Class Actions - Fast Facts on Jobs

What's Hot, What's Not

Job Hunting in the 1990s

An Effective Job Search

WHAT'S HOT,
WHAT'S NOT

American Lawyer recently surveyed 170 legal recruiters to find out what they think about today's job market. Here are some of their answers (and the percentage of respondents who mentioned them):

Hot practice areas:

intellectual property (45.8%)
real estate (38.1%)
litigation (14.3%)
tax (10.1%)
mergers and acquisitions (8.9%)

Up-and-coming practice areas:

bankruptcy (20.2%)
intellectual property (13.1%)
litigation (8.9%)
health care (4.2%)
high technology (3.0%)
telecommunications (3.0%)

Other survey questions and findings:

How would you characterize the current market for attorneys looking for a job?
It's better than it has been for the last few years ... 61.6%

It's about the same as it's been for the last few years ... 28.7%

It's not as good as it was a few years ago ... 8.5%

How would you characterize the current employment pool from which firms and corporations hire?
There are not enough qualified attorneys ... 86.6%

There is a glut of good attorneys for too few jobs ... 12.6%

What are the two most common mistakes associates make when considering a job change?
Waiting too many years ... 54.2%

Defining their job search too narrowly ... 37.5%

Having unrealistic expectations about pay ... 31.0%

Aiming for positions that aren't right for them ... 28.0%

Jumping from one firm to another too early in their careers ... 25.0%

To read more about the survey, access the American Lawyer database (AMLAW) and type ti(head-hunter & survey). You will retrieve the article "Make Work: Headhunters Survey."

To read about the ups and downs in the job market, run this search in AMLAW: ti(job & index) & da(1999). You will retrieve the new monthly column (started in May 1999), "The Am Law Jobs Index," that tracks the numbers of attorney job ads by practice type and region as listed on America Lawyer Media's Web site, Amlawjobs.com.

JOB HUNTING IN THE 1990s

After her general counsel job was eliminated by a downsizing corporation, lawyer Susan Sneider embarked on a search for a law-related job. She ended up landing the job of her dreams--and learned a few things about the legal job market along the way. Among other things, Sneider

tells what networking isn't--and is (FYI, it isn't calling your family and friends, it isn't calling on legal recruiters and it isn't answering ads)
advises figuring out who you are and what you want to achieve
explains how to get introduced to well-connected people and form a networking group

To retrieve Sneider's article, "How to Get Yourself Hired: Job hunting in the 1990s," access the Corporate Legal Times database (CORPLT) and type ti(yourself & 1990s).

AN EFFECTIVE JOB SEARCH

What's one of the biggest challenges in pursuing a job? If you're job hunting right now, you probably know the answer: maintaining momentum.

It's tough to stay persistent and upbeat when you're pounding the pavement and getting rejection letters.

Legal career counselor Linda Laufer has a few suggestions for keeping your search on track:

Develop and follow a plan
Never ask networking contacts for a job
Expand your contacts--and follow up with them
Practice answers to the questions you anticipate being asked during the networking process

To read Laufer's article in its entirety, access the New York Law Journal database (NYLJ) and type ti(effective & search). You will retrieve the article "An Effective Job Search."

question mark HOW long before you find your dream job? To read about a lucky new attorney who found a dream job right after graduating, access the Business First–Buffalo database (BUSFSTBUFF) and type first-year /s lawyer. You will retrieve the article "Lawyer Rates First Year's Performance in Dream Job."