Professional Associations

These two organizations are important to me because they deal with jobs and careers in the fields of law that I am interested in.


http://www.nalp.org/

The NALP Foundation for Law Career Research and Education, this  organization, was incorporated in 1996 to ensure that the legal community and society  benefit from an objective source of in-depth research and information in the areas of legal career planning, lawyer recruitment, and attorney development.

Founded in 1971 as the National Association for Law Placement, NALP — The Association for Legal Career Professionals —is a nonprofit educational association established to meet the needs of all participants in the legal employment process (career planning, recruitment and hiring, and professional development of law students and lawyers) for information, coordination and standards. NALP’s membership includes virtually every ABA-approved law school in the US, Canadian law schools and hundreds of legal employers from both the public and private sectors. NALP is dedicated to continuously improving career counseling and planning, recruitment and retention, and the professional development of law students, lawyers, and its members.


           http://www.nala.org/

NALA is the nation's leading professional association for paralegals. As a non-profit organization, NALA provides continuing education and professional development programs for paralegals - from novice to experienced professionals. Its mission is to provide continuing education and professional development programs to all paralegals. NALA provides current information about the profession, continuing education materials and seminars, networking opportunities, professional certification programs, occupational survey findings and manuals to help paralegals excel in the workplace. NALA representsg over 18,000 paralegals,

The link to my linked in profile

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/edit?trk=hb_tab_pro_top

Chapter 1 You Majored In What

3quotes from chapter one that stood out to me


"My major equals my career" 
      This quote was especially important to me. The reason being is it represents the way I have always thought of the connection between my Major and career. Prior to reading chapter one I always thought that your major would always guarantee you a job in the field you are interested in as long as they coincide with each other. My major is criminal justice is not only because i wanted to attend John Jay college of criminal Justice pior to attending Lagcc and still aspire to. But mainly because i want to become a lawyer.

"I should wait until i graduate to start my job search" 
    This is my exact plan when it comes to the time for me to enter the job world. I am currently 19 years old and my intention was always to get my bachelors, start looking for a job by the time im 21. I expect to be  working while i am in law school. I do have my career plan set in my mind but as for job search or places i aspire to work i have not put long thought into it.

"Every lawyer I've ever met is untrustworthy" 
       The importance of this quote is because it represents the reaction my friends and other people give me when i tell them i wish to become a Lawyer some day. I have even had a philosophy professor tell me the same thing. Being that I pride myself on doing things that will have a good effect on mankind this made me a little unsure. I would then begin to think its  hard for me to go outside my character and comfort zone to be an untrustworthy person in order to suit a career. My solution to this problem was simple, i chose to be trustworthy and pride my self on taking cases that i know the person i am defending is not guilty or willfully admitting to being guilty all other cases that i feel unjustified i will simply not handle. My goal as a potential Lawyer is to change peoples negative outlook on lawyers and show that there are some people who are actually genuine and have no problem reflecting this in their work.

Job Interview Expectations

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest.htm


   very helpful and explains what to expect on a job interview. It gave specific questions that may be asked along with the best answers to them.There are different types of job interviews depending on the job you are trying to acquire. Some may be a little bit about you but mostly your work experience and other may be strictly about you as a person.
Examples are:

                 Interview questions work history

• Name of company, position title and description, dates of employment. -
• What were your expectations for the job and to what extent were they met? - 
• What were your starting and final levels of compensation? - 
• What were your responsibilities? - 
• What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them? - 
• What have you learned from your mistakes? - 
• What did you like or dislike about your previous job? - 
• Which was most / least rewarding? - 
• What was the biggest accomplishment / failure in this position? - 
• Questions about your supervisors and co-workers. - 
• What was it like working for your supervisor? - 
• What do you expect from a supervisor? - 
• What problems have you encountered at work? - 
• Have you ever had difficulty working with a manager? - 
• Who was your best boss and who was the worst? -
• Why are you leaving your job? - 
• Why did you resign? - 
• Why did you quit your job? -
• What have you been doing since your last job? -
• Why were you fired? - 

Job Interview Questions About You

• What is your greatest weakness? - 
• What is your greatest strength? - 
• How will your greatest strength help you perform? - 
• How would you describe yourself? - 
• Describe a typical work week. - 
• Describe your work style. - 
• Do you take work home with you? - 
• How many hours do you normally work? - 
• How would you describe the pace at which you work? - 
• How do you handle stress and pressure? - 
• What motivates you? - 
• Are you a self motivator? - 
• What are your salary expectations? - 
• What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make? - 
• Tell me about yourself. - 
• What has been the greatest disappointment in your life? - 
• What are you passionate about? -
• What are your pet peeves? - 
• What do people most often criticize about you? - 
• When was the last time you were angry? What happened? -
• If you could relive the last 10 years of your life, what would you do differently? -
• If the people who know you were asked why you should be hired, what would they say?
• Do you prefer to work independently or on a team? -
• Give some examples of teamwork. - 
• More teamwork interview questions. - 
• What type of work environment do you prefer? - 
• How do you evaluate success? - 
• If you know your boss is 100% wrong about something how would you handle it? - 
• Describe a difficult work situation / project and how you overcame it. - 
• Describe a time when your workload was heavy and how you handled it. -
• More job interview questions about your abilities. - 
• More job interview questions about you. - 

http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2010/09/13/when-job-interview-questions-become-too-personal/

    

      Made me aware of the questions a potential employer may ask while interviewing that may at time be too personal. The person interviewing may ask questions in a slick manner so you may not realize what they are really trying to ask. For example the question “I love your accent; where are you from?” (This one suggests ethnic or racial discrimination.) “When did you graduate from high school?” (This one smacks of age discrimination.) “Are you currently using birth control?” (Again, implies pregnancy discrimination.). These things are illegal for employers with 15 or more employees under the federal anti-discrimination law, which makes sex and pregnancy discrimination illegal; a few states, including New York, New Jersey and California, have anti-bias laws covering smaller employers.



http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-answer-companyrelated-questions-at-job-inte.html


  This website basically gave interview questions and expectations in a simplified form.


How to Answer Company-Related Questions at Job Interviews

During a job interview, you may need to answer some company-related questions. Employers expect you to grasp how the job fits into the overall company picture and what the position entails. Some of these questions could include: What do you see as the direction of this company? What do you know about our competition?

Here are some ways to respond to these and other company-related job interview questions.

If you mention problems in the company’s performance, offer general solutions ,Cite figures to back up the problems you note along with your bright ideas to remedy them.

What do you know about this position?

• From your research, discuss how the position fits into the company structure and how you would fit like a glove into that position.
• Mention how you can help the company achieve its goals.
• Confirm your understanding of the broad responsibilities of the position. Ask whether you missed any key points (thereby setting up topics to discuss your qualifications).

What do you know about our competition?

• Discuss the current climate of the industry and how competitors are affected.
• Add details that show you truly understand the industry and the competition.
• Analyze the impact global competition is having on the industry.

What are your opinions about some of the challenges facing our company?

• Show the depth of your research by discussing some of the company’s upcoming projects.
• Mention several possible solutions to potential problems the company may be facing, acknowledging that you lack certainty without proprietary facts.

What do you see as the direction of this company?

• Give a brief but somewhat detailed answer, displaying a solid grasp of the company’s movement in the industry. Add how you can help.
• Support your answer with facts and figures, citing their source.

Why did you apply to this company?

• The position is a compelling opportunity and the company a place where your qualifications can make a difference. Explain why.
• You heard about a new service the company is launching, which is somewhat related to a project you helped create in a (college) senior year project; you find the potential exciting. Ask if the interviewer would like to hear about your project.

Our company has a mission statement; do you have a personal mission statement — or personal vision?

• In one or two sentences, give examples of your values (customer service, ethics, honor, keeping one’s word, and so on) that are compatible with the company’s.
• Review the company’s mission statement on its Web site and describe a compatible aim.

How will you help our company?

• Summarize how your key skills can help the company toward its goals.
• Describe the wide circle of contacts and other intangible benefits you can bring to the company.

Resume Writing Research

http://jobsearch.about.com/cs/resumewriting/a/firstresume.htm

     showed how to write a resume without using the words I or My too much. It spoke about Resume Keywords that will spark a potential employers interest. "The keywords in your resume should refer to specific job requirements, including your skills, software and technology competencies, relevant credentials, and previous employers." To find these key words you have to look at job postings,ads, etc and stay specific and when writing your resume match your words as best you can with what is being mentioned on the ad. This website mentioned resume templates and many other things a person viewing your resume will use to judge our efficiency.



http://www.dailywritingtips.com/resume-writing-tips/

     This website gave the 44 basic tips for resume writing. It spoke about adding things to your resume that an employer might say "no kidding" about. For example writing"available for interview" this is obvious if your sending in a resume. Other importants tips were; dont just copy and paste resume templates if your trying to be original. Know the purpose of your resume dont just write your resume as if your desperately trying to land a job. The purpose of your resume is to land a job interview so sound as interesting and to the point as possible. Backing up your qualities and strengths is especially important. Instead of a long boring list like creative, problem solver etc you have to back these things up with proof or an example so you dont sound like your trying to exaggerate things. Use effective titles such as "Management of A/R and A/P and Record keeping as opposed to simply saying "Accounting. Basically this website gave a excellent overview of the 44 key tips that will ensure a great resume.


http://www.free-resume-tips.com/10tips.html


 Also described 10 important tips for resume writing;

Tip 1 - Use Titles or Headings That Match The Jobs You Wan

t

Tip 2 - Use Design That Grabs Attention

Tip 3 - Create Content That Sells

Tip 4 - Quantify and Use Power Words

Tip 5 - Analyze Ads and Job Descriptions to Identify Key Words

Tip 6 -Identify and Solve Employer's Hidden Needs

Tip 7 - Sell the Benefits of Your Skills

Tip 8 - Create An Image That Matches The Salary You Want

Tip 9 - Prioritize the Content of Your Resume

Tip 10 - Tweak and Target Your Resumes and Cover Letters

Sample cover letter

Katrina Boyoko
Senior Partner
879 welch street
Washington DC 56792


                                                                                                    Jasmine
                                                                                                    123 brooklyn street
                                                                                                      Brooklyn, New York 33333
                                                                                                      1/18/2012
                                                                                                     347 613 5042

Dear Katrina Boyoko and associates,
       This is with reference to your advertisement I saw in the "Daily News", looking for applicants of the position of a civil lawyer in your highly esteemed firm. With a Bachelors degree in criminal justice and experience as an intern at Jacoby and Myers law firm. I have great confidence that i will bring to your company the level of ingenuity needed for success.
     While working at Jacoby & Myers I received hands on training. Being extremely efficient my employer requested that i become her personal assistant.  Sine then I have sat in on and observed  many high profiled cases. Leaving me with excellent legal expertise, great communication skills. So if your looking for a prominent legal professional who can work effectively with a team i believe that i am the perfect candidate.  a brief look at my attached resume will confirm this.

     Some of the key traits i will portray proven by my resume are.....


*  Excellent interpersonal  business communication skills, Strategic case management  and the experience required to remain highly focused in fast paced environments


* highly developed speaking and presentation skills with the ability to gain support and trust of key players I'n a case.

* Ability to : perform broad research,  inaugurate new ideas and advocate the success of the firm.

ENFJ

     My personality was ENFJ which means I am extroverted, intuitive feeling and judging. This personality assessment was very helpful to me yet did not give me the expected results for careers I am interested in. Never the less it was helpful because it showed me other fields that might might suit my character. The careers that I was placed with was; Counseling,Psychology,Social Work,Education,Physician,Science,Computer Programming,Management,Fashion Merchandising,Politics. My interest is in being an attorney but if that does not  work out as I plan I am glad to know that their are a bunch of other prominent fields that i may work in. In general the overview of my personality is correct and in agreement with my personality analysis of myself . ENFJ basically summarizes how i am on a daily basis.

         As an ENFJ, they say your living focus is to deal with things in order of the way you feel about them or how they fit into your  personal value system.You take things in mainly through intuition. ENFJs  are very focused on other individuals.they have great skills when it comes to people because they genuinely understand and care. ENFJ's are mainly interested in giving love, support, and a good time to other people. I completely agree with this analysis of my personality

Cover Letters

    Specifically listed the categories  that an employer will be focused on when they view your resume.  A cover letter is the first thing a potential employer will see when looking at your resume. It  is first supposed to basically tell an employer specifically why they should hire you. It is necessary for a slew of reasons. The second  is tell specifically how you learned about the position or the organization, the 3rd  is to  Convince the reader to look at your resume. With this in mind it must be well written to that specific employer. 4th it should Call attention to elements of your background meaning education, leadership and experience. 5th it should  Reflect your attitude, personality, motivation, enthusiasm, and communication skills. 6th Provide or refer to any information specifically requested in a job advertisement that might not be covered in your resume, such as availability date, or reference to an attached writing sample. Last you have to mention what your following up plans are. For example "I look forward to hearing from you." However, if you have further contact info (e.g. phone number) and if the employer hasn't said "no phone calls," it's better to take the initiative to follow-up, saying something like, "I will contact you in the next two weeks to see if you require any additional information regarding my qualifications."

 http://www.career.vt.edu/jobsearchguide/coverlettersamples.html

     This website gave me another brief summary of an attorneys  cover letter

. When sending a resume, most people include a cover letter to introduce themselves to the prospective employer. Most cover letters are no more than three short paragraphs. Your cover letter should capture the employer’s attention, follow a business letter format, and usually should include the following information:

• Name and address of the specific person to whom the letter is addressed.
• Reason for your interest in the company or position.
• Your main qualifications for the position.
• Request for an interview.
• Your home and work telephone numbers.

 http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco20043.htm

      From this website i got an example of how a cover letter should look and what it should briefly state. Along with a brief overview of what my potential employer will be lookin for

Law students must take advantage from each and every opportunity to distinguish their attributes, credentials, and experience. Today's world is a very competitive world and only a creative, well-written, thoughtfully composed cover letter can make a significant impression on hiring manager to move your resume from stumble stack of many to the well balanced stack of few. Your cover letter is actually your first writing sample read by the prospective employer.

Thus, your attorney resume cover letter  should be:

• well-structure, concise, well-reasoned persuasive, and grammatically perfect

There are two desired effects of your cover letter:

• First, it will provide the employer the information concerning your intentions related to your career.
• Secondly, it helps to find and attract the attention to your unique, interesting and desirable ability in the context of potential employment as an attorney.

http://www.bestsampleresume.com/resume-cover-letters/attorney-resume-cover-letter.html

Personalized work values

The results for my personalized work values test were very helpful to me. The test revealed that I value Achievement, way of life, prestige and altruism the most when it comes to my choice of careers. This made me realize that my drive to be a lawyer or a forensic phychologist is not a mere dream because i have the mindset that can back it it up and lead me down the path to success. Im not surprised by the results of this test. Ever since i was a child i've always aspired to be a doctor as I grew up I saw that I was not too fond of the sight of blood or the thought of a patient that i grew close to dying. At the age of 16 i always knew I wanted a career that paid $100,000 or more a year, that my mother would be proud of and had an impact of the lives of people. With this in mind the two careers that stod out to me was a lawyer or forensic psychologist. Many people dont see me as the type of person to work in these fields because I seem to be more fashion oriented. This test helped me to reassure myself that i am in the right field with the right mindset and i will continue on my road to success until i get to the top