My Paralegal Mentor Once Told Me…
“Never, ever allow your employer to treat you like an ATM machine!”
Over my 30 year career, I’ve been asked to:
- come in over a weekend to set up a new office;
- pick up the attorney’s dry cleaning;
- collect rent (in cash) from a tenant;
- make coffee;
- work overtime to prepare for a trial; and much more.
Where I drew the line was accepting telephone calls from the attorney after hours or on weekends or to come in to work on case files over a weekend.
One of the reasons you must ask questions in an interview is to determine the culture of a particular workplace. While your idea of “working hard” may mean during the time between 8:30am to 5:30pm, Monday through Friday, your employer may have others ideas. What the employer expects of you is always important to nail down.
Two questions you could ask during an interview are:
- Will I be expected to work overtime hours?; and
- Will I have to run personal errands on behalf of the attorneys?
Your personal time is vitally important to your physical & mental well being, socialization with family & friends & simply just time to relax. Cherish and protect it.
