Global Advisory Board Chair Ari Kaplan, a legal industry analyst and principal of Ari Kaplan Advisors, moderated a conversation for the ACEDS community with board members: Joy Murao, Founder and CEO of Practice Aligned Resources, Susan Gogley, Legal Counsel for Commercial, Trade & Information Governance at Novelis Corporation, and James Bickley, Managing Director at Celeritas Recruiting.

The group discussed the current state of the e-discovery industry and the importance of personal branding, suggesting that the process requires a combination of confidence, adaptability, and strategic thinking. Murao described the current market as ‘dynamic’ and ‘exciting.’ “Figure out what you can bring to the table and continuously find ways to evolve to suit the needs of the market,” she said. “There’s a lot of opportunity and growth, but many people are looking for a career and not just a job,” added Bickley.

The panel offered a number of quick tips to help enhance one’s career prospects:

• Be thoughtful about your resume, and highlight your experience with technology, how you have established best processes for your organization, and ways that you have demonstrated effective project management.
• Study LinkedIn and identify the titles you aspire to attain at your current employer or in your next role.
• Develop a mission statement for yourself.
• Earn certifications that relate to your role because they validate your experience and give you an advantage.
• Your brand is often reflected by what you post on LinkedIn, including the comments you share, “so know who you are, how you define yourself, what you want to portray, and just be consistent and proactive in managing your brand,” advised Murao.

In addition, “Seek out mentors,” said Murao. “Create content that moves conversations forward and connects people,” added Gogley.

In terms of the overall job market, “Law firms, software companies, and service providers are making strategic hires,” said Bickley. “It is important to acknowledge that candidates may not work out in a particular position if the employer is so busy that it cannot provide proper training, so we are seeing firms initially hiring on a contract basis,” cautioned Murao. “We’ve found that since the pandemic, more people prefer contract work, which makes it challenging to hire full-time employees,” echoed Gogley.

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