In wake of the World Health Organisation declaring COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) a pandemic, many workplaces have responded to help stop the spread of the virus by changing their working arrangements, with many industries making the move to work from home.

However, not all workplaces have been able to work online. Service industries such as retail and hospitality have been among the hardest hit after government restrictions closed restaurants, bars and retail outlets. Employers and employees alike are feeling the serious socio-economic effects of COVID-19 as millions of jobs are either becoming redundant or at risk of becoming redundant, amid the increasing severity of temporary government restrictions.

This week, the Federal government introduced a $130b economic stimulus package to assist small businesses to retain employees. Businesses will receive a fortnightly wage subsidy up to $1,500 per employee in an effort to prevent millions of workers from losing their jobs.

So, what are your employee rights and obligations in the light of this rapidly changing crisis? It largely depends on your individual circumstances.

Sources of law

Australia’s workplace laws emanate from various sources, but the main protections are contained in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (“FWA”), the relevant awards, the Workplace Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth), Workplace Health and Safety Regulations 2011 and Model Codes of Practice. WHS legislation is crucial as it requires employers to identify risks in the workplace, and do what is reasonably practicable to eliminate them, or where this is not reasonably practicable, to minimise those risks.

Employees should also note the published advice by the Department of Health.

Self-quarantine and self-isolation

All states and territories have engaged similar emergency powers under respective public health legislation. Your requirement to self-isolate for 14 days applies in the following situations:

• If you have tested positive for coronavirus
• If you have come in close contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus
• You arrived in Australia after midnight on 15 March 2020.

If you find yourself in any of the above situations, you should contact the Department of Health, and your employer immediately.

All travellers returning to Australia after 15 March 2020 must self-isolate for 14 days. If you refuse to comply, severe penalties apply in each State or Territory.

If you are required to self-isolate, then you must not attend work. Your options may include:

• Working from home – You should discuss this with your employer and review any agreements, employment contracts, enterprise agreement or workplace policies
• Taking sick leave, if you are unwell
• Taking annual leave or other leave such as long service leave
• Taking leave without pay

If you cannot work because you are subject to self-quarantine, you are not entitled to be paid unless you use your leave entitlements. Employees subject to a government enforcement order are not ordinarily entitled to be paid. There is a distinction to be made with an employer’s direction.

You may wish to discuss with your employer if you can undertake alternate work.

What if I want to stay home as a precautionary measure?

You should discuss your options and any alternative working arrangements with your employer.

Do I have any obligations as an employee?

Under WHS laws, your employer must ensure the health and safety of all employees. As an employee, you also have obligations. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth) you have four obligations while you are at work:

1. To take reasonable care for your own health and safety
2. Take reasonable care that your acts or omissions (failure to do something) do not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons
3. Comply, so far as you are reasonably able, with any reasonable instruction that is given by your employer under the Act
4. Co‑operate with any reasonable policy or procedure of your employer relating to health or safety at the workplace that has been notified to you.

Casual employees

Casual employees do not have paid leave entitlements under the National Employment Standards, as they receive a higher rate of pay in place of leave entitlements. However, under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), casual employees are entitled to 2 days of unpaid carer’s leave per occasion.

If you have lost your job, you may be eligible for the Jobseeker Allowance through Centrelink.

If you have been dismissed, and believe that it has been done in a ‘harsh, unjust or unreasonable manner’ then you can apply to the Fair Work Commission.

Stimulus package for casual workers and sole traders

The government’s second coronavirus stimulus package is designed to provide relief for retirees and to assist workers who cannot find work as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

If you have been affected, you may be able to access a “coronavirus supplement” of $550 a fortnight for the next six months.

The package also includes doubling the Jobseeker Allowance through the introduction of the coronavirus supplement – providing an extra $550 fortnightly. This will be available to workers who meet the income test.

From mid-April 2020, you can apply for early release of your super if you satisfy one or more of the following:

• You are unemployed
• You are eligible to receive a job seeker payment, youth allowance for jobseekers, parenting payment (including the single and partnered payments), special benefit or farm household allowance

• On or after 1 January 2020:
  • You were made redundant
  • Your income or hours have been reduced by 20 percent or more.

This will be capped at $10,000 this financial year, and $10,000 in the next financial year. The withdrawal of your super will be tax-free.

Income Protection Insurance

Many employees have an automatic Income Protection Insurance Policy. You may be able to access your Income Protection Insurance through your super fund if your balance is above $6,000. Contact your super fund to discuss your options and eligibility.

Further Information

For further information on employee entitlements during the COVID-19 crisis:

• Department of Treasury
• Fair Work Ombudsman
• Fair Work Australia

If you suspect that you, or someone you know, has COVID-19, call:

• Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398
• Department of Health

      To register for the coronavirus supplement, login to:

• Mygov

Pain and suffering

People who are in pain tend to cause pain to others.

Identifying inappropriate behaviour at work

In a professional setting, a social, or networking event, experiencing sexual harassment can be a devastating, humiliating and intimidating experience.

One of the best ways to identify inappropriate behaviour or comments is to pay attention to how that person makes you feel about yourself. 

How are you feeling emotionally?

• Has your confidence taken a significant blow?
• Do you feel ill-at-ease or on guard?
• Do you feel defensive or threatened?
• Are you holding tension in your body?
• Has your fight or flight response been engaged? That is, do you feel like getting away from this person as quickly as possible?
• Are you self-berating for not standing up for yourself?

How are you feeling physically?

• Is your heart racing?
• Have you developed a headache?
• Do you feel sick to your stomach?
• Angry?
• Woozy?
• Threatened or harassed?
• Has your bodily integrity been compromised? That is, have they invaded your personal space or made physical contact with you?

In many cases, inappropriate behaviour manifests in subtle, subversive, blink-and-you-miss-it conduct or comments about your physical appearance, intelligence or capabilities delivered with a smirk and feigned sincerity.

Think about how Trump interacts with highly intelligent women with thinly veiled contempt.

Identifying sexual harassment in the workplace

To be considered sexual harassment, the behaviour must be unwanted. In the circumstances, a reasonable person would have expected you to be offended, humiliated or intimidated by this behaviour.

• How are they standing? Are they too close?
• Are they making sexual advances such as invading your personal space, staring inappropriately, requesting to go on dates, making sexually explicit or suggestive jokes?
• Are they commenting on or making sleazy comments about your physical appearance?
• Do they corner you at your desk or somewhere else where you can’t get away?
• Have they made unwanted physical contact with your body?
• Are they making unwelcome comments or gestures with sexual overtones either verbally or in writing?
• Are they asking too many questions about your private life?
• Are they sending text messages outside work hours, especially late at night, or emails requesting sexual favours?
• Do they have pictures of naked men or women in the bathroom or on their screen saver?

How to deal with sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is unlawful. It is also against the law for your employer to terminate your employment or demote you for making a complaint about sexual harassment.

• Prevention

Developing your capacity to read people, to understand their behaviour or underlying motivations is a life skill. The trick is to spot these kinds of people early using the above indicators and to avoid an unpleasant interaction altogether.

• Early detection

If you do find yourself in a situation that makes you feel harassed or uncomfortable, maintain your poise and keep a level head.

As soon as you are able, extricate yourself from the conversation. Don’t fall into the trap of being drawn into a conversation you are not comfortable having or tolerating comments that make you feel harassed or threatened.

If you cannot remove yourself from the conversation, tell the person to stop making inappropriate comments or use strategies employed by politicians to shift the conversational landscape to something you do feel comfortable discussing.

• Record it

Make written notes of the times, comments or behaviours and dates the sexual harassment occurred. If you do decide to take further action, you have a complete record of that person’s inappropriate behaviour.

• Report it

If you are experiencing sexual harassment or assault in your workplace, don’t hesitate to report it to your employer or, if that is not productive, to the police.

There will be internal guidelines and sexual harassment policies in your workplace on how to make a complaint to your employer.

• Complain to a Tribunal

If the complaint is not resolved, you may make a complaint to the relevant commission or board in your state or territory or to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Further Information

You’ve landed that elusive role at a large commercial law firm. Few are fortunate enough to get the chance to commence their careers like this. You probably hustled your way through law school, with many sleepless nights and coffee-fuelled study sessions, dreaming of the day when you’d finally get that coveted piece of paper. And you got there. Congrats! Unfortunately, though, the hard work isn’t over. The next question is: how can you get on a proper progression track and maximise your chances for career advancement? What small things can you do to make the job work for you? And more importantly, what things should you avoid doing?

Many graduate lawyers enter the profession with huge expectations about the doors that will open to them. They can’t wait to experience the interesting, challenging and varied work that’s ahead of them. They’re excited to start building professional relationships with clients and colleagues. And yes, these times are exciting, but it doesn’t take long for reality to set in. There is no doubt that doing a stint in a commercial law firm will add value to your career – but the value is what you make it. The key to getting the most out of your experience is to be proactive, enthusiastic and curious.

Often, the day-to-day work doesn’t turn out to be as interesting as you expected. You thought you’d have ample opportunities to collaborate with your peers when in reality you’re just competing for work. For many young lawyers, this is not sustainable. Only the lawyers who are able to accept this reality and work proactively are successful in the long-term.

Why is this? Well, the top performers tend to come into the job with an attitude of enthusiasm and gratitude that their more entitled colleagues may not possess. This attitude impacts hugely on your progression and enjoyment of the job. You’ll establish better networks within the firm and build respect from partners and colleagues. These relationships are crucial to progressing your career.

It might be hard at first, but finding a way to check your ego at the door is the smoothest path to the success you’re looking for. For those who are committed to practice, with the goal of becoming a partner one day, here are 5 areas where the best associates shine.

They Have Realistic Expectations

It’s hard not to believe the hype about yourself, right? You were one of the best and brightest law students and a true high achiever. You outshone the competition and landed the top graduate role. You deserve to be where you are and you deserve all the great things you have coming to you.

For young lawyers, this is an easy trap to fall into. It is also something that can really hold you back from advancing in a large law firm. Stepping on toes might work in the short-term but, in the long-term, it’s a recipe for failure. The most respected junior lawyers are realistic in their assessment of themselves and of the day-to-day work they will undertake.

They know they have little real world experience. They know that this means they need to put their heads down, learn as much as possible and produce the best work they can before they earn the respect of more senior colleagues. They also understand that they are a part of the business and have to operate within the reality of this structure.

You don’t practice law in a vacuum, so taking a commercial approach to your work and outlook is a huge leg up.

They Are Patient

It can be easy to get ahead of yourself. You can be forgiven for expecting the very best work to be directed your way from day one. Firms are notorious for creating the misplaced expectation that you’ll be handed interesting work on a silver platter.

This usually isn’t the case, as workflows and allocation are complex issues. Remember, you have zero experience. You need to start at the bottom. You need to learn before you can step up. Building knowledge, experience and credibility is a slow process.

The best young lawyers recognise that it is all a process and that patience is key. Don’t let impatience prevent you from learning all the incremental skills that form the foundation of something much bigger. Importantly, start building your personal brand while you’re young, and it will reap dividends as you climb the ranks.

They Are Enthusiastic

Time and time again, senior lawyers and partners tell us about the importance of enthusiasm from juniors. Being genuinely enthusiastic about learning and doing the work is the surest way to ensure your success. Yes, even when you’re doing dull day-to-day stuff.

Being enthusiastic means that you bring a totally different level of energy to work. This is something that partners and senior associates pick up on easily. Turning your nose up at work you think is below you, or huffing and puffing about having to do menial tasks will get you nowhere.  By doing this, you appear closed minded or unwilling to do what is required to succeed within the firm. This impacts the work that will be delegated to you.

Your learning and development is a long process. Try to be enthusiastic about whatever tasks are handed to you and learn as much as you can. This will make you stand out in the eyes of those in charge of your progression.

They Are Proactive

Young lawyers often have a misplaced expectation that their firm will deliver internal and external opportunities. Law firms are businesses and partners are very busy people, so they might not be in a position to make these things happen for you.

The most successful lawyers are proactive. They make the most of any opportunity that could separate them from the herd. They explore and learn about how the firm operates. They actively seek avenues for mentorship and discover ways to contribute in non-billable areas. They seek out these opportunities themselves and look to take advantage of them.

It takes effort and enthusiasm to achieve this. But, if you want to separate yourself from your colleagues, you need to seek out mentorship, business development opportunities, client facing time, seminars, and other ways to make yourself indispensable to the firm.

Actively position yourself as a doer – someone who can be trusted to get the job done. This gives you the opportunity to flex your autonomy and independent thinking muscles. By proactively taking part in activities that you enjoy you are already one step closer to making your career work for you, and not the other way around.

They Are Honest

For some, having the courage to speak up is the hardest part. It can be terrifying to put your hand up and ask for help, or suggest a different approach, but will anything change by remaining silent?

If those you work with don’t know that you are unhappy, for example, there is very little they can do to address potential issues or make the necessary changes to help you. So, be honest and seek out guidance from those in more senior positions. An open and honest approach to work issues can open doors and gain you the respect of your colleagues. Chances are, they may be thinking the same thing but lack the confidence to speak up.

Bear in mind that senior staff and partners in firms are time poor, so be selective about when you make an approach and how you raise the issue.

Conclusion

Given how competitive the legal profession can be, some of the above points may seem counterintuitive. But, in our experience, it is an approach that lends itself to long-term success in private practice.

While you have worked hard and achieved a great deal to get where you are in your career today, an element of luck also comes into landing an elite graduate role. Don’t lose sight of this fact – it will direct your actions in practice in a far more positive way: a little gratitude goes a long way.

What other personal qualities do you think are critical in building a successful legal career? Let us know in the comments! 

Hospitality is one of the worst industries for superannuation non-compliance. Considering how many university students engage in hospitality work to make ends meet while studying, it is likely that unpaid superannuation is the first legal issue that most of us will encounter over the course of our lives.

In Australia, if you are over 18 years old and earn at least $450 a month (before tax), or you are under 18 years old, being paid $450 or more (before tax) in a calendar month and work more than 30 hours in a week, your employer is required to make contributions to your super fund. Due quarterly, the basic objective of the 9.5% minimum contribution is to provide you with a source of income in retirement.

But if you discover that your employer has not been meeting their superannuation obligations, you will likely find yourself moving through four main stages of financial grief.

1. Denial

Your initial reaction may be to let it go.

Many people find the prospect of speaking up too scary or overwhelming because they don’t fully understand their entitlements and don’t want to cause trouble with their employer.

This is the attitude your not-so-super employer is counting on. If you find yourself hesitant to speak up out of fear of the potentially serious consequences for your employer, remember that it is their choice to break the law by failing to pay your compulsory superannuation contributions.

It is also likely that this is not an isolated event. As Adriano Zumbo (who made headlines this week for failing to pay his young staff superannuation and overtime proves), if one employee is affected, other staff in your organisation are also likely to be affected. Your decision to speak up could benefit a number of your colleagues who may not be fully aware of their entitlements.

Another kind of denial you may experience is to deny the severity of the situation by wrongly convincing yourself that there is nothing to gain from chasing up unpaid super:

It’s just super! There is no immediate benefit, and I’ll get another job – a proper full-time job – once uni is over.”

Remember that everything you do plays a role in shaping who you are and who you will become.

The reality is that we are all working towards our future and you shouldn’t downplay the situation because casual work while studying is not part of your bigger picture – because it is. To move forward, out of the denial stage try to avoid hiding from the facts – at 25 years of age, every $1,000 in your superannuation becomes $14,000 by retirement.

That little kernel of truth should do the trick to catapult you straight to the next stage of financial grief …

2. Anger

Once you become informed, anger will inevitably follow.

Unethical employers justify their actions on the basis that it is not personal. But if you have a good working relationship with your employer, and genuinely want to see them succeed, particularly if they run a small business, their decision to cheat you out of your entitlements can feel very personal and manipulative.

At this stage, you might find yourself asking why your employer would do this – and the glaringly obvious answer is because it is more money in their pocket. But it is so much more than that. While the employer superannuation contribution might not be finding its way to your super fund, you can almost guarantee that your employer is claiming it as a tax deduction.

Put simply, this means it reduces their taxable income and they end up paying less tax. However, there is a distinct difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion: the former means avoiding tax in legal ways, while not paying super falls under the latter. It’s fraud, and it’s a crime.

Depending on your situation, you might find yourself stuck in an anger cycle for quite a while – I know I did. You may find it hard to go to work and the compounded stress of the situation may start to negatively impact your wellbeing and close relationships.

If this is happening to you, it’s time to take control.

3. Bargaining

Money is always awkward to talk about, there’s no way around that.

By the bargaining stage, you should be ready to deal with the issue directly by talking to your employer.

Equip yourself with as much information as possible. If you think that your employer is avoiding their superannuation obligations, or not paying you the correct amount, do some preliminary investigating to confirm your suspicions:

• Check your MyGov account to see how much your employer has contributed to date
• If you are not sure which super account payments are made to, talk to your payroll officer. Ask which super account your payments are made to, and how often they are made
• Look at when your employer is making contributions, if any, in your super fund account and how frequently (weekly, fortnightly, monthly or quarterly) they are being made
• Check with your super fund about whether those payments are being received from your employer as it may be a simple administrative error

Print out all your statements and calculate how much you are owed.

In some cases, unpaid super may be an honest oversight and it’s important to give your employer the opportunity to amend it by raising the issue directly with them before reporting it to the ATO. Remember that you are not asking for anything that you are not entitled to.

4. Acceptance

If you have spoken to your employer, and they are still not paying your super, their behaviour may be intentional avoidance of the superannuation guarantee. In the acceptance stage, it’s time to take positive action.

Lodge an unpaid super enquiry with the Australian Tax Office (ATO). This is an online form, in which you provide details such as your tax file number, chosen superannuation fund and corresponding account number, your employer’s business number and, permission to disclose your name to your employer during their investigation.

Once the ATO receives your enquiry, they will begin an investigation as to whether you are owed superannuation. This involves requesting information from your employer and can take up to 4-6 months.

If a superannuation debt is established, the ATO will inform you of the amount owing to you. This amount includes the super owed to you, plus interest (currently 10%) as well as an administration fee.

Unpaid superannuation – need for change

In 40% of superannuation complaints received by the ATO, this is where the road ends.

Where the cost of an investigation is greater than the amount owing to you, the investigation may not proceed. It is clear that this is an area in need of attention.

The ATO knows that small businesses employing young, low-income earners (hi, Uni students) are most likely to be non-compliant with compulsory superannuation contributions. These ‘high risk’ employers are selected for random auditing, but with analysis of ATO data showing that there is over $3.66 billion in unpaid super in Australia, there is still work to be done.

Obtaining outstanding superannuation contributions is not a specific function of the ATO. So whose responsibility is it?

Greater scrutiny and accountability for financial professionals

Is it the responsibility of the accountant who, in some cases, actively assists unethical employers with tax evasion? Perhaps stronger and more serious penalties need to be put in place for accountants who orchestrate ways for clients to evade their legal obligations or for making misleading statements or representations when dealing with a business’ tax affairs.

Perhaps the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants needs to be updated and tightened so that accountants are bound to maintain a similar standard of professional conduct as lawyers, and are held more strictly to account for maintaining the integrity of the Australian taxation system.

Superfund involvement

Or should super funds take a more active role in protecting the entitlements of their members?

Some super funds send follow up letters to employers whose contributions are falling behind. These letters serve as reminders regarding an employer’s superannuation obligations and reiterate the risks and penalties associated with non-compliance. But such letters ultimately lack the required authority.

Government involvement

Ultimately, I believe that part of the answer to Australia’s massive unpaid superannuation problem is technology. The government’s MyGov system is a centralised place where it is possible to Log In and access Medicare, Centrelink, the ATO, view your scary HECS debt as well as the total amount you have saved in superannuation.

It seems that a viable solution to Australia’s massive unpaid superannuation problem may be to amalgamate and refine the existing MyGov system. Perhaps with a few adjustments, the system could red flag when an individual’s income and the amount contributed to their superannuation fund do not match.

This type of digital flag could automatically send a warning to an employer, and a notification to an employee, that attention is required. Where no positive action is taken to make the required contributions within a specified timeframe, an automatic report could be filed with the ATO for investigation. The benefit of such a system would relieve the need for employees to proactively be aware of their rights and to raise it with unethical employers.

Finally

Don’t fall into the trap of denying the seriousness of your unpaid super situation, staying angry, or not taking any action at all because you don’t know what to do. In these situations, the only outcome to be achieved from silence is to your detriment.

Instead, arm yourself with the information we mention and open a dialogue with your employer. If this strategy is ineffective, weigh up whether your next step is to make an official report to the ATO.

Have you, or anyone you know, ever been in a situation where your employer is not paying your superannuation entitlements? How did you handle it? Let us know in the comments!

Further Information

If you think your employer is not paying enough superannuation, or not paying your super at all, report it to the Australian Tax Office (ATO):

Call 13 10 20 or use the online form.

There are many news items that have recently made me question whether we are living in the 21^st century.

One such example was the revelation that it is still legal in the UK to require that women wear high heels in the workplace. This all came to light when Nicola Thorp, who has since started a government petition to make it illegal for a company to require that women wear high heels at work, shared her story with the BBC about her first day at major accounting firm PwC. You can find the petition here.

Ms Thorp was told by Portico, the employment agency that runs PwC’s reception, that she would be sent home without pay if she refused to go out and buy heels. To add insult to injury, the firm also specified that the heels be between two to four inches high. Ms Thorp’s story has shone the spotlight on antiquated laws and highlighted the fact that discriminatory dress codes remain rife in the retail and tourism industries. Some of these practices require women to wear non-opaque tights and to not have visible regrowth from hair dying.

Under current UK legislation, employers can dismiss employees who fail to abide by “reasonable” dress code standards. But is requiring women to wear shoes that can cause serious and ongoing health issues, such as damage to foot joints and ongoing lower back, knee, ankle and hip pain a reasonable standard?

Ms Thorp’s petition that would allow women to have the option of wearing flat formal shoes at work has received 152,420 signatures and was debated in Parliament on 6 March 2017. While the debate is non-binding, the government committed to take action to eliminate corporate dress codes that apply to women but not men, including high heel requirements. The government’s position is:

Company dress codes must be reasonable and must make equivalent requirements for men and women. This is the law and employers must abide by it.

Employers are entitled to set dress codes for their workforce but the law is clear that these dress codes must be reasonable. That includes any differences between the nature of rules for male and female employees, otherwise the company may be breaking the law. Employers should not be discriminating against women in what they require them to wear.

The Government takes this issue very seriously and will continue to work hard to ensure women are not discriminated in the workplace by outdated attitudes and practices.”

Already, Ms Thorp’s petition has seen Portico amend their dress code which is now gender-neutral and no longer requires women to wear high heels.

In male-dominated industries, there are already enough barriers to entry into the workforce for women, without the imposition of gendered dress codes. While employers are entitled to require a certain standard of professionalism in their dress standards, there is a definitive line between smartness and sexism.

Using an entrepreneurial approach for career stress management 

Don’t expect too much from yourself too soon in your career.

The seemingly ‘instant’ success stories Elon Musk, and many other young entrepreneurs such as Jodie Fox, co-founder of Shoes of Prey and Jane Lu, founder of ShowPo, feed into an ever-accelerating cycle of millennial career propaganda. This is founded on the notion that if you have not ‘made it’ within the first few years of your career, or your business life, then you are doing something wrong. The reality is that it takes many years of hard work, persistence and determination to establish a solid career.

One effective approach is to ignore everything you think you should be doing and instead adopt an entrepreneurial mindset towards your career and life.

The ‘domino strategy’, described by Ramit Sethi, is an approach used by many successful entrepreneurs around the world. It involves setting one small career goal and knocking it over first. The beauty of this approach is that it removes the immediate psychological pressure you may feel to be an ‘overnight success’ by accounting for timelines that fall outside your direct control.

So, for example:

1. Your first step may be to update your resume
2. Your second step may be to send your resume to your ideal prospective employers

It could be a simple matter of sending an email to inquire about current or future vacancies. This helps you determine whether your idea for your career has potential. From here you can decide whether your skills and experience match the needs of the organisations or firms you wish to work for.

3. If your skills do not match, you can adjust your strategy and put your next steps into motion. For example, by obtaining an extra qualification or gaining more experience in a related field.

“Put the dominoes in just the right sequence so that each small step makes the next, bigger step possible” – Ramit Sethi

If you try to knock over the final domino before you have tackled the necessary preceding career steps, for example, the domino won’t fall. This means that you won’t be offered the job, and you will fail to achieve your ambitions this year.

A ‘domino sequence’ that works for one individual will not work for another – the challenge is to work out which sequence is right for your career.

Look at the career path of people you admire and replicate it

Well-rounded people have well-rounded careers.

One way to map out your perfect ‘domino sequence’ is to study the career pathways of people whom you admire and wish to emulate. A quick LinkedIn search can reveal the educational and professional histories of key industry players and give you a basic idea about what steps you should be taking. Ask yourself:

• Where did they study?
• What did they study?
• Where have they worked?
• Which job was the critical nexus that naturally flowed into their current role?

You can even go one step further by reaching out to these professionals.

Connecting with like-minded, experienced and accomplished individuals in your industry – whether for professional collegiality or mentorship – can help you to maintain healthy long-term wellness strategies and to cultivate strong industry support networks.

Expanding your professional network can not only provide balance and perspective to your work life but also drastically advance your career prospects. Justice Neil Gorsuch, one of the youngest U.S Supreme Court Justices appointed in recent history has credited his rapid career progression to the mentoring and support he received from other high-achieving judicial officers.

Relax and go with the job flow

Your first job out of university will not be your last.

A recent report by the Foundation for Young Australians found that the skills you develop through one role can be transferred to an average of thirteen other positions.

If your current job is still a few steps away from your dream job, then consider a side hustle. This could take the form of a passion project like design work, freelance writing, building websites, teaching fitness classes over the weekend or even chasing your professional interests through a part-time Masters degree. For current and future employers, this highlights your ambition, drive and creative talent.

It is highly likely that your first few jobs out of university will not be a perfect fit, but the flexibility and skills you acquire early in your working life gives you more career mobility.

These initial ‘dominoes’ help you get closer to where you really want to be in your professional life.

Develop your professional skills

Most employers seek applicants who have flexible skills that can be adapted and applied in many different forms. If you want to avoid the wilderness of unemployment or accelerate your career progression in a specific field, a postgraduate qualification can give you an edge over top candidates for competitive positions.

A practice perhaps pioneered by Susan Kiefel, the recently appointed first female Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia who completed her law degree part-time while working as a legal secretary in the 1970s, it is increasingly common for graduates to balance part-time postgraduate study with busy lifestyles.

In a recent study on education and work by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it was found that:

In May 2016, approximately 1 in 5 Australians (20%) aged 15-64 were enrolled in formal study [and] … People with higher levels of educational attainment were more likely to be employed, with 80% of persons with a Bachelor degree or above, 75% of persons with an Advanced diploma or Diploma, and 76% of persons with a Certificate III.” 

In an increasingly specialist legal marketplace, employers recognise the value of postgraduate study with Masters qualifications frequently listed as ‘highly desirable.’

Making the decision to study

If you are freshly graduated or revising your career goals after a few years of work experience, or are concerned that your existing skill set has not prepared you for the job you want, further study may be one of the key ‘dominoes’ you need to invest in your future.

Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether it is the right career move. Are you pursuing postgraduate study to:

• boost salary and career prospects?
• prepare for senior roles in firms and organisations in the public and private sector?
• enhance specialist skills and knowledge?
• progress an existing career or kick start a career change?
• fulfil yourself?
• be seen by potential employers as more qualified than other candidates?
• develop relationships with leading industry professionals?
• develop your practical skills and your ability to express those skills?

If you answered yes one or more of the above questions, it may be worthwhile exploring which universities offer study options that align with your current lifestyle and goals.

A number of fast and flexible online postgraduate qualifications, such as a Masters of Business Law through Southern Cross University, are specifically designed to integrate with full-time work commitments and require only 15 to 20 hours of study per week.

Conclusion

In his book The One Thing, Gary Keller, (founder of one of the largest real estate franchises in the world) says:

When you see someone who has a lot of knowledge, they learned it over time.
When you see someone who has a lot of skills, they developed them over time.
When you see someone who has done a lot, they accomplished it over time.
When you see someone who has a lot of money, they earned it over time.”

This year, follow the lead of successful entrepreneurs. Rather than setting yourself overly ambitious and unrealistic goals, aim to start small and enjoy the ups and downs of your professional journey. Line up your ‘dominoes’ and build momentum steadily, over time, towards your dream career.

Once you knock over those first few ‘dominoes,’ the rest will effortlessly fall into place.

This post is proudly sponsored by Southern Cross University. For more information on how to jump start your legal career in 2017, click here.

Nowadays, the pressure to stick with and succeed in one chosen field has, in many ways, lessened as more young Australians vote with their feet and regularly change careers.

Commonly referred to as a slash career, these alternative career pathways can manifest in many different ways. You may hold down a full-time job but have a side hustle or work on a passion project over weekends. You might run multiple projects simultaneously or even focus on one full-time job but consciously change careers every few years to keep your interest alive and skills current.

This type of career can blend multiple professional titles, such as writer/lawyer/entrepreneur, or it can involve making giant career leaps from actor to banker to lawyer. However you choose to look at it, slash careers are widely considered to give you a competitive edge.

Now, a growing trend is seeing many Australians pursue further education as a means of segueing into a different career or upskilling to increase their chances of securing a better career opportunity.

Latest research

According to Melbourne-based startup, training.com.au, more Australians are turning to upskilling through further study to ready themselves for a career change.

Many within the education industry are predicting that online education and course delivery is the way of the future, with the annual growth rate of the Australian university sector projected to slow to 1.6% (IBISWorld, 2017) between 2017-2022.

In a recent survey of over 3,000 Australians, training.com.au sought to gain a better understanding of what motivated people to consider further study as well as the role of technology in the delivery of courses.

Marketing director, Mike Thomas said:

We were surprised to find that 43% of all survey respondents advised that they were seeking alternative employment in the coming 3-years and a further 41% identified that a lack of qualifications was their greatest professional limitation.”

Although 55.06% of survey respondents said that technology had positively impacted their ability to upskill, not all suggested that online education was their preferred study stream. Times Higher Education has reported that about 20% of students who choose external study options drop out in their first year, compared with approximately 7% for those on campus.

For tertiary institutions, this could mean potential losses in student fees since student course completion is a prerequisite for securing fees through the HECS-HELP study assist structure.

Regardless of individual preferences to study online or offline, it is clear that technology is playing an integral role in modern learning environments. Although the results of this survey show that flexibility of course delivery, technology and online learning options influence overall student interest in further study, it is clear that student preference for traditional campus delivery is still very much alive and well.

Have you considered further study as an option to help smooth your transition into a different career? Let us know in the comments!

It is tough out there for job seekers, particularly young job seekers.

The current market is flooded with graduates with only 68.8% of young Australians able to secure full-time work within four months of completing formal study. Youth unemployment currently stands at 12.9%, three times higher than the national average.

In this climate, being offered an interview is an exciting prospect. But when selection panels are overloaded with hundreds of carbon copy applicants all with similar skills and experience, unconscious bias can sometimes creep into hiring decisions by influencing the judgement of decision-makers. In some instances, this can lead to unfair or discriminatory questions posed to job seekers at interview.

Contrary to what you might think, the power balance at interview does not rest solely with your potential employer. You are not required to answer every question an interview panel asks you simply because you seek the ultimate goal of employment with that company or firm.

Some interview questions – particularly ones that canvass your personal circumstances, age or cultural background – are inappropriate and irrelevant and may even be unlawful under Australian employment and anti-discrimination laws.

Questions your potential employer should not be asking you 

Australian employment law (section 351 of the Fair Work Act 2009) prohibits employers from discriminating against both employees and prospective employees on the basis of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, family or carer responsibilities, pregnancy, religion, political opinion, national extraction or social origin.

It is also against the law for an employer to treat you unfairly or harass you because of your age, disability, homosexuality, marital or domestic status, race, sex or transgender status of any relative, friend or colleague of yours, whether you are an applicant or an employee.

Some States and Territories also have anti-discrimination legislation in place which protects applicants against discrimination based on trade union activity, political opinion and criminal records. Employers must adhere to both Federal and State laws.

Commonwealth anti-discrimination legislation prohibits discriminatory behaviour by employers towards current or prospective job applicants based on age, race, disability and sex, which includes sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status, marital status, pregnancy or family responsibilities.

Certain jobs may require an employer to inquire at interview about your personal circumstances or opinions, current conduct, or past action or behaviour which can be very intrusive. A government national security position, for example, requires very high levels of security clearance. The majority of jobs in the private or public sectors, however, would not require such knowledge.

Below are some examples of questions that are inappropriate, irrelevant, offensive or unlawful. For most positions, you should never be asked these questions at interview:

1. “Do you have a partner?”
2. “What is your marital status?”
3. “Do you intend to start a family or are you currently pregnant?”
4. “What is your cultural background?”
5. “How old are you?”
6. “Are you religious?”
7. “How many religious holidays do you observe each year?”
8. “Have you ever been arrested?”
9. “Are you heterosexual or homosexual?”
10. “Do you have friends or family who are homosexual?”
11. “Do you have any health conditions?”
12. “Can you provide us with your social media usernames and passwords?”

But what does this mean?

It is unlawful for an employer to ask you these questions since your response may unfairly prejudice their decision to hire you.

Be wary of employers who begin a line of indirect questioning designed to extract this information from you without directly posing the question. This also contravenes anti-discrimination legislation.

Put simply, employers cannot ask you questions about the above issues and use your answers to disadvantage you or negatively inform their decision regarding your employment with their company or firm. They also cannot ask questions designed to obtain information about the above issues.

Employers are limited to asking questions which relate to the “inherent requirements” of the position, such as your skills and experience.

Some common practical scenarios:

• In most circumstances, an employer cannot ask your age. If you are applying for a job in a bar, however, your employer is entitled to ask whether you are over 18 years of age as this goes to the inherent requirements of the role.
• An employer is prohibited from asking “Have have ever been arrested?” but is free to ask “Have you ever been convicted of a crime?” For certain roles, this information will be critical in making an assessment regarding your suitability for the position. If you have previously been convicted of money laundering and are applying for an accounting position at a financial services firm, this information is relevant and not considered to be unlawful.
• An employer is prohibited from asking “Are you are married?” because it not only reveals how much time you are willing to dedicate to the job (which may detrimentally impact a decision to hire you) but also indirectly discloses your sexual orientation.

• An employer may not ask “Is English your second language” but they may ask whether you are able to speak any other languages.
• Equally, an employer may not ask “Do you have children?” but they may ask “What hours are you available to work?” or “Do you have any commitments that would prevent you from travelling with work?” In a situation where you apply for a retail position and your employer asks whether you have children and then relies on the information you provide when deciding not to offer you the job, you can make a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission for discrimination based on family responsibilities.
• An employer may only ask you about certain health conditions if this will impact your ability to do the job.

What about requests for my social media passwords?

While the practice of requesting social media passwords from job applicants is widespread in the United States, some U.S States have now developed social media privacy laws which prevent employers from requesting this information from current and prospective employees. In Australia, there are currently no protections in place to prevent employers from requesting your social media usernames and passwords at interview.

In March 2012, Australian Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim said:

I’m not aware of this practice occurring in Australia. However, I am very concerned by overseas reports of employers demanding social networking passwords. Requests of this kind are extremely privacy invasive, and I would suggest, very difficult to justify. At this stage, we have not received any complaints about this issue but I would strongly advise employers against making such demands. Social media profiles have privacy controls for a reason and generally, if a person wishes to keep their online interactions private they should be able to do so. Again, I remind people to be thoughtful about what they are posting online and limit the amount of personal information they are sharing.”

Although Australian social media law is underdeveloped, anti-discrimination legislation does offer some useful protections where your refusal to provide a password negatively impacts a hiring manager’s decision to employ you.

Discrimination in practice

Katie* has felt the effects of discrimination directly. In an interview for an internship, her interviewer asked for examples of leadership experience outside of the Jewish organisations she participated in.

He was very frank and spoke about him knowing a Jewish partner at the law firm I used to work at and so claimed to know a lot about ‘how the Jewish community work.’ He also said the point of the interview was for them to try and find people who were ‘the right fit’ for their firm and how their firm was all about finding people who value diversity and global mindsets (basically insinuating that because I was Jewish I didn’t value these things).” Katie said.

Katie answered the question by detailing the parts of her life which were not connected to the Jewish community, to which the interviewer responded, “Wow that’s impressive.”

[It] made me feel sick because it felt like he was happy I wasn’t really in the Jewish community, I then followed up by saying that I was actually really proud of my Jewish background and … didn’t think that it was relevant to me doing a clerkship at the firm” Katie said. 

A few days following the interview Katie called the company’s human resources representative, who was also present at her interview, to explain how uncomfortable the question regarding her cultural background had made her feel. Her comments were met with defensiveness from human resources and the comment “What do you want me to do about it?”

After receiving an offer for a second interview, Katie decided to withdraw her application from the selection process.

What can you do when faced with a discriminatory interview question?

Employers are under an obligation to avoid discriminating against current or prospective employees.

Job interviews are a platform to impress and to show off your skills and experience so declining to answer a question can seem very difficult and overwhelming, particularly if you believe it will jeopardise your employment prospects. It is critical to remember, however, that you are entitled to do so.

Importantly, if your refusal to answer a discriminatory question influences an employer’s decision not to employ you, this is also considered to be discriminatory behaviour by an employer.

When faced with inappropriate questions, you may wish to politely decline to answer by saying:

I am not comfortable with that question and would prefer not to answer it.”

You may also wish to go on the front foot by saying:

How is this question relevant?” 

This response will force a hiring manager to either justify the reason for their question or realise the error and quickly move on to the next question.

If you believe that you have not been offered a position due to an answer you did provide at an interview, which was discriminatory in nature, you have several options such as:

• First speaking calmly with the person or organisation that treated you unfairly. Explain why you believe that you have been treated unfairly and that you believe this is unlawful. The company or firm may have a grievance process that you can follow.

• Making a complaint to the Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW

• Making a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission – they will help you to resolve the issue. The complaint must be referred to the President, who must inquire and conciliate the complaint. If the President decides that the conduct was not unlawful discrimination, you have the option of pursuing your complaint through the Federal Court of Australia. The court can order that you are employed or awarded damages.

• Making a complaint to the Fair Work Ombudsman, who may commence litigation against an employer under the Fair Work Act 2009. Employers can face fines of up to $10,800 for discriminatory behaviour towards prospective employees.

• Seeking legal advice and commencing a civil action under State or Territory legislation.

Generally, you have 12-months from the time you experienced the discriminatory behaviour in which to make a complaint. Despite the above options, however, it is rare for such cases to go to court due to a lack of evidence. Discrimination is often “invisible” as many employers do not provide a reason for failing to employ a specific candidate who may be the subject of discriminatory behaviour.

While it pays to know your personal rights, proactively protecting these rights when seeking employment in the current market can often seem unrealistic. Most of us need that job, and therefore believe that the costs of objecting to discriminatory behaviour by a potential employer are outweighed by the need to secure a regular income.

Making a complaint may seem like an extreme response, but many companies will continue to engage in discriminatory practices until candidates take a stand.

*Names have been changed as source wishes to remain anonymous.

Further Information

Resources for employees:

If you, or someone you know, has experienced discrimination at interview contact:

• Fair Work Infoline on 13 13 94; or visit
• Fair Work Australia website
• Australian Human Rights Commission (online complaint form)

To make a complaint in your State or Territory visit:

• Anti-Discrimination Board of NSW: Process for making a complaint and tips for writing a complaint letter
• ACT Human Rights Commission
• Northern Territory Anti-Discrimination Commission
• Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland
• Equal Opportunity Commission of South Australia
• Equal Opportunity Tasmania
• Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
• Victoria Legal Aid Guide to making a discrimination complaint
• Western Australia Equal Opportunity Commission

For more information on discrimination visit:

• Quick guide to anti-discrimination laws
• ACT Human Rights Commission Education and Publications
• Fair Work Australia Protection from Discrimination at Work factsheet

Resources for employers:

• Australian Human Rights Commission Guide to Preventing Discrimination in Recruitment
• Diversity and discrimination online course (free) – learn how to promote diversity, prevent discrimination and handle complaints.
• Guide to managing employees on religious holidays
• Managing underperformance best practice guide – information about how to take reasonable management action to make sure employees are doing their job properly. Disciplinary action carried out by a manager in a reasonable, lawful way is not discrimination.
• Workshop: Practical guide to pay equity
• Workplace discrimination fact sheet
• Gender pay equity best practice guide
• Protections at work
• Bullying and harassment

Have you, or anyone you know, ever been faced with discriminatory interview questions? How did you handle it? Let us know in the comments! 

I have lost count of the number of lawyer jokes I have heard, as well as the number of times that I have been labelled a “failed lawyer” or a “reformed lawyer”.

What does a lawyer get when you give him Viagra?

Taller.

But in spite of the inevitable jibes and jokes, many of us choose to pursue legal careers because of a desire to do good and to help solve the life problems of others (and where do our friends and family turn when they need legal help? Yup, you guessed it).

So let’s be upfront about this – being a lawyer is not the only thing you can do with a law degree. The skills you learn through studying law are not only relevant inside a courtroom or a law firm but are also transferrable in everyday life.

1. You know how to read contracts

Anyone who has entered a contract for a new personal loan or a rental property knows how exceedingly long, complex and dull they are. As a law graduate, you know that most contracts contain a certain number of standard clauses which are generally the same irrespective of the contract. This insider knowledge means that you can skim read to find the most important stuff that affects you. For a personal loan, this might be the repayment terms or the interest rates.

Having an exceedingly thick skin (which develops from many years of punishing legal training and on-the-job experience) means that you are also undeterred from reading a contract in full before signing – even as the bank manager lets out a great sigh of frustration.

2. You know how to shop for goods and services

As a graduate with a law degree, your intimate knowledge of Australian Consumer Law means that you are one of those annoying people who realise that the door-to-door salesperson is really only good for a cup of tea (unsolicited consumer agreements anyone?). You also understand that the additional warranty that the television retailer is trying to add to your purchase price is less than the amount required by guarantees applying to goods.

While cute, you also realise that those “You break it, you buy it” signs are completely unlawful and would never stand up in front of the Consumer Trader and Tenancy Tribunal.

3. You know how to research, especially if you need to go to Court

The prospect of going to a Court or Tribunal to settle an issue does not intimidate you.

You can research your way out of any situation (or at least a rental dispute or a divorce) and you’re not afraid to file or write the correct forms and documents yourself.

4. You know how to argue

You can argue like a lawyer by forming a reasoned and cogent opinion  – usually on the spur of the moment. When the need arises you are also capable of using your sharp intellect and mean word merchant skills to insult someone’s intelligence, (usually) without the need to resort to name-calling.

Lawyering also gives you the uncanny power to see both sides of an argument. With your innate ability to forecast the future and predict your opponent’s next likely conversational move – whether in a friendly verbal jousting session over Friday night drinks or a formal political debate – you are always one step ahead.

5. You know how to negotiate

You can advocate for issues that you are passionate about.

If you have done enough extracurricular mooting or negotiation competitions in law school, you know how to construct a Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA). In any negotiation, you understand when your opponent has the upper hand (and the best strategy is to settle) and when you have your adversary on the run (and it’s time to bring down the hammer).

6. You are highly organised and manage your time to within a fraction of a millisecond

The stress of law school turns many of us into master procrastinators. While generally viewed as a negative habit, your procrastination has actually trained you to perform well in any difficult situation. You not only know how to manage your time effectively (remember squeezing an entire Semester of revision into the 6 hours before your 100% Commonwealth Constitutional law exam?) but also how to perform well under crushing pressure and little sleep.

These planning, organisational and time-management skills serve you well in life – whether it’s presenting a work project at the last minute, or managing a team of staff on less than four hours of sleep.

Law graduates have done it all that before – and the inevitable strain of life doesn’t phase you but rather plays to your strengths.

7. You are a human lie detector

Law graduates are a pretty suspicious bunch.

Trawling through hundreds of cases involving vitriolic divorces or heated estate disputes will do that to you. Cross-examining your opponent in court for inconsistencies in their case also trains you to constantly subconsciously assess whether the person you are speaking to has a hidden agenda or is not being completely up front with you.

The good news is that you can use your newfound cynicism and flair for identifying fabrications in virtually any situation in life – from knowing when someone is actively lying to you or simply omitting facts to managing your friendships, relationships and even your work life better.

8. You know how to extract information

You have a sixth sense for knowing when someone is hiding something from you.

You also know the best way to extract the information you want while delicately skirting around an issue to avoid raising any alarm bells.

9. You know when opening your mouth is going to make it worse

Generally, as a law graduate, you know it’s not a great idea to abuse police if you are pulled over for a breathalyser or stopped for a random drug check at a music festival.

You know that sometimes silence is the best answer and that often appealing the fine at a later date is the best option.

At the end of the day

A law degree trains you to think analytically and solve problems logically. It’s a unique mix of skills that can take you anywhere in life and your career.

So the next time one of your friends throws a sharp lawyer joke your way, don’t forget to remind them how rad and diverse your legal talents are – because the chances are that they will need to call on your amazing advice one day.

What life skills do you think your law degree has taught you? Think we’ve missed anything? Let us know in the comments!

More on BucketOrange Magazine

• 10 More Reasons Why A Law Degree Is A Life Skill, Not Just A Career

On a subconscious level, we know that we should learn to block out extraneous influences and trust our gut more with decisions.

From everyday predicaments like whether you should go to the gym or go out for dinner with your friends; forego precious sleep and watch just one more episode of Mindhunter; to bigger life decisions like whether you are on track with your career or if it might be time to change course this year.

We are bombarded from all angles with social media noise about how to fix our biggest career problems ‘in 10 simple steps’ – and with so much conflicting information about how to be successful, it’s not surprising that many of us have come to doubt our natural instincts and decision-making strategies. Instead of pausing to listen to our inner voice we label it as an untrustworthy saboteur and quickly tune it out. How many times have you chided yourself for not making a decision you ‘knew’ at the time you should, but didn’t?

What value can your gut really offer in developing better decision-making skills and how can you use it to improve your career prospects this year?

How do we make everyday decisions?

When it comes to decision-making, our brains use two main systems:

1. Deliberative (conscious): researching, analysing, weighing benefits and deciding on the most logical approach based on facts.
2. Intuitive (subconscious): trusting your gut, following a ‘hunch’ or choosing an option that just ‘feels right’ based on past knowledge and experience.

In his book Thinking Fast And Slow, Daniel Kahneman refers to these two different but complementary systems as ‘slow thinking’ and ‘fast thinking’.

In our examples above, difficult decisions that take time and conscious thought, such as applying for a new job or making an important career move, generally fall under the cognitive end of the decision-making spectrum. Emotional decisions to do with relationships, on the other hand, correspond to the intuitive side of the decision-making spectrum.

For many years researchers believed that the conscious, pragmatic and objective mind was best able to make logical decisions; however, most experts now agree that a combination of analytical and intuitive decision-making yields the best results.

According to research published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes by researchers from Boston College, George Mason University and Rice University:

Intuition has long been viewed as a less effective approach to critical reasoning when compared to the merits of analytical thinking. Yet as society and businesses place a greater emphasis on the speed and effectiveness of decision-making, the intuitive approach has been identified as an increasingly important tool.”

How lawyers make decisions

Traditionally, lawyers are trained to ‘think slow’ and make decisions based on hard evidence and facts. It’s a form of industry-championed analytical thinking that begins in law school and carries through to legal practice with the primary goal of mitigating unnecessary risks. So when it comes to making career decisions it should come as no surprise that most law graduates and young lawyers fall into the trap of using a similar formulaic approach, based on measurable facts and metrics.

For example:

If I thoroughly research a potential employer, have excellent grades, gain as much relevant experience as possible before applying, nail the interview, have all my social profiles up-to-date and project a professional image, then I will be in the best position to secure an offer.”

Unfortunately, real-world recruitment practices almost never adhere to a clear and predictable formula. Having perfect grades and relevant experience is no longer enough. This is because the hiring process is largely intuitive. While your qualifications and experience are objective markers of your suitability for an interview your personality and likeability are an equally important (but often overlooked) subjective factor that plays an important role in your overall employability.

A hiring manager may be excited by your application on paper, for example, but choose not to hire you at the interview because of a ‘gut feeling’ that you will not fit their company culture. This could be because you did not show a demonstrated passion or interest in the type of work they offer.

In this situation, you might need an extra edge to push yourself over the employment line – one that blends a deliberative and intuitive decision-making approach to your legal career.

Getting the edge: Conscious analytical thinking and raw gut instinct

Employers favourably regard applicants who demonstrate high emotional intelligence, well-developed self-awareness and the capacity to make sound decisions. Spending time developing your interpersonal skills, learning how to communicate effectively, and honing your ability to formulate an opinion on raw data and your intuition is one way to achieve this.

Employers also want staff who are actively engaged in both self-development and professional development. If you apply for a role with a corporate firm, for example, a simple way to position yourself ahead of your competitors is to make a calculated career move by pursuing an online Master of Laws (Business Law) .

Expanding your career arsenal through further study shows a potential employer that you have a thirst for knowledge, are committed to developing your professional skillset, are actively engaged with the latest trends in your industry, are eager to refresh your existing skills and to build a solid career with their company.

These are qualities that all employers seek in a new hire. This is especially so as they are making an investment in you and will see your potential long-term value to their company.

Developing intuitive thinking in your career

In an interview with Fast Company, Angela Jia Kim, co-founder of women entrepreneurs’ network Savor The Success, outlines some questions to ask yourself to understand your gut feelings:

• “Do I feel good around this person or choice?”
• “Does this person or situation give me or take my energy?”
• “Do I feel empowered or disempowered?”
• “Am I going toward an adventure or running from fear?”
• “Am I listening to my lessons learned from the past?”
• “Would I make the same choice if I had a million dollars in my pocket now?”
• “Do I feel respected and valued?”
• “Am I trying to control the situation or am I leaving room for expansion?”

Intuitive thinking can boost your career by helping you to:

1. Make faster and more accurate decisions

Your ability to follow a hunch and quickly assess a work situation develops with time. In many cases, sound professional decision-making skills are tied to your level of knowledge or experience in a given area. This is referred to as domain expertise, meaning that the higher your level of knowledge in a subject area, for example, where you have climbed the ranks in your industry the more effectively you will be able to make intuitive decisions.

Invest time in further study related to your speciality, read online journals and industry news, listen to podcasts and inform yourself about new developments that impact your current or future roles. A strong baseline understanding of such issues flows on to helping you make faster and more informed choices, which are attractive qualities in any employee.

2. Be in a position of power at interview

If you are offered an exciting job, it does not always mean that you should take it. Our gut is often our best tool to navigate personal and professional relationships. Consider a situation where something seems ‘off’ about your selection panel at interview. Maybe the company values do not align with your own, or perhaps you have an off-putting sense that you may be discriminated against because of your gender or cultural background. You may dislike your new employer or feel that taking the job is not the most strategic career move.

Trust your instincts – if something makes you feel uneasy about a job you are under no obligation to accept it. Remember that simply because a job is highly competitive does not mean that you should blindly take it, especially when everything in you screams that it is the wrong decision.

3. Know the right time to make a big career move

If you are in an unsatisfactory work situation, and things are not improving, your gut is often the first indicator. Pay attention to warning signs such as a constant heavy or nagging sensation, experiencing discomfort or anxiety, feeling ill-at-ease throughout the day, sensing a continuous sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.

In this situation, going with your gut involves coming to terms with the fact that your work situation is unlikely to improve and using your analytical brain to decide on a change.

Bear in mind that listening to your gut takes time and practice, so be kind to yourself and don’t expect immediate results. Your intuition is not a voice that comes over a loudspeaker, but something much more subtle. It’s an inkling that reveals itself only when you quiet your mind. It makes you want to go in one direction over another for reasons that you may not be able to fully articulate.

Conclusion

While legal reasoning and analytical thinking focus on breaking down complex problems into small digestible parts, intuition is about looking at the bigger picture. Making career decisions based on intuitive reasoning looks to patterns and your long-term career goals.

Your career is more than the sum of its parts, which is why it is important to consider and trust your instincts. Every day your intuition makes millions of rapid assessments that tell you whether something is right or wrong – it will let you know which direction your career should be taking you.

Relying on your inner voice is a skill you can learn. It’s a habit you can cultivate in your personal and professional life. Cultivating your gut instinct can not only help you get, and keep, a job in today’s competitive market but also help you make healthier and more confident decisions about your life.

This post is proudly sponsored by Southern Cross University. For more information on jump starting your legal career in 2017, click here.

Entering an office environment for the first time is intimidating enough without the additional stress of wondering what you should wear.

Workplace culture is unique to every business or organisation and can change depending on your position. If you work in a client-facing role, for example, expect to be dressed in your best most days of the week.

While it is preferable to avoid fronting up to a meeting in a pressed tuxedo, it is also important to make a great first impression when starting a new job. The way you choose to dress in the office is an expression of who you are and reveals a lot more about you, your personality, and your overall ambition than you may realise.

Consistently presenting well shows that you care about yourself and your personal appearance. Most of us associate this with people who exercise equal degrees of care and diligence towards their work life – meaning that dressing well can play a large role in shaping the bigger picture of a successful career.

So how do you decide what is or is not appropriate for your unique office environment?

Dress For the Job You Have

Imagine turning up to the first day of your apprenticeship in designer jeans and a button-down shirt.

It might look amazing in your bedroom, but is it practical? For a hands-on industry, it is even more crucial that what you wear is not just fun, but functional. This will help with productivity and enable you to work unimpeded.

Cigarette pants. Image: ASOS

In a traditional office setting, you will spend extended periods of time at your desk, so it’s usually best to choose pieces that are light and breathable for summer but can be layered with a cardigan or jacket for winter.

Cigarette pants and a lightweight cotton or silk blouse are comfortable and professional choices for most corporate environments.

If you’re running late for a morning meeting (and need to avoid wasting time deciding on skirt/shirt combinations), opt for a simple black dress and flats – a complete outfit in less than five minutes. You can pull it together while half asleep and comfortably run to catch the next train.

Skirts, a fitted top and classic blazer (or cardigan) and heels also always look clean, pulled together and professional.

A good rule of thumb: If you decide on a loose-fitting skirt, select a form-fitting top; if you wear a tight skirt, go with a loose-fitting and billowy top.

If you own a pair of fabulous but fatal heels (the kind that you can barely hobble 5 steps in), try to avoid wearing them to the office.

If you are feeling unstable on your feet, this will come across as insecurity and unsureness in your role. 

A good compromise if you do wear heels to work regularly is to keep a pair of neutral flats under your desk or in your office drawer. If you need to run into a meeting being held in another building or want to go for a quick walk at lunch, you have something comfortable and professional to slip on.

Look Your Best, Feel Your Best

Do you feel confident? Ready to take on whatever your boss throws at you?

This is the kind of attitude you need to be a high performer in the office. Maintaining the right headspace is the first step towards engaging well with your projects and colleagues.

Try wearing clothes that you associate with a positive experience or know you enjoy wearing to lift your spirits.

It can be tempting to hit the shops at lunch and blow your paycheck on an entirely new outfit each week. The danger with impulse purchases is that it may be something that you only wear once or twice in a season.

Instead, try to integrate key pieces into your wardrobe over time that reflect your changing professional image. Write a list of all the missing items you need in your cupboard and start accumulating them slowly.

For example, you may need a:

• tailored black blazer that you can wear with everything;
• thin belt in neutral colours that will go with every skirt or dress you own;
• classic button-down silk blouse;
• black or grey a-line skirt that will look great with a shirt or top in any colour;
• classic pea coat for winter; or
• string of power pearls.

You can mix and match each of these items with different accessories, like an eye-catching orange handbag, red scarf, bold necklace or statement tights, to achieve infinite outfit combinations.

Invest time and money in building a staple wardrobe from the outset of your career. Once this is out the way, the answer to your ‘what should I wear today?’ question will transform from panic to pleasure.

Always go with your gut instinct. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are wearing, others are likely to pick up on your discomfort too.

What Are Other People Wearing?

Just landed a new job? Take your cue from what you interviewer wore to get a good grasp of company dress code.

If you managed to get the position without a face-to-face meeting (for example, through a Skype interview), research the company’s social media pages. Instagram or Facebook often promote pictures of staff and the office space. This will give you an idea about whether staff dress casually or more formally.

Another effective strategy is to take advantage of any networking opportunities or welcome drinks that arise before you start your employment.

It is a great chance to see how other professionals in your industry dress and interact with one another.

It is also a fantastic opportunity to mingle with co-workers and get inside knowledge on office culture and what may be appropriate or inappropriate early.

Check Your Contract Beforehand

Your employment contract will usually outline company policy in regard to dress standards.

This will give you extra clarity around your clothing selection. If the business has a company-wide ban on open-toed footwear in the office, for example, it’s better to know well in advance.

Always remember that if you happen to choose an inappropriate outfit on your first day, this isn’t a disaster.

Learn from the experience and wear something different tomorrow. Simple.

Useful Quick Tips: Lightning Round

Stay true to yourself

Dress in a way that reflects your creativity and true personality.

This will help you to cultivate authentic relationships with your colleagues and with management.

Ask for an opinion

Take into account what your friends and family tell you about your style choice but, at the end of the day, if you feel comfortable and confident in what you are wearing then just go for it!

Capsule wardrobe

Stock up on key classic pieces and neutral coloured clothes that are easy to pair with anything all year-round.

For a contemporary office style, select quirky prints or unique cuts.

Ditch the backpack

It might be a convenient way to carry everything in one place, but it won’t do your career any favours.

Instead, try a leather satchel to your keep your documents and laptop organised.

If you feel uncertain about other aspects of your career life, there are many online short courses available that can help get you up to speed.

What do you wear to work? And how do your clothing choices reflect your personality? Let us know in the comments! 

Staying in the same job for too long can start to feel like Groundhog Day.

You find yourself doing the same repetitive tasks over and over again. You get a coffee, you greet your superiors, you plough through the day and pray for mercy that you can get out the office before 7.00pm to salvage some semblance of a social life (or counterbalance all those hours hunched over your computer by hitting the gym).

You struggle to suppress the silent scream escaping your lips:

1) During deadly team meetings.

2) While trapped making polite conversation with that oddball, close-talking colleague in the lift (the one who’s manic excitement describing a weekend spent indexing his HBO collection or playing World of Warcraft tells you that you are one of the few precious social encounters he will experience all week); or

3) At afternoon teas to farewell a co-worker you didn’t even like.

Worse than developing a hair-trigger response to flee out the building and never look back is when you stop experiencing these thoughts and feelings at all. You accept and even embrace your unfulfilling surroundings.

We like to refer to this career phenomenon as ‘the nothing.’

‘The nothing’ is working in a job where every day you wait to die.

It’s the slow and steady descent into workplace apathy characterised by numbness, lack of real care about your work and just killing time until your next paycheck. You stop feeling driven to draw meaning and purpose from your career. You may even convince yourself that being a responsible adult means accepting this reality.

To avoid being sucked into ‘the nothing’, you need to become an expert at recognising the above signs and proactively taking steps to move into a new role before it takes hold and your authentic self is lost forever.

But with recurring expenses like rent, car, mortgage or credit card repayments, simply getting up and resigning is not always a realistic solution.

What you can do, however, is to start thinking about what your true talents are:

• What did you want to be when you were little?
• What are you really good at?
• What brings you fulfilment?
• What makes you feel like the best version of yourself?
• How can you blend these talents into a career?

Take positive incremental steps by using your spare time to:

• Write for publications that inspire you. You can use your new writing portfolio to help transition into the industry of your choice.
• Volunteer your time for non-profits or other organisations whose mission aligns with your goals and values. The experience and contacts you make may lead to a new career.
• Think about how you ideally want to be spending your days.
• Re-skill and re-start. If you don’t have the skills you need to achieve your goals, go back to uni (even part-time) and learn them.

There are many lawyers, economists, engineers and accountants who have pivoted their careers and gone back to uni to study medicine.

It’s never too late to pursue the life you were meant to lead.

More on BucketOrange Magazine

• How to leave your job: Template resignation letter
• Workplace rights: How to know you’re working for the wrong company
• Career skills: How to write a killer CV
• Career know how: How to put together a winning cover letter

To learn more about writing for BucketOrange Magazine, click here or send us an email with a one page CV, a cover email telling us a bit about yourself and links to online writing samples (if available).

Knowing the right time to leave a job is one of the most difficult decisions anyone can make. Weighing the relative costs of leaving a familiar position with the benefits of trying a new career can be a daunting exercise.

How do you know if you are doing the right thing? What if your new role is a disaster? What if there is no scope for career development? What if you can’t do the job? What if you hate your new colleagues? Or, worse, what if your new colleagues hate you?

This tidal wave of career cognitive dissonance, confusion and sleepless nights can leave you drowning in a sea of worry. So, rather than take a leap of faith into unknown territory, you may retreat to safety and choose inaction.

But accepting the status quo means stifling your ambition and denying yourself the chance to explore dream career opportunities.

So how do you know if it is the right time to make a career move?

Why Do We Hesitate When Making A Career Change?

At a basic human level, everyone suffers from crippling self-doubt.

Sticking with what you know, even if your current work situation is no longer ideal, is the easy and comfortable choice.

Taking on a new job disrupts your sense of safety and leaves you feeling anxious because it holds a mirror up to your true self, your strengths and your weaknesses. It is a litmus test of your overall value, your skills and experience. By working in an unfamiliar environment, you gain a clear insight into how well you think you perform vs how well you actually perform as an employee.

Accepting a new position, or a promotion, means more work. It involves more time at the office learning a new role, dedicating time and energy forging new office alliances (or identifying potential adversaries) and treading carefully around office politics.

Is Your Loyalty Holding You Back?

Reluctance to leave your current role may be motivated by familiarity and connection.

You may genuinely love your job and have strong ties to a particular organisation. You may have worked with your employer and colleagues for years and made lasting friendships. You may even have developed your role from scratch and feel hesitant to hand over the reigns to anyone else.

If you play an integral role in an organisation it can be difficult to leave, even though you may be ready to move on. Inevitable sentiments of company loyalty, solidarity, guilt and shame may come into play and you may feel like you are letting the team down.

In truth, remaining in a position which no longer provides you with any intellectual challenge or job satisfaction is defective thinking.

A healthy career is one that boasts a broad range of experience.

If a better opportunity comes along, or if you feel that it is time to try something new, never allow yourself to stay in a role out of duty, responsibility or fear of the unknown.

Is Your Boss, Your Office Or Your Resume Stopping You?

You may be at the point where you hate your job and it takes every ounce of strength to get up in the morning and go to work.

Maybe your boss is emotionally or psychologically manipulative or you work long and thankless hours. Perhaps your colleagues are useless and actively take credit for your projects, or you may have zero options for career development.

Even though you are desperate to leave, you may not feel that it is possible in the circumstances either because you feel a strong sense of obligation, think that the company will collapse without you or because of financial considerations.

Another alternative might be that you only discover the true toxicity of your work environment shortly after starting the job. Having only been in the role a few months, you may feel that resigning in less that 12 months will reflect badly on your resume and make you seem flaky to future employers.

Contrary to corporate propaganda, leaving a job in less than 12 months, or having a gap in your employment history, does not automatically result in a black mark on your CV.

This is something can be easily resolved with future employers by explaining at interview either that there was no infrastructure to support your previous role, that you did not see a future with your prior organisation or that you wished to take the opportunity to travel overseas.

In general, a good rule of thumb is to change jobs every two years. It takes at least 3 months to learn a new role, 6 months to feel as though you are beginning to get on top of that new position and 12 months to feel like you are confident in the performance of your duties without close supervision. After two years, having acquired all the knowledge and experience you can from a given role it should be time to consider moving on and gaining experience elsewhere.

Having experience in a range of industries is an attractive asset to employers. It shows that you are adaptable, confident, motivated and willing to take on new challenges.

When To Make A Move

Whether you love your job or hate it, there are always clear indications that it is time to leave.

Usually your emotional and physical health are the best metrics in determining the right time to resign.

Other indicators include:

• You are not getting as much out of your job as your employer is getting out of you. For example, you may be working overtime or taking on extra responsibility without increased salary incentives.

• You no longer look forward to going to work.

• You are only there for the money and have no professional development or job satisfaction.

• You feel that your boss is taking advantage of you, is manipulative or pathological.

• You find that your colleagues are, or have become, unpleasant to work with.

• Your organisation looks like it has no future. For example, it could be a startup that is headed towards bankruptcy or is being poorly run by management.

• You do not like the values of the company you work for, or they do not align with your own.

• You are working in a toxic, or highly competitive, environment.

• You find that your performance is suffering and that you have stopped caring enough to do your best work.

• You find reasons not to go to work, to leave work early, or to arrive late in the morning.

• You notice that your health is suffering. For example, chronic stress, anxiety, headaches, insomnia, weight loss, brittle hair, nausea, high blood pressure, heart palpitations.

• You are working with bullies or psychologically manipulative managers.

• You are constantly stressed about work and regularly check and respond to emails after hours.

• You do not fit in with company culture.

• You are overdue for a pay increase that is unlikely to come through.

• You feel unappreciated, unnoticed and undervalued as a team member.

• A better opportunity arises in the form of a promotion or an exciting role in a different company.

• You have been in the same role for more than two years.

How To Leave A Job The Right Way

Always try to leave an employment relationship on good terms.

You may require a good referee report from your supervisor in the future or need to be re-employed by the same company down the track.

Once you have made the decision to leave or take up a position elsewhere, notify your employer that you will be terminating your employment contract.

The best way to do this is to have a face-to-face chat explaining your decision and the notice period you propose. This gives your manager an opportunity to negotiate with you. It may mean you are asked to train a new staff member to replace you, or that you finish up a project before leaving.

Resignation Template Email

After you have had an informal chat with your manager, follow up your conversation with an email stating your intention to end your employment relationship.

Subject heading: Notice of termination of contract – [insert your name]

Dear [insert name of your employer]

As discussed, I have decided to terminate my employment contact with [insert name of the company/organisation that employs you] with effect from [insert date you wish to end your employment agreement]. Please accept this as 2 weeks [or 4 weeks notice] of such termination.

As you know, I have enjoyed working at [insert name of the organisation that employs you] and love the type of work available here. I would, however, like to explore what opportunities there may be for me to develop my professional skills and gain experience further afield [For example, you may wish to work overseas, in a different industry, or in a different role].

I would be happy to consider future freelance work from [insert name of the organisation that currently employs you if you wish] when I am able.

Thank you very much for the experience and opportunity to develop my interest and skills in this industry.

I greatly value the friendship, support and professional development that I have received working with you.

I look forward to staying in touch.

Warm regards,

[insert your name]

Conclusion

Your employment relationship is a two-way street. Employers want to invest in you and create incentives to retain good staff due to the valuable work you produce. But most of us forget that our careers are equally about acquiring an arsenal of skills and experience that we can leverage, build on and add value to each new organisation we work at.

The trick to having a long and successful career is to balance gaining all the experience you can in each job before moving on, with staying in a job too long and becoming stagnant.

The only question left to answer is, where is your career path taking you next?

Do you change jobs often? How do you know when it is the right time to leave? Let us know in the comments!

Etiquette is everywhere.

It’s a set of invisible rules that unconsciously, and sometimes consciously, govern our social interactions.

From networking etiquette, to social etiquette, meal time etiquette and professional etiquette. With so many unwritten rules informing our daily social interactions, it can be almost impossible to know what the right thing to do is in any given situation.

When it comes to the freneticism and sheer volume of online interactions, most of us have been lulled into the false belief that email etiquette is not an essential career skill. Our capacity to complete tasks efficiently and achieve a result is often considered more important than how that result was achieved. This means that most emails are assigned little time and consideration before being sent to their unwitting recipient.

But an email reveals more about you than you might think. Often it is the first impression you make on another person. Structure, tone and content are all important elements in conveying your core message. If rushed and poorly constructed, a bad email can quickly elicit a lasting negative response.

Some Hard And Fast Rules For Good Email Etiquette

• Try to keep your sentences and language brief and to the point

Always remember to ask the person you are emailing how they are. It starts your dialogue off on the right foot.

• Wherever possible, always try to reply to emails within 24 hours

• Never sign off an email with a smiley face, a kiss, a wink or an emoji

If you cannot express something adequately with words then leave it out completely.

Don’t do this.

Using smiley faces and a seemingly harmless “X” at the end of a professional email can make you seem overly emotional, overfamiliar, lacking in emotional intelligence and weak. It can also come across as passive aggressive or that you are too lazy to say what you really mean.

• Avoid unnecessary punctuation such as CAPITALISATION, bolding and exclamation points!!!

Nobody enjoys feeling as though they are being yelled at over an email exchange. There are better ways to reinforce an urgent deadline.

• Never ignore an email from somebody more senior than you. This rule also applies to volunteer positions

If someone in a senior position has asked you to take on more work, to find information on a project, to chase down a lead or even what your stance is on a certain issue, always respond as quickly as possible. Even if your response is just a brief acknowledgement email along the lines of:

Try to respond like this.

Not responding at all sends a clear and unambiguous message that you do not care about your senior manager’s needs. It also tells the story that you do not value your role, that you have poor time-management skills and that you are not coping.

Remember, the person who supervises your work determines your salary increment and eligibility for promotion. They are also in a position to give you a glowing (or terrible) referee report one day.

Their opinion matters, so always try to go above and beyond in your interactions.

• Keep your commitments: If you commit to completing a task then stick with it

If you find that your circumstances change and you are no longer able to take on a task you committed to, have the confidence and courtesy to tell the person to whom you made that commitment. Being up front means that everyone knows where they stand.

Communicating your needs early also helps your manager do their job more effectively by being aware of which tasks need to be reassigned.

• Keep emotion out of it: Email communication should be professional and avoid unnecessary emotion

Sometimes the best professional communication technique involves knowing when to speak up and when to zip it.

Signing Off

Social regulations, particularly in a work context, are some of the most difficult to master. Everything depends on your office environment, company culture, past practices as well as who is supervising you.

If you work in an environment where the exchange of casual emails is commonplace, you may find yourself charmed by their informality, and tempted to respond in kind.

When this happens, and you are on the verge of stripping away a layer of professionalism from your digital correspondence, always remember before hitting SEND that you can never get yourself into trouble by being too professional.

Dressing for success is important, but developing a professional and authentic communication style is just as critical in shoring up a rock solid career trajectory.

What techniques do you use in email writing? Let us know in the comments!

I am going to lay it all on the table bluntly – there is nothing that truly prepares you for the stress of law school.

That reality is all too real right now as I sit writing in my onesie, holding my 3^rd cup of tea, and going over my exam revision notes. But like anything in life, it all depends on how you look at the situation. If you are a ‘glass half full’ kind of person, there are numerous positive learning outcomes that can be drawn from being regularly subjected to the often cruel and inhumane punishment of law exams. It’s a test not only of your knowledge, but also of your willpower and resolve.

For law students, it teaches us how to be disciplined, how to problem solve and manage our time effectively, how to cope mentally and physically during prolonged periods of extreme stress as well as how to perform well under pressure. These are life skills that lawyers use throughout their careers. As a final year law student I feel (or perhaps I hope!) that I have adopted some excellent strategies that enable me to cope in times of high stress.

So how can you benefit from law student life hacks, without going through the horror of law school yourself? Keep reading.

Be Collaborative, Not Competitive

It’s just as relevant in life as it is in law school.

Law students must grapple with a competitive drive deeply ingrained from day one. We are led to believe that competitiveness is necessary to get better marks and secure a top job after graduating. However, this is not necessarily true.

More often than not, a fuller understanding of complex legal principles can come from teamwork and collaboration. This is something that takes many law students a long time to fully appreciate.

Working together in study groups not only helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses but also helps you work through twice as much revision as you would if you were working alone. Collaborating with other students is also the fastest way to form strong and lasting friendships based on mutual trust and respect. Incidentally, it also means that you always have someone willing to go to Doughnut Time with you.

Collaboration over competition is a mindset that is easily transferable to any work environment. Teamwork, the capacity to network and develop good working relationships with a range of stakeholders as well as knowing when to ask for the input, advice and support from a more experienced colleague, show that you have high emotional intelligence.

These are some of the most attractive qualities employers look for in a job candidate – and they have nothing to do with your university grades.

Think like a lawyer: It takes a team to build a dream.

Prepare & Practice

If there is one thing law students know how to do, it is prepare.

This could be for a 100% exam, a mooting competition or big tutorial presentation. For most law students, planning ahead, working out a study schedule and breaking the semester’s content into digestible chunks are basic study survival skills.

One of the most difficult skills developed during law school, however, is the ability to apply relevant law to complex factual scenarios. Not unlike preparing for a job interview, this skill requires training, practice and perseverance.

Using the same planning, discipline and practical techniques used by law students can really help you to prepare for interviews and even everyday work meetings.

To succeed at interview, you need to show your employer that you understand what they want in a new recruit and that you are competent at carrying out those duties. This can only be demonstrated through practice and preparation. Know the company website inside out, research panel members who will be interviewing you and set up a mock interview session with someone you trust. Ask them to fire practice questions at you in an adversarial style, just as a law student would prepare for a mock trial.

You can also use the same technique to prepare for meetings. Know the content that you will deliver and prepare with palm cards. You may wish to put together a slideshow and try to anticipate follow up questions from colleagues.

Adopting these skills demonstrates initiative, leadership and conscientiousness which will pave the way for future success.

Think like a lawyer: Never be caught unprepared.

Be Organised & Remember You Are Human

Law students love to develop effective and unique systems to aid study.

When preparing for exams, law students need to wade through hundreds and hundreds of pages of materials. They must not only read, absorb and remember these principles, but also understand how to apply them in real life scenarios. When faced with a seemingly insurmountable stack of papers, the only way to avoid being buried like a hoarder is to suck it up, organise every subject into a dedicated chunk of study time and get into it – no procrastinating!

Law students know better than anyone that to be an effective studier and pass your exams, you have to be highly organised and prepared. This order provides a sense of clarity and control in a time of chaos and intense stress during exam period.

What law students understand is that study must work around life. Not the other way around.  Spending time with friends and family, having the occasional wine (or three) and exercising are critical to happiness and success.

Think like a lawyer: You cannot do your best work in chaos. Get organised, get your work done efficiently, and factor in time for yourself.

Think we’ve missed anything? Let us know in the comments section below!