Do you want a career in the law? Think again and think hard

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

“A jury consists of 12 persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer” – Robert Frost 

A successful career in the law can be amazingly rewarding.  However, before embarking on this path with a view of changing the world, or at least a legal system of one country, please assess your personality, capabilities, work ethics and stamina to be able to work long hours.

There are many social and personal reasons why a career in the legal profession may be the right fit for many people.  Some of the more obvious ones that come to mind are:

1. Prestige

2. Transferable skills

3. Flexibility (often at a more senior level)

4.  Good earnings potential

5. Opportunity to assist others and offer solutions

6. Ability to choose from a diverse areas of interest

7. Intellectual challenge

However, many people fail to see that a lawyer’s job is a far cry from that portrayed on Boston Legal or The Practice.  There are a number of issues which need to be carefully examined before choosing to follow this path, which include:

1. A law degree at University takes longer to complete and requires more effort than a lot of other degrees

2. The law degree at University is more expensive than others

3. Will need to become good at public speaking or at least at socializing on a particular level with peers and others

4. Being a lawyer involves a lot of reading and drafting

5. Need to be prepared to be accessible at most times of the day (and night in a lot of circumstances)

6. Work-life balance at the beginning of your career may not exist

7. A career in the law does not guarantee financial success or a six figure salary

8. Stress is a factor as there are lots of deadlines which must be met

9. Long hours of work are generally required

10. The job market in the law is very competitive, so finding a job as a junior can be tough

11. Having to account for every 6 minutes of your time (although this is changing)

If you are still not discouraged, then please consider whether you possess the two most important skills required, which are attention to detail and ability to communicate.  Abraham Lincoln stated that “the leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence”.  In turn, William Butler Yeats told us to ‘think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.’

If law is your passion – be diligent, understand and speak your clients’ ‘language’ and pursue it with all you have!

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Smiling assassin – the power of encouragement

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

John M. Maxwell once said that ‘the power of encouragement is the oxygen of the soul’.

We often do not realize just how powerful encouragement can be to another person. It is much easier to shake your head and proclaim that something cannot be done and then try to convince the other person that you are doing them a favor by preventing failure in the making.

This morning, as I was on my last breath whilst exercising, the personal trainer just kept smiling at me and saying: ‘You can do it! I know there is more strength in you! Just a few more and we are done!’ And guess what? As it turned out, I could do more and push myself further than even I thought was possible.  The best thing about it was her smiling whilst totally destroying any strength left in my muscles for my own good. As a result, when our session ended I jokingly called her the smiling assassin.

Thinking back to that training session, why is it that we are often incapable of giving others positive feedback and energy and edging them on to achieve bigger and better things? We need to take a cue from the professionals like personal trainers in this department. Next time someone around you is having a hard time dealing with a particular issue or a project in their life, do not tell them why they cannot achieve the desired outcome, but think of one reason why they can. This is your opportunity to make a difference. Encourage others and never forget to smile!

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No problems – just projects!

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

A very inspiring and driven individual has recently changed my life perspective. ‘No problems – just projects!’ has been his motto and has helped him overcome a lot of obstacles in life.

I am embracing looking at any issue or hardship as a project in need of management and finding a positive resolution as well as an opportunity to learn and grow as a person.

Thus, I will now embark on a journey of dealing with projects, keeping a positive attitude, ensuring I utilize all opportunities which present themselves on my path and doing what is in my power to inspire others.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them” – Albert Einstein. With that attitude under my belt, I am  choosing to tackle one project at a time and being victorious!

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Do you want the truth? Ask a child

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

There is a French proverb “if you want the truth, ask a child”.

Recently, I have come to realize that this proverb is very accurate.  If you want a true opinion about anything,  children will be honest and will tell you the truth.  Whether it is an opinion about a particular outfit or an unpleasant smell or the hair colour, children will not be shy to tell you just how they see it without any sugar-coating or trying to be politically correct.

Many times whilst dressing to go to a party, I would get my eldest commenting on my look along the lines of ‘you look beautiful mummy’ or ‘this dress looks terrible, I do not like the colour” or “these earings make your face look strange”.  As brutal as some of the children’s comments can be, they are usually true and straight to the point.  I must admit that I have changed a dress when my kids did not approve of my choice and have not regretted it.

Children’s opinions will often make you cry from laughing too hard as some comments are absolutely priceless.  Once, whilst trying to explain to one of my kids why I cannot buy a particular toy, I stated that the toy is expensive and that I am not made out of money.  To which my child wittily replied: “Mum, you need to tell your boss to pay you more as the whole reason we let you go to work is to earn money to buy us things. If you want, I can write him a note for you”.  I did not buy that toy but had a good chuckle about it.

There are many more examples of kids making witty and humorous statements. My most favourite to date is: “Mum, do you know that in ancient times there were slaves? Well, I wish you were our slave as you would do everything for us and bring us stuff without complaining about it”. This statement is gold and to this day makes me smile.

In addition to their truthful declarations of opinions, children also possess an unbelievable ability to pick up on our habits and things we like and enjoy doing day after day.  Driving to a concert a few days ago, I got a confirmation of just how much my children totally understand most of my basic needs and wants.  My eldest, in his usual wisdom, asked me whether I would be stopping to get a coffee on the way. As his query was completely out of context, I asked him why he would pose such a question.  He looked at me and replied with ‘but you really like coffee mum, and it makes you really happy”.  Once again, my child was 100% right. Having coffee in the morning does make me really happy!

At what point in life do we lose that ability to be completely honest and freely speak our mind? When do we start filtering what we say and how we say it?

As a result of my recent observations, I have now made a promise to myself to take a lead from my children and to stop trying to be politically correct or telling half-truths not to hurt someone else’s feelings.  At the end of the day, honesty is the best policy and it is now my preferred policy.

Posted in Family, General Reflections, Life Quotes, Parenting, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What is happiness?

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

There is no universal definition of what constitutes happiness.

Wikipedia defines happiness as “a mental or emotional state of well-being categorized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy”. In turn, Aristotle defined happiness as “the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence”.

In reality, happiness is an emotion and each person will contribute different meaning to it. For some, happiness means financial wealth, for others being in a loving relationship, being a parent or spending quality time with children, family and friends. It may also mean achieving a particular goal or having successful career.

As it is an emotion, we  should be able to explain it logically and to control it.  Happiness is probably best described as n emotional reward for achieving a certain status or a state of well-being in life. Therefore, we need to find what will provide us with that positive energy and work on ensuring it happens.

Then, naturally, the conclusion is that happiness is making a decision to follow a path to a particular end result, and then believing that you can achieve the desired outcome.  “It isn’t who you are, where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.” – Dale Carnegie

Hence, find your inner-self, gather the strength to stick to your guns and overcome obstacles and, once you are done, you are bound to find happiness.  If not, then you were not true to yourself regarding your desired end result.  Unfortunately, we are often not strong enough to see beyond the barriers and thus deny ourselves the emotion we are so desperate to feel.

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The power of social media – use it wisely

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

These days social media has become imperative for social networking and sharing of  contents with the rest of the World.  The Internet-based social media has also allowed the expansion of communication between consumers and businesses.

The stand-out benefits for usage of social media by businesses include:

1. Building of brand awareness amongst consumers.

2. Improved engagement with customers and increased lead generation.

3. Easily obtainable customer feedback and real-time communication.

4. Ability to customise the offering to the consumers.

As a business, it is crucial to take advantage of social media, including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and others in order to increase the awareness of your brand in the minds of the consumers and develop its overall presence.

Before embarking on this journey in cyber space, a well thought-out marketing strategy should be developed so that the activities undertaken reach your target audience. Smart usage of social media allows personalised and effective promotion of your brand.

Therefore, pause and consider your business and its offering in light of the following questions:

1. What are you trying to achieve?

2. What message does your business want to deliver?

3. What is your point of difference?

4. Which group of consumers is your target audience?

5. What information do you need to deliver in order to engage with your target audience?

6. Are there any current or past customers or even suppliers who are prepared to endorse your business?

Once you establish a plan of action and commence its execution, you must ensure that tools measuring the success of implementation of your strategy are utilised. Engage, listen, create and nurture relationships and consumers will follow you!

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Turn the page

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

We often get bogged down with our past and it prevents us from moving on with the future.  Learn to turn the page and move on with the rest of the book, which is your life.  Until you can do that, you remain the prisoner of your past.

 

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Taking chances

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

Do not be afraid to take a chance, as the greatest failure is not trying. And if you try and are not successful – analyse why the desired result was not achieved and try again with a new perspective.  Failing at least once is a best source of learning – embrace it and keep going.

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Learning from mistakes

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

The best lesson in life is to learn from someone else’s mistakes rather than your own. But if you make a mistake along your life path – move on and never repeat it.

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Recruitment and finding the ‘right fit’

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Jane Garber-Rosenzweig

Human nation is divided into two categories – those of us who are able to ace an interview with flying colours and those who cannot do so.

It is understandable that we put our best foot forward whilst applying for a new job to increase our chances of being hired.  However, this often means that the person communicating with a recruiter in the interview is actually not the same person or should I say the same personality as the one which will be working and trying to fulfil the requirement of that position, should this particular candidate be hired.

In order for the recruiter to accomplish what they set out to achieve and actually find the right fit of a candidate for a specific job, deploying some of the following strategies may prove to be useful.

1. Develop a core set of questions which every candidate must answer.

2. Keep all questions relevant to the particular job.

3. Ensure the questions directly or indirectly force the candidates to give personal  examples of them dealing with specific situations or scenarios.

4. Ask tough questions, including candidates’ abilities to:

– deal with conflict;

– handle constructive criticism or being told “no”; and

– staying current in the eyes of clients and customers.

5. Do your homework – review all information provided by each candidate and try to verify it.

6. Google each candidate.  As trivial as it may sound, you would be surprised with some of the results generated by this search engine.

7. Ensure all candidates are allowed a similar time frame for their interview.

8. Do not oversell the position. The more accurately you explain it to the candidate, the better chances you have of finding the right fit.

9. Let the candidates know what the next step will involve, including the reference checks, second interview, personality test, etc.

Most importantly, ensure that your business utilises a platform, which simplifies the overall process  and the various stages of recruitment, and uses cutting edge technology.  One of such platforms that comes to mind, which has been active in social media of late, MyRecruitOnline, allows your recruitment process and core HR business strategies to be set up as real-time activities in the system without the need for you to revert to manual processes. Do your research and see which platform suits your business.

Finally, set yourself a goal to get things right the first time!  Strive to place the right and job appropriate candidate each time and every time and you will be the first point of call for many corporates seeking to fill positions.

Posted in Business, Recruitment and HR | Tagged , , | 1 Comment