I didn't go to the interview yesterday. Mostly it was the commute and salary. It was also located in a bad area. I likely wouldn't have been able to negotiate a title change. And the area of law is very specialized, and not something I'd be interested in doing long-term. So that's that.
Jenna commented on my previous post that it took her friend a year to find an attorney job, and that job was 6 hours away from her family. I really hope it doesn't take me a year to find a job (I'll start my own firm or go back to working as a biglaw legal assistant first), but even if it did, I wouldn't consider making a move like that. Because, you know, I'm not single (like I assume Jenna's friend is). My career is still very important to me, but so is my happiness. And it's also very important to M, as evidenced by the fact that he strongly discouraged me to go to the interview yesterday and explicitly "forbade" me to take the job. (I thought that was sweet; he knows he can't really forbid me from doing anything, but he wants to make sure I know he doesn't expect me to take a crappy job in lieu of his support)
I think December 1st is my d-day. If I haven't found anything by then, and I haven't passed the bar, I'll go crawling back to my friends from biglaw and see if they'll hire me back as a legal assistant (hello 3 mile commute and 55k salary!). If I have passed the bar, I'll start looking into opening a firm with my friend.
Until then, I'm going to continue to think positive, be productive, be appreciate of my lovely guy, and enjoy my bountiful free time. :)
22 hours ago
9 comments:
When I graduated from college, I got a 1-year maternity leave placement right away. And once that was done, I went to interviews and got a bunch of job offers. But ended up turning all of them down. My friends and family thought I was kind of crazy, but I wasn't willing to settle on just anything. I wasn't looking for my perfect dream job, just something I could see myself doing long term and paid decently. I eventually did end up getting a good job, and I'm glad I waited. But it took me about 3-4 months.
Good things come to those who wait. It kind of worked in the opposite for me, but the industries are all different.
I hope you find something awesome.
Though I agree you shouldn't take that job because you can do so much better, and despite all negatives, I would have adviced going to the interview anyway.
Even if they offered you a job and you refused, the interview is still somewhat important... at the very least, it is practice and might help you pave way to the type of questions or issues for future interviews. It could also have been an opportunity to network (if the company knows they cant 'afford you', they could always forward your info to companies that might be able to), or just to get yourself out there. On the worst case scenario, they will think it was rude you decided to skip on them after setting an interview (it is, after all, on company time that they have to set aside to meet you) and they can pass along the tale of your deed to a possible recruiter later on.
Regardless, best of luck with your search! Hopefully your wait pays forward and you get a great opportunity.
I've been there, and my partner is there right now. It's tough to find work as a lawyer - surprisingly! Good luck with your search.
If you are considering starting your own firm, I highly recommend connecting with senior lawyers in your city and practice area. I am self-employed but work with a senior lawyer and she is invaluable. You really need experienced people to help you out. I would recommend trying to connect with senior lawyers in the area now - they might even help you with job leads or you could establish an office-space and fee-sharing arrangement.
Don't lose hope! :-)
@TJ: I've been to plenty of interviews... at the risk of sounding arrogant, I know how to interview. If I need practice anywhere, it's doing attorney interviews. The kinds of q's being asked in a paralegal interview are q's I've experienced many times before.
This org doesn't deal with recruiters. They're not a "company." I wouldn't call what I did a "deed" either, and it's certainly not something that would be passed on. I sent them a very nice email with plenty of notice telling them that I chose not to go to the interview because I decided the commute would be too much for me. And also that I didn't know that the commute would be that long until after I had participated in part 1 of the interview.
So we have a difference of opinion. :) I don't like wasting my time.
Thanks everyone for the comments and the luck! I need it ;)
I think that its good that you know what you want. I wouldn't call what you did a "deed" either. Keep your chin up and something better will come up.
You know what? You need to do what is best for you and not what the rest of us say at the end of the day. It's good you've given yourself a date and I sincerely wish you the best of luck. It's hard right now. I decided to see if the local police departments were hiring because I'll be getting my AA and it's so nasty out there. Gah!
It's really hard for a lot of people to find a job even if they graduated with a degree due to the economic crisis (it's gotten worse and worse IMO). And that's where debts come in - gives us headache.
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