Paralegal 

(Female, Age 31) from Vancouver, WA

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 31 who works as a Paralegal in Vancouver, WA. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title Paralegal
Salary $57,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 40
Company Size (not answered)
Location Vancouver, WA
Years Experience 4 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
Law Office of 15 partners and 42 employees

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
Legal research, document preparation and client appointments

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
Medical, dental, life and car insurance

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
well

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
I work with 12 other paralegals closely. It is something I enjoy for the most part.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 4
Hours: 5
Co-Workers: 3
Supervisors: 2
Job Title: 6
Level of Responsibility: 7
The Actual Work: 8

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
Legal newspaper.

What was the application process?
Submitted resume and cover letter via email.

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
I had a total of 4 interviews. I met with the office administrator first then 2 attorneys individually and finally with the most senior paralegal.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Mostly about past work experiences, how I would react in hypothetical situations and my knowledge of court/legal procedures.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get appropriate follow up education. Making sure that your degree is up to date is cucial.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Great organizational skills as well as the ability to stay calm and focused while under pressure from urgent deadlines.

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Yes; legal research is key.

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Take notes, lots of notes. So much information will come at you that it is impossible to retain it all.

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