Looking for a New Job While Working at the Old Job
If you’re ready to make the jump to a new firm or in-house legal department — or if you’re simply in the early stages of considering the move — then you may be confused about your current position and whether it would be beneficial to continue to work while pursuing new opportunities. Aside from the obvious benefits (I.e., having an additional source of income as you evaluate potential job opportunities), there are plenty of good reasons to continue to work at your existing position as you begin your career transition.
Gaps Matter to Competitive Employers
Though some lifestyle firms are more forgiving when it comes to significant gaps in one’s career resume, as a general rule, any significant “time off” must be justified to the prospective employer, which can immediately put you at a disadvantage and frame the employer-candidate in a way that biases the hiring team against you vis-a-vis competing candidates. If you do have a significant recent gap, it is not an insurmountable barrier – but if you can avoid the disadvantage, we recommend that you do so.
Making the jump to an ideal position at an ideal landing spot can take some time. Depending on the openings at the time you begin your search, and trends in the particular practice area you’re looking at, it is not unreasonable for your search to take up to six or more months before you find that “perfect fit.” As such, if you quit your current position at the start of your job search, you could end up with a significant gap in your resume that puts you at a slight disadvantage.
Of course, if you decide to stay with your existing organization while looking for new opportunities, you’ll want to make sure that you do not reveal your plans to your employer — if you accidentally disclose such information, you could put your existing position in jeopardy and could burn bridges unnecessarily.
How a Legal Recruiter Can Help
Legal recruiters are excellent partners during stressful career transitions. A skilled legal recruiter — such as the recruiters here at Garb Jaffe & Associates — have extensive networks of contacts within the legal industry, in both Biglaw firms and prestigious in-house legal departments. Once you communicate your preferences to a legal recruiter, they have the know-how and experience necessary to identify great employers and positions for which you are particularly well-suited.
One of the benefits of working with a legal recruiter is the fact that the process can be done quietly. Simply put, you don’t have to go out of your way to network or job hunt. Your legal recruiter will identify potential opportunities and bring it to your attention, allowing you to focus on putting out a consistently excellent effort at work. Many attorney-candidates find this dynamic quite refreshing, as the tediousness of the job search is mostly eliminated and outsourced to a legal recruiter.
Employers Understand That You May Be Continuing to Work
There’s no need to be concerned about prospective employers knowing that you are continuing to work for your existing firm/in-house legal department. High-end firms and in-house legal departments understand that competitive attorneys are generally going to look for new opportunities while continuing to work — they are not going to wait until they are “out of a job” before they seek new opportunities.
In fact, your willingness to evaluate the market for new opportunities may be seen in a positive light, as it is indicative of your ambition and more active, decisive personality (which might bode well for your role at their organization). Remember, if you are asked about your existing position by prospective employers, do not speak negatively about your workplace — try to focus on what your goals are and how these new opportunities will help you achieve those goals.
Contact Garb Jaffe & Associates for Comprehensive Legal Recruitment Assistance
Here at Garb Jaffe & Associates, our team of Los Angeles legal recruiters has decades of experience assisting attorneys at every stage of the hiring process, from evaluating the market to interview coaching and more.
We have worked with attorney-candidates throughout California, and have helped numerous candidates secure their “ideal” placements in metro areas throughout the state. Though we primarily focus on Biglaw and prestigious in-house legal department placements, we have also worked with attorneys on various nontraditional career transitions (i.e., into legal consultancy roles and other firm-adjacent positions).
Legal recruitment services are provided at no-cost to the attorney-candidate. Here at Garb Jaffe, we’re paid by the employer when we find an attorney-candidate that is suitable for the position. As such, we are incentivized to help candidates secure placements that are ideal for them in the long-term — client satisfaction is fundamental to our success.
Ready to learn more about how we can help? Call (310) 207-0727 or send us a message online to request an appointment today.