Canadian Lawyer 4Students

Spring 2010

Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training

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BY AVA CHISLING importance of The Being comfortable with yourself is an important part of fi nding the best place to launch your legal career. 22 SPRING 2 0 1 0 C ANADIAN Lawy er 4STUDENTS fi t cruitment offi cers in and out of big fi rms look for candidates who will fi t in with the culture of their or- ganization. Th ey expect you to be smart, funny, personable, fl exible, and above all, likeable. In short, they want students they can meld into their own corporate mould. So, how do you know if you're the perfect fi t? Chris Skelton can tell you. He can I generally spot a good fi t within the fi rst two weeks of someone start- ing at his law fi rm. He is a partner f you thought trying to fi t in was tough in high school, wait until you apply for a job in the legal profession. Re- and chairman of the recruiting committee at Bennett Jones LLP in Calgary and he's been recruiting people for the past fi ve years. He hires between 16 and 18 students a year and is under more pressure than most to fi nd the best candi- dates: his fi rm was recently voted the fourth-best employer in Cana- da — that's all companies, not just law fi rms. His success is based on your success, so who you are, and how others see you, matter when it comes to fi nding a job. "Th is is a service industry and we need people who know what it takes to be a good lawyer," says Skelton. "We want to see good grades and a

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