Kathryn L. Myers, coordinator of paralegal studies and associate professor at Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC), presented a session on Marketing Your Graduates in Tough Times at the North Central Regional Conference of the American Association of Paralegal Educators (AAfPE) in Chicago, Ill., on April 9, 2011.
Myers, a 1986 alumna of SMWC, focused her presentation on four main themes designed to help students catch an employer’s eye by standing out from the job-seeking crowd. First, she emphasized the importance of creating multiple backup plans. Flexibility, Myers said, will be key in securing a job in these tough times. Another theme stressed the usefulness of understanding your own strengths and weaknesses. Knowing your weaknesses helps you improve them, Myers told the crowd, and knowing your strengths helps you improve your people skills. Myers’s third theme centered around the value of being proactive. Many people believe that looking at help wanted ads is a sufficient way to secure a job. Myers explained that, especially in today’s times, networking is more essential than ever. Students can join groups their potential employers might be in, continue their educational opportunities, volunteer to teach a legal seminar or write an article for a newsletter or magazine. Finally, Myers impressed upon the students the advantage of creating a portfolio. She said students should develop two portfolios: one portfolio contains the most impressive materials that the student has compiled and the second, on CD or a thumb drive, should be left with the potential employer. The second portfolio should also contain a cover letter for that specific employer, resume and selected completed works such as correspondence, memoranda of law and pleadings. The conference had more than 60 attendees from across the Midwest.