As you may recall, I landed my dream job after technically never applying for it. You can read more about that here and here. So, how did that happen? Well, I was in a place of stress after having just lost a job offer and I started sending my resume out to anyone and everyone who might meet with me to discuss civil rights jobs.
Turns out, a lot of civil rights jobs – specifically in the private sector – never post openings. So, how do you land a job with them?
The quick answer is apply regardless of a job posting. Assume that everyone is open to hiring a new associate if the right person comes along. A lot of the time, that’s exactly how these firms work.
What else does that mean? It means you should attach your resume to every networking email you send. (More on that later.) When I started doing that, I got a whole lot more responses than when I just sent out emails asking to talk about the firm.
Put another way, treat every interaction as potentially leading to a job interview. Send an attorney your resume as the first step in them determining whether they want to take your discussion to the next level. And if they don’t – perhaps because they just hired and don’t have the ability to hire you as well – they may just turn around and pass your resume along to a colleague they know is looking to hire. I’ve done that at least a handful of times.
While non-profits typically post open positions (and the government must post them), there is similarly no harm in attaching your resume to a networking email. If the person you speak with likes you and thinks you would be a good fit, they will probably give you a heads up when a job is eventually posted. And they may ask you to let them know if you apply so they can put in a good word.
That’s especially true because there’s some myth out there that there are countless qualified and ambitious attorneys ready to scoop up every potential opening in civil rights. Not true. When we find someone smart, capable, and committed to the cause, that excites us. It’s not as common as you would think.
So what’s the takeaway? Reach out to every employer where you might want to work – including sending your resume – even if there are no jobs posted.