When he met with Margie Boone of Margie Boone Consulting in Boston for a Boston Globe Career Makeover, Koval asked for help jump-starting his job search. “It’s difficult not to get discouraged,’’ he said.
Boone, a Boston career coach and a former lawyer, applauded Koval for his enthusiasm about practicing law.
“You really love the work, and often that’s not what I hear from attorneys,’’ she said. “You can’t fake enthusiasm, and that will work toward your advantage in interviews.’’
Negativism can kill any job hunt, said Boone, whether it’s complaining about a company or supervisor, appearing desperate, or having a sense of entitlement and superiority. Like many high-achieving professions, attorneys tend to be smart and ambitious. But whether lawyer, engineer, or scientist, Boone said, what’s often lacking in cerebral types is the mindset to “sell’’ themselves.
“For many lawyers, a job search means going outside one’s own comfort zone,’’ she said. “It is not about going into a room and handing out business cards. It is about reaching out to people and asking for advice and information.’’
Many services have sprung up to help lawyers looking for jobs, including so-called blaster services that promise to send resumes en masse to law firms across the nation. Not a good idea, said Boone.
“Mass mailings rarely work,’’ she said. Instead, spend time and energy making new contacts, talking to law school and college classmates, or volunteering.
“This is a more active job search and certainly requires a lot more effort,’’ Boone said. “It also works.’’
Finally, Koval asked for Boone’s advice on his resume. The two-page resume was wordy and jumbled, with random capitalizations and underlining that didn’t follow any format. Boone noted that the typical hiring manager scans a resume in 10 seconds or less.
