Repetition

Where are All the Jobs? Tips for Inexperienced Paralegals Looking for Work

Lured in by promises of explosive growth in the job market (some studies suggested there would be an 18% increase in paralegal jobs between 2010 and 2020), newly minted paralegals may feel as if they've been subjected to a bait and switch now that they actually on the job market. The Bureau of Labor Statistics currently predicts there will only be an 8% increase in paralegal jobs between 2014 and 2024 (source), which is merely an average growth rate for most occupations.

The challenge isn't simply that there aren't as many jobs available as were predicted, it's that the jobs available are going to candidates with significant job experience. 

On participant on the Facebook Group "Paralegals Connect," shared that he had been looking through job postings and saw one for entry level paralegal. This entry level position required five years of experience. "That doesn't seem like entry level to me," he lamented. The truth is the market is glutted with people looking for jobs and employers want a big bang for their buck. In this case, they want an experienced candidate who will work for an entry level wage.

I'm going to share with you three key strategies for breaking into the paralegal career.

What People Think I Do vs. What I Really Do

This cracks me up every time I look at it. Well played, Paralethal. Well played.


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The Luddite

I love it when an attorney says to me, "we need these documents ASAP, so please go to the court house and make copies of everything in the file." 

I SAUNTER back to my office, log on to the court's website and download everything. 

Ten minutes later, I'm back in the attorney's office handing him the documents he wanted. He looks at me like I just worked magic. The day he discovers the internet, my seeming superpowers will be debunked. Let's keep that our little secret, ok?

Shots in the Dark

I bet I'm not the only person who has felt unprepared when an interviewer asked me about my salary requirements. Suggesting any particular amount is like a shot in the dark. I know how much my rent is and generally how much I spend on necessities like toothpaste, cat food and tequila, so I know what I need to get by every month. That knowledge is good for budgeting, but it's insufficient for negotiating.  When negotiating, you have to have in mind a goal, which is to find a job that's both satisfying and pays more than just the bare minimum needed to get by each month. You also need to have some sense of the other party's expectations and limitations.

The great mystery for most of us is knowing the value of certain work done in a certain place, by someone with a particular set of skills and experience.