LCD Graduate Fellow
Social media is the hottest buzz phrase of, well, pretty much all of the 21st Century so far. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media sites have billions of users. Some popular blogs garner as many readers as best-selling authors. In the legal industry, it’s no different—especially when it comes to finding a job.
For example, popular “LexBlog” author Kevin O’Keefe has posited that writing a “law blog [is] more valuable than law review in landing a job.”O’Keefe explains, “The things historically thought of value by law students—which law school, law review, moot court, who you know—[are] no longer as important.” The take away: “Developing an online presence via networking [is] more important” than traditional networking avenues or job search approaches.
O’Keefe based this assessment on his conversation with Michigan State University law grad Pat Ellis, who says he landed a job with a leading Detroit law firm solely because of his blog. Ellis explained to O’Keefe that one blog post of his shared on social media brought far more attention and conversations with lawyers and law professors than a law review article would.
If you think a blog might be right for you, O’Keefe and Ellis have some advice. First, make sure you have “a good blog design, great content,” and that you are “linking to social, tracking visitors, posting regularly, and writing in your voice.” Further, online networking “requires law students to listen, engage, curate, and create content with their own point of view.”
Here are a few other tips for social networking to get ahead in the legal biz:
1. Cull content for your blog from throughout the web. The American Bar Association advises you to keep abreast of the topics being discussed throughout the Web. “Many sources and strategies exist, including setting up Google Alerts for keywords that email you new results from Google; using RSS feeds to gather headlines from newspapers and blogs; subscribing to personalized information portals like Zite, Flipboard or Pulse; publishing a curated magazine using Scoop.it or Paper.li; and liking/plusing/retweeting and otherwise affirming your social connections.”
2. Take a highly professional approach to LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a fantastic resource for job seekers, with some users landing legal jobs purely by being headhunted directly from the site. But be warned: Your LinkedIn approach must be professional. For example, use a profile picture that shows you wearing a suit or professional attire. In addition, make sure you fill in the skills section with all relevant skills so that employers can see your complete value. Even skills like Microsoft Word and Excel are important—so list them. And be sure to keep your resume up to date, showcasing your recent accomplishments at all recent and previous legal jobs and internships you’ve held.
3. Avoid petty fights and flame wars online. Law Practice Today advises lawyers to remember that “you’re almost never going to change anyone’s mind” online. Thus, steer clear of arguments with other users. If you do challenge someone on Facebook or Twitter, keep your arguments professional—using the same persuasive skills you developed in law school and as a legal professional.
4. Know your employer’s social media policy. Once you have a job, your employer will likely have a social media policy in place. Law Practice Today further explains that this can include things like the firm’s stated purpose of social media use, scope, users, technology, and administration of social media. Make sure you are aware of your firm’s social media policy and stay within the bounds of that policy at all times.
5. Cultivate a professional online persona by avoiding obvious social media faux pas. One entrepreneur warns against doing the following:
• Misspelling words and using bad grammar
• Typing in all caps • Using abbreviations like WTF and LOL
• Being negative
• Being smarmy
• Being mean or rude
• Using foul language
• Complaining
The upshot of all this is that social media can spring new life into your job search and career. If you have specific questions about how to leverage your online presence to land your next gig, book an appointment with LCD today.
