Overcoming a Perceived Lack of Experience

Dear Lawcrossing,

I am a recent law school graduate, unemployed right now but very hopeful. I did some work for a local attorney drafting a brief on a high-profile criminal case. He suggested that I interview with someone he knows at the county attorney's office. The job is for prosecuting misdemeanors and backing up a child support attorney. I know that they want litigation and criminal experience. What should I say when they ask me why I'm the one they should hire? I thought about highlighting my recent work drafting that brief, and adding that I'm a quick study and would work hard at getting up to speed as fast as I could. What do you think, LawCrossing?

PA, Nebraska

Dear PA,

Why, you have a bit of the Goddess in you! Faced with a problem many law students encounter-a lack of experience-you have shown your instincts to be excellent. Let's talk about why this is so, and the steps that anybody in your slippers could take to turn the ruins of their resume into a temple.

First of all, you've clearly researched what your prospective employer wants. LawCrossing knows this sounds basic, but you'd be astounded how many law students walk into interviews with a knowledge of the employer that can be summed up by the word, "duh." Statistics show that 19 out of 20 interviewees walk in absolutely cold! Why is doing even the most rudimentary research so very important? Because once you know what an employer wants, you can both fashion your own background to fit those desires, do brush-up work right now to add luster to your credentials, and show what you're willing to do in the future to meet the employer's needs. The wonderful little secret in finding your dream job is this: it just doesn't matter what you've done until now. It matters what you do and say, starting now.

In terms of molding what you've done to suit the employer's needs, first of all be sure to comb your back-ground for transferable skills. If the job you want entails a lot of contact with children, and you were once a camp counselor, highlight that. If it entails a lot of research, stress that semester you spent researching Professor Shamalama's Law Review article. You get the point. Apart from exploiting what you do have to bring to the table, if you just don't have much experience in what they do, don't be afraid to explode your own land mine by admitting it-in a confident way. As one career services director, says, "Be honest that you're lacking experience, but don't just say, 'I know I don't have the credentials you want....' Say something like, 'I may not have a whole lot of experience, but I do have this experience working for yah-de-yah on this case, I've done all of these other things that LawCrossing is going to explain in the next two paragraphs, and apart from that, I'm willing to do whatever is necessary to get up to speed.'"

Here are those 'other things,' PA. What you've got to do right now is to back up your claim that you'll do whatever you need to do to hit the ground running! Sue Kirkland advises that you "Shake the trees to find people who'll help you learn what you need to know, fast. Go to your career services office and see who from your school does the kind of work you're looking for, or ask any other contacts, at school or in the community, that you might have." Talk to those people, explain the situation, and find out from them what's important for you to know about the job you want, as well as any other steps you should take. You never know how helpful people will be, but LawCrossing assures you that people will genuinely surprise you with what they're willing to give! As Sue Kirkland recounts, "I had a student who came to me with a similar request. As it turns out, I knew a graduate who worked at the county attorney's office. I called that graduate and asked if this student could follow him around for a day, to get familiar with the work the student would be doing if he got a job there. That one day worked miracles for that student!"

Another thing you can do is to take continuing legal education seminars that people in your dream position would take. Even if you don't have time to take any semi-nars before your interview, you can make a few calls today to your local bar association to see what's going to be offered by way of CLEs, and when. And make sure you mention the steps you've taken when you interview! You'll say something like, "I called the local bar to find out when CLEs would be offered, and I'll be taking one next week. Also, I spent a day following Booboo Trizwitz, from your office, around." What's really going on here, PA? It's something you have perhaps already divined. Enthusiasm is a cure-all for virtually any credential ailment. In a sea of apathy, a job applicant who goes to the kind of effort LawCrossing has outlined for you will stand out like a beacon. And LawCrossing trusts that you will do exactly that