Dallas Attorney Counsels Others On Career Placement
Amanda Ellis thought she wanted to be doctor and started out pre-med. She liked biology but didn't care for chemistry and psychics. Ellis decided to pursue a business degree and graduated summa cum laude from Centenary College of Louisiana, she also earned a law degree from the University of Texas at Austin.
Ellis went to work and was mentored by an attorney on client development and there she found that she enjoyed the business side of law and jumped into legal recruiting. She placed attorneys in law firms and corporate legal departments. Ellis utilized social media, wrote a blog post for a law school admission consultant and a law school found her blog post and asked her to come speak to their students about how law students can use social media to advance their career. After several speaking engagements, Ellis realized she needed to write a book about this and did so. "The 6Ps of the BIG 3 for Job-Seeking JDs: 60+ Ways to Get Hired Using Social Networking."
As vice president of search for Special Counsel and Parker + Lynch Legal, a national legal recruiting firm, Ellis manages a team of 70 recruiters in 37 offices throughout the United States. She also designs and implements permanent placement training programs for the employees of Special Counsel.
What would you tell someone who is considering looking for a job?
"Talk to people. Networking is critical. You never know when your job is going to disappear or if you get the desire to do something else. The more people you talk to, the more variety of perspectives you will get. There is never just one path. There are a variety of career paths within a field. Too many people get too comfortable in their position and a company can acquire your company and your job can be eliminated. If you don't have a strong network in place, it will be challenging to find a new position."
Robin D. Everson is a native Chicagoan who resides in Dallas, Texas. Her appreciation for art, food, wine, people and places has helped her become a well-respected journalist. A life-long lover of education, Robin seeks to learn and enlighten others about culture. You can find her work at Examiner.com