We spend so much time working out how to fit in we sometimes forget we were born to stand out.
It’s all too easy to become one of the crowd. None more so when you’re sharp suited and booted for a buttoned-down day in your legal job.
After all, when you’ve been hired for your professional skills, not your fashion sense, you’re expected to conform.
Out goes the nose ring and Hoxton fin, and in come the respectable hairstyle and a sober suit.
It’s all very well fitting in but you risk becoming a clone, doomed to languish unnoticed among the masses.
Unless, that is, you’re able to bring the ‘real you’ to work – let your personality shine and see your career progress. Here’s how to do it.
Choose your arena
Outgoing personalities may be more suited to mergers and acquisitions, confrontational types to litigation or the more introspective and academic to tax or intellectual property. Individual skills such as being great with numbers or speaking a foreign language fluently might also steer you towards the personal injury sector or international law.
Make a good match
The law is as much about where you work as the type of work you do so try to match your personality to the relevant kind of law firm. A smaller firm may offer more opportunity to shine but, if you prefer being in the spotlight on a bigger stage, you’re better off in a larger legal outfit.
Wear something funky
We know this isn’t easy when there’s a dark and dismal legal dress code modelled on Hogwart’s Snape. But a dash of colour isn’t going to break the law. For men it could be a glimpse of bright socks (stay away from the novelty ones, such as Bart Simpson), or for women a colourful item of jewellery.
Decorate your desk
A little adornment can work wonders. We’re not talking DIY SOS here but a family photo, favourite mug or a holiday memento (leave the ouzo at home) can help you connect with colleagues as well as be a reminder you’re not just a lawyer but have a life outside work.
Make connections
This is one of the easiest ways to show your personality and can be one of the most influential in advancing your career. Allow co-workers to get to know you beyond your professional persona. This way they build up a more rounded picture of you and your ambitions. They could be the ones vouching for you when it comes to promotion.
Let your personality shine with Legal roles from s1jobs.