Paralegal Job Search Plan: Objectives, Resources, Networking & Record Keeping

There are number of books, articles and even blogs has been published with reference to interview techniques like what you have to offer an employer and how to do the paper work, including your skills assessment, resume, and cover letter-all in preparation for the interview. But unless you have a strategy for finding job opportunities, all that work will not help you. Your job search plan is essential for you to find the best job for you.
 

Your job search plan should include the following:

 

• Your job objectives,
• Your resources and Networking contacts,
• Your record-keeping.

1. Your Job Objectives

What type of employer are you looking for? Include the size of the organization, its location, the type of work specialty (if relevant), and any other details that help you to focus on the kind of job you would like to have. It is not essential for you to limit your options, but the clearer you are in your objectives, the easier it is for you to make a job search plan.

This part of your job search plan should include a list of organizations, firms, and agencies you want to contact for openings. In addition to the name of the firm, list any name or names of persons you can use to contact directly. In your research, you may discover specialties or interests which appeal to you.

2. Your Job Resources
 

• List all reference materials you plan to use.
• List personal contacts you plan to use.
• Develop a network.
• Discussion on network follows.

" Everyone you know should be aware that you are looking for a job. The discussion on networking that follows explains how you can widen your range of contacts, but start with listening all your friends, relatives, and friends of relatives who might be able to help you.

See Also: How to Answer the “Tell Me about Yourself” Interview Question

Other job sources should include the following:
 

• Alumni offices, career centers, and job placement offices of schools you have attended
• Alumni newsletters
• Local bulletin boards and professional newsletters of community and civic organizations
• Job fairs
• Professional association meetings
• Yellow pages
• Classified ads

The "hidden job market," opportunities that exist but are not advertised (for example, openings resulting from a merger, expansion, or someone leaving). The best inside track to the hidden job market is through networking.

Add your other job sources to this list.
 

• Using Employment Agencies to Find a Job

Should you use an employment agency to find a job? Recently, a number of employment agencies opened to primarily handle paralegal placement. Check the yellow pages as well as the classified ads in professional journals. Make certain that the agency does not view paralegals as secretaries with a little extra training. Also, read any agency contract before signing it, so that you understand the fees involved. The best agency reference will be someone who has used and been satisfied with the services of the agency. Agencies that handle temporary job placement might also be a good place for beginners while they search for a job.

It is important to understand the concept of networking as a major resource of job opportunities.

3. Your Networking Resources

In recent years, the concept of networking has become increasingly popular as it relates to job finding, career counseling, and support systems. To understand how networking operates, visualize a series of linkages or connections that leads to other connections. That's what networking is all about: developing connections or contacts that might be able to open some doors for you in your job search.

You are probably familiar with the system referred to as the "old boys' network," in which job information is shared over lunch, on the golf course, or at a party. It's an informal way of discussing what's going on from an insider's advantage point before such information is available to the general public. It's also a system of strategies whereby someone who knows a person within an organization can make a phone call or set up an introduction for you.

When you think of it, each person is the core of a network of friends or associates. In your job search, you must learn how to expand your network. You can do this in a number of ways. Just remember that the focus of your networking should be on the quality of your contacts.
 

• How Networking Works

1. Attend professional association meetings. Find out what is going on in the field. In addition to job information, what are the working conditions like in a company? What are the promotion practices? What are current salary ranges?

It takes energy and effort to attend such meetings or job fairs, lectures, or special programs, but the investment of your time is well worth it. You must learn how to put yourself forward, strike up a conversation, or simply listen until you have something to contribute. As you develop a rapport and trust with others, information that is not otherwise discussed becomes easier to talk about and share.

2. be prepared to deliver a thirty-second commercial on you at all times. You might bump into someone at a social function, in an elevator, or waiting in line any place. It's not appropriate, nor do you have the time, to give a lengthy explanation of your job search, but you can briefly mention what you are doing and what you're looking for.

3. Always carry a business card, even if you do not have a job. It is the most efficient and most professional way to give a contact your name and phone number.

4. Networking can take the shape of a casual lunch in which you meet a new person, a friend of a mutual friend. It can take place at a formal party or picnic. All of these occasions provide opportunities for you to develop and expand your connections. If you are not convinced, just take time at a social gathering to watch how people congregate to talk about work-related issues and problems. Work is frequently the common denominator in a discussion, and it is frequently what brings people together, even socially. Observe how others use networking as an effective strategy, and then learn how to use it yourself.