Local Educator

Law firms across the country have been dropping the habit of being overburdened with too many high paid lawyers and are moving towards employing far more paralegals. It is much more cost effective for the firms and simply allows paralegals more responsibility and of course opens up many a vast number of job opportunities. This is great news if you are thinking of getting your paralegal associate degree or one of the many other options in this ever expanding field. The work is both challenging and rewarding and an online degree can get you into the work force with a well paid career at your own pace, and from the comfort of your own home.

Besides the financial rewards, paralegals have almost unlimited options with their job choices. Though almost 70% of paralegals work in law firms, you can also chose to specialize in areas such as banking, estate planning and probate, insurance companies, title companies, government agencies, engineering firms, accounting firms, and more.

You also have the ability to determine what level of degree you wish to attain including a paralegal associate degree, paralegal certificate, advanced paralegal degree or professional paralegal. Your level of pay will increase with your level of certification and your level of certification is limited only by your desire to achieve. Receiving an online paralegal degree is the perfect option for those unable to attend full time classes, or those that have commitments in the home because it offers flexibility that is not possible while attending a regular university program. Students graduate with a recognized education and the ability to step into a career rather than just another job.

With the instability of today’s job market, a top notch education is more important than ever and online schools make that a feasible option for those who may have felt that no option previously existed for them.

*This is fourth in a series of posts regarding interview preparation and job seeking tips for recent graduate. Be sure to check out our first post, Dressing and Preparing for an Interview, our second post, Best Sites to Locate Jobs, and our third post, Make your Resume Count.

If you received an online degree it is very easy to forget how much a first impression matters. Just because you were able to do your assignments in the comfort of your own home doesn’t change the fact that your first day at a new job is whole other story. The dreaded first impression. How do you make it a good one? How do you rise above all of the other business length skirts and power suits in a building full of strangers?

Making a Positive Impression

Easy. It really is.

First- Be on time! If you’re late on your very first day, you may as well not bother showing up. It tells your employer that you just couldn’t be bothered and is usually a deal breaker no matter how great your resume is.

Secondly- Look the part. Remember when you went for the interview? How was everyone else dressed? Is this a formal office or a casual one? Close toed shoes, open toed shoes? Tie or no tie? You need to look professional. Yes, you might even need to pull out the iron and the board. Ladies, it doesn’t matter how nice you may think they are, keep the cleavage in check!

Thirdly- Smile. I know it sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people forget this. These people- your new co workers- don’t know you so be friendly. They don’t need to know your whole life story, they just need to see you as approachable and open.

Lastly- Be confident but don’t try and dominate every conversation. Some new staff may see you as a threat so the last thing you need to help you fit in is to waltz in as though you know everything all of the time. There is a huge difference between confidence and arrogance.

Online schools may have prepared you to know your new job, but common sense will be what carries you through your first day. Calm yourself down, take a deep breath, and face that first impression knowing that you have what it takes to make it a good one.

*This is third in a series of posts regarding interview preparation and job seeking tips for recent graduate. Be sure to check out our first post, Dressing and Preparing for an Interview and our second post, Best Sites to Locate Jobs.

How great does that diploma feel in your hand? Pretty terrific, right? Don’t start feeling too pleased with yourself just yet because your hard work at either a traditional school or online degree will mean nothing if you choke on the resume or the cover letter. I was a hiring General Manager and Operations Manager for years and I can tell you that my first glance through the huge pile of resumes would be maybe 30-40 seconds per. Don’t freak out, there are several tricks that you can use to make employers give yours a second glance. Make your resume speak for you, and make it speak well. Be clear, concise, and be honest. Desperate, begging, false, or a resume filled with errors says that you need the job, not want the career.

Spell check. This is most important. Use it, PLEASE. There is nothing more frustrating than reading a resume with poor spelling. Have someone that you trust look it over. They don’t have to be a pro, just have them read it out loud. The best time to find sentences that run on endlessly or repeat themselves is by listening to someone else read it to you. Trust me, this works.

Be specific- If you’ve just graduated with a construction management degree and are looking for such a position don’t send them a generic resume that highlights your time spent working in fast food. Yes, you need to list your past employment, but you need to do so geared specifically to the position that you are looking for. Did you flip burgers? No. You worked in the fast paced food service industry and were very instrumental in team motivation and team work.

Do your homework- Design your cover letter to suit its purpose. Are you applying for a position in a law office? Sending in an overly formal cover letter and attached resume spotlighting your knowledge of Latin to an office of people wearing jeans and building diet coke pyramids on their desks is not going to work for you. Know your market. Know the vibe of the building/the office/the site that you’re applying to and Tailor it to suit.

Resume and cover letter size- Your resume should be one full page, two at the very most. Make it well spaced with separate color font for headings, but do not use “funky” but illegible ones. Bullet points are always appreciated. When the bullet points are not enough, feel free to end each section with “For more complete details on my experience (or goals, or objectives) please go to www.YOURNAME.com” This gives you a venue to be more detailed (while still remaining on point and specific to the position that you are seeking) and will give your perspective employers a sense that you are serious about the position. Web sites can be very cheap and easy to put together and are well worth it. Lastly, future career professional of the world, don’t pad the resume. Be artistic and imaginative about the wording of your past jobs but don’t lie. Checking a resume is standard practice.