Sowing The Seeds Of Success

by Danny Wang
LCS Grad Fellow

So you’ve attended networking events, conducted informational interviews, and scoured online job banks searching for work. However, despite your earnest efforts, you may still find yourself unemployed at the moment. If so, I’m going to take a stab at guessing what you’re thinking as you read this blog entry. You’re thinking to yourself, what else can I do?

Cue drum roll…

Be patient. Yes, that’s all there is to it.

Let’s engage in some role-playing. You’re going to be playing the role of a farmer. Even better, to recreate the current economic situation, you’re going to be playing the role of a farmer right after the Great Dust Bowl that struck America in the thirties. So you roll up your sleeves, snatch your bag of seeds, and tell the folks and the young’uns that you’re heading down to the field to start planting. Tomatoes and corn sound right to you, and you have a Nostradamus-like inkling that turnips may thrive this season.

So what does being a farmer have to do with your legal job search? Patience. A farmer has to be patient. The farmer knows that bushels of corn, tomatoes, and turnips won’t be produced over night. You, too, must realize that you will not instantaneously reap the benefits of your hard work in networking and informational interviewing. Similar to the farmer, you are growing your professional network. Don’t expect a first-time meeting with a contact to result in you walking out the door a half hour later with a job (don’t rule it out either, as fortune does sometimes smile upon us).

A good relationship with an attorney takes time to develop. The better your relationship, the more likely you’ll be recommended to fellow attorneys for potential job opportunities. These relationships are nurtured as you follow-up with new contacts after networking events through either informational interviews or simply meeting them for lunch or coffee. Over time, you will grow a substantial attorney network, and more than likely, you’ll find that elusive first job out of law school through this network.

Be patient like the farmer. You will find a job, but keep watering those seeds.