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.