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Job Interview Updated: Another little update, positive thing

Quill

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Quill

Quill 60,978

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17 minutes ago, Laurel-in-CA said:

Every interview is a learning experience! Just getting one is a victory for you!!

I have been applying for technical writing jobs (my B4Kids job) since February, have gotten 2 interviews and both were based in the midwest while I live in the SF Bay area. Our salary expectations were miles apart and they wrote me off after I was honest with them....and I didn't even give them my higher rate. Luckily an old friend is now consulting and needed my services and he pays my higher rate because of experience in a particular market he serves. Hours are *extremely* variable, but we're fortunate to have a great working relationship (all remote) and it's been a real godsend.

So, if this guy is a jerk, just use the interview experience. I wouldl also suggest having a professional or a friend or two review your resume and suggest updates/reformatting/how to reframe your skills. In my husband's job hunt, he has gotten great benefit from being coached how to use LinkedIn's professional membership for more effective networking. Just something to consider.

There’s actually a member in these forums who does this professionally and she did look at and edit my resume and cover letter. 🙂 

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Quill

I have not read all the replies; I was at the interview.  It went well. I don't think the guy is so much of an a-hole as he seemed to be. I think he goes for a dominant style, but he could probab

Quill

Replying so it will bump: I was offered the job today and am accepting it. 

Quill

One more little update that I think you all will like: I was chatting with the lawyer on the phone today (I start tomorrow) and he again mentioned that he had been hesitant on the fact that I had

Dreamergal

Dreamergal 7,036

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So happy you went and it sounds like a positive experience. Fingers crossed you get the job. 

About age being an asset, I am seeing it now in terms of experience. In an non-pandemic scenario employers usually prefer getting younger people and training them for the job before they jump in which can take a duration. But during a pandemic especially that is not possible and I am getting more repeat work now with companies that I have worked before in what are usually lean months for me. 

I will also say having a job has been a life saver mentally for me when I did not plan to take any this year. But the putting on the oxygen analogy scenario here, lots of juggling for DH and me to make it run smoothly, but problem solving non-COVID ones in a world that was familiar to me was just what I needed.

I have no idea what a paralegal does, if this does not work out can you do some sort of contracting short term work ? Since you have accounts background too ?  If you don't need medical it opens up lots more opportunities in my experience. 

Good luck @Quill

 

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Quill

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36 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

have no idea what a paralegal does, if this does not work out can you do some sort of contracting short term work ? Since you have accounts background too ?  If you don't need medical it opens up lots more opportunities in my experience.

I could but I would not pursue that unless it was the only way to put bread on the table. I don't really enjoy working with numbers; I much more enjoy working with words and ideas. There is a lot of the later in law. I am also not at all interested in trying to drum up freelance business. To me, that is like being on a constant job interview where you have to keep convincing people that they want you. That's the part I hate about interviewing the most. 

A paralegal, just FYI, assists lawyers. Depending on the type of law and the structure of the business, this can take numerous forms. Some might mostly interview people as part of a case. Some might obtain and organize things like medical records. Some are total support staff and do basically all the tasks the attorney can't bill for. This particular job is closer to that last one, which is typical in solo offices. 

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Dreamergal

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32 minutes ago, Quill said:

I could but I would not pursue that unless it was the only way to put bread on the table. I don't really enjoy working with numbers; I much more enjoy working with words and ideas.

Definitely get the working with what you enjoy. For a time I did work that was basically that which let me stay in the country and put food on the table. Definitely makes a difference in the day to day enjoyment of working and handling bad days.

32 minutes ago, Quill said:

I am also not at all interested in trying to drum up freelance business. To me, that is like being on a constant job interview where you have to keep convincing people that they want you. That's the part I hate about interviewing the most. 

 

That is one of the pitfalls of freelancing, but once you establish yourself, you get called repeatedly which is what happens mostly in my case. I hate interviewing too, but it is mostly done over lunch with someone I usually worked with in the past mostly in my case as my skills are rather niche. But there is something to be said for a steady job.

Hope you get the job.

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Laura Corin

Laura Corin 41,984

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I'm glad it went well.  From my experience of coming back into the workforce, unless the boss is horrible and the job would really get you down, it's worth taking any relevant position.  Once you have proved that you can hold down your job despite gaps in your work history, getting future jobs should be easier.

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prairiewindmomma

prairiewindmomma 33,152

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4 hours ago, Quill said:

I could but I would not pursue that unless it was the only way to put bread on the table. I don't really enjoy working with numbers; I much more enjoy working with words and ideas. There is a lot of the later in law. I am also not at all interested in trying to drum up freelance business. To me, that is like being on a constant job interview where you have to keep convincing people that they want you. That's the part I hate about interviewing the most. 

A paralegal, just FYI, assists lawyers. Depending on the type of law and the structure of the business, this can take numerous forms. Some might mostly interview people as part of a case. Some might obtain and organize things like medical records. Some are total support staff and do basically all the tasks the attorney can't bill for. This particular job is closer to that last one, which is typical in solo offices. 

The other aspect of this is the conflict aspect---lawyers aren't going to hire temp paralegals from firms that have clients on the other end of the table. Some firms have a standing per-diem pay structure where essentially you are functioning as a contractor (no benefits, pay per diem, etc.) but you are generally a long-term contractor with them.  I've seen some paralegals have multiple employers, but it's generally been that the second employer is a bank and there's a limited scope to the work (ie--works for the bank doing car repos two days a week, works for Dewey Cheatham and Howe three days a week as an estate planning paralegal doing forensic accounting, etc.).

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Quill

Quill 60,978

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13 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

The other aspect of this is the conflict aspect---lawyers aren't going to hire temp paralegals from firms that have clients on the other end of the table. Some firms have a standing per-diem pay structure where essentially you are functioning as a contractor (no benefits, pay per diem, etc.) but you are generally a long-term contractor with them.  I've seen some paralegals have multiple employers, but it's generally been that the second employer is a bank and there's a limited scope to the work (ie--works for the bank doing car repos two days a week, works for Dewey Cheatham and Howe three days a week as an estate planning paralegal doing forensic accounting, etc.).

Yes, the conflict thing can be a big deal, even just moving from one office to another. 

This attorney does have another "of counsel" attorney in a different law division who generally just does her own thing, but rents space from him. He said there is some potential per diem work for her because she has no paralegal and would use one if there was one. The secretary who has been working for him wasn't really suited to that because she was more of a just-here-for-the-typing kind of secretary and didn't really get into legal analysis stuff. 

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  • Quill changed the title to Job Interview today and my own reservations Updated: I got offered the job
G5052

G5052 8,550

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I'm not going to share the details here, but I've had occasion to hire multiple lawyers in the last few years for family issues. All told I've worked seven in the last five years including four who were nationally ranked attorneys in major metropolitan areas. All were complete professionals and had good paralegals, FWIW.

But GOSH, they are assertive, speak-their-mind people. I'm a professional educator, and it's a different set of skills to work with an attorney, particularly a high-powered one. They want quick responses and decisions. They have strong opinions and need to be argued with if they aren't taking everything into account. One of them was a well-known litigator, and I had to tell him repeatedly that I wanted to settle out of court until he stopped asking about that. He was respectful, but he knew how to ARGUE. He was also a persistent negotiator, and we were successful with getting a good out-of-court settlement. Thankfully! 

In my younger days, I think I would have enjoyed that field if I was working with someone who maintained a level of mutual respect with me. But being older, I'm sticking to education (smile).

I think you'll be fine. 

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PrincessMommy

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On 11/11/2020 at 9:16 AM, Quill said:

 

 

UPDATE 11/18/20: He offered me the job via email. I am accepting it. I do still have some reservations, but I think it is a net win. Worst-case scenario: I get some updated experience and don't stay for the long term. 

Congratulations.  It seems like you are going in with realistic expectations.   Is this full-time job? 

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Ditto

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Congratulations!  I hope that it turns out to be a good fit for you and that you enjoy it.  When do you start?

Edit:  How are you feeling about it now that you have been offered the job and will accept it?  Are you happy?

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Ellie

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On 11/11/2020 at 8:16 AM, Quill said:

UPDATE 11/18/20: He offered me the job via email. I am accepting it. I do still have some reservations, but I think it is a net win. Worst-case scenario: I get some updated experience and don't stay for the long term. 

WOOHOO!!! Congratulations!!

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Quill

Quill 60,978

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9 minutes ago, Ditto said:

Congratulations!  I hope that it turns out to be a good fit for you and that you enjoy it.  When do you start?

Edit:  How are you feeling about it now that you have been offered the job and will accept it?  Are you happy?

I start this Friday. 

I am "medium" happy. I'm not ecstatic; I'm not unhappy. I'm pleased. Glad to get my foot in the door somewhere; expect to like the tone of that little firm; think I can do the job well. 

There is a part of me that is sometimes not happy that I will be working full time. If we had millions of dollars, I would rather read, play with cats, and bake things. Absent millions of dollars, though, this seems like the thing to do. 

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Garga

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Congratulations! I hope this is a great job for you!  Lawyers are (or can be) aggressive, so hang in there. I don’t think they mean it personally, but they tend to speak a bit more directly than most people do.

Edited by Garga
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2 minutes ago, Quill said:

I start this Friday. 

I am "medium" happy. I'm not ecstatic; I'm not unhappy. I'm pleased. Glad to get my foot in the door somewhere; expect to like the tone of that little firm; think I can do the job well. 

There is a part of me that is sometimes not happy that I will be working full time. If we had millions of dollars, I would rather read, play with cats, and bake things. Absent millions of dollars, though, this seems like the thing to do. 

Was full time the only option with this firm?   I understand how you feel.  I do hope you end up loving it enough that you don't mind the full time aspect.

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Quill

Quill 60,978

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5 minutes ago, Ditto said:

Was full time the only option with this firm?   I understand how you feel.  I do hope you end up loving it enough that you don't mind the full time aspect.

It's a tiny firm, so yes. He is flexible, though, because he is an older guy and isn't out to set the world on fire. So it doesn't sound like it will be a big deal if I need to come in late or leave early, so long as I get the work done. 

Besides that, it really needed to be full time for me, or else it is not worth it. 

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Scarlett

Scarlett 29,550

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26 minutes ago, Quill said:

I start this Friday. 

I am "medium" happy. I'm not ecstatic; I'm not unhappy. I'm pleased. Glad to get my foot in the door somewhere; expect to like the tone of that little firm; think I can do the job well. 

There is a part of me that is sometimes not happy that I will be working full time. If we had millions of dollars, I would rather read, play with cats, and bake things. Absent millions of dollars, though, this seems like the thing to do. 

This is how I feel about working too.  LOL

Congrats on the job though.  At least the applying and interviewing is over now!

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Quill

Quill 60,978

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One more little update that I think you all will like:

I was chatting with the lawyer on the phone today (I start tomorrow) and he again mentioned that he had been hesitant on the fact that I had been out of law for so long. “But,” he said, “I admire that you devoted twenty years to your family and homeschooling your kids. I think that says a lot about you; I dig it.” ☺️

I had been feeling a bit sorry for myself, feeling maybe I misspent all those years. (I still feel this way some.) It was very validating to hear him say that, though. 

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  • Quill changed the title to Job Interview Updated: Another little update, positive thing
Not_a_Number

Not_a_Number 11,126

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17 minutes ago, Quill said:

One more little update that I think you all will like:

I was chatting with the lawyer on the phone today (I start tomorrow) and he again mentioned that he had been hesitant on the fact that I had been out of law for so long. “But,” he said, “I admire that you devoted twenty years to your family and homeschooling your kids. I think that says a lot about you; I dig it.” ☺️

I had been feeling a bit sorry for myself, feeling maybe I misspent all those years. (I still feel this way some.) It was very validating to hear him say that, though. 

Oh, that IS affirming. I hope he turns out not to be a jerk! 

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Corraleno

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26 minutes ago, Quill said:

One more little update that I think you all will like:

I was chatting with the lawyer on the phone today (I start tomorrow) and he again mentioned that he had been hesitant on the fact that I had been out of law for so long. “But,” he said, “I admire that you devoted twenty years to your family and homeschooling your kids. I think that says a lot about you; I dig it.” ☺️

I had been feeling a bit sorry for myself, feeling maybe I misspent all those years. (I still feel this way some.) It was very validating to hear him say that, though. 

I bet you guys will get on really well, and that he will be very very appreciative to have found you! 

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Scarlett

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1 hour ago, Quill said:

One more little update that I think you all will like:

I was chatting with the lawyer on the phone today (I start tomorrow) and he again mentioned that he had been hesitant on the fact that I had been out of law for so long. “But,” he said, “I admire that you devoted twenty years to your family and homeschooling your kids. I think that says a lot about you; I dig it.” ☺️

I had been feeling a bit sorry for myself, feeling maybe I misspent all those years. (I still feel this way some.) It was very validating to hear him say that, though. 

Best thing I have read all day. 🙂

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