BCG Attorney Search Tools - Job Analysis Tool Report

Evaluating the BCG Job Analysis Tool

1. First note categories/questions in which you gave yourself a grade of 4 or less. These are negatives.
2. Do the same for all categories/questions which you gave yourself an 8 or higher. These are positives.

Note the negatives and positives, as you and not someone else have identified them. Next, develop a quick hierarchical ranking of the positives. These become the sine qua non of any new job you take. These positives must also be communicated to your search consultant.

Look at the negatives you have identified. How strongly do you feel about them? Is there any particular one that jumps out at you as being critically important? If so, you must also communicate this to your search consultant. If you do this — communicate both your strongest dislikes and like — BCG Attorney Search or any other consultant can better assess your wishes with those of organizations looking for people like you.

Now concentrate for the moment on the areas where you gave a 5 to 7 grade. Sometimes, upon re-analysis, we see that what we supposedly feel neutral about aren't neutral feelings at all. If so, include them in your positive or negative rankings and do one final ranking of negatives and positives.

Once you have completed this task, you should have a good understanding of whether or not you should move. These types of questions are going to come up if you choose to work with BCG Attorney Search, and when, and if, you begin to interview with prospective employers.

Some Final Words
A move should be considered when, for whatever reason, remaining with your current firm does not represent your long-term goals. But, as you've seen above, there are no simple answers. There is no right time or wrong time to make a move either. Many attorneys start their job search in early to mid-February after they have received their bonuses at their current firm. Associates moving as late as November, however, can in many cases still be eligible for the year-end bonus at their new firm.

The majority of placements made by recruiters are for attorneys who have practiced for more than six months but less than four years. The reason junior associates are more marketable is because there are fewer morale problems hiring junior associates because the competition for partnership has not reached a highly competitive level. Additionally, more junior attorneys can be retrained in the new employer's style. An advantage that attorneys have in moving after their first year is that, for the most part, they have already learned what it takes to be a good associate at their current firms. Thus, they enter their new firm knowing how to be stars, and with a clean slate.