We were joined this month by Jennifer (Jenny) Champlin, a former Associate General Counsel and current Director of the DEI Incubator at Edward Jones. Jenny has also held leadership positions at Walmart and worked as a practicing attorney for Crowe and Dunlevy and Nixon Peabody. Jenny is the current President of the National Association of Women Lawyers.

Jenny is a natural when it comes to networking and building relationships, so we focused much of our conversation on how these two skills can help jobseekers and those looking to better manage their career.

Opportunities

Jenny shared that at the start of her career, like many young professionals, she was focused on a specific career path and assumed that it would be somewhat linear. Over the years, Jenny's career has proven to be anything but linear! Upward and exciting, yes... but not linear.

This experience is similar to the one shared by Matt Miller on Episode #2 of Hiring Insights. Matt shared his experiences navigating his non-linear career path towards becoming a Chief Legal Officer. We know that there are very few straightforward career paths and we work with clients to help them navigate these twists and turns daily.

If you are on a career path and want to explore your options, let’s have a conversation.

We have encouraged and fostered numerous career journeys and "next steps" including:

Helping many lawyers secure new roles at law firms and as in-house counsel.

Helping a Chief Information Officer transition into the real estate development industry.
Helping a Controller elevate to a Chief Financial Officer role.
Guiding a Chief Operating Officer to start their own consultancy.
Helping a Business Development Executive join a Private Equity firm.
Supporting a law firm partner's transition from private practice to being a General Counsel.
And many, many, more!

But how do you evaluate opportunities?

It’s important to know what you value and to use what Jenny calls “The Job Trifecta”.

Are you doing work that you are excited to get out of bed and perform every day?

Are you getting paid fairly for that work? You can always get paid more, but are you getting paid fairly?
Do you have a leader that's invested in you as an individual and your development?

If you were fortunate enough to say yes to all of the above, then you may hold back on a new pursuit. However, if your current situation is missing at least one or two of the above, then pursuing a new opportunity makes sense.

Relationship Building

The vast majority of our clients will not secure their next opportunity through a job posting or through a recruiter's outreach. They will likely get their next opportunity because of the people they know, and the people to whom they are introduced. People hire people. Which is why we advocate strongly for building relationships. Relationships are an essential component in securing new opportunities.

As Jenny points out, the key to relationships that will pay dividends in the long-term, are those that are authentic and genuine. “It's a matter of setting aside the time and the energy to think about how am I going to invest in building that authentic relationship that doesn't feel one-sided...”

Search your LinkedIn connections, then look at 2nd and 3rd degree connections. Find common ground and approach relationships in a symbiotic way. Find ways to help each other. We also suggesting looking outside your professional network to see where you can build and gain new relationships.

Are you having meaningful conversations with those you volunteer with?

Perhaps you are a parent and are involved in activities with other parents?
Do you have religious or political networks that you have not explored?
How involved are you in your alumni networks?

The list of opportunities to build meaningful, genuine, symbiotic relationships is endless.

Equality

The concept of equality is something that Jenny’s new role focuses on, and she provides great insight into this topic.

Jenny points out the individual conditioning that some people have experienced leads them to think that they should not pursue an opportunity unless they "check every box" on a job description.

“You have to push yourself past your limits, whether you're getting out of your own head or you're getting others to try to encourage you to push past those limits.” Our strategies include lengthy discussions about where you’ve been and where you want to go. We then work to evaluate your strengths and advocate on your behalf to present opportunities that match your goals... and maybe even some that you never would have considered!

We also help our clients know their value in the market, because we provide them with detailed and timely research so that they are confident during a compensation negotiation.

National Association of Women Lawyers

The National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) is an incredible organization. It facilitates networking and relationship building from wherever you are located and it has over 25 affinity groups... so there is something for everyone!

If you are a woman in the legal industry, we highly encourage looking at their website: NAWL : National Association of Women Lawyers. NAWL is a community able to assist you in building your career.

If you are thinking about a career move, let's have a conversation. Leverage our network of recruiters, hiring managers, business leaders, and our personalized coaching to get noticed and carve your personalized path to success.

Stay tuned for our conversation next month when we speak with Dimitri Mastrocola, Partner at Major Linsey & Africa. Prior to joining the recruiting world, Dimitri was a Senior Vice President at Citi, and practiced law at both Shearman & Sterling in New York and Fasken in Montreal. Dimitri will offer a "behind the scenes look" into the executive and legal recruiting world. If you have ever wondered how recruiters work and what they are looking for, you will not want to miss Dimitri's episode.

Thank you to all of you who subscribe to this newsletter. You can find more information about Top Talent Advocates on our website here, by following us on our LinkedIn page here, or by emailing us at TTA@TopTalentAdvocates.com. We encourage you to provide feedback on the podcast by posting comments, forwarding to others in your network, and encouraging others to gain insights into the hiring process for executives and attorneys. Don't forget to listen and subscribe here. You can also find the transcript for each episode of Hiring Insights here.