best websites for finding a job

[dischord]

One of the ones I found has a few members with BU email addresses and no employer/organization listed and another was founded by BU students, so I'm pretty sure they take student members even though I haven't seen any from my school. 

Bearly Legal and I made a deal to try to join one together just to mitigate the initial awkwardness of not knowing anyone, so hopefully we can find one to take both of us.  Although the way you make it sound, that might be a better tactic for Bar Association events.  I didn't realize that Inns are so structured, but this is a bit of a relief to me because while I'm good at making small talk in a structured setting like an interview or whatever, I'm terrible at introducing myself to people at big events and it makes me very anxious.

Two kind of random questions, if you don't mind.  How formal are these events usually (like in terms of dress -- do I need to wear my suit most of the time?)?  And how do you find the gender balance to be -- is it very "good ol' boys"?  I've been meaning to go to more local Women's Bar events because as a female sometimes settings like that are more welcoming, especially in the legal profession.

[Matthies]

One of the ones I found has a few members with BU email addresses and no employer/organization listed and another was founded by BU students, so I'm pretty sure they take student members even though I haven't seen any from my school. 

Bearly Legal and I made a deal to try to join one together just to mitigate the initial awkwardness of not knowing anyone, so hopefully we can find one to take both of us.  Although the way you make it sound, that might be a better tactic for Bar Association events.  I didn't realize that Inns are so structured, but this is a bit of a relief to me because while I'm good at making small talk in a structured setting like an interview or whatever, I'm terrible at introducing myself to people at big events and it makes me very anxious.

Two kind of random questions, if you don't mind.  How formal are these events usually (like in terms of dress -- do I need to wear my suit most of the time?)?  And how do you find the gender balance to be -- is it very "good ol' boys"?  I've been meaning to go to more local Women's Bar events because as a female sometimes settings like that are more welcoming, especially in the legal profession.

First off, meeting people at big events makes anyone anxious. Trust me I know, even now I’m anxious, I still break out in a sweat when I walk into a room of people I don’t know. Its so bad I carry this silver dollar in my pocket and rub it with my thumb to release some of the anxiety, its really bad. Even for all my advice on networking, I still get scared and feel like I am going to throw up. I hate it. BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT. You have to make yourself do it, even when you hate it. And as soon as you meet a few people the anxiety goes away because you know some people at the events. After you do it a few times you develop a routine, it does not make the anxiety go away, but its makes it more manageable with practice.

Besides, you have to learn this skill now while you can make mistakes before you land your firm job. This is what lawyers do, they talk to strangers, be it clients, other lawyers, judges or a jury. You’re not going to a cubical job. You’re going to have to interact with strangers in your profession, and at one point in  your profession, if you want to make partner or keep your job at a firm your going to have to ask strangers for work. It does not make the anxiety go away though, you just have to push through it and you will be fine. It maye seem like the scariest thing in the world at that second, but it goes away soon enough. Fight the anxiety, the desire to chicken out, and go.

They are formal in that most people come directly from work so they wear what they wear at work be it suits or business casual. I used to wear suits every time at first, but now that everyone knows me I just do business casual because everyone knows I’m not really a suit guy. Overdress at first they see what the Inn is like and adjust from there. Although for our summer parties, or lunches, or breakfast I tend to wear “student cloths” unless we go someplace nice. But Inn meetings are more formal. Plus the place we eat at has a “coat and tie” requirement so I have to at least wear a sports jacket and a tie.

The gender and makeup of the Inn will depend on the Inn. I can’t say for sure what your Inn will be like. My Inn is known as the “diversity Inn” so we have a a lot of people of color, gays, etc in my inn included past presidents of the women’s bar association, the gay bar association, the black bar assoation and current president of the Hispanic bar association. Its about 60% male 40% female in my in. The last Inn president was female and a 10th cir judge.

Our Inn is not “old boy” at all, but there is one Inn in Denver that is like that, but they don’t admit students anyway and I love my Inn and the people in it so I have no desire to change. Seriously you will meet people and make close friendships. I have lunch every Thursday morning with a Judge, a DA, a banrucpky attorney, and fed attorney every week. All members of my Inn, I have been doing this every week for two years. Those folks are some of my best friends, have been to their houses for dinner, helped them moved, gone to games, they came to my graduation ect. The friendships you develop will go beyond just the student/mentor ones. You will meet lifelong friends. You can do this as a student and in an Inn where at a firm ediqite rules might mean you could not hang out with the partners, in an Inn you can hang out with anyone, go golfing/skiing with named partners at huge firms, because there is not of that keeping people separate BS like one you start at a firm.

[reporter99]

The banhammer falleth...

Nealric

[Miche]

Second Matthies's opinion of Craigslist. Really, don't do it -- it's a depressing, scam-filled wasteland as far as jobs are concerned.

And second Matthies's opinion of the importance of in-person events.

That said, here are two on-line resources:

1. Daily Journal. They have online employment ads, organized by geographic regions (OC, LA, Riverside, SD).

2. Monster.com. Be sure to filter out the recruiters and temp placement agencies. I've been pleasantly surprised several times to find jobs advertised on Monster and not in other publications. (One was a coveted in-house position that hadn't been sent to recruiters, either. Obviously, not appropriate for a 3L, but relevant in that this was a huge company who wanted a young-ish lawyer, and yet it hadn't occurred to them to advertise anywhere but Monster and their own website.)

2.5 This suggestion is approximately the same suggestion as Monster.com, so it doesn't deserve a new number. LA Times and OC Register both have employment ads on-line, but I think at least one of those publications uses Monster.com as their direct portal. And the other one uses an irritating third-party portal, IIRC. Still, if you skip past all the recruiter and temp placement ads, you can sometimes find a few good leads.

[Specks]

This is going to be an incredibly stupid question I'm sure, but what's an Inn and how does one get an invite?

[john4040]

This is going to be an incredibly stupid question I'm sure, but what's an Inn and how does one get an invite?

http://www.innsofcourt.org/

Talk to the president of your local inn and see if they take students.  If so, apply and see what happens.

[MEMEMEME]

Actually I wouldn't exclude Craigslist. I am not even in law school yet, but that's where I found my current and perhaps what some would say was a sweet deal job. But I have heard most legal jobs are word-of-mouth, thus professional organizations, internships, etc.

[Julietaneon6]

Hello every one,
I'm an eighteen-year-old American college student, seek a job in good software company. Can anyone give me some advice? where i found a better job.

[Esq200]

I would suggest a service called lawfirmconnect.com...it did help me in my job search as I am now work as first year associate in a good firm thanks to them.