March 27, 2009

KSA's -- What?? How??

A part of many of federal government job application, you will find short answer sections called KSAs (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities). We've found a great worksheet that will help you develop appropriate KSAs, which you are encouraged to save for future applications. Check out the MakingtheDifference.org website for more information and tutorials on KSAs.

SSA New Chicago National Hearing Center

The Social Security Administration has opened applications for Attorney Advisers, Legal Assitants, Paralegal Specialists, and Administrative Assistants for Chicago's new National Hearing Center. The jobs are currently posted on USAJobs.gov and have a very short application window so apply today! For more information on the federal job application process, check out the Making the Difference website for tips on resumes, KSAs, and more!

March 26, 2009

Twitter

Did you know that you can feed your Twitter tweets into Facebook? Did you realize that Dell made an extra $1M in revenue last year using Twitter? And attorneys are using the technology to land clients? Check out Amanda Ellis' take on Twitter and how she has seen it successfully used for business development and networking. Consider some creative ways to use Twitter: volunteer to send tweets on behalf of a committee for the bar association or for your fellow seminar students and professors on the topics you discuss weekly. Have to miss an event? See if there will be tweets to keep you updated like this entry from the Social Citizens' blog. Check out the LCS tweets from next week's NALP Annual Conference by becoming our follower!

Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair

The Heartland Diversity Legal Job Fair registration opens March 26, 2009. Check out how this Job Fair has grown over the years! Early-bird registration ends May 25, 2009 so don't delay! All 2L (graduating in 2011) and 3L (graduating in 2010) law students 2008 Law Grades are invited to participate.

March 25, 2009

Informational Interviewing

Some of our best lessons are learned from our peers. In that vein, 1L Nick Metcalf shared his recent successes with Informational Interviewing with the LCS. Nick becomes our first guest blogger:

I had an awesome experience with an informational interview. A friend from undergrad had suggested I meet with her neighbor, an attorney for the EPA. Before the meeting I was nervous because I had never met the attorney and I did not know very much about the EPA. The attorney was an expert in several areas (I found this out through the EPA website) so I researched those areas and gained a basic understanding of what she did. The meeting was extremely helpful, as she had a number of suggestions on how to attack my job search. She also had numerous connections throughout Chicago which she said I could use (I plan to email my resume to her husband who is a corporate attorney). I followed up with a thank you email and I plan to email her my resume. Overall, it went really well.

Have an experience you think others could learn from? Email Alisa Rosales with a brief description to be considered for a future guest blogger opportunity.

Lawternatives

Considering an alternative career to practicing law? What does that mean? Look around the law school for a starting point -- there are many lawyers running Centers, teaching classes, and raising funds. Wider in the higher administration arena, there are lawyers handling discipline, compliance, and ethics issues. In corporate America, you will see lawyers handling human resource departments, serving as in-house counsel, and work with EEOC and other compliance issues. In government and the general public sector, lawyers are engaged in policy development, writing legislation, serving in various politically appointed and elected positions, and again, compliance issues. Want to delve deeper? Come into the LCS and check out some OF our titles on this subject!

March 24, 2009

E-Discovery Podcasts

ESI Bytes is a podcast series designed to highlight electronic discovery experts and their continually evolving expertise, practices, and theories. Experts include judges, lawyers, technologists, forensic and records management experts. The podcasts are sponsored by JurInnov. To stay ahead of the curve and be able to offer greater value to employers, check out these podcasts today.

Navajo Nation & Three Affiliated Tribes Summer Positions

Are you interested in tribal courts and laws? The Navajo Nation Supreme Court and Fort Berthoud District Court of the Three Affiliated Tribes are seeking summer law clerks. These positions have been posted to Symplicity and have an upcoming deadline of April 8th so check those out today!

March 23, 2009

LinkedIn & the Job Search

We continually advise students and alumni to ensure that their online presence is updated, cohesive, and professional. JibberJobber talks about becoming an expert on LinkedIn usage with some tips on how to use it in your job search.