Job Search Tips for Graduating Students

by Leslie Hom

1. Visualize your life without a job after the bar exam. Plan ahead. Fast forward to August 2009. How are you paying your bills and spending your time? Create a job search plan NOW for a position to start after the bar.


2. Know your budget. Taking the bar takes time and money. Figure out your budget and decide how you are going to manage your bills while you are studying for the bar and afterwards. Borrow as little as you can live with.


3. Work your Spring semester. Get an internship doing what you want to do. October is a great time to set up a position for the Spring semester.


4. Judicial externships can be helpful. Work for the court. It is a great way to meet and to observe attorneys at work. Get to know the ones that you admire. They will value your understanding of the courthouse and rules.


5. Networking is a marathon. It takes time to develop relationships with future colleagues. Build your relationships before you need them. Don’t get discouraged if it takes awhile to get to know others in your practice area.


6. Know what you want to do. Be able to tell others what practice areas you are interested in practicing.


7. Be a friend first. Networking is about making new friends. Only belong to bar associations, student groups or organizations if their mission reflects your own interests. Employers want to hire people they know and can get along with.


8. Be willing to volunteer. Many organizations, especially in public interest/ government sector, may not hire people right away. However, by volunteering, you make yourself a much more attractive candidate because you are demonstrating a passion for that organization’s work.


9. Reach out to past supervisors. Give your past supervisors a call to see how they are doing and to say hello. This will get you back on their radar and help with your network.


10. Work hard. Remember, it takes time to find a job. Do not get discouraged if you do not get a job right away. Rather, learn from everything you do, stay focused on your goal and keep at it.