Discouraged in Fairfield

I've been laid off from my paralegal position approximately two months. I can honestly say that I LOVED MY JOB. During that time I've updated and submitted my resume for countless paralegal positions and been to interviews (unfortunately those interviews were with recruiters).

I'm starting to become frustrated and resentful with the recruiters. While recruiters tell me that they have assignments and that I have an impressive resume for someone who is entry-level (1.5 years of corporate paralegal experience, two paralegal internships, and bachelor degree and ABA-approved paralegal certificate), recruiters are offering me administrative/secretarial positions which I do not want.

While I understand that the economy is rough and beggars can't be choosers, I've worked too damn hard and long to get this college degreee and longer to obtain the legal experience. I'm probably preaching to the choir, but I just had to vent to get out my frustrations. Thanks for listening.

I'm sorry about your job loss, particularly one that you truly loved. But considering you do have a pretty impressive credentials, I am confident that you won't have trouble finding another opportunity sooner than later, and will find that all the hard work you put in to get your degree and experience will pay off.

Unfortunately, I'm not a fortune teller and can't tell you when things will pick up. But considering that you at least have the option to find a job, have you considered taking one of those jobs for the time being? I can understand how you would feel you're wasting everything you worked for to go backwards in terms of your career, but there's always the chance one of those jobs can lead to something else like another paralegal position that you love when the downturn is gone, especially if it's with a firm or in a field of law that you'd really want to be in.

Recruiters are usually useless. Especially the resume black hole that is Robert Half Legal.

They can't find jobs for every single one of their prospects at the same time. They just don't have the manpower, especially when so many people are flooding the market with resumes.

On top of that, employers are notorious for not wanting to invest in their employees anymore. They barely consider anything less than the perfect candidate. Most are unwilling to train unless desperation has set it.

When an employer demands someone with 5+ years of experience despite the fact that anyone with 1.5 years of experience would almost certainly be able to do the job, the recruiter is all but forced to set your resume aside and look for someone else. It's how they make money, after all. They don't get paid for simply shuffling paper. They have to put butts in seats.

Frustrating? You bet. In fact it can be downright infuriating. I can't count the number of times I've contacted Robert Half to follow up on a job application, never to receive a return call. I finally said screw it and stopped bothering to apply to any of their listings. My resume is pretty stacked, too, and I scored 99-100% on every single one of their screening tests.

Due to the economy and business slow down many paralegals are losing their jobs. Firms and corporate legal departments do not want to lose their attorneys, so the paralegals are considered very expendable and are typically let go before the counsel staff. This is unfortunate especially once the employers figure out that the paralegals were doing the majority of the productive work.
Have you considered doing contract work? Many cities have contract opportunities and you may want to check out Special Counsel or other legal recruiters that do place temporary, contract and permanent legal support positions.
Take this time to obtain experience in areas that are not always available and try not to get involved with companies or recruiters that do not have solid (and current) opportunities in your areas. Also, be very careful about posting your resume to sites that sell or share your personal information.

Good luck and do not despair.

Thanks Ljohananson. I've registered with a few legal placement agencies, including Special Counsel. Unfortunately, their clients are looking for candidates with 5+ years experience. Hopefully something will come up soon.

I was laid-off after only a few months at my job. I have a college degree with lots of experience as well and I am also finding the same types of positions through temp. agency's. I am currently working a temp. job as a receptionist for a few months and see if I might be able to get hooked up with a better position once it's over.

In the meantime I've also been helping out with this social networking site for people who were laid-off. It basically helps you network with others who were laid-off and also allows you to pick-up tips from others in the same situation. The site is www.layoffmoveon.com and you should for sure give it a look!

Good Luck!

Kristin
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