Legal support professionals are an essential part of the team in any law firm or legal department. When you start a new legal support job, you want to fit in, learn the ropes and get oriented quickly so you can continue to build a thriving career.
Here are six habits to adopt when starting your new legal support job that can help you fuel your success:
- Make wellness a priority. Without adequate sleep, nutrition and exercise, your brain starts to lose its ability to do its best work – which can have a negative effect on your career. Commit to getting enough sleep, eating well and moving your body so that you can do your best work.
- Prioritize your to-do list every day. Before you leave work, make a to-do list of the most important tasks you need to finish the next day. When you arrive the next morning, rank those tasks in order of priority. Then, do them in that order. This system will help ensure you’re staying on track and get through those tasks.
- Do what you say you’re going to do. One of the best ways to become the “go-to” person in the office – and the one everybody respects – is to do what you say you’ll do. If you agree to take on a task, complete it and notify the person who handed it off to you. If you volunteer to help with something, finish what you start.
- Create SMART goals. A new job is a great time to rethink your career goals. When setting goals for the next year, five years or ten years, make them SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Oriented. “I will publish at least one article in a professional journal by the end of 2017” is a clear goal; “I will write more” is not.
- Practice confidence. Confidence doesn’t require you to have an insufferable ego, but it does require the ability to step outside a conflict or challenge and ask, “What’s happening? What are my options?” Take actions that involve risk and failure, and evaluate your steps as you tackle them in order to build confidence.
- Ask more questions. A new job is a great time to revisit your childhood sense of curiosity. Not only will you be asking questions about the job itself, you’ll also learn more about the organization, its mission and goals, and how you can support those ends.
At Kent Legal, our experienced recruiters are dedicated to helping experienced legal support professionals find positions with some of the best organizations in the greater Toronto area. Contact us today to learn more about our Toronto legal support career openings.