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| Foreword | |
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| Preface | |
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| Acknowledgments | |
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| About the Authors | |
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| Batter Up! | |
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| Where Are They? | |
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| Paralegal Hiring World | |
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| Good Times and Bad Times | |
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| So, What Are the Dollars? | |
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| Why Paralegals Change Jobs | |
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| If You're Ready to Move | |
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| Getting into the Field | |
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| Choosing a Practice Area | |
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| Practice Area Descriptions | |
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| Where Do Paralegals Work? | |
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| Structure of Law Firms and In-House Legal Departments | |
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| The Hierarchy of Lawyers and the Legal Staff | |
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| Nonlegal Staff | |
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| Division of Duties in Medium and Small-Sized Firms | |
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| In-House Legal Departments | |
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| A Top Paralegal Manager Tells You What She Wants | |
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| What Paralegal Managers Look For | |
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| Hi, Ho! Hi, Ho! It's Off to School We Go! | |
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| What Types of Courses Should Be Offered? | |
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| Other Earmarks of a Good Program | |
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| ABA Approval--Just What Is It Anyway? | |
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| AAfPE Membership | |
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| Types of Paralegal Programs | |
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| Beware the Fly-by-Night Schools | |
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| Deciding Which School Will Meet Your Goals | |
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| The Importance of Internships | |
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| Entering the Marketplace and Transferring Your Skills | |
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| Transferring Your Existing Skills to a Legal Career | |
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| Unsung Heroes and Rising Stars | |
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| You Can Take It with You | |
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| Been There--Done That: Interviews with Second-Career Paralegals | |
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| The Secrets to Creating a Great Resume | |
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| Preparation for Writing Your Resume | |
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| If Your Resume Isn't Working, Why Not? | |
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| Formats | |
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| Heading | |
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| Education | |
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| Skills and Abilities | |
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| Work History | |
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| Computer Skills | |
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| Special Skills and Abilities | |
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| Organizations and Affiliations | |
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| Sample Organizations and Affiliations | |
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| References | |
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| The "Older" Workforce | |
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| Job-Hoppers | |
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| The Functional Resume | |
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| The Targeted Resume | |
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| Ten Commandments of Resume Writing | |
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| Ten Great Resume Writing Tips | |
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| The Every Resume Writing Book Action Word List | |
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| Pretty Darn Good Phrases to Use | |
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| Sample Resumes | |
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| What's Wrong with This Picture? (or I've Sent Out 500 Resumes. No One Must Be Hiring.) | |
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| Your Resume Is Hereby Rejected. Most Sincerely, MAC 9000 | |
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| Computer Processing of Resumes | |
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| How to Write a Revolutionary Cover Letter | |
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| The Basic Ayes and Nays for Writing a Killer Cover Letter | |
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| Sales 101 | |
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| Features and Benefits Worksheet | |
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| How to Respond | |
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| Openings for Letter | |
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| How Your Expertise Fits with the Organization | |
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| Dynamic Closers | |
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| Sample Cover Letters | |
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| Where to Look: Resources, Techniques, and How to Use Them | |
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| Networking Your Way to a Job--The Hidden Job Market | |
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| Seminars | |
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| Print Media | |
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| Legal and Other Directories | |
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| Blind Mailings | |
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| Articles by and about the Firm or Corporation | |
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| The Old Boys and Girls Network | |
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| American Society of Corporate Secretaries, Inc. | |
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| American Staffing Association | |
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| Alternative Careers | |
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| On-Line Job Hunting | |
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| Wired for Work: A Guide for Finding a New Job On-Line | |
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| Job-Search Tips | |
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| Women's Web Sites | |
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| If You Get Stressed Out Over the Whole Deal | |
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| Getting a Staffing Organization to Work for You | |
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| Staffing Organizations | |
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| Guide to Legal Staffing Organizations | |
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| Let's Go Surfing! | |
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| Web Sites | |
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| Employment Verification, References, and Writing Samples | |
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| References | |
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| The Importance of a Good Reference | |
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| Reference Letter Myths | |
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| Employment and Academic Verification | |
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| Choosing Your References | |
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| Testimonial Letters from Clients, Supervisors, and Coworkers | |
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| Writing Samples | |
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| Articles by You or about You | |
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| Sample Testimonial Letters | |
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| Resume Tracking | |
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| Checklist for Great Follow-Ups | |
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| Golden Rules about Appearances | |
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| Appearance Counts | |
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| Attention Getting Yeses and Nos | |
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| Dressing to Get the Job | |
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| The Interview | |
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| Doing Your Homework | |
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| The Day Before | |
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| Interview Day | |
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| Structure of the Interview: The Unspoken Rules | |
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| Selling Yourself | |
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| Stress Interviews | |
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| The Behavioral Interview | |
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| Day-Long Interviews | |
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| Group Interviews: If You Are Interviewed by a Group | |
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| Let's Do Lunch | |
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| How to Say It | |
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| Closing the Interview | |
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| 275 Tough Interview Questions | |
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| Interview Questions | |
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| Questions Candidates Can Ask during the Interview | |
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| Illegal Questions | |
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| Sample Illegal Questions/Comments | |
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| The Buzz on Objections to the Sale | |
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| Here Today, Gone Tomorrow... | |
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| Gaps, Holes, or Voids Now Become Hiatuses, Recesses, or Interim Periods | |
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| Low Grades Do Not Equate with Low Performers | |
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| Coming from a Foreign State | |
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| "We Really Hadn't Intended to Spend That Much Money on Salary" | |
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| "What Are Your Weaknesses?" | |
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| Follow-Up and Thank-You Letters | |
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| Follow-Up Letters | |
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| Sample Follow-Up Letters | |
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| The Thank-You Letter | |
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| Sample Thank-You Letters | |
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| Call-to-Action Letter | |
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| Sample Call-to-Action Letter | |
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| Acceptance Letter | |
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| Sample Acceptance Letter | |
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| Evaluating the Job Offer | |
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| Using the Estrin Job Opportunity Inventory Checklist | |
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| Your Initial Reaction | |
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| Sample Offer Letter | |
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| Making the Decision to Negotiate | |
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| Negotiating to Close | |
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| How to Ask the Question | |
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| What to Do If You Can't Get More Money | |
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| Knowing How and When to Concede | |
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| Deadlines | |
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| Using a Staffing Organization to Negotiate for You | |
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| 15 Ways to Leave Your Lawyer | |
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| Last Impressions | |
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| Riding the Train from Temp to Full-Time | |
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| Temporary Staffing/Agencies | |
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| When Should You Consider Temping? | |
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| How and Where to Begin | |
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| Interview Tips from ASA | |
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| Working with Your Temporary Agency | |
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| Your First 100 Days in Your New Job | |
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| Sample Diary of a First Day on the Job at a Mid-Sized Firm | |
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| Survival Skills for Working with Attorneys | |
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| Survival Skills for Working with Staff | |
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| Working with Other Paralegals | |
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| The Learning Curve | |
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| Accepting Responsibility While Not Getting Overextended | |
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| The "B" Word: Billing | |
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| An Eye Toward the Future | |
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| Legal Lingo | |
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| Choosing a Paralegal School | |
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| Associations and Organizations You'll Need to Know | |
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| Paralegal Specialties | |
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| Salary Surveys | |
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| Resources: Directories, Guides, Newsletters, and a Whole Lot More | |
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| Recommended Reading Materials | |
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| NFPA Model Code of Ethics and Responsibility | |
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| Free Resume Critique | |