Living the Life You’ve Imagined
By Linda Tancs • May 02, 2015 •Ms. JD, Careers, Other Career Issues, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Other Issues
It’s time to start living the life you’ve imagined – Henry James, author Are you living the life you’ve imagined? If not, why? Is it lack of courage—or encouragement? Let’s face it; it’s easy to play it safe. But as the expression goes: no guts, no glory. Take a look at the excuses you use to keep from realizing your dreams. I’m too old (or young). I don’t like risk. My family would never approve. I don’t have enough money. I don’t have enough influence. It’s all been done before. I’m not that talented. What excuses do you make? We all have hopes and aspirations. The next time you…
Retooling at Midlife or Beyond: Tips for Revitalizing or Transitioning a Legal Career
By Linda Tancs • April 03, 2015 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues, Issues, Balancing Private and Professional Life, Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
Increasingly, Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) are assessing their career plans. For some, the time has come to transition key client relationships to seasoned associates or junior partners. For others, a midlife review of career accomplishments, goals and objectives is in order to determine next steps. Whatever your case, consider the following tips for revitalizing your career or transitioning to the next level. Keys to Revitalization Understand Your Career Focus. You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been, as the saying goes. Take stock of your career progress to date. What are your professional accomplishments? What have you enjoyed…
Create Buzz for Your Business With an Attention-Grabbing Biography
By Linda Tancs • March 03, 2015 •Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues
Biographies are increasingly important as part of a digital toolkit and make compelling introductions for book covers and speech presentations. So why do so many lawyers treat biographies like the literary equivalent of canned soup? To best maximize its effect, understand what a bio is—and isn’t. A Bio is not a Résumé Avoid thinking of a bio as a short-form résumé. A bio provides context and texture to your work and overall life experience. Of course, you’ll list your accomplishments—but you’ll highlight your most compelling attributes. A Bio is not a Novel Research indicates that the general attention span of…
The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
By Linda Tancs • February 02, 2015 •Ms. JD, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Issues, Mentoring and Networking, Other Issues
For decades, employers have vetted employees’ performance on the basis of their mastery of whatever knowledge and technical skills are required to produce the best results. This evaluative process, however, infrequently takes into account the ability of an employee to work effectively with others and ignores undermining behaviors that impair working relationships. Since the early 1990s researchers have linked a series of personal traits to productivity and profitability in the workplace. These traits—self-awareness, self-discipline and empathy—form the crux of what is now commonly referred to as “emotional intelligence” or “EQ.” The importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace cannot be…
Managing Career Transition
By Linda Tancs • January 02, 2015 •Ms. JD, Careers, Other Career Issues
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” For many lawyers, that dream involves a transition from one career to another or one practice area to another—and all the associated stress and anxiety. Can I succeed outside my comfort zone? Do I have the technical and educational skill sets to find viable employment in another capacity? How will I manage my fears and expectations? Take heart. There are many things you can do to prepare for a career transition. First, take stock of your career progress. What are your five most…
Cover Letters Help Candidates Get Interviews
By Linda Tancs • December 01, 2014 •Ms. JD, Careers, Law School, Choosing a Career and Landing a Job
In today’s fast-paced environment, it’s often tempting to sacrifice a cover letter as part of the job application process, particularly if its submission is optional. However, a well crafted cover letter gives you an additional opportunity to highlight and sell your skills and experiences to an employer or recruiter, provided you follow some basic guidelines. First, recognize that a cover letter is a marketing tool—in other words, don’t treat it like a form letter. In some instances, an employer may choose to read a cover letter first to get an overall sense of your background, writing style, or personal characteristics. Accordingly,…
Rainmaking 101: Tips for the Junior Attorney
By Linda Tancs • November 04, 2014
A sobering fact is this: to achieve the highest level of success in private practice, you must be willing and able to build a book of business—and the sooner you start, the better. Granted, there are some firms that might not even begin rainmaking discussions until an associate’s third, fourth or fifth year in practice, but those firms are few and far between in a shrinking economy beset with client demands for fixed fee arrangements and lower expenses. In fact, the pressure on junior attorneys to begin adding to the bottom line will only increase as clients re-allocate their work…