Doing an Attorney Job Search

Especially if you're just starting out, it can be difficult to get a foothold in an attorney job search, especially because you won't have many professional contacts. However, there are lots of associations and networking events you can join or attend, such that you can begin to network, get your foot in the door, and get those first interviews, to lead to that first attorney job.

If you're an experienced attorney and are looking for a new position, you'll likely have several more options available to you, since you'll probably have some contacts in the industry. As part of your attorney employment search, you should most definitely take a look at recruiting services, since these services specifically look for experienced candidates to fill particular positions. Particular to your attorney job search, look for a recruiter that specializes in attorney jobs in your particular area of expertise, such as corporate law. The recruiter is going to know about job listings that may not appear anywhere else, and because the recruiter is working for the client doing the candidate search, you don't pay anything for these recruiter services.


Your attorney job search should also branch out to other venues you might not otherwise think of. For example, you can certainly attend physical ''networking'' events sponsored by relevant entities, like universities, law firms, corporations, of bar associations, and so on. This is a good idea for face-to-face contact with people who may be looking for an attorney in your area of specialization.

When you do this, certainly, make sure you learn everything you can about the organization in question so that you have as much knowledge about the organization and its role as much as possible. Not only will this make you comfortable when you're talking to other people, but it could give you a leg up in a particular job search, too, since people will remember you as someone who is ''in the know'' about their industry and therefore someone who might be a good candidate for a particular attorney job search with that particular corporation or entity.

However, networking goes far beyond traditionally based in networking these days. You can (and should) certainly attend events as usual, but networking has gone social - via social networks and social bookmarking, that is. This is a great way to find a job during your attorney job search, since you can find people in your industry that you can then connect with; this is a great way to hear about jobs that might not be publicly listed yet - or that may never be publicly listed.

That's one thing that can make an attorney employment search frustrating; if you simply do job searches on regular ''attorney job search'' sites, you may miss out, because many times, these listings are either outdated or will have so many candidates applying for them that it's very unlikely you'll have a good shot.

A note about job sites

Jobsites certainly can list jobs for attorneys, and they can be helpful for your attorney employment search. However, most of these sites are ''free to job candidates, paid by employers,'' which makes them a pretty sorry bet if you're really looking for a good attorney job. Therefore, consider going with a job site that seeks modest fees from candidates, not from employers.

One such site is a EmploymentCrossing.com. EmploymentCrossing.com has thousands of job listings available, and many of these are specialized to attorneys; just do a search on the site to find them. Because EmploymentCrossing.com makes its fees from candidates, not employers, you can be sure the job listings you find during your attorney job search or relevant and legitimate. That's different than most jobsites; because most jobsites make their money from employers, not candidates, they don't screen their listings particularly carefully - and that means you have to sift through a lot of junk to get to the gems.

Not so with EmploymentCrossing.com. Simply go to the site, sign up, pay a small fee, and search for jobs. Bookmark it as one of your premier resources for attorney job search resources, and you may just find yourself gainfully employed - with your attorney employment search much streamlined - very soon.