These days, I’m seeing a lot of discussion on Linked In and other paralegal forums about how tough it is for new paralegals to get their foot in the door because they lack legal experience. In the last post, we talked about the best way to network for job hunting success. But while it’s always a great idea to build your network, it can be a slow, painstaking process.

Unless you graduate from a paralegal program that has you do an internship with law firms, it can be difficult to get one on your own. So what do you do?

Fear Not! There are other powerful tools in your job-hunting arsenal that can also be effective.

After losing my first job, I talked to legal professionals I knew (there’s that Networkingskill again!) to get some ideas on what to do next. Most of them suggested I go through a temporary employment agency that specializes in lawyers and law firms.

Temping can be a great way to get your foot in the door, no matter what kind of position you get. Even the lower-level positions teach you valuable lessons about the legal field. For example, you’ll learn about:

The importance and the extent of attorney-client confidentiality (useful if you fell asleep in the ethics portion of your program);

Whether you like the area(s) of law that firm specializes in;

Whether you’re more comfortable with a solo practitioner, a partnership, a large law firm, or a corporation;

What kind of people you enjoy working with; and,

What your best skills are (Are you a “People Person” or a technological wizard? Do you enjoy research and writing?)

Some of my most valuable contacts are people I met while I was temping at a law firm or other site. Next time, we’ll discuss how to effectively contact a temp agency, and explore your possibilities. Until then, Happy Job Hunting!