Any ideas for jobs to strengthen my application? Forum

[natural_law]

Hi all,

I'm applying for the 2015 cycle. I'm currently working as a sales advisor (i.e. grunt) in retail in the U.K. and am a volunteering assistant manager at Cancer Research U.K.

I've had a lot of problems finding a job that is willing to take me on for only a year. I, obviously, would like to be doing something more meaningful with my life at the moment, and I'm hoping some of you have advice on what types of jobs I could be looking for for the coming months/year. Preferably, it would be something that strengthened by application. I have a B.A. in Psychology with a good GPA (in my major) from a top school.

I have friends that worked finance for a year, but I am not interested in taking any finance related position. I've generally been applying for public sector jobs and charity jobs as an administrative assistant, but every one of them has lost interest once they've found out that they'll have to rehire someone by September 2015.

Ideally, I would like to work in a legal practice in some capacity, or shadow attorneys or volunteer with judges. Hopefully I will save up enough to get back to California where I know judges who would take me on. In the meantime, I'm wondering if anyone out there found themselves in a similar position. I'm starting to run out of ideas...and have been applying for work in the U.S. online for several months now without success...so...help...?

Thanks

[HorseThief]

Working in the legal field won't necessarily boost your application. Lots of people are already doing that, so it won't make much of a difference vs working in retail (unless, of course, the firm/judge has ties to a specific school).

In general, work experience outside of the extraordinary has little impact on your application, so you might want to think about 1) what job would be the most fun before you jump into law school, and 2) what job might give you something to talk about in a PS or interview? Doing research in Psych or doing something PI-focused like teaching or advocacy might help out with (2).

[ymmv]

Working in the legal field won't necessarily boost your application. Lots of people are already doing that, so it won't make much of a difference vs working in retail (unless, of course, the firm/judge has ties to a specific school).

I don't know that this can be said with certainty. I think it's plausible that adcomms will look ever so slightly more favorably on an applicant who worked as a paralegal or something than one who worked as a checkout clerk at e.g. Tesco.

In general, work experience outside of the extraordinary has little impact on your application,

In general, yeah, but there are definitely schools that care a great deal about the work experience. NU is the most obvious example, but they are not alone.

so you might want to think about 1) what job would be the most fun before you jump into law school, and 2) what job might give you something to talk about in a PS or interview? Doing research in Psych or doing something PI-focused like teaching or advocacy might help out with (2).

This I totally agree with.

[natural_law]

Do you mind giving me a general idea of exceptional work experience?

I consider being an undercover investigator for Mercy for Animals pretty exceptional...am I right to think so?

[downbeat14]

Hi all,

I'm applying for the 2015 cycle. I'm currently working as a sales advisor (i.e. grunt) in retail in the U.K. and am a volunteering assistant manager at Cancer Research U.K.

I've had a lot of problems finding a job that is willing to take me on for only a year. I, obviously, would like to be doing something more meaningful with my life at the moment, and I'm hoping some of you have advice on what types of jobs I could be looking for for the coming months/year. Preferably, it would be something that strengthened by application. I have a B.A. in Psychology with a good GPA (in my major) from a top school.

I have friends that worked finance for a year, but I am not interested in taking any finance related position. I've generally been applying for public sector jobs and charity jobs as an administrative assistant, but every one of them has lost interest once they've found out that they'll have to rehire someone by September 2015.

Ideally, I would like to work in a legal practice in some capacity, or shadow attorneys or volunteer with judges. Hopefully I will save up enough to get back to California where I know judges who would take me on. In the meantime, I'm wondering if anyone out there found themselves in a similar position. I'm starting to run out of ideas...and have been applying for work in the U.S. online for several months now without success...so...help...?

Thanks

Hi natural_law,

Sounds like you are thinking ahead. Good for you! I don't understand one thing though, when you say they would need to rehire by Sept 2015, do you mean 2016? I thought when people mention applying for the 2015 cycle that means they would matriculate in fall 2016. Maybe I'm missing something here.

However, my confusion aside, do you have a good LSAT already? If not, make that your "job" and do whatever else you need to make enough money to get by. If legal, great, if not, no sweat. Your LSAT is way more important than almost any soft-factor.

[ymmv]

Do you mind giving me a general idea of exceptional work experience?

I consider being an undercover investigator for Mercy for Animals pretty exceptional...am I right to think so?

It's certainly unique and will be something that piques a reader's curiosity, which is almost always a good thing where applications are concerned and where you want your resume to stand out in a pile. It might also be good fodder for a personal statement now (idk) and will probably come up in interviews later.

That said, it's not "exceptional" in the sense that it will impress anyone in and of itself.

[natural_law]

Okay, well I'll pursue the MFA thing if it gives me a shot at impressing one person more than my other options would.

I meant 2015 cycle as in starting law school in September 2015..my mistake. And I have a 178...but a weak GPA (2.6, 3.35 in major)...so trying to get some softs going for me to give me a slightly-less-long-shot at HYSCCN...Yale took someone from my alma mater with a 2.6 a couple years ago, so I'm just trying to give myself every chance of hitting the jackpot.

[HorseThief]

MFA is definitely a step in the right direction, but Idk if it will outweigh your GPA. If I were you, I might start thinking more long-term. Your LSAT is awesome and will continue to be awesome for several years. You GPA is going to hold you back unless you put more time between undergrad and law school. Have you considered getting an advanced degree? I imagine a PhD in Psych would cause even Yale to look past a low UGPA.

Even if another degree isn't in the cards, taking a really kickin job (with promotions) for 2 years might help.

[natural_law]

I haven't really considered a PhD in Psych. I was thinking of doing a Master's in Legal and Political Theory at University College London (ranked #3 in both Law and Politics in the UK 2014, ranked #5 in both for 2015), in order to offset my GPA somewhat (I will actually work hard to get a First with honors...but my grades won't be taken into consideration if I apply this September/November). I don't think a PhD is realistic...I know that UCLA's program is 6 years, and I don't want to go to school for another 9 years including law school. I would rather take a shot at T14 in this cycle than wait that long...with an eye to potentially doing something stupid like trying to transfer to HYS after L1. How much do you think the MA would help?

Could you please give me an idea of what you mean by exceptional or really kicking jobs (that are non-finance)?

[HorseThief]

A Masters is a start in the right direction, but I don't know enough about that program to really comment. I have no idea if a degree in a related field would be helpful (whereas something like a Comp Sci degree -> Patent Law would probably provide a significant advantage).

According to mylsn.info, you have a shot at NU, which would be a great degree. Transferring from there to HYS might not be the best plan, but there are tons of threads here which talk about the transfer game.

Exceptional jobs are gigs like speech writer for a prominent politician, writer for the New York Times, Olympic silver-medalist, established novelist, National Geographic photographer, etc. The kinds of jobs blokes like ourselves can only dream about.

[natural_law]

Thanks for all your help.