Lateral Attorney Report
Now is the time to start your job search!
By Liz Hudson
We often talk about the most opportune time in a lawyer’s career to look for a new job (typically between years 2-6), but it’s also important to realize that there are certain times in the calendar year that are better for job searching than others. As it happens, we are just embarking on the best time of year for job searching right now!
As many people realize, law firms do a lot of hiring in the first quarter. Typically, attorneys get their annual bonuses paid out in January or February and then start looking for new positions. Of course, this means that the law firms start hiring at the same time in order to replace the attorneys who are leaving. Because these bonuses are not usually paid until that time frame and the holidays lead to a lot of vacation days, November and December are somewhat slow for lateral moves.
However, don’t let that slow down your search! If you start working on your job search now, in November, you are going to be best positioned for making the leap in Q1. I am starting to work with new candidates now and the timeline is perfect to allow us plenty of time to: talk about their background and what they’re hoping to find in a new position; compile a list of the ideal firms to target; collaborate on their “marketing materials” and how to best pitch them as a candidate; and to truly delve into finding the perfect position.
I also use this time to start reaching out to firms and discussing my active candidates in generic terms to start priming the pump for when I send them over in the New Year. And, sometimes, these anonymous efforts yield a new position before the current year has ended! So many people put their job search on hold because they are waiting for the next year that they don’t realize there are still jobs to be had now.
Regardless of whether you want a job right now or five months down the line when your bonus clears, now is definitely the time to start your search!
Related posts:
- Legal Veterans Advise Newbies How Not to Blow Their Job Search
- Bonuses Going Down at Skadden
- Using Social Networking in Your Job Search
