made it through the preliminary review phase, it’s time to take the stage. This is the point at which visuals become critical. The experts agree: you must dress well. In fact, your appearance goes beyond just the suit or jacket you choose. Your clothes, accessories, and grooming are all forms of non-verbal communication that reveal clues about your personality. Make sure that your briefcase or bag is well cared for and that your accessories are limited and not distracting. You want the interview to be about you, not your flashy tie or dangling earrings. Know your lines You can expect questions about your resume at some point during your interview. This document should be memorized. You should not need to refer to your resume to answer questions about dates or grades. By answering without hesitation, you will demonstrate your ability to arrive well prepared for a particular occasion. Be prepared to answer off-resume questions adeptly and without faltering, too. Attorneys regularly need to be able to make quick decisions and offer solid advice based on multiple factors. You will demonstrate that you possess these skills by answering questions in a way that conveys your knowledge of not only your goals, but also how they fit into the overall structure of the interviewing firm. Don’t forget the encore The show isn’t over when the interview is finished. Thank your audience. A handwritten thank-you note is still expected following a formal interview. Don’t rely on an email for this important step. The day after the interview, write a personal note to each person with whom you met. Only after you’ve sent a handwritten note is it acceptable to email a follow-up to inquire about your candidacy. Enjoy your new role Settling into a new  role can be difficult. But as a new attorney you’ve moved off the page and onto the stage. May you have a long and successful run. About the author: Todd Tenge is the founder and managing partner of Tenge Law Firm, LLC.  

Direct Sellers Street Credentials Mean Something - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Direct Sellers Street Credentials Mean Something - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Direct selling has been around for a very long time â€" the reason for this is the fact that direct sellers use word of mouth to promote their products and get sales, and most marketers know that word of mouth marketing continues to be one of the best ways to market a product or service. Nowadays, direct sellers can utilize a lot of resources in getting prospects, generating leads, and increasing their sales. Social media is one of those resources, as it’s an excellent way to do some market research, engage with prospective customers, and participate in discussions. It’s not a good idea to just jump into social media without knowing exactly what to do, however. Even if you’ve been using Facebook or Twitter for years now, using social media for your direct selling business is still very different from interacting with your friends on Facebook or tweeting personal stuff on Twitter. There’s more to it than that. If you really want to be successful in using social media for your business, consulting with an expert would be very helpful. This is someone who can really guide you step-by-step through the process so you don’t end up floundering along and uncertain of what you’re doing. The problem nowadays is the fact that so many people call themselves “experts” or “gurus” without really being one. There’s a huge difference between a true expert and someone who just calls themselves that. So how do you find the real expert? How do you differentiate between someone who really knows what they’re doing and someone who’s all talk? 1. Knowledge For someone to position themselves an “expert” in their field means that they have excellent working knowledge of the industry and the work required of it. They should be knowledgeable enough to be able to explain to someone who’s not involved in the industry â€" if they frequently use jargon and other industry terms, they may be just spouting off and trying to sound knowledgeable even if they aren’t. Also, they should know the limits of their knowledge â€" if they don’t know something, they should willingly admit it. But typically, even if they don’t exactly know something, they know a way to get the information for you. 2. Experience Experience is also a critical factor. You cannot call yourself an expert without having prior experience in your particular niche or industry. A true expert would have working experience on the field, and can give you evidence of their performance. For example, a social media expert should be able to give you the results of what they did for a business â€" you should clearly see an improvement in how the business is doing. Otherwise, if they cannot show you any results, then they really shouldn’t call themselves experts. 3. Problem Solver A real expert isn’t one who will panic when problems arise. They should be able to stay calm and figure out how to solve the problem in a rational manner. They’re the go-to person for any problems encountered. They should be able to make quick decisions based on their knowledge and experience, and guide you in the right direction. 4. Commitment A true expert is one who is committed to the work they do and continues to learn whatever they can about their field of interest. They aren’t simply stagnant about their knowledge, but they are continually enthusiastic about learning more about their niche. They aren’t forced into doing what they do â€" they are simply passionate and committed about it. 5. Networking A real expert is someone who knows how to network with their peers and knows the value of connections. After all, they wouldn’t be experts if no one acknowledges their knowledge and experience on a particular niche. 6. Authentic Experts are authentic people. They don’t need to scam you in order to sell their services. They practice what they preach, and they’re confident in their abilities. They don’t have to push their expertise on people, because people are already approaching them to learn more. As a direct seller, make sure that you approach a true expert, not someone who just claims to be an expert but doesn’t have the street credentials to prove it. This is someone who’s willing to take you by the hand and show you what they know without having to make up stories. Don’t fall for just anyone who puts guru or expert at the end of their title. Find the real expert who can really deliver. Author: Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog and is also the CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks.com â€" a word of mouth marketing firm. She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and social commerce around your brand. She is co-founder of #brandchat a weekly twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding.

How Great Leaders Get Employees to Act Like Owners - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How Great Leaders Get Employees to Act Like Owners - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The most daring leaders realize that inspiring employees to assume ownership and responsibility is essentially telling them, “I trust you and your contributions are essential to our firm’s success.” When employees show up to work, do the minimum, assume no responsibility and then collect their paycheck it’s a waste for the individual and for the organization. In order to fully capitalize on the talents and abilities of people, you need to invest in them and find ways to make them happy. Learn what matters most to them, what they enjoy doing, and what frustrates them from reaching their full potential. Tinypulses 2015 Best Industry Ranking studied over 30,000 employee responses across more than 500 companies and assessed cross industry-employee sentiment. The results were surprising. Construction and facilities services employees ranked No. 1 for overall employee happiness, while manufacturing ranked last at No. 12. This data breaks our misconceptions about the construction sector and gives management an opportunity to focus in on what engages these happiest of employees to see how to apply these strategies. Over the top examples of giving back to employees In 2012,  Yang Yuanqing, CEO of Lenovo  a Chinese Computer company, redistributed his $3,000,000 to about 10,000 of the employees working under him. This amounts to about $300 per employee, about the typical worker’s monthly pay. Yang felt that it would be the right thing to “redirect [the money] to the employees as a real tangible gesture for what they’ve done”. When  Apple’s former CEO, Steve Jobs’  secretary, a single mother, came in late due to her car having trouble starting. Later that day in the afternoon, Jobs walked into the office and threw her a set of keys to a brand new Jaguar car, saying: “Here, don’t be late anymore.” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos  takes a pretty unique approach in providing career help to its employees at the company’s fulfillment centers, where Amazon’s orders get packaged and shipped. Since 2012, Amazon offered a program called “Career Choice,” where the company pays 95%, of tuition and text book costs for its fulfillment and customer service center employees to take courses in non-work related fields, such as airplane mechanics, nursing, and medical lab technologies. Bezos wrote, “In the long run, an employee staying somewhere they don’t want to be isn’t healthy for the employee or the company.” Amazon exclusively funds education in high demand areas according to sources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, regardless of whether those skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. Bezos gave $100,000 to help employees facing personal problems which resulted in a highly motivated workforce with a deep sense of community who value productivity. In 2006, the  John Mackey and Raj Sisodia, Whole Foods co-founders and co-CEO’s  have spoken out in favor of “conscious capitalism,” or the idea that companies should aspire to a higher purpose than just being profitable. Mackey reduced his salary to $1 a year, donated his entire portfolio to charity, and set up a $100,000 fund for staff facing personal problems. Once a month, Whole Foods sends each store a detailed report on profitability and sales at each of the chains locations. In fact, in the late 1990s the widespread availability of so much detailed financial data led the SEC to classify all of the companys 6,500 employees as insiders, according to a 1996 story by Fast Company. Mackey and others at Whole Foods believe that a culture of shared information helps create a sense of a shared fate among employees. If youre trying to create a high-trust organization, an organization where people are all-for-one and one-for-all, you cant have secrets. His innovative management strategy has built a community of employees who value productivity. Realistic things you can do to increase employee happiness Inspire and Motivate Energize people to achieve exceptional results Increase Trust Develop Others Communicate Powerfully Provides others with a definite sense of direction and purpose. Integrity and Honesty Work hard to walk the talk and avoid saying one thing and doing another. Relationship Building â€" Balance getting results with a concern for others needs. Focus on Employee-Job Fit Hire the right people, focus on cultural fit Encourage Professional Enrichment Management often hires people who on paper appear to be a great hire but once on the job hate their daily responsibilities. They may have said “yes” to the job but soon come to realize it bores them. You could avoid hiring people who’ll be a poor fit for the job by looking beyond their skills and abilities to understand what excites them and what turns them off.   If you want a positive, collaborative environment, then when you interview new job candidates, make sure you factor in their personality as well as their professional skill sets and accomplishments. Recognize what brings employees down Unsupportive manager A boss who lacks integrity Lack of tools and resources to complete the job Little opportunity for professional growth Poor internal processes and systems Dissatisfaction with colleagues Joe Folkman’s recent Harvard Business Review article, Are you creating disgruntled employees? highlights that too often management underestimates the risk and negative impact discontented employees have on a firm.   He warns managers about the damage these employees can do: Create irreversible damage to your brand Alienate your most valuable clients and cause very expensive mistakes Leak important company information and participate in internet “bad-mouthing” Cause others around them to be upset and disengaged in their work Be guilty of theft, tardiness, missed deadlines Open Communication and Building Trust Research shows that there’s a clear link between transparency and employee happiness. When you regularly ask your employees what’s on their minds and start measuring your culture, you’ll improve your culture, build mutually trusting relationships, and gain a competitive advantage. Most people want to make a valuable contribution, and feel great when they make progress toward doing so. So if management wants to attract, engage, and retain its top talent, youll invest in understanding what makes them tick. While you might not want to give up your salary or redistribute all your profits, you may want to get honest feedback for what makes employees happy and what areas you need to improve to inspire them to feel like owners. For further reading on this topic see: Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business by John Mackey and Raj Sisodia Beth Kuhel, M.B.A., C.E.I.P., is a career coach specializing in millenials and career changers. Her weekly Career Path  columns are sponsored by Executive Management at Weatherhead School of Management.  She writes about career strategies and improving the workplace for The Huffington Post, TinyPulse and Sharkpreneur magazine, and has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, U.S. News World Report, Yahoo News, Glassdoor and BusinessInsider. Connect with Beth on Twitter @BethKuhel

A Psychics 7-Step Guide to LinkedIn

A Psychics 7-Step Guide to LinkedIn Youve read the CV, the candidate is looking good and now you want to dig deeper. When you pull up their LinkedIn profile do you come away revved up, leaping around and excited or flat, face-down and colder than an undertakers handshake? Some LinkedIn profiles are clearly well thought-through and do a positive job for their owners, but others can be tricky to read. Facing facts, LinkedIn simply isnt as important to some people as it is to us and some candidates just are poor at presenting themselves. In neither case does it necessarily mean that they wouldn’t be a brilliant choice for your organisation. The other side of that coin is that, no matter how well their profile reads, some candidates really are duplicitous bare-faced liars, if not actually lying con-artists. The LinkedIn profile of one otherwise promising candidate proudly told me theyd spent four years doing an engineering degree at the University of East Anglia. All well and good, except theyd apparently started when they were sixteen and bravely taken a course that the university had never run. Still others are just wildly out of touch with the civilised world. With an epic twist, one promising candidate put their view on life to me as, Theres no I in team and there never will be if I have anything to do with it. Im a leader and the team’s job is to follow me. That was good of them to be so upfront about their own colossal shortcomings, but Id have much rather saved the meeting-time wasted. Behind the veil Its vital to read between the lines of a Linkedin profile, if youre going to develop a more accurate view of whether a candidate is likely to be worth the interview-time, or not. Polish your crystal ball. Dont just read a LinkedIn profile in the same way youve just read the CV or application. You expect it to be an extension of the CV, not a repetition of it so, likewise, extend your thinking beyond the obvious re-review of spelling punctuation, grammar, dates, gaps, qualifications, jobs and experience. Is there anybody there? What do you think theyre like as a person? Can you even tell? Can you see an exciting personality, or merely a professional plodder, character-free and wedded to the straight-and-narrow? For some roles, the latter may be more attractive, but at least think about what theyre unconsciously telling you about themselves. The real Slim Shady? Is the tone, style, presentation and career over-view that you pick up from the candidates LinkedIn profile consistent with their CV, or does it jar in some way? Pin down specifically whats bothering you. If you feel as though youre seeing two different people, which one is real? Whichever, give that the greatest weight. Snog, marry or avoid? Consider whether the candidate is actually engaged with their industry and profession and might therefore be a keeper. With no visible evidence of reading, commenting or contributing on anything, are they still current? Tease out the pattern of their networking activities and how it’s changed over time. Do they commit to relationships with their employers, or are they serial self-centred philanderers, always on the lookout for their next pull? Check for life. If a candidate has taken the trouble to update their CV, but hasnt done the same with their LinkedIn profile, consider whether their application is merely a knee-jerk to seeing your ad. If theyre being opportunistic, are they also lazy, bored or disengaged with their role, or even under-threat? If their current employer section hasnt been updated since they first started their last role, you may be looking at a journeyman, or a risky prospect with something to hide, not a go-getter. Give and take. A great candidate should be thinking about what they can do for you, rather than themselves and what they want next. Look for clues in whether they frame their experiences to give you sufficient context to judge their worth realistically. Are they working for an industry leader, a total non-entity or the sectors next dead-cat bounce company? Can you see the scale of their “35% improvement in … “? Only context can give you sufficient perspective to make valid judgements. Consistency. Strong and genuine candidates are inevitably consistent. Using a mix of both the first and third person, coupled with the use of mixed tenses, implies inconsistency. Many candidates miss those even when they proof-read their efforts. Taken individually, both recommendations and endorsements are generally unreliable LinkedIn tools, but the pattern of them on a profile can certainly provide an indication of a candidates consistency. On another plane The challenge is always there you dont want to miss out on what really is a stellar candidate just because they dont love LinkedIn as much as you, but equally you dont want to end up with a narcissistic sociopath equipped with a set of team-destroying abilities that would impress Old Nick himself. However, its certain that thinking more widely about what a candidate is unconsciously telling you will save you a lot of time and eliminate some significant hiring risks. You can literally take your selection processes to the next level. About the author:  Jon Gregory  an experienced management consultant, re-organisation specialist and recruitment professional. He currently works with both organisations and individuals, helping to get the right people working effectively in the right jobs.. He’s also the editor of  www.win-that- job.com.

How To Ace Phone Interviews in Executive Job Search - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

How To Ace Phone Interviews in Executive Job Search Most executive job seekers can expect to do some job interviews via phone. Video conferencing or Skype video calls may also be in the picture. According to Susan Adams in her Forbes article on phone interviews, more than half of executive recruiters and hiring managers do initial interviews on the phone. She also notes that, despite the anxiety that may go with this type of interview, there are benefits. The candidate can easily refer to their prepared notes and materials, and they can take notes to reference when they follow up. Having that edge can make these interviews even more successful than in-person meetings. Susan offered 10 tips to ace that phone interview: 1. Prepare as though it’s an in-person interview. 2. If the call comes out of the blue, say you’re in the middle of something and set a time to talk. 3. Make sure you’re in a quiet place with a good connection where you won’t be interrupted. 4. Ask how much time the interviewer has to talk. 5. Stand up and smile. 6. Early in the conversation, ask the interviewer what she’s looking for. 7. Don’t over-talk. 8. Listen closely. 9. Ask about the next step in the process. 10. Follow up. Related posts: Prepare to Ace Brand Your C-level Executive Job Interview Executive Interview: What Questions Do YOU Ask? Interviews: The Power of Thank You Notes photo by tjscenes 00 0

E-mailing - not blogging - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

E-mailing - not blogging - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Im taking a short break from blogging until Ive done something about the staggering amount of unanswered emails in my inbox :o) Im telling ya, it is totally getting out of hand In the meantime I could really use your ideas: How can I make answering all those emails fun? How can I do it in a way that will make me happy? Any and all ideas are welcome- just write a comment. Ive already thought of one thing Ill do: Ill post the current number of unanswered emails right here. Right now the count stands at: 202 unanswered mails (10:30 PM, Aug. 14) 214 unanswered mails (8:15 AM, Aug. 15) Yikes, thats what I get for going to bed :o) 172 unanswered mails (10:01 AM, Aug. 15) 100 unanswered mails (11:10 AM, Aug. 15) (WOO-HOO!) 67 unanswered mails (11:57 AM, Aug. 15) 43 unanswered mails (2:22 PM, Aug. 15) 17 unanswered mails (3:23 PM, Aug. 15) 5 unanswered mails (3:34 PM, Aug. 15) 0 unanswered mails (3:50 PM, Aug. 15) WOOOO-HOOOOOOOOO!!! Phew, I made it. Tomorrow Ill be posting on my strategy and on what tips I used or didnt use. And please dont let this post hold you back from sending me email I would LOVE to hear from you. And my inbox suddenly looks so barren :o) Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Skills on Resume Examples For a Killer Resume

Skills on Resume Examples For a Killer ResumeSkills on resume examples are examples of your work experience. This is an important aspect of your resume and you need to make sure that it is correct. If it is not correct, then chances are your application will be rejected or that it will not get you the job you were hoping for.In your skills on resume examples, you want to make sure that you include all of the aspects of the job that you have done. There is no point in including your project when it does not list your level or location. Also, do not forget to list any other projects that you have worked on while you were working at that particular company.These examples will give you a good idea of what your career path will look like. It will also give you a good idea of what to put in your resume so that you will stand out from the crowd. This means that you need to learn how to format your resume properly and quickly.When looking at your skills on resume examples, you will want to s ee what makes you special. You want to know what kind of job you will be doing and how you will be contributing to the company. You can incorporate these into your resume and these will show people that you are the right person for the job.So when you are looking at your skills on resume examples, take note of the kinds of jobs that you have completed. This will help you figure out what kind of resume you should use. It will also give you some idea of how you will be presenting yourself on the job.In your skills on resume examples, you should include any accomplishments that you have had in a previous position. You will find that this will help people understand that you are a proven employee and that they need to see proof of this in your resume. This is the one thing that employers look for when they are hiring someone.Make sure that you include all of the skills on resume examples that you have completed. This includes what you did in the past, what kind of job you did, and what you will be doing with the job you have been hired for. These will help to make your resume look professional and that you will be a good employee for the company.