Procrastination and the Job Search

By: Kandice Thorn

The year has flown by and we are already fast approaching spring semester finals.  Around this time of year, as many of our students prepare to graduate, I start getting queries from people who previously hadn't thought much about the job search but suddenly are realizing that the entire year has passed them by.  The far off haze of post-graduation employment is suddenly coming sharply into focus.

"How do I start looking for a job?" they ask. "Should I start networking now?"

Obviously, you're much better off if you began preparing your resume, networking, etc. early on.  But if you didn't do this, are you without hope?  No!  It's never too late to start.  Here are some tips to help the procrastinators among us make up for lost time.


1.  Don't sacrifice your grades/bar passage.  Your LL.M. grades are important and so is the bar exam.  You've waited this long -- don't throw them under the bus to start your job search now.  Your finals should consume your full attention now, and as soon as bar study begins, that should take all your time and energy.  Don't focus on the job search until these critical periods have passed.  After the bar exam, take a day off then begin the job search in earnest.

2.  The first thing you should do is finalize your resume.  When you begin your job search, especially post-graduation, it is likely that someone may ask for your resume, so as soon as you finish the bar exam you'll need to make sure you have a perfect resume ready to go at a moment's notice.  Don't get caught without an up-to-date resume ready to go!  Note that I get very busy by mid-August with the new crop of students coming in, so if you want me to review it, try to get a draft to me as early as possible.   It will be very helpful if you carefully review the mini-guide available at law.fordham.edu/gpdpresources before submitting it to me.

3.  Then come up with a networking strategy.  During the academic year, you can build your network slowly by meeting people organically through volunteering opportunities, committee participation, etc.  But at this point you don't have the luxury of allowing your networking relationships to build slowly over time.  You will need to supercharge your networking by investing more time in one-on-one meetings.  Begin by identifying people or types of people you want to meet (Martindale.com is a great resource for this), then start reaching out to them for informational interviews.  When you meet with someone, be sure to ask them if they know of anyone else you ought to meet with.

4.  After these things are in place, you can start responding to job postings.  Remember that the majority of open jobs are never advertised, and advertised positions frequently get hundreds of responses.  Responding to job postings can be useful, but because it is easy, people typically rely too heavily on this method of searching for a job.  This is not to say you shouldn't spend your time or energy responding to job postings.  Just remember that when employers receive hundreds of applications, your qualifications will need to be a very close match to what they are looking for.  Be judicious and apply only to those positions for which you are a good fit.

5.  Work steadily and treat your job search like a job.  Set aside several hours per day just to focus on the job search.  Set daily and weekly goals and stick to them.  Enlist a friend to be your "coworker."  Keep each other motivated and accountable for your progress.