Meet Comadre Julie Anna Alvarez!

Julie Anna Alvarez is the new Director of Alumni and International Career Services at the Office of Career Services and Professional Development at Columbia Law School. She has been a law school career services professional for 11 years (having previously worked at Fordham and Cardozo) providing counseling and strategy to students and graduates at all stages in their careers. Her work in the academic setting has included helping her constituencies with resumes, cover letters, job search strategies, interviewing, networking and more. Throughout her career, she has also often been involved in the hiring process of her employers, screening resumes and interviewing candidates for open positions, so she has an insider perspective. Julie Anna was elected to the Board of Directors of NALP (National Association for Law Placement -- the industry organization for all major law schools and legal employers) for the 2016-2018 term. Julie Anna received her BA from Harvard University and her law degree from Harvard Law School. She began her legal career at the firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore as a corporate attorney, later transitioned to a boutique firm to practice Copyright/ Trademark/ Entertainment Law. Thereafter, she pursued various “alternative legal career” opportunities including six years as the Assistant Director of the Legal Referral Service at the NYC Bar Association. In 2000 she also became a certified Feng Shui consultant and ran a full-time consultant practice from 2001 to 2006, a business which she now maintains on a part-time basis. She has been a NYC Comadre for 7 years or more (but who’s counting?!).

Meet Comadre Vanessa Peters!

  

Vanessa Peters is a Human Resources Specialist with Michael Kors USA Inc.  She has been an HR professional for the past 9 years.  She started her career in human resources by working her way up through the ranks at Crate & Barrel.  She has experience in resume review, interviewing and training.  She has a BA from the City College of New York in English and Art and a Certificate in Compensation and Benefits from Baruch College. Vanessa Is also a writer and freelance artist of Puerto Rican descent.  As a writer, she is currently working on her first multi-cultural romance novel.   She also works out of her home as a freelance artist, her work focuses on both abstract/ impressionist paintings and drawings of the human form and figure.  Vanessa has been a NYC Comadre for 7 years.

Chatting with Las Comadres: Careers & Job Search

July 11, 2017

SPEAKERS:
Julie Anna Alvarez, Director of Alumni and International Career Services at Columbia Law School 

Vanessa Peters, Human Resources Specialist at Michael Kors, USA, Inc.

*** This handout can be shared with proper permission and credit for Julie Anne Alvarez & Vanessa Peters.  ***

Building A Base

Your Resume/Cover Letter:

1.      Always tailor your resume/cover letter to the position for which you are applying.

2.      Your resume is allowed one page per every 10 years of relevant experience – but should be no longer than 2 pages.

3.      Every bullet point or sentence in your resume should include a success verb.

4.      First paragraph of cover letter is key place to connect with the specific employer – don’t be generic.

Sample List of Success Verbs:

·         Achieved

·         Added

·         Awarded

·         Changed

·         Contributed

·         Decreased

·         Delivered

·         Eliminated

·         Exceeded

·         Expanded

·         Gained

·         Generated

·         Grew

·         Improved

·         Increased

·         Introduced

·         Maximized

·         Optimized

·         Produced

·         Reduced

·         Saved

·         Sold

LinkedIn:

1.      Always have a photo.  The photo should reflect an appropriate professional image.

2.      Resume should be complete and updated.

3.      LinkedIn is not Facebook.  It is for your professional networking.

Job Search Keys

Strategies To Find A Job:

There are three ways people find jobs:

1.      Job Postings (Indeed.com or industry specific sites)

2.      Unsolicited direct outreach to specific targets with phone follow-up

3.      Networking

If you use networking to support the other two methods, your chances of success increase dramatically.  About upwards of 70% of jobs are obtained because there was a networking connection involved.

Networking:

1.      Networking is not just schmoozing at cocktail parties and it is definitely not asking people you barely know if there is a job opening they can recommend.   Networking is not about instant results, but rather delayed gratification.

2.      Network with a plan and be prepared.

3.      Use the “Professional Coffee Chat” method to grow your network.

4.      Cultivate relationships -- it is when people know you, like you and trust you that they will introduce you to others in their network and let you know about job opportunities when they arise. 

5.      Stay on people’s radar in appropriate ways.

6.      Help others and be a giver – networking is a two-way street.  Connect others in ways that help them whenever you can and you will ultimately reap the reward.

Presenting Your Best Professional Self

Your Materials:

1.      No typos or errors. 

2.      Neat presentation whether via email or hard copy.

3.      Avoid “To whom it may concern” – research who the best person to address it to is.

4.      Professional emails are not like emails you send to a friend – they are still professional correspondence.

Yourself:

1.      Dress appropriately for the type of job and industry standard whether interviewing or attending events where you may encounter other professionals in the field.

2.      Plan to arrive a bit early to interviews – never be late.  Remember that Security Desks/Checkpoints are a reality in our world and leave time for them.  Plan for the “unexpected” travel delay.

3.      Be conscious of first impressions and treat everyone you encounter with respect.

Good Luck!