The Peggy Browning Fund (PBF) will sponsor its 11^th Annual National Law Students Workers’ Rights Conference on October 16-17, 2009 at the National Labor College in Silver Spring, Maryland.

The goal of the conference is to create an understanding of the issues confronting American workers and provide law students the opportunity to network with other students, professionals, top labor lawyers and government officials.  The Conference opens with a networking reception and dinner and ”Organizing for Change: Yes You Can!” panel and small group discussions.  The second conference day includes a networking luncheon and several substantive workshops including “The Rewards of Labor Law Practice” and “Labor Rights in the Global Economy.”

WSU Law School may select up to 3 students to attend the Conference.  Attendees will be responsible for payment of the $25 registration fee.  However, the Peggy Browning Fund (PBF) may subsidize the $100 conference fee, $122 overnight accommodations fee, and some or all of the air transportation cost for one WSU Law School student.  Alternatively, upon request, the PBF may allocate the total subsidized amount among up to 3 of our students.

If you desire to attend the Conference and wish to be considered for PBF subsidies, please contact Robin Johnson in the Career Services Office by no later than August 20, 2009.  Otherwise, you may register independently until October 2, 2009.  However, we urge you to act promptly to avoid being wait-listed.

For more information, contact the Career Services Office or visit www.peggybrowningfund.org

Not so long ago, “networking” meant joining professional associations, attending breakfast seminars, lunch-time speaking events and after-work receptions – any opportunity to make in-person contact with someone  who might help you in your job search.

Today, the web provides yet another avenue to grow and nurture your network. To be sure, social networking does not replace in-person meetings. Rather, it can serve as an additional effective tool in your job search arsenal, particularly as more and more employers warm to the idea.

But can you really facebook your way to a new job? Read this article to learn how.

While networking online, don’t forget to mind your manners. An etiquette blunder can torpedo your chances of getting a job offer and damage your professional reputation. The article includes an etiquette guide to social networking.

It’s not too early to begin thinking about employment for next summer if you’re interested in a compensated summer intern position with the ATF, DEA, or more than sixty other bureaus, divisions and offices that comprise the U.S. Department of Justice.

Applications for the 2010 Summer Law Intern Program (SLIP) will be available beginning July 25, 2009.  The submission deadline is September 8, 2009.  Applicants for this highly competitive recruitment program are strongly encouraged to apply early.  For complete details and information about SLIP, including application procedures and selection criteria, visit http://www.usdoj.gov/oarm/sp/sp.htm.

Learn strategies for interviewing success at two upcoming programs. The programs work together to help you prepare for the fall recruitment season and beyond. On Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. in the Distance Learning Room, the Career Services Office and LexisNexis will host an interview skills workshop. Learn how to research employers and prepare for interviews; common interview questions you should be ready to answer; questions you should ask interviewers; questions to avoid asking and more. There will be time for questions, and food will be provided.

The week of August 17, 2009, the Federal Bar Association will conduct mock interviews with Wayne Law students. Attorneys from various metro-Detroit area law firms will conduct interviews and provide valuable feedback. We encourage you to take advantage of this great opportunity. Details regarding date, time and location will be confirmed shortly. If you are interested in participating, contact Elizabeth Stafford at elizabeth.stafford@usdoj.gov.

More and more employers are incorporating Twitter and other social networks into their recruiting processes.  Before you tweet, check out this article for tips on making Twitter a powerful networking tool.

Click here  for a list of 50 people that job seekers should follow on Twitter.  The Career Services Office doesn’t endorse everything contained on these sites, but you may find the information useful.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us at lawcareers@wayne.edu .

If your job search is stalled, the recession may be to blame. But what if other factors are at play? When the rejection letters start piling up, consider whether you’re unwittingly sabotaging your efforts in one or more of the following ways:

Your cover letter is generic

 Employers loathe generic cover letters, and resent feeling like part of a mass mailing. Unfailingly, employers hire candidates who articulate a particular interest in the employer and the position offered.

With this in mind, your cover letter should be addressed to a particular person and not “To Whom It May Concern” – unless you’re responding to a “blind” job posting. If necessary, call the employer to ask for the contact person’s name, and be sure to spell it correctly.

Your cover letter should indicate why you want to work for the particular employer, and highlight the skills and accomplishments that uniquely qualify you for the position.An exceptionally well-written letter will emphasize your strengths and your relevant experiences. It will grab the reader’s attention and give you a competitive edge in a tight job market.

Your resume does not aptly describe your most impressive and relevant qualifications

Your resume is the cornerstone of your job search.  It is a sales tool that must convey your qualifications in a clear, succinct and appealing manner, highlighting the most relevant aspects of your background.

The principal building block of your resume is the “Experience” section. In this section, many resume writers merely list job titles and general responsibilities.  Though employers are interested in what you did, they are more interested in how well you did it.  In other words, your accomplishments are more important than your responsibilities.  For example, which is more impressive, the fact that you were “responsible for estate planning” or that you “structured trusts to minimize clients’ tax liability?”

Powerful statements that provide specific examples of how you achieved success and demonstrate the value of hiring you requires forethought and a shift in perspective. Take the time to create a powerful resume, and feel free to contact the Career Services Office for assistance.

You rely solely on the internet for job leads

Online job search sites are great resources for job seekers. However, scouring job sites is but one component of a comprehensive job search strategy.

Indeed, the majority of employment opportunities are never advertised so you must be proactive. Join a student organization in your practice area of interest, get active with a local bar association to meet practitioners, ask professors for career advice, conduct informational interviews with attorneys who do what you want to do. Participate in on-campus and off-campus job fairs. Conduct a self-initiated “targeted mailing.” Employ a variety of strategies to maximize the likelihood of learning about opportunities and, ultimately, landing a position.

You assume email is enough

Hitting the send button on an online application is only the first step in landing an interview. Remember, not every email is received or read. We recommend following up your online application with a paper cover letter and resume sent via U.S. mail (indicating that you have already applied online). You’re not done yet. Next, call the hiring manager to confirm that he or she received your resume and ask when the employer expects to begin scheduling interviews.

Typographical and grammatical errors

In this tight job market, employers receive stacks of resumes for a single job opening. As employers wade through application materials, they will unhesitatingly toss your cover letter and resume if either document contains a single error. From the employer’s perspective, this makes perfect sense and is an easy way to weed out candidates. If you’d send a cover letter or resume with an error, they figure you don’t care much about the quality of your work.

Your web-identity undermines your candidacy

Do not post anything on a public web site that you wouldn’t want an employer to see. More and more employers are conducting web searches of candidates. If your Facebook page contains racy pictures, raunchy language or anything that calls into question your judgment or character, you have just torpedoed your chances of getting the job.

You give up

It’s been said that the typical job search goes something like this: No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Yes! Don’t give up. You will experience rejection. That’s the nature of the job search beast. But keep at it. Experiment with different cover letters, resumes and writing samples. It may also help to shore up your resume with additional volunteer experience or extracurricular activities. Contact the Career Services Office to discuss your strategy and ways that it may be tweaked to help get the results you want.

No matter how defected you may feel, you will land an offer. In the meantime, take these words of wisdom from Winston Churchill – “Never never never give up.”