summer 2004 vol. 10 no. 1                                                                                                                        Return to Contents
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Little White Lies and the Recruiting Game

By Chere B. Estrin, Ph.D.

When Sally Simon (not her real name, of course), took a position with a small Los Angeles law firm, she was promised the job of a lifetime: join a prestigious firm, attend trial, work on important cases attracting media attention, participate in sophisticated assignments and more.

This fairy tale turned into a scary truth: She spent three months in the basement of a downtown hotel, going through old, dusty boxes from the 1950’s filled with documents covered with spider webs, mold, grime and objects she didn’t care to investigate. That was just the good part.

Before you’re even on the payroll, many of you encounter your first lies: about advancement, making a difference, billable hours, team work, overtime, travel, work from home, firm resources, training and assignment level. Awestruck, you believe your job is to take cases all the way to the Supreme Court. Perks include a PPO that pays for everything except bus fare to the doctor’s office; an office next to the managing partner and inclusion in the firm’s most prestigious events. Play your cards right and you’ll be the only paralegal to have ever made partner in the history of the United States.

When the honeymoon’s over, you find yourself like a deer in headlights, having worked another “no rush – take all night if necessary” assignment, your spouse ripping mad, the kids wondering who you are and your eyes peering at your job description, which seems to have omitted the sentence, “take on penalty of divorce.”

“It’s the most underestimated, under investigated consideration when accepting a position,” says Allen Brody, a Los Angeles based attorney, “and that is, what’s your job.” He recalls a conversation with a senior litigation paralegal recently who told him about accepting a position in a major firm only to find out the type of assignments she thought she was undertaking were actually few and far between. Her primary duties consisted of one routine and repetitious assignment: sending out audit letters.

“Realistic job descriptions lead to more organizational commitment from employees, less turnover and higher job satisfaction,” says Gloria Herrera, who heads her own Los Angeles legal staffing firm, Professional Careers Unlimited. “Over promising by employers,” she warns, “leads to employee dissatisfaction and turnover, and creates a reputation for the firm as a bad place to work.”
Part of the problem is that job descriptions are written with the slipperiness of classifieds and personals. Firms can jazz up ads to attract the brightest and most qualified candidates. Unscrupulous recruiters can enhance the job description to send clients the most favorable applicants. Most employers in search of qualified employees want their organizations to sound as if candidates have found corporate nirvana.

What else can they do? No one, to my knowledge anyway, has ever responded favorably to an ad that said, “Wanted – paralegal to toil relentlessly for three years on boring case, reviewing thousands of uninteresting documents while sitting in a 3 foot by 6 foot felt-walled cubicle.”

Another part of the problem is we want to believe. For most people, the job search process is not easy, particularly in this tough market. Many people are just relieved to find a job, let alone be lucky enough to accept one that fits their every hope, want, wish and desire. The actual job description is often brushed over, particularly by overworked staff eager to fill a position. Many times, the person recruiting for the firm has stressed-out, overworked attorneys breathing down their necks in an effort to speed up the often lengthy and careful recruiting process. And while most interviewers send potential candidates off to talk with future coworkers, it’s rare that a candidate receives a job description so detailed that they will know precisely what is expected of them the moment they start.

So how can you avoid the crushed expectations? “Investigate the position as closely as you can,” advises Brody. “During the interview process, ask if someone in the firm has had this position before you. Talk with them. Get as detailed a job description as you can. Ask what a typical day is like, specifics of assignments, who you will be reporting to, what resources are available and what is the depth of training from the firm.”

Here are just a few steps you can take to hopefully, avoid being misled:

1. Delve into your network. Find out from former employees what kinds of assignments they performed at the firm. Ask the right questions. Although things may have changed since the former employee was with the firm, you may still get a fresh or different viewpoint of what it’s like.

2. If you are utilizing the services of a recruiter, ask them to give you what inside information they may have. Good recruiters want to make placements that will last. Their reputation is on the line with the firm and they don’t want the arduous task of replacing you.

3. Does a written job description exist? If not, can you write one? You might not be able to write your own until after you’ve been with the firm for a while but at least you can get clear communication as to what your job duties will entail.

4. Consider the source of your questioning. If you are questioning a former employee who was fired for incompetence, for example, their viewpoint may well be tainted. If you are questioning an employee with the firm who only has a peripheral idea of what the job is, don’t take everything they say to heart.

5. If you’ve been with the firm for a while and things just aren’t working the way you had hoped, go to your supervisor or a conduit to the power. Who can you talk to who can help improve your situation?

6. Did you overstate your qualifications? It may be that your employer feels that you need more training for this position. If so, find out what you can do to get that training and get on track with your goals and the firm’s expectations.

Despite taking the proper precautions, it just may be that you ended up in a situation where the employer actually misled you during the hiring process. If that’s the case, and you cannot remedy the situation, you have a couple of choices: wait it out so you don’t appear as if you are job-hopping; look for another job; or cut your losses. It’s always better to have a job while you are seeking another one, particularly in this market, so don’t make any impetuous decisions. However, it’s my opinion (and I have very strong opinions) that you have the right to be happy – that’s called job satisfaction – and that includes being in a position you love to go to in the morning and are delighted to return to the very next day.

Chere B. Estrin, Ph.D., CEO of Estrin Professional Careers, a Los Angeles-based career coaching and training company specializing in paralegals and legal professionals. She is the author of 8 books including The Paralegal Career Guide 3rd Edition and The Successful Paralegal’s Job Search Guide. Chere has been interviewed by Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, Latina, The Chicago Tribune and more. She is a co-founding member of the Legal Assistant Management Association and a lively seminar speaker. She is a recipient of the Los Angeles/Century City Chamber of Commerce “Women of Achievement” award and the Los Angeles Paralegal Association’s Lifetime Achievement award. She can be reached at CareerCoaches@aol.com; www.CareerCoachesInternational.com.

Texas Paralegal Journal © Copyright 2004 by the Legal Assistants Division, State Bar of Texas.

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