Being in a job for “a long time” is kind of like sitting in your favorite easy chair. It’s comfortable. It’s familiar. It’s … easy. But there are downsides of sitting in it too long. Professional downsides as well. Unless you are learning new things and growing as a professional it is almost certain that you are on career autopilot. Punching in … and punching out. That’s not a career … That’s a J.O.B. And most professionals cannot stay truly happy in a J.O.B. for very long. So the desire to seek something more meaningful becomes a driving career … and happiness force.
But being out of the job market for many years comes with its own set of challenges. To start, the job search protocols in today’s legal market are vastly different than the profession of old. Everything’s changed: interview attire, resume “rules,” job applications, interview questions, employer expectations, corporate/workplace vernacular, the nature of legal roles and work cultures to name a few. And if you’ve been in cruise control for many years, you probably haven’t given much, if any thought as to what truly interests and inspires you professionally. Leaving you in a mental no-man’s-land regarding your next career chapter.
