Let’s assume you’re currently a paralegal in Litigation. You’ve had most of your work experience in this practice area and have most certainly grown in your career. With your mid-level experience and feeling of dissatisfaction with your current place of employment, you begin to look for job opportunities online.
After what seems like countless hours of research, you eventually find an exciting opportunity at a prestigious law firm in your region. You confidently meet the requirements of the job description, but there is one catch – it’s in Trusts & Estates.
Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Yes, you can prepare some similar documents mentioned in the role description, but you never specifically worked in the Trusts & Estates practice area. So what do you do? Continue searching for opportunities in hopes you come across one in Litigation? Or perhaps, you can still apply to this enticing role.
By no means should you ever feel limited by your current practice area. As recruiters, we’ve placed candidates that matched the skill sets and requirements of job openings in different practice areas. How? By matching top skill sets and working with talent that truly wants to grow.
Of course, some transitions will always be easier than others. For example, someone that works in Family Law will find it relatively easy to transition to Litigation. Why? Similarities in the job description and skills required.
Making the Change
Does this mean that if you’re in Employment Law that you can’t pursue a career in Residential Real Estate? Of course not! You can still make the transition, but it’s going to require additional skill-building on your part. If this is something you truly want to do, we suggest that you do the following:
Study the job description of the job that you want in the different practice areas. Highlight the parts that are your strengths, and note which areas you need to improve. The job description may also require specific certifications – so be sure to strategize how you will obtain them.
Enroll yourself in online courses that specialize in the areas you wish to work on. Ave Education, for example, offers courses for those looking to develop skills, such as those crucial for any Trusts & Estates professional. That way, you can add those skills to your resume and LinkedIn.
Draft sample documents to exhibit the skills you are supposed to require for the new practice area. Not only is this extremely helpful for you to practice, but it also will reassure any hiring manager that you have the proper experience.
Preparing for Interviews
Instead of emphasizing what you don’t know – emphasize what you do know. Perhaps you are not familiar with a particular software the new practice area requires – but you do have plenty of experience in drafting similar documents and supporting multiple attorneys at once. Whenever there is a chance for you to vouch for yourself – do it.
Now, to address the white elephant in the room. It’s important to never lie to a hiring manager or recruiter about your qualifications for a role. Doing this can do more harm than good and could potentially hurt your chances of working with this employer.
Your weakness may be that you are not yet proficient with the software on the job description, but your strength is that you take initiative, therefore you already looked into this and have started learning on your own time.
A hiring manager would much rather take a chance on someone with a willingness to learn on their own than someone heavily dependent on their supervisors to be trained.
One Step Ahead
Your current practice area should not limit your job searching. Instead, use this as an opportunity to grow. Even if you are not currently in the job market, we always encourage our candidates to keep educating themselves.
Over the years, demands in each practice area fluctuate. If your personal choice was to seek employment in an area where there was more demand than your current job, you will most likely have to invest in proper training.
Doing so will not only leave you feeling better prepared but will also give you a competitive edge amongst others looking to make the same move.