​Legal careers are changing. The pace and nature of client work, the impact of new technology, global markets/Brexit, diversity targets and career aspirations are leading to changes both in opportunity and expectation for lawyers.

​Evidence indicates that careers are no longer for life.  Furthermore the art of ‘getting along’ with your colleagues appears to have diminished, writes David Bredin, and this has led to an increase in communication problems and at times, hostility. Neither bodes well for business or any kind of relationship in a world that is becoming increasingly interconnected.

1. more experienced the interviewer the less time they spent evaluating the candidate and the quicker they tended to make decisions.
2. Interviewers who spent more time building rapport with their interviewees also tended to make quicker decisions.
3. The more consistent the questions (as used in structured interviews where all candidates are asked the same questions) the longer the time interviewers took to evaluate and reach their decisions.
4. Decision time was directly related to candidate order - evaluation and decision time increased as interviewers progressed through their candidate schedule but after about four candidates it leveled and then began to decrease as interviewers evaluated additional (5+) candidates.

Clearly it is in the best interests of both organisations and candidates that evaluation and decision making at interview is considered and consistent, and that candidates have a fair and full opportunity to perform.  The study indicates that quick decision making compromises the effectiveness of the interview process.

The study's authors make the following recommendations:

• ​Organisations may want to provide refresher training for interviewers that emphasises the value of gathering information throughout the entire interview.
• Attention should be paid to interview design, as the nature of the design can promote or inhibit quick decisions. For example structured interviews tend to discourage quick decisions.
• Organisations may benefit from limiting the number of interviews an interviewer conducts in quick succession to around four. 

If you're an employer, what other steps can you take to encourage consistent evaluation and decision making? If you're a candidate, should you ask where you are in the schedule? Would you?

Coaching is now a firmly established means of effectively developing the skills and performance of people, with over 90% of UK organisations employing them for their staff. This is supported by research which demonstrates the effectiveness of coaching on:

• Performance and skills development
• Well-being
• Coping
• Work attitudes
• Goal directed 'self-regulation'

One of the major benefits of coaching is the vast range of styles and approaches employed by different coaches which, in principle, means it is easier to find those who will fit best with your people and culture. We know that, assuming you are selecting from an equally competent group of coaches, choosing the one with whom you feel the most rapport and trust ('chemistry') will significantly enhance the success of the outcome [TWEET THIS]. However that is also one of the problems facing buying organisations in that it can be difficult to access an appropriate range of coaches and also know how to assess and select the right coaches for their people to choose from.

Our coach panel provides a flexible and easily accessed source of high quality professional coaching for your organisation. Our assessment and selection processes mean we have already sourced highly experienced and high calibre coaches, from which you and your people need just to choose the 'best fit'. With our coach panel:

• all coaches are highly experienced and trained coaches with different areas of expertise and backgrounds
• our selection and development standards ensure that all coaches have great references, maintain an active development (CPD) log, are in regular qualified supervision, and are members of a professional coaching body such as the AC, EMCC or the ICF.
• all coaches sign up and work to a professional code of ethics
• all coaches are fully insured with professional indemnity and public liability cover
• all have their own style and approach based in all cases on established and proven coaching and psychological development models and techniques

​Working with our coach panel means that you benefit from coach choice along with a consistent, quality assured approach. Our established and effective coaching process provides for flexible and responsive delivery with none of the hassle for you.

When you are embarking on a coaching experience whether for yourself or your people, you will begin in the strongest possible way by having the choice as to the coach you will work with. In a later article I will offer advice to help you to make the best coach selection for you or your people.

Career coaching is designed to help you achieve the satisfaction and success you seek in your working life TWEET THIS. This may address a wide range of topics but typically includes one or more of:

Career Assessment and Counselling

• Determining your future career direction or identifying the right role or career for you
• Returning to the workplace after absence (eg. maternity leave, unemployment)
• Coping with redundancy and unemployment
• Career management - taking stock, getting back on track, enhancing performance
• Promotion planning and guidance
• Support and guidance during periods of transition or upheaval in order to maintain self-confidence, resilience and motivation

Assistance in Getting a New Job

• Preparation essentials for successful job searching
• Identifying your job market(s)
• CV development
• Effective job search strategies
• Succeeding at interview, assessment centres and other assessment measures
• Managing and negotiating job offers
• Getting off to a successful start in your new job

Working with a career coach means you benefit both from their knowledge, material and tools and also receive their ongoing support and encouragement. A career coach won't find you a job or tell you what to do. Instead working closely with you they will help you to know yourself better, help you to leverage those strengths, attributes and values to determine the right direction for you, and then support you in shaping your solutions and implementing your plans.
At Managing Change we believe that do our best work and perform most optimally when we find fulfilment and satisfaction in what we do. Our coaching programmes are designed to help you and your people to achieve that satisfaction and success.

When we are asked to assist job seekers who are struggling to get invited to interview, we frequently find that their CVs are selling them short. The purpose of a CV is to get you an interview – no more, no less. It is your ‘shop window’ and the first look a prospective employer has of your skills, experiences and approach. If they like what they see they will invite you in for a meeting – a job interview. If you are applying for jobs and not getting interviews there is a strong likelihood that your CV is not working for you.

Here are some common mistakes to be aware of:

• Sending a ‘vanilla’ CV which has not been tailored to reflect the needs of the job you are applying for. Do not expect the prospective employer to work out how you fit the role – you must do this yourself.
• Profile/Personal Details section which merely contains a list of what you are looking for, eg “I am seeking roles in which I can use my… skills”, etc. This section should promote you, what you do, your achievements and the value you add – concisely. In other words what you have to offer the employer, not what you want the employer or job to provide for you.
• Career History/Employment – many CVs contain just a list of responsibilities in this section. This is a wasted opportunity as it doesn’t give any indication as to the standard with which they were carried out, the value you added to the company, or provide an opportunity to sell yourself. While you should always briefly state what your responsibilities have been and state their scope and size, your emphasis should be on stating your achievements (ie., what you did, the skills you used and the benefit that resulted).
• Tucking the most relevant or impressive aspects of your candidature to the end. For example if your qualifications are particularly relevant/impressive make a feature of them and place them early on in the CV document after the Contact Details and Profile sections. On the other hand if your qualifications are not a particular sales point, put them at the end.
• An Interests section is not essential. If you include one it should be brief. It is intended to give the reader an indication of your interests particularly in terms of the picture they present of you. These can be very valuable for those newly entering the job market. Remember that your CV is a business document and resist the temptation to expand at length on your family, pets, hobbies, etc.
• Leaving unaccounted for gaps in your career history.
• Putting your date of birth on your CV. It is not necessary, and presents a particular risk to you in terms of identity theft if the document is stored electronically.

Finally, after the time and effort you have put into creating your CV, don't forget to check:

• For spelling, grammar and continuity errors
• That it does you justice – is this a clear, honest and comprehensive summary of your skills, aptitudes and achievements?

If you’re in the market for a new job at the moment, whether through choice or necessity, the chances are you are looking for that new job using the following sources:

• Jobs websites
• Recruitment agencies
• Newspaper jobs pages

You may be quickly successful at finding your new job with these sources, after all, they are advertising real, current vacancies (usually!). However if you can find these job ads, so can thousands of other people, and these people will comprise your competition. So, are there ways to increase your chances of success?

In short, the answer is yes. Experts suggest that when we look for jobs we typically take one of two different approaches:

1. passive job searching (ie., one of the above methods), OR
2. active job searching
​
In a recent study, 1,000 job searchers were studied to understand the approach they took to job searching and their corresponding success rates. The study found that 25% of the sample adopted active job searching methods, the remaining 75% relied solely on traditional, passive sources. They found:

• Active job searchers were far more optimistic and proactive, typically using five or more sources for job searching. Passive job searchers used three or less.
• Active job searchers were very focused on what they were looking for; passive job searchers tended to browse.
• The average length of job search for active job searchers was 4 months; the average for passive job searchers was 7 months.
• Active job searchers were applying for 8 jobs a month and getting 2 interviews a month. 65% of them had applied directly to the employer.

So, what is active job searching?
Taking an active approach means adopting a different mindset or attitude to job searching, and being targeted and proactive in your activity. The following are typical active job search sources:

• Research companies within your defined job market and apply directly to them
• Use your contacts – let people know you’re in the job market and be clear to tell them what you’re looking for. Don’t ask them for a job – ask them to keep their ears and eyes open for you. Look for referrals and opportunities
• Network! Look out for networking opportunities within your targeted job market and attend them
• Use social networking media, particularly LinkedIn. Use these to let people know you’re out there, that you have expertise and to encourage contact

​Networking usually tops the list of activities people feel least comfortable doing and yet we know that it is the single most effective means of getting a new job when used effectively. Use of business media such as LinkedIn enables you to utilise similar benefit from networking if the face-to-face variety is not for you.

1. target your job search and create the opportunities – be proactive not reactive
2. use a variety of sources and regularly review their success rates
3. use your network – it is always larger than you may at first think and may very well include the link to your next role.

For both active and passive job searchers, networking was reported as the number one most effective source of securing their last job. In order of use, it was down at number 7!

No one method is 100% successful. It therefore makes sense to use a combination of passive and active sources for your job searching. Remember to keep your progress under regular review; if after a period of time you have not been successful, change your approach.

Using on-line, written reference material, questionnaires and worksheets our career transition programmes enable you to make effective progress while benefiting from the ongoing support and guidance of a career coach.

If you could do with help in job searching, get in touch to see how we can help.