March, 2010

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26
Mar 10

Q1 Final Friday: 6 Social Networking Profile Updates

Have you noticed how your Facebook friends update their relationship status immediately upon getting married, breaking up, or getting engaged?

FB relationship status anne married joe ED

Why do so many lawyers wait until they need a new job to update their professional information on their social networking profiles?

In my forthcoming book, I recommend that attorney job seekers designate a time each calendar quarter to update their social networking profiles.

Today marks the final Friday of the first quarter.  Consider designating the final Friday of the quarter (or the final weekend of the quarter) as the time for updating your resume and social networking profiles.  Spend 15 minutes today or this weekend to review the following:

  1. New Position. If you started a new job after January 1, 2010, or accepted an offer to start one in early April, update your work information on LinkedIn and Facebook.  Check your website link on Twitter; if the link was to your old firm bio, update it.
  2. New Title. Many firms name their new partners during the first quarter.  If you were recently promoted to partner, change your title on your social networking profiles.
  3. New Leadership Roles. Many professional organizations elect new leaders in the first quarter.  Do you have new leadership roles to add?  Did any past leadership roles expire in December 2009?
  4. Awards/Honors. Have you been quoted or mentioned in an article during the first quarter?  Did you speak at event?  If so, share this information on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
  5. Facebook Pictures. While you are updating your profile information, check the privacy settings on  your Facebook pictures to make sure you are not sharing too much information.  My January 2010 newsletter outlines the steps for changing your privacy settings and you may view it here.
  6. Profile Picture. Make sure you have a recent (i.e., last 5 years) profile picture on your social networking profiles.  Click here to read why you need a profile picture.

Finally, remember that many of the above updates apply to your hard copy resume as well.  Don’t forget to update it as you update your online profiles.

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23
Mar 10

Attorney Job Postings on LinkedIn

When I logged into LinkedIn today, I noticed three associate attorney job openings posted by a BigLaw firm.  The jobs section on my homepage (right side of your homepage, mid-way down) contained the following three openings:

LI job postings Ballard Spahr (3)

I always glance at the jobs section but today was the first day I remember seeing three attorney positions posted by a firm – not to mention a large firm.  Usually, the openings in this section include in-house positions and/or legal support positions.

Are more law firms posting attorney job openings on LinkedIn?  Possibly.  Should law students and lawyers review LinkedIn’s job postings?  Absolutely.  Job postings on LinkedIn offer more information than postings on traditional job boards, including the following:

  1. HR Contact. Some job postings on LinkedIn identify the firm’s recruiting or human resources contact who posted the position, including a link to the person’s LinkedIn profile and the degree of connectivity.  In the example below, someone named Robin, a 3rd degree connection, posted the position.   LI Job posting Boston entrep firm ED If I wanted more information or even an introduction to Robin, I could go through our mutual contacts to obtain information or seek an introduction.
  2. Apply Now. LinkedIn allows you to apply for job openings directly from the LinkedIn site by clicking the Apply Now link.  The advantage here is that the hiring contact will likely review your LinkedIn profile (in addition to your resume and cover letter which you may upload in the application process).  LI Apply Now Job seekers can share details on their LinkedIn profiles that they wouldn’t include on their resumes and, therefore, differentiate themselves from other candidates.  Applying for a job through LinkedIn’s Apply Now feature increases your chance that the HR contact will review your LinkedIn profile and read any of the additional details you included.
  3. Firm Contacts. Referral resumes are usually reviewed before all other resumes; referral resumes are simply resumes handed to the HR or recruiting contact by a current employee of the firm.  LinkedIn identifies current firm employees that you know either directly (your 1st degree connections) or indirectly (your 2nd and 3rd degree connections).   For the job posting below, you’ll see that I have 22 contacts at the firm. LI Ballard Spahr ED If I were interested in the above job posting, I would approach one of my contacts to see if they would be willing to deliver or refer my resume to the recruiting department.
  4. Exclusivity. Some firms bypass traditional job boards and post jobs only on LinkedIn.  LinkedIn denotes the exclusive listings with a blue asterisk, as follows: LI job posting bk atty LI exclusive ED I would pay particular attention to these listings since they are only posted on the LinkedIn site.  Moreover, you may have a competitive advantage if few lawyers check the job postings on LinkedIn.
  5. Pay it Forward. LinkedIn identifies your contacts who either might be interested in the position or know someone who might be interested. LI Forward Job ED If you conclude that you are not interested the position, why not forward the position to one of your contacts suggested by LinkedIn?  You have nothing to lose and the opportunity to reconnect with one of your contacts.  Moreover, perhaps your contact will reciprocate and forward opportunities to you in the future.
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15
Mar 10

Job Search Advice for Lawyers from SXSWi

Greetings from the South By Southwest Interactive Festival (SXSWi), a festival focused on cutting edge technologies that attracts the world’s most creative web developers, designers, bloggers, programmers and new media entrepreneurs.  This five-day festival is held each spring in Austin, Texas, and some call it Spring Break for Geeks.  I discussed in my March newsletter why SXSWi is a creative spring break for lawyers and why I planned to attend this year.

Not only does SXSWi offer incredible business development opportunities for lawyers, it also provides creative job search advice for lawyers (and, as you can imagine, many tips involve social networking).  Here are three tips from sessions I’ve attended.

1.  Engage on Twitter. I previously wrote about lawyers finding jobs through Twitter and one point I made was that lawyers must socialize and engage with hiring authorities to develop meaningful relationships.  The first session I attended at SXSWi was “Using Social Media to Score … A Job (Obviously)” and provided an example of how people obtain jobs by engaging others on Twitter.  One attendee was a recruiter from Google and shared that Google recently hired its first employee through Twitter.  The person hired caught the recruiter’s attention because he asked questions (directed to the recruiter) on Twitter and engaged the recruiter.

Job-seeking lawyers must also engage hiring authorities on Twitter.  Talk to other lawyers, law firm recruiters and third-party recruiters (or legal headhunters).  Share information.  Ask questions.  By the time the firm needs to hire someone, perhaps you will have already developed a relationship with the hiring authorities or at least be on their radar screen.

2.  Always Be Looking. One attendee in the session “Funemployed: Success Stories from the Laid Off Community” stressed the need to always be looking for a job, even when you have one, because companies are not loyal.  Lawyers should heed this advice as well; if you think all law firms are loyal, think again.  Talk to lawyers who were laid off in the recent recession.  I know many laid-off lawyers who worked their entire career at one firm but were still laid off; the lawyers’ loyalty to the firm didn’t matter when it came down to law firm economics.

3.  Nurture Your Network. One way to “always be looking” is to nurture your network — network not just when you need a job but before you need a job.  I recommend that lawyers and law students use, at a minimum, LinkedIn to nurture their networks.  Connect with people as you exchange business cards.  If you do this consistently, you will have a large network when you need a job.  One attendee in the session “Funemployed: Success Stories from the Laid Off Community” shared that although his company filed for bankruptcy last week, he already has 6-7 interviews lined up through various connections in his LinkedIn network.

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10
Mar 10

Spring Forward, 1Ls & 2Ls

Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend which means our clocks spring forward by one hour.  First-year and second-year law students should also begin looking forward and planning for their summer positions.

Most law schools offer extensive programming to prepare students for their summer clerkships, such as sessions on proper dress, etiquette and tips from former summer clerks.  But, what can students — all students who will work this summer, not just BigLaw Summer Associates — learn from the Big 3 social networking sites?

The Big 3 social networking sites can help (1) prepare law students for their summer positions; and (2) sell their clerkship experience in future interviews.

1.  Search the Firm/Company/Organization. Search the name of the firm/company/organization in LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.  Does the entity have a profile?  What kind of information is available?  If the entity has a profile on LinkedIn, look to see if you are you connected to anyone who works at the company and might be able to provide additional insight?  If the entity has a business page on Facebook, become a fan so you can read the entity’s updates prior to starting your summer position.

2.  Search for Attorneys. If you know the names of the people you will be working with, see if they have a LinkedIn or Twitter profile.  What information can you learn from their profiles?  Do you share mutual friends?

3.  Learn about your Practice Area. If you know the practice area in which you’ll be working this summer, begin to learn more about that practice area.  Search for key words on Twitter to find tweets about the practice area and people to follow who are experts in that field.  For example, one law student tweeted earlier this week that she was going to be working in the area of Securities law and wanted more information.  I suggested she follow @SecuritiesD to learn more about the area, including hot topics, before starting her position.  Search the Groups on LinkedIn and join groups in your designated practice area; you’ll have the opportunity to learn from individuals in that field and engage with them.

4.  Connect. As you communicate and interact with people at the firm/company/organization (both in preparing for your summer position and while working in your summer position), invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn.  Customize your invitations – you could thank the HR director for coordinating your summer plans and indicate that you look forward to your start date.  Or, send an invitation to an attorney after you complete a project over the summer; let him know how much you enjoyed working with him on X project or case.  You want these people to be a part of your professional network going forward in your career so make sure you connect with them.

5.  Sell Clerkship Experience. Aim to leave your summer clerkship with at least one selling point that you can include on your LinkedIn profile.  Create a blog about your summer experience and link to the blog on your LinkedIn profile.  Offer to write an article for an attorney for a trade publication and then link to the article on your LinkedIn profile.  Look for opportunities (they won’t always be obvious) and capitalize on them!

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1
Mar 10

Job Search Clues in Linkedin Profile Updates

Do you read your weekly LinkedIn Network Updates?  If you are searching for a job, you definitely should skim these weekly email reports.  The updates usually contain a wealth of information about your professional contacts.  Pay close attention to the “Profile Updates” section; it’s usually the top section in the email.  The email will show three updates but you can click on “see more updates” to see profile updates for everyone in your LinkedIn network.

LI profile updates weekly email redacted

The Profile Updates section tells you when a contact joins a new firm (i.e., Ashley is now Director of Administration & Development at XYZ Law Firm) or changes her title to a new role (i.e., Regina has updated her current title to Partner at ABC Law Firm).  This information could provide three clues to job seekers:

  1. Potential Opening at Old Firm: Now, that Ashley joined XYZ Law Firm, perhaps there’s an opening at Ashley’s old firm?  Do you and Ashley practice in the same area?  If so, inquire about this potential opportunity – don’t wait until you find a job posting advertising the position!
  2. Possible Elimination: If you, too, applied for the position at XYZ Law Firm, the update will let you know the position has been filled.  Knowing this helps you prioritize your job search – you can now move on and pursue other opportunities.
  3. Potential Opening Resulting from New Role: If one of your contacts was promoted to a new role or position, perhaps the contact’s old position needs to be filled.  If you are qualified, inquire about the opportunity.  Again, don’t wait for the position to be advertised.

Bottom line:  don’t ignore your weekly LinkedIn Updates email; it’s worth a quick glance and could lead to valuable information for your job search.