Too Qualified, But Not Qualified Enough

Let's face it, job interviews can be hard to come by these days.  I apply for many jobs every week and rarely hear back from any of them.  An acquaintance of mine recently posted a anonymous Craigslist job posting for an entry-level attorney in order to find out what his competition was.  Within 48 hours he received over 600 job applications.  Talk about a disheartening experience.

Given this information I felt very lucky when I was called in for an interview based on a job posting that seemed by all appearances to be the perfect fit for me.  Obviously, I scheduled the interview right away and then began researching the firm.  One of the most frustrating parts of doing a job search these days is that employers often will not post any identifying information about themselves in the advertisement.  They know that they have the market cornered and thus the desperation of applicants is bound to lead to many applications for the mystery position.  I was immediately let down to find out the posting was for a extremely small firm, in the middle of nowhere, the lead attorney of which went to a fifth tier law school (as did his associates).  I thought, okay... maybe it's not as bad as it seems.  After all it is a possible job and maybe the attorney really made a great career for himself and would be an enthusiastic mentor. So I psyche myself up for the interview... 

Interview Day:  I arrive at the firm which is an hour away from civilization.  The office is in a very commercial area.  I go into the law office and it looks professional enough.  The staff is really nice and proceeds to chit chat with me.  I start feeling a bit better about the situation.  Then I'm told the lead attorney hasn't returned from a meeting and they don't know when he will be back.  I proceed to wait for an hour and forty minutes... During this time another attorney who works there calls me into his office to talk to me.  They look at my resume and proceed to tell me that the job is beneath me and am I sure I would want to do this to my career?  "Wow, that's a great law school.. and you went to [Ivy League] undergrad?  Why are you here?" 

What can I say to this?  Yes, my dream was to work at a no-name law firm with attorneys who went to fifth tier schools?  Obviously not.  However, there aren't a whole lot of other options out there. Then the hiring attorney finally shows up and his tune is completely different than that of his associate.  He says: "I've had hundreds of applications for the position, why should I give the job to you."  Fun times.

The most frustrating part:  Because I wasn't a straight A student in law school and was not on a law journal I am frequently told I will have no chance at getting a job at a reputable firm.  However, those same people will also tell me that I would be ruining my career by working anywhere besides a reputable law firm for my first job.

Should I hold out for a better job?  Is there a better job?  Will the months of unemployment eventually add up to complete unemployability?  Is it worse or better to take a first job with a no-name firm?  I certainly do not know the answers to any of these questions...  Do you?

Federal Jobs - The Illusive Unicorn

Given the market, federal jobs are particularly desirable for new attorneys.  If you can manage to get into a federal agency you will be guaranteed job stability, great benefits, potential for advancement, and total federal student loan forgiveness after only 10 years of civil service.  Many agencies also offer student loan repayment assistance.  The problem is that acquiring one of these jobs can be downright impossible unless you have inside connections or have veteran's status.  In addition, www.usajobs.gov can be a job application black hole unless you are familiar with the unique formatting and keyword loading requirements.

I have gone through the www.usajobs.gov application process several times and have only applied for jobs which I had strong qualifications for.  However, each time I was told that I was not eligible for an interview because veteran applicants had applied and their veteran status enables them to be qualified at 110% (non-veterans can only earn up to 100% if they have all desired qualifications).

That said, I know of a handful of people who were not veterans and have earned interviews through this online application process.  The trick to getting through federal resume screening personnel appears to be twofold - incorporating as many keywords from the job posting as possible into your resume AND going into much more detail about your qualifications than you would in a civilian resume.

Although most federal jobs are posted on www.usajobs.gov not all of them are.  Many jobs are also posted on the websites of specific federal agencies.  In addition, many positions in the federal government that are not posted on www.usajobs.gov are actually contractor roles.  This means that recruiting/contracting firms will pitch specific candidates to the agency and then bid against each other.  The agency will often then hire the best value for the money candidate.  Many of these contracting firms rarely advertise for candidates but instead get them through word of mouth in the community (this appears to be especially true of contracting firms in D.C.).  Thus, if you are interested in working with one of these contracting firms your best shot is networking with people who you know in the industry and asking them how they would recommend that you get into the agency you are interested in.

Caveat:  Although working as a contractor will not award you the same benefits and loan forgiveness that a permanent position with the federal government will these positions can become permanent.  In addition, you will have the chance to network within the agency and learn about new roles before they become advertised.