Page 34 - Briefcase Volume 38 Number 1

CAREER DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

TAKES JOB SEARCH ONLINE

The Law Center’s Career Development Office has Career counselors also hosted weekly virtual career
risen to the challenge of supporting students and chats throughout the summer to discuss relevant
alumni in their search for employment at a time when career topics, featuring attorney and recruiter
opportunities in the legal marketplace are limited as a panelists, professional development trainings,
result of the coronavirus pandemic. library and IT resources, as well as networking
and mentoring guidance.
“Internship and post-graduate positions have decreased,
changed from direct to virtual environments, and Topics included: “Self-Presentation in a Remote
in some cases, been canceled,” said Tiffany J. Tucker, Environment: Performance, Fashion and Etiquette
assistant dean for Career Development. “Now, more Tips for Remote Work Environments, Remote
than ever, law students and alumni need career support Networking and Video Interviews;” “Employer
to help them adapt to the new world of COVID-19, Perspective: What Law Students Need to Know to
social distancing, remote interviewing, and virtual Succeed in Today’s Legal Market;” “Stress Management
employment opportunities. in Virtual Work Environments;” and “Recruiter
Perspective: Trends in the Houston Legal Market.”
“We are supporting them by conducting employer
outreach and delivering innovative virtual career and The Passport to Success - Professional Development
professional development programming throughout Series also will continue virtually in the fall. Passport
the summer and fall. The Career Development Office’s to Success is a comprehensive professional and career
career counseling and employer outreach teams are all development program developed by the Career
attorneys with legal practice and recruiting experience, Development Office to achieve its mission of equipping
so our services are tailor-made for our law student, students and graduates with the resources and
alumni and employers and adapted to the new skills to successfully identify, generate, and navigate
virtual environment.” professional opportunities. The program consists of
four mandatory 1L learning sessions focusing on J.D.
The team of career counselors, Tucker, Chandria career essentials: exposure and access to career options,
Jackson, associate director for Career Development, employers and experience.
Paul Klinger, assistant director for Career Development,
and Anton Montano, assistant director for Career The Career Development Office also has conducted
Development, are continuing year-round one-on-one targeted outreach to employers to ensure Law Center
career advising for law students and alumni virtually candidates have access to employment opportunities
on topics ranging from identifying and applying to by assisting employers in identifying and recruiting
potential employers, interview training, resume and talented students and alumni to fulfill their
cover letter building, and salary negotiations. employment needs. The employer outreach team of
Kourtney James, director of Employer Relations and
Additionally, Tucker and Anne Elise Doise, employment Development, Bill Powers, director of Internship &
statistics consultant, provide tailored career support and Externship Programs, and Jackson surveyed employers
employment tracking for recent graduates, including to determine any changes to their employment plans
graduate resume books (distributed to hundreds of and to offer assistance in filling any new positions.
employers at peak hiring times throughout the year) Dean Leonard M. Baynes also asked alumni to consider
and post-bar bi-weekly graduate jobs digests offering part-time or short-term work that could be
(highlighting entry-level legal and J.D. advantaged completed remotely during the summer. Employers
positions most appropriate for recent graduates.) have responded positively to this personalized outreach

34 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON LAW CENTER