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| AABA Career Day: Attorneys explain how to tap into the "hidden job market" |
By Susanne Aronowitz
Associate Dean for Law Career Services
Golden Gate University School of Law
At Saturday’s Asian American Bar Association Career Day, which took place at GGU and was sponsored by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Farella Braun + Martel LLP, a panel of attorneys offered their advice to bay area law students and recent graduates on effective strategies for finding jobs. A consistent theme emerged from each of the speakers: Building relationships with legal professionals is the most effective way to tap into the “hidden job market.”
Paul Tanaka, an attorney with Kirkland & Ellis LLP, acknowledged that it can be hard for employers to differentiate among resumes, especially when candidates share similar credentials. Effective job seekers use their personal and professional connections to stand out from the pack.Akshay Verma of the Axiom Law Group agreed. Having the skills to perform the job may be a necessary requirement, but skills alone are not necessarily sufficient to land the job. He advised students to enhance their sophistication by conducting informational interviews with legal professionals before they line up their job interviews. By learning what your target employers value most, you can be strategic in the way you present yourself at an interview.
The goal of “networking” isn’t simply to collect business cards; it is to cultivate and maintain relationships over time. Fairuz Abdullah of UC Hastings’ Office of Career & Professional Development suggested that students send periodic email updates to their contacts to keep them apprised of their progress. She encouraged students to find ways to add value to their contacts by passing along interesting articles or inviting them to law school or bar association events.
Developing your network and building your professional brand extend to your use of social media. All of the panelists touted LinkedIn as an effective way to research potential contacts and employers and to join professional groups. After meeting someone at a networking event, Mr. Tanaka suggests that you send them a LinkedIn connection request. To be effective, initiate the request soon after you meet the attorney, refer to your meeting in your invitation, and have a current (professionally-appropriate) photo associated with your account to help them remember you.
While the panelists agreed that Facebook is more appropriate for personal (not professional) relationships, they advised that students tread carefully with their posts on Facebook and Twitter, as many employers may discover this information when evaluating whether to hire you.
For recent graduates who were waiting for bar results, the panelists emphasized the importance of using the next few months to meet as many attorneys as possible, to attend networking and CLE events to build their expertise, and to find ways to expand their skill set through volunteer and contract work. Be flexible: consider jobs outside of the bay area as well as temporary positions that might help you build your skill set.
The panelists all agreed that whatever you do, make sure you do it well. Creating an opportunity to showcase your motivation and talents will enable you to differentiate yourself from other candidates, and may just lead you to your next professional opportunity!
