Director of Employer Relations
We frequently tell our students and alumni about the power of personal connections. Knowing someone in the workplace—even if it’s someone you have known for a short time or someone you know casually—can make all the difference in the world when it comes to landing an interview and a job offer.
A recent article in The New York Times discussed this phenomenon in the context of hiring in Corporate America. Here are some of the highlights from the article:
- A recent study of one large company revealed that referred candidates were twice as likely to get an interview and 40% more likely to get hired. At another company, referred candidates were ten times as likely to get hired.
- Some employers favor known candidates so much more than random submissions that they are actively pushing their employees to make referrals; at Morgan Stanley, the company hopes to fill half of all lateral placements through such referrals.
- As one employer put it, “a referral puts [applicants] in the express lane,” pushing applicants from job boards and job fairs “to the bottom of the pile.”
The article also noted the increasing role played by LinkedIn in facilitating these referrals. Our office has been working to help students and alumni use LinkedIn to their advantage. We encourage you to check out our blog piece and four-part video on YouTube to learn more.
There are a wide variety of ways to utilize your existing connections and make new ones in the legal world. These approaches will vary with your interests and your personality type. We encourage you to make an appointment with an LCS counselor soon to strategize about the best way to proceed.
