BarTalk June 2002
Volume 14, Number 3

Taking stock in a down market

by Dal Bhathal

Are you still waking up from the shock of the sudden shift in the markets? We all enjoyed the recent technology boom and merger mania and some of us were in the fortunate position to sit confidently, perhaps smugly, across the boardroom table from a prospective employer and say “I want a fat salary, signing bonus and a cappuccino machine…. oh and I’m bringing my pet to work.” We have all tried crystal ball gazing. Many will recall the severity of the early nineties recession and say “This is just a market blip.” However, one thing is clear; Canada is facing a workforce shortage. Demographics speak loudly, and with the first babyboomers turning 55, the shortage is impending.

How many times have you looked at someone and thought “she seems to be happy” or “he is passionate about his work,” followed by “he was one of the lucky ones” or “she was at the right place at the right time”? Luck and timing may help but we know when it comes down to it, it really is all up to you.

We all need to take stock of our careers. Now is the time to improve our marketability by planning, preparation and positioning ourselves for that impending shortage and “perfect opportunity.” Career management is not just for dissatisfied lawyers, it is for everyone! It helps to focus on goals and is as critical to success in your current situation as it is when you are looking to move.

Personal Audit: Critically assess your personal and work related skills, interests, likes, dislikes, attitudes.

Feedback: Friends offer a sympathetic ear but little else. Obtain professional assistance. Potential resources include legal headhunters, career counselors and executive coaches.

Career Plan: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! Create a written career plan including overall vision, long-term objectives, summary of interests, skills, strengths, weaknesses, career goals, strategies and actions to achieve those goals. Review your plan frequently to stay on track.

Be Successful and Visible:

• Consistently display the following attributes: competence, leadership, hard work, interpersonal skills.

• Increase and maintain visibility in the profession and with the public through networking, writing, speaking, joining community/professional organizations and being involved in significant files.

• Connect with a headhunter. Contact a headhunter who is capable, professional and ethical. Conduct due diligence on reputation and check if the firm is a member of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (www.nalsc.org) and abides by a code of ethics and standards of practice.

The headhunter approach has several benefits:

• current information about the current job market and in established relationships with prospective employers;

• confidentiality in the job search – critical in senior level moves or smaller legal communities where word travels fast;

• frank and unbiased feedback regarding your current situation, marketability and future prospects; and

• access to knowledgeable professionals, who offer a no-risk, no-cost career resource.

Now is the time to position yourself for the coming talent shortage. Active career management will not only enhance your current career, it will ensure that when the “perfect opportunity” arises, you are the one in the “right place at the right time.”

Dal Bhathal (a former practising lawyer) is the Managing Director, BC Region and National Director, Inhouse Counsel Division of The Counsel Network. The Counsel Network is exclusively endorsed by the CBA (BC, AB, MB and SK Branches). Contact Dal at 604.643.1708 or by email to dal@headhunt.com. Visit www.headhunt.com or www.inhousecounsel.com.

This article was published in the June 2002 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.