Dear 1L: LinkedIn Networking
Dear 1L,
Last fall, I received a flood of panicked calls from jobless 2Ls.
Don’t let that be you. Don’t wait till after OCI. Go all-in with networking NOW. Here, some steps to start on LinkedIn.
✏️ STEP 1: PERFECT YOUR PROFILE.
Your LI profile is often the 1st place prospective employers go. Make sure yours is meticulously matched to your resume and error-free.
🔹 Don’t be like stuck-in-old-ways lawyers from mega institutions that write their website bios and LI profiles as if describing distant, third-party paragons.
N.B. I admit, I used to write mine like that. It now feels oddly out-of-touch.
*Obviously, conform to any employer policy and be 100% professional, but absent prohibition, I encourage you to be you.
✏️ STEP 2: COMMENT. COMMENT. COMMENT.
Start spending time in the comments section of posts by lawyers and other professionals in the field.
🔹 You can view anyone’s activity on LI. Lots of folks regularly get long, interesting comment strings: They are conversations between and among lawyers.
⭐️ Join in the conversation!
🔹 When you comment, people usually write back.
💡 There. You have the start of a conversation.
Now, when you want to follow up by DM or e-mail, or both, you already have something to talk about!
🔹 A comment with 5 or more words can count up to 5x more for reach than a like or share (I am told by LinkedIn experts).
A comment also gets your name visible. Don’t comment just for the sake of it. But you should sometimes have something to say!
If nothing nice or valuable to add, just scroll, or comment disagreement—politely. (I know you know that.)
By commenting, you are giving something. It is polite to do that as a gesture, in the very least, for someone who has done you a favor, or someone who you hope will do you one.
Networking takes time. Fostering relationships takes time. You’ve had a good, long break from 1L now. It’s time to invest in your network.
The earlier you start, the better. It’s like putting money away in an IRA. The returns compound over time.
* * *
I open the floor:
3L & 4Ls: What would you add?
Lawyers: What would you advise?
Rising 1Ls: What questions do you have?
Fondly,
💌 Amanda
P.S. Follow —> #Dear1L (1,236 followers) to see future letters.
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