THE GOLD STANDARD IN CAREER COACHING

Jennifer A. Greiner

Jennifer A. Greiner

President & Founder

I found Jennifer Greiner to be a pleasure to work with and an invaluable asset in my employment search. She provided key assistance in every aspect of the process, particularly in the area of interview preparation. I highly recommend their services.

PARTNER, AMLAW 100 FIRM

I honestly wonder how differently things may have turned out had I not had the benefit of Jennifer as my coach.

MID-LEVEL CORPORATE ASSOCIATE, AMLAW 100 FIRM

The Greiner team keeps me on track with my long-term goals – building my network, enhancing my talents, ensuring that I continue to grow professionally.

Counsel, AmLaw 100 Firm

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To lead the people, walk behind them.

Lao Tzu

What drew you to the work of attorney career strategist?

I was fortunate for the work to have found me. After I completed graduate school one of the first career specialists in the legal field invited me to join her. She helped me to discover my aspirations. I am not sure that I knew from day one that I had found my calling, but the experience of sitting across the table from such immensely talented, bright, and critically thinking individuals immediately captured my interest and kept me on my toes. I have loved the work for 25 years and counting, and am rewarded by helping each client reach their goals.

You founded Greiner Consulting at a very young age; how did you drive the success of the company?

There is nothing like being young and open to invention. I built the company one client at a time, slowly and steadily. I had the pluck to make a cold call, among many, to a managing partner. As a result, we landed that AmLaw 5 firm in the first three months in business, with four other top firms to follow within the next six months. By focusing on the success of each attorney with whom I worked, and dedicating myself to becoming the very best in the field, my company’s reputation grew exponentially.

I hear you are a big proponent of Danny Meyer's "Enlightened Hospitality." What about his ideas resonate with you?

I read Danny’s book: Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business, several years back, at just the right moment, as my team was expanding. In my opinion, it is one of the best business books available if you are in any kind of service role. “Enlightened Hospitality,” I discovered, was something that was already intuitive to me. The concept suggests that if you want to succeed with your external clients, you have to prioritize your internal clients – those individuals who are your frontline service provider, your brand ambassador, your proxy, and your most valuable resource. I’ve worked hard, and with great pride, to create a supportive, cohesive, and positive environment where talented professionals feel valued, respected, invested in, and heard. The value my team gives back to the company through their work with our clients is impossible to even measure.

You have so many longstanding client relationships; how do you do it?

There are several keys to cultivating enduring relationships with clients, among them: communication, openness to feedback, flexibility, unwavering commitment to excellence, genuine interest in people, and an aversion to resting on your laurels.

How did you put together and develop a premier team?

Very, very deliberately and carefully. Once I have vetted their qualifications, the next question is to see whether the candidate puts those around them at ease. I have become a great talent scout and choose people, usually former AmLaw 100 practicing attorneys, who have already done the deep thinking about their own careers and come to the work with clarity and commitment – they have experienced their own growth challenge.

I look for people who are optimists at heart and have a great deal of flexibility in their thinking. Warmth and enthusiasm are also extremely important to do this work well. The individuals I pick complement one another; and of course, cultural fit in a close-knit environment is especially important. Everyone washes the coffee mugs here, myself included!

What gives your work meaning?

We collaborate with professionals on one of the most important aspects of their lives, and we have a genuine opportunity to be an integral part of a change or transformation. While there is a finite component to many of the relationships we build with our clients as they are going through a job change, a career challenge, or a growth phase in their practice, we often leave one another with a lasting impression. I feel extremely privileged to do such human-scale work with a population of people who are empowered to have a large-scale impact on their world.

After 25 years at the helm of Greiner Consulting Group, what keeps the work fresh for you?

The confluence of an ever-changing industry, a globalizing economy, increasing complexity in the practice of law, technological advancements, and generational shifts combine to keep me very much engaged. At a more granular level, no two people I have ever coached are alike – so, each day presents a fresh opportunity for experience and learning. I continue to be fascinated by the richness of individual personalities.

Where do you find inspiration away from the office?

I grew up in Manhattan quite involved in the performing arts. Continuing to surround myself with a wonderful group of friends in creative fields, allows me to tap into different ways of looking at the world. I am an avid art appreciator and collector, obsessive about Pilates, sing at the drop of a hat, enjoy throwing dinner parties with an eclectic mix of characters, and treasure every minute that I spend with my four little nieces and nephews.

Compliments from

The attorneys I worked with at Greiner exceeded my expectations. They had novel and effective ideas on how to network and find positions and comprehensive interview prep materials. They were extremely responsive to any questions I had about my job search and interview prep; I received detailed responses to my email questions, and both made themselves available for phone meetings whenever I needed to discuss something about my job search. Jennifer helped me create a strategy for finding a job. She had several ideas on how I could network in this economy [and] was tireless during my lengthy job search, and always had new ideas on how to follow-up on potential job prospects. She also helped me with drafting emails and other communications to various people I contacted during my job search. She was great to work with – very responsive and encouraging and creative.

I received several job offers, greatly improved my networking skills, and developed relationships with many people in the legal community using the techniques and guidance provided. Greiner is an excellent group to work with and I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for attorney positions and looking to learn about networking.

Partner, AmLaw 100 Firm

The Greiner Consulting team made the whole ordeal manageable and really helped me to keep things in perspective.

Executive Leadership, AmLaw 10 Firm

The mock interviews we had were more rigorous that the actual interviews themselves!

IP Counsel, AmLaw 100 Firm

Greiner Consulting knows how the employment market works at many levels and knows key information about employers of the type that would be available as though you were working there.

My experience with Greiner Consulting has definitely been rewarding. They provided me with the right questions to ask myself for career planning and strong pointers on organizing my resumé. I also received solid advice – tailored to the employer and industry – in preparing for interviews and received great suggestions to negotiate the acceptance of offers.

Counsel, AmLaw 100 Firm

I made the transition to being an in-house counsel that I had been seeking, and am continuing to pursue a permanent in-house position. Throughout this process Jennifer Greiner and the other folks at Greiner Consulting have been there every step of the way. Initially, they assisted me in working on an updated resumé, organizing my job search and networking activities, and determining how to best discuss my situation with potential employers. I have had many interviews, that Jennifer or one of her associates prepared me for. They have also made sure that I don’t lose sight of long-term goals such as building my network and ensuring that I continue to grow professionally. I cannot emphasize how helpful Greiner Consulting has been (and continues to be) during this time.

Counsel, AmLaw 100 Firm

Greiner Consulting was invaluable to me. It really helped to have two such savvy people guide me and provide me with prompt feedback and ideas as I learned of and generated leads.

As I discovered, job hunting and application procedures have changed dramatically from the last time I looked for work. Their coaches helped me figure out what really was different and sort out the meaningful from the superficial changes. They also helped me figure out how to separate recruiters who were going to be helpful from those looking to make a quick commission. They gave me an organized and systematic way to approach interviews that worked well.

The outplacement services they provided to me made all the difference in my finding a position that I feel good about and into which I look forward to transitioning.

Litigation Associate, AmLaw 200 Firm

The process through which Jennifer guided me was extremely valuable. Specifically, the self-assessment process of evaluating and identifying areas of strength and weakness, like and dislike, helped me focus on what might be the best career path for me. In addition, I found Jennifer’s guidance in helping me create an effective resumé and in drafting meaningful cover letters extremely practical. I also found her practice interview sessions and her advice regarding networking skills particularly beneficial.

Overall, I find that Jennifer combines many of the attributes that are important for a career consultant; she is friendly and understanding, offers advice and direction without being overbearing; always quick to respond, her ideas and suggestions are creative and imaginative, and her manner is both pleasant and congenial.

Senior Corporate Associate, AmLaw 100 Firm

Jennifer proved to be an excellent and objective sounding board when it came to analyzing the pros and cons of various positions. We talked through several scenarios, hypotheticals and other issues when it came to my interviews, meetings, and eventually, job offers. I can definitely say that if it were not for Jennifer, I would not have been prepared for certain questions and decisions that I was required to make, both on the spot and after consideration. Jennifer is professional, always reachable and makes you feel like you are special and that your placement is extremely important to her.

She was there as a steadying hand to steer me in the right direction and to provide me with valuable guidance.

Senior T&E Associate, AmLaw 100 Firm