You may have had a clear career path when you started out in law, a master plan to take you from qualification through to partner perhaps.
Or you may have had no plan, stumbled into law and stayed there by virtue of necessity, interest, convenience or ambition!
Is there a ‘right way’ to explain this to others?
How can this path help you moving forwards?
This month – Understanding your career path
Whatever your career path, when presenting it to others at interview you should think through the choices you have made and have clear explanations for them in your mind.
Moving firm is a big decision and is always done with a good deal of thought so be honest about what it is that made you move. No one minds if it was the commute, the overbearing partner or the boredom in the work that led you to a move, have those reasons ready and present them in a positive light.
Plans can change! If something from your personal life interrupted your career plans simply explain and move on.
With any career path it is worth tying roles and moves up into an overarching story to make sense of your CV and to make sense of your next step. By analysing the choices you have made in the past it can help to shape what it is that you are truly looking for as your next step.
Be truthful to yourself about all aspects of a role. If you know a 1.5 hour commute sent you mad last time, then you can be fairly sure that it is not a sustainable option for the future; despite how good the role/ firm/ opportunity is this time. If the new firm has the same out dated ways of working as your previous firm who drove you round the bend with their lack of forward vision but it feels like a safe bet to you; be realistic and accept that you need to stretch yourself to find a truly different firm to avoid the same frustrations.
If you are happy enough in your current role but there is something you have always wanted to achieve that your current firm cannot provide, then make sure you have told us! That way if it arises we can tell you about it!
By getting your career journey to date clear in your mind, your career path moving forward will become more obvious to you. Take the next step and talk to us
