Highlighting new books at the Law Library, part 4

This week’s installment of the new book series features a guide for conducting a successful job search, and may be particularly useful for 3Ls and recent graduates looking to land a great legal job.

Job Quest for Lawyers: The Essential Guide to Finding and Landing the Job You Want
By Sheila Nielsen
Law Study Skills Collection KF297 .N54 2011

When asked how they landed their job, many people say that they “got lucky.”  In Job Quest for Lawyers, Sheila Nielsen explains that while luck and chance do play a role in job searches, “lucky” job seekers actually create career opportunities for themselves, and she shows her reader exactly how to create those opportunities.

Nielsen, a veteran legal job coach, presents the job search process in terms of a “quest,” complete with knights, ogres, and castles.  She explains how the iconography and imagery of the quest translates well to job search challenges, and reveals how to understand the overarching process of the quest, indentify steps in the process, think about your search and talk to your contact people in a productive way, and overcome nervousness and fear.  Nielsen’s advice is practical and action-oriented, which is helpful for both those just entering legal practice and those seeking to redirect their careers.  Thanks to the quest imagery laced throughout Job Quest for Lawyers, the book is also downright fun to read (which can rarely be said for a job search guide that is also useful).