Vanita is a DBA student in entrepreneurship. She runs a law practice in Atlanta and was considering a career and geographic change when she sought career advice at the Crystal City residency. There was a position in the Washington, DC area in the law career services field that peeked her interest. However, Vanita wasn’t sure her background matched the position.

Vanita and I had an in-depth discussion of her legal career and we uncovered unique qualifications and transferable skills she offered to the position. Her qualifications included graduating from the hiring law school, substantial law practice experience, and skills in interviewing, hiring, training and mentoring new attorneys. She was very knowledgable about the legal profession and what employers looked for in potential hires. To gain a bird’s eye view of national hiring trends, I advised her to research the website of a national association for law career services professionals. I also recommended contacting someone in the law career services field for an informational interview.

Vanita put her research and analytical skills to good use. She conducted in-depth preparation for her interview including web research and conducting an informational interview with someone in the field – that meeting proved very beneficial. When Vanita interviewed for the position, the Director was very impressed by her knowledge of hiring trends and practices in law career services as well as her knowledge of the national professional association for the field. Her perseverance and preparation paid off – she got the job! Vanita is wrapping up things in Atlanta and preparing to move back to the nation’s capitol to start her next life chapter. She is excited to start a new career in the new year!  We wish her the best of luck in her new role!

Written by Lisa Cook, Director of Career Services

If you have a success story to share, please email: careerservices@waldenu.edu