Protégé: Forging a path towards the dream job through non-legal roles

While working towards their dream jobs, new lawyers should not be shying away from alternative career paths and non-traditional legal roles because they may just make the difference on future job applications and in interviews. In this episode of The Protégé Podcast, host Naomi Neilson is joined by IP and commercial lawyer Maiko Sentina to discuss the stepping-stones she took through alternative career paths that ultimately led to her dream role. Maiko, who shares that she was job hunting in her dream field for over a year, talks listeners through the alternative options that allowed her to continue upskilling while revealing new possibilities. Ultimately, this open-minded approach was what led to the foundational skills needed for lawyers and made her more attractive to new roles. We also chat about the non-traditional jobs that should remain on resumes, no matter their irrelevance to law. Showing hiring managers experience in casual, retail roles, for example, could be a way to explain that they can “talk to clients, deal with potential sticky situations and getting instructions from superiors”. Importantly, Maiko shares her advice for students, grads and new lawyers who are sending out resumes and cover letters only to receive rejections or, worse, no response at all: “It’s about sticking to your guns, sticking to what it is that you are passionate about. Don’t be afraid to keep putting yourself out there.” This episode also explores making mentor/mentee connections with senior lawyers and why it’s important to look behind the polished LinkedIn profiles. Have a listen below! If you have any questions about the episode or if there are any topics that you might want us to look into, please reach out – we would love to hear from you! We’re also always open to new guests so if you have an exciting story to tell, if you’re standing out as a student or graduate, or if you can offer some tips for our young lawyers, get in touch. You can reach us here: Emails: editor@lawyersweekly.com.au or naomi.neilson@momentummedia.com.au

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