"You've got to find what you love."

Below is a youtube video of Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford University in 2005.  It's motivating, yet realistic.  I suggest you take the time to listen to his speech.  It's that good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Steve Jobs lays out his speech in three "stories."

The first story is about "connecting the dots."  He discusses how you cannot attempt to connect the dots of your life looking forward; you "can only connect them looking backwards."  What an important message.  So many of us struggle, daily, to attempt to connect the dots of our life.  Where will we be in five years, or in ten, maybe even twenty.  Don't get me wrong, I agree in the importance of careful planning and having attainable goals, but sometimes I wonder if the anxiety and stress caused by attempts to "connect the dots" is wasted time and energy.  Best message I can take away from this story is to do your best but not allow yourself to hold on to the feeling of failure and despair when things don't go as perfect as you had planned.  Those misteps can lead to the biggest rewards. 

The second story Steve Jobs discusses is about love and loss.  He explains the difficulty he underwent he was fired from Apple and how devastated he was because he loved his job.  Instead of giving up, he developed two companies; NeXT and Pixar.  The success of these companies is known worldwide.  He remarked on this transition in his life, " Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love."  He continued with,  "Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it."  So true. 
 
The third story is about death.  I think the entirety of his speech relays a great message, but this "story" in particular really made me think about my life...and about yours.  He stated, "[F]or the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?'  And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." 

I read an article a few days back that reminded me of his words.  The author of this article explained that there are two reasons why we don't change our current status to be able to do something that we love.  The first is that we aren't exactly sure what we would love to do every day.  The second, and more prominent reason, is fear.  Both are very legitimate reasons not to switch occupations or make some other type of life altering change; I have experienced both.  Steve Jobs explains this in his third story, he says that his fear of making a change was gone in the face of death.  "Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."

Dress to Impress

Some students have asked what appropriate attire "looks like" for a legal internship interview.  I have a few pieces of advice but also wanted you to have a visual of what would be appropriate.

Beth's Advice for Interview Attire

1. Wear a business suit.  It doesn't matter what sector of the profession you will be interviewing for; you must wear a suit.  You are joining a profession that prides itself on a level of formality.  Wearing a suit for your interview will give your interviewer a first impression that you RESPECT the profession and respect that level of formality.  Also, make sure that your outfit FITS appropriately.  If you are having trouble breathing or you are constantly squirming around to pull something down or shift something around...it's too tight.  If you are constantly feeling the need to roll up your sleeves or are stepping on your pants...it's too big.  Employers notice this and get distracted by it during an interview.  Also, get your suit tailored to get the best fit.

2. Don't add anything obnoxious to your suit.  I am talking about ties, bright colored shirts, jewelry, and perfume/cologne.  Keep things simple.  You should allow your personality to be the only thing shining through during the interview.  Keep those cartoon ties handy for a theme party, not an interview.  Do not let your perfume/cologne overpower the room.  Keep your color selection fairly neutral (browns, blacks, grey, tan).  And keep your jewelry to a minimum.  

My best suggestion is if you question whether you should or should not wear something...don't.

3. You better be clean.  Hygiene is extremely important to any employer.  Prior to the interview please do the following: (1) Take a shower.  (2) Brush your teeth.  (3) Wear deodorant.  (4) Brush your hair. (5) Make sure your hands/nails are clean.  If you don't do these things, you have automatically placed yourself in the "DO NOT HIRE" list.  You have also started a reputation for yourself which will get passed from employer to employer that you were not clean and, therefore, inappropriate to hire for any firm/governmental agency/company/etc...

Here is a link to another blog posting on how to "look like a lawyer."  You will notice this blog goes into more detail than I have, but I agree with the post in it's entirety:

http://looklikealawyer.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/the-job-interview/

Prepare Yourself: The Interview

In order to prepare yourself for an interview it is important to think of the questions a potential employer will ask you and also to " work out" what your answers to those questions will be...

The ultimate interview starter is, "tell us a little about yourself." You should have a 30 second answer to this question prior to going into the interview, or at least a general idea of what you want to say. The answer to this question can sometimes set the theme or mood for the entirety of the interview. If you want the interviewer to know you are a family oriented person, make sure to discuss this. If you want the employer to know about a particular job you had in the past that really made in impact in why you are where you are, this is a great opportunity to talk about it.

Big piece of advice: don't get too personal. This is an interview, not a counseling session. You want the interviewer to get to know you on a professional level...nothing more. The last thing you want to do in an interview is make your potential employer feel uncomfortable. Getting too personal has a tendency to do just that. Think of your interview as a first date. What is the conversation like? You talk about your background, your family, your previous employment, your hobbies, etc... What topics do you avoid on a first date? You avoid the 4 B's (hopefully): Bible, Booze, Barack, and Bad Experiences.

Bible & Barack - You don't want the topic of conversation to spin to your religious or political beliefs because you have no idea what your employer's beliefs are...unless your job is working for a particular political/religious affiliation you should avoid these conversations.

Booze - don't talk about what you drink, the amount you drink, where you drink, who you drink with,...just don't go there.

Bad Experiences - An interview is a positive moment! Keep it that way. As soon as you complain or talk about how difficult your life has been, the interviewer takes that information and may come to the realization that you will just complain about this job and how difficult this job is, and won't hire you because of it. Don't put yourself in that situation.

Here is a list of potential interview questions that you should take the time to think about how you would answer them, taking into consideration the advice above:

What are your strengths?
What are your weaknesses?
Why do you want this job?
Where do you see yourself in five/ten years?
What attracted you to this company/firm/agency?
Why should we hire you?
What did you like least about your last job?
What were your respondibilities at your last job?
Tell me about a difficult situation you encountered at a previous job and how you handled it.
Are you willing to re-locate?
What are you looking for in a starting salary?
Do you have any questions for me?

Finally, enjoy the interview! The interviewer may have had 50 applicants and is interviewing 15. Keep that in mind and know that you and your resume made the list. That is something to be very proud of!

Equal Justice Works Summer Internship Opportunities

Sam Mollet, a current second year student at USD was able to gain some very valuable experience through the Equal Justice Works summer internship program. Please read below how she describes the application and selection process as well as what she gained from the experience...

The application process for the Equal Justice Works internship was much easier than I had expected. The first step is deciding if you would like to apply for one or both of the internships. After I decided on the East River opportunity, I emailed my cover letter and resume to Cheryl Hanna. She made sure that the documents made it to the director of East River, Doug Cummings, and he contacted me to set up an interview time. He was very willing to work with my schedule and even came to the law school to hold the interviews, so it was more convenient for those who applied. After the selection was made, Cheryl contacted me again with a very detailed email about how to apply through the Equal Justice Works system. The information needed to apply was basic information and was easy to follow. There are a few things you have to keep track of during your internship hours, but it is not really as detailed as it seems to be. You are supposed to keep a log of the type of work you did during the 300, but you do not turn in that information. The log is mainly used to help answer questions for the exit survey after the 300 hours has been completed.

I feel like I learned a lot and was able to gain practical experience during my time at East River. I was able to take on as much work as I wanted and was able to go to court numerous times. I participated in client intake, conducted my own client interviews, and helped draft letters and documents. Also, I was able to complete my 300 on whatever schedule I chose. I worked full time and finished my 300 hours by the beginning of July, but the attorneys are also willing to work with part time job schedules or days off as they are needed. I would recommend this internship for anyone who wants to gain experience doing actual legal work in a relaxed, easy to learn environment.

The Contacts Roadmap

Are you attempting to figure out:

1. What you want;
2. Why you want it;
3. And who you know that can help you get it?

Below is the link to a book full of strategies to help you think through all of those questions and to organize the answers in a clear format. 

From Lemons to Lemonade in the New Legal Job Market: Winning Job Search Strategies for Entry-Level Attorneys

I am not the first person to discover the helpful hints of this book and I actually found out about it through a very interesting blog entitled "The Girls Guide to Law School."  Not only do I suggest you read her review of the book, please peruse her many posts on other areas of law school survival.

http://thegirlsguidetolawschool.com/02/cool-idea-for-legal-networking-make-a-contacts-roadmap/

Resume Writing: The "I Have Nothing" Conundrum

"I haven't really done anything to put on a resume."  Really?  I seem to hear this line...A LOT.  By the time we graduate law school we should be able to fill multiple pages with our accomplishments, do-gooder moments, and employment.  So, where do I start when a student walks into my office with this line?  We have a conversation...a sometimes very long, drawn out conversation, in which I am feeling more like a therapist than a career consultant, but in the end the conversation is very worth the time.  Hopefully, this "I have nothing" student has, at the very least, a very general template of a resume, although, at times, s/he may literally have nothing.  It is important for any person, whether your a student or not, to recognize achievement.  Just because you weren't a Rhode Scholar and 4.0 student doesn't mean you have no contribution to your own personal and professional development.

First and foremost, I want a student to tell me about who s/he is and how they ended up in my office.
 
Where are you from? 
Where did you go to high school? 
College? 
Graduate School?
What did you participate in while in school? 
What jobs have you had? 
Are you married?
Do you have any kids? How many? 
What do you do in your free time? 
Why did you pick that major in college?
Why are you in law school?  

As I ask these questions, I frantically am jotting down notes.  And, although this process may seem intimidating to the student at first, I begin to explain to them all of the things they can put down on their resume.  I grab a red pen and circle items I have written down that they should include on their resume and why.  Many students begin to realize just how incredibly unique and powerful their life experiences have been and that they can put those experiences down on a piece of paper.

Now comes the hard part... 

How do I organize all of this "stuff" onto one page (or maybe two)?  The editing phase of building a resume is brutal and can span over the course of several weeks.  Many students become frustrated that they haven't completed it in a few short hours, but it will pay to be patient.  It is important to take the time to review and revise multiple times.  Give yourself the time to do it right.  And feel free to send it to me along the way.

Facebook: The Online Resume

I remember when Facebook was in its infancy.  I was a consultant for my sorority and traveling all over the country.  Staying on touch with people back home was becoming a bit time consuming.  All of my friends were telling me I NEED to get on Facebook, even my mother was a strong proponet for the thing.  I eventually gave in to the hype and joined the popular world of social media.

Soon enough, I was receiving friend requests from those chapter women I was working with at the time.  And, soon enough, I realized the extremely negative impact Facebook was having on my initial impressions of them.  Pictures and quotations I wouldn't have the nerve to secretly send to my close personal friends were being found in my newsfeed daily.  I was absolutely horrified at some of the things these people were saying back and forth to each other. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the occassional "naughty word" for some extra punch and I have been "tagged" in my share of photos that include items such as (gasp!) an alcoholic beverage or two.  But there is a line that we all must dance when it comes to what others will see and how that may affect our own life.

As I explained to women around the country through my travels, "you need to think of Facebook as your own personal online resume."  Yes, there are those professional platforms, such as LinkedIn, but the popularity of Facebook and it's wide use will make is susceptible to background checks by potential employers.  The last thing you want an employer to see is you tagged in an Facebook album titled, "Too Drunk to Remember..." with a wide array of pictures of you in compromising situations.  

Or think of it this way...You will eventually become "friends" with someone who may be able to get a job for you down the road.  But if you solicit their assistance after you have dropped the f-bomb 50 times in your status updates over the last month, good luck.  Some people may not mind that sort of crudeness, but others will be completely turned off or will not want to be associated with you and risk putting their own reputation on the line.

I understand Facebook and other social media sites were created for that very purpose; to be SOCIAL.  So many people who read this message will argue that it's not meant to be a professional site, and, therefore, they should not have to customize their social profile to be professionally appropriate.  That's fine if that's what you think, but I can guarantee you potential employers are looking, and they won't hire you if they don't like what they see posted.