Employability 101 - Skills

Ah, welcome back. How is lock-down going? I hope you are still distancing? Or has the behavioral fatigue gotten to you? Well, I am back to writing about things I know nothing about. Did you read Employability 101 - Grades? Wooh, it did great. I thought I would write this second installment when school resumed but that is taking too long. So, here.  

Today, I am writing about the skills that make us employable (besides good grades of course!). They are not exactly skills, just things to be aware of, to develop. I am speaking directly to law students who want to work at the best firms. The specific setting is a job interview. What would your employers want to see? What makes the difference?

Again, my qualifications are wanton. Only that I have tried to pay attention at the few firms I have interned with, chatting with HR sometimes. Also, I have read from multiple internet sources. The skills I have highlighted are (1) curiosity (2) empathy (3) commercial awareness (4) technology and the new stuff (5) impressiveness. I will now discuss them one after the other. 

• Curiosity 

The important thing is not to stop questioning… Never lose a holy curiosity.

Albert Einstein. 

Curiosity is the most important skill you need, the basic differentiator. Curiosity is the willingness to learn. Intelligent people are curious people. They want to know what, why and how. They check the meaning of words in dictionaries, they google, they go past headlines. They fact-find, they do not just react to the reactions of others. They read diverse articles and books. They are humble. And by humility, I mean the ability to learn, admit mistakes and ask for help. When curious people fail, they analyze their failure, because they are keen on doing better next time.

To develop curiosity, keep an open mind. Be open to learn, unlearn and relearn. Some things you believe might be wrong, and you should be prepared to accept this possibility and change your mind. Do not accept the world as it is. Ask questions relentlessly. Neil DeGrasse Tyson said “The people who don't ask questions remain clueless throughout their lives”. Stop labeling things as boring. Curious people are unlikely to call something boring, they always see it as a door to an exciting new world. See learning as something fun. 

You will become employable when you channel your curiosity to things that matter. Curious people smash job interviews, for instance. This is because they have ready-made answers to questions, either because they are vastly knowledgeable or they have wondered the answers at some point. 

• Empathy 

Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

Theodore Roosevelt 

Curiosity also helps us develop empathy. Instead of judging others, we can ask questions and understand where they are coming from. Empathy is the most important soft skill. It is the ability to understand another person’s feelings and to consider another person’s perspective. We lack empathy because we feel threatened based on our own fears, projections and past experiences. Also, because we are often judgmental. We can learn empathy however. And we should.

Practicing empathy helps you to relate better with others. This is especially important in settings where there is diversity among individuals. Today’s workplace relies heavily on teamwork, and different people constitute teams. Empathy will help you understand the needs of people around you, and how your actions affect them. You will understand unspoken communication. You will more accurately predict other people’s behavior and be better equipped to deal with interpersonal conflict. 

Empathetic people are better at their jobs. They are better equipped to motivate colleagues. They are better able to read, and anticipate the needs of clients. This way, they negotiate better and identify the right solutions to problems. Empathizing with HR, understanding their company’s needs, and then showing how your experience, education and skills address those specific needs will go a long way to improve your chances of being hired. 

• Commercial Awareness

Commercial awareness is the knowledge of how businesses make money, what customers want, and what problems there are in a particular area of business.

The Cambridge Business English Dictionary 

The bottom-line of every business is money. Understanding this is commercial awareness. Law students are often preoccupied with technicalities. Meanwhile, the principal objective should be how to help your clients make money, save money and remain competitive. The ability to place legal advice within the proper context is valuable.

Commercial awareness extends to learning about your organization, market and industry. Understanding your organization involves developing a deep understanding of how it works, how it makes money and what it cares about. Then consider your role. How can you add value? How can you make life better for clients? Fully understand the trading environment they operate in. Consider the risks and opportunities that exist so they can define winning strategies. 

Who are your organization’s competitors? How are they performing, compared to your organization? Who are your organization’s target market, what do they care about? Understand the political, economic and social framework within which the business operates.

Commercial awareness is a key requirement in potential recruits. You can develop commercial awareness by staying up to date with industry developments. You may subscribe to journals, periodicals, blogs, feeds, financial reports, and make time to read them on a regular basis. You may also use social-networking sites like LinkedIn to stay in touch with news and professionals.

• Technology and the new stuff  

The successful law firms of the future will be those who set a culture of embracing change, rather than shying away from it. And the successful lawyers will be those who are not threatened by this, but can adapt and excel in a very changed - and continually changing environment.

John Flood, Legal Futurologist Professor 

While some universities still accept hand-written assignments from students, lawyers in commercial firms spend all their time on laptops, shuffling between emails, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. It is taken as granted that intending recruits understand how to use these applications swiftly. Their productivity depends on it. 

The legal industry may be innately conservative, slow to respond to change. Yet, there is evidence that digitization is being welcomed. The legal market is opening its doors to the development and adoption of legal technologies that allow legal services to enhance productivity, offer innovative digital products, improve legal service delivery and quality while keeping costs at a low level. Therefore, IT savvy recruits have an incredible advantage. Or at least be able to learn quickly.

In addition to being commercially aware, a flair for a specific area of law may be impressive. Especially, futuristic areas of law that are increasingly lucrative - areas of practice that law firms wish to build or expand. While young lawyers are hardly niche lawyers, demonstrative capacity (and knowledge of recent happenings) here is valuable. In fact, they become talking points at interviews. If you can go on about intellectual property, taxation, data protection, maritime, etc. (rather than the legality of something inconsequential), you have an advantage. 

• Impressiveness

If I went back to college again, I would concentrate on two areas: learning to write and speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.

Gerald R. Ford 

The existential challenge of the typical law student is competition. The Nigerian Law school churns out 4000 students a year, at least. The biggest firms in the country hire about 10-15 a session. Job interviews do not take long, so an awful lot depends on the impression you create in minutes. I therefore split impressiveness into three simple things - writing well, speaking well and dressing well.

What good writing does is create an impression for you before you meet people. Before we meet writers, we already think they are intelligent and meticulous. Writing can also make you an industry name - people already attach you to some area of knowledge and imagine that you have expertise. Beyond these, good writing is an non-negotiable requirement for lawyers. Lawyers mostly write. Firms are keen on hiring staff with great diction and fine attention to detail. 

Self-expression is imperative. No matter how filled your brain is with knowledge, you must present it articulately. The ability to calmly and clearly speak places you above people with similar qualifications. Finally, dressing well communicates how nicely you would fit into an organized environment. It endears, and suggests a commitment to excellence. 

With this, I have come to the end of this episode. You can think of a few things I did not mention, I can too. I am convinced that these five are the most important. I hope that, if you have the time, you can commit to improving yourself. Good luck!