As I have posted in the comments before, I believe that the Law Librarians of Leisure is a perfect forum for the sharing of ideas for those of us who yes, enjoy leisure but still want to be working and contributing to this industry. So as many of us rise from the ashes, perhaps we should take time to share some more business active approaches for reentry.
Job interviews can be daunting, but not for those who approach the process with confidence in their skills and talent. Set the pace by not filling in on a job application form, last salary amount or future desirable sum. The first number is N/A and the second negotiable. Confidence should be backed by vision and creativity. Here are a couple of thoughts:
When interviewing for research positions, candidates should expand on how they plan to contribute to existing competitive intelligence platforms, or if one does not exist, how they plan on establishing one. If the latter is the case, use real life examples when explaining why such an initiative is mandatory in today’s competitive law firm environment, stressing how marketing research costs can be shared by other departments (by example recruiting). Always illuminate first your ability to contribute to a firm’s revenue stream by participating in the business development process and sales. You can later make a statement on librarians as knowledgeable researchers whose time should be billed and recovered, but grab their attention with your knowledge of the law firm as a business. As “open up sez me” was the secret password for Ali Baba’s band of thieves, so is” revenue stream contributions” is for modern day librarians.
When interviewing for managerial positions, focus on displaying your knowledge of line expenses and cost recovery, thereby establishing your cost competency. Library budgets are complex and at the end of the day management sees the Information Center only as a cost center. Clarification is needed regarding the true cost of doing research in today’s law firm. Using business acumen, share your experiences on managing those costs. Inquire about the firm’s resource cost policies and who make the decisions, librarians, practice heads, finance etc. Ask about the annual billable hour budget for associates and give examples on how you can contribute to the firm’s bottom line by supporting their research needs with training and more. Share your knowledge and experience of the negotiation process with legal information providers. There should be no smoke or mirrors when discussing a firm’s resource budget. Demonstrating your fiduciary talents is essential.
“Shoulder to shoulder sister,” so said my dear friend Mark Schwartz. And so it should be.
A native Texan, Linda Will received both her B.A. and MLS from the University of Texas at Austin. A Law Librarian for over 25 years, Linda has worked at Vinson & Elkins (Houston), Holland and Knight (Tampa), Greenberg & Traurig (Miami), Dorsey &Whitney (Minneapolis), and since 2008 has run WILL RESOURCES, a Law Firm and Legal Resources consulting company.
Filed under: discussion, Linda Will
