Page 11 - Law Schools

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Law Schools | MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2016 | S11
BY JILL BACKER
S ocial networking has become ubiquitous in our society, yet it remains unclear whether this medium will help or hinder
the legal profession and job market. A 2014 ABA Tech Report stated that over 93 percent of all the attorneys in the United States had a LinkedIn in profile. That is an enormous number and speaks to the potential power of social networking within the legal community. LinkedIn, and other social media platforms, can be effective and beneficial modes of pro- fessional communication and networking but it is imperative that these sites are utilized properly and effectively.
I have recently been informed by several graduating law students that they received LinkedIn messages from firms seeking to inter- view them for associate positions. These firms initiated direct contact with these students after reviewing their LinkedIn profile. Many employers, even within the law, search Linke- dIn for specific terms and skills as part of their recruiting efforts, and many post jobs directly to LinkedIn. Having the right information on your profile and keeping it updated could be the easiest thing you do that will get you a job.
I also have seen students as well as lateral attorneys lose opportunities because of inap- propriate pictures, inflammatory language or other bad usage of social media. You have to be thoughtful of how people may view your profiles.
As a job seeker, a well put together LinkedIn profile should contain a headline, experience/ employment history, education, contact infor- mation, and other content specific to you— including professional affiliations and other topics and people you are “following.” Your headline needs to be sincere and succinct— a highlight of who you are professionally. I have seen lawyers’ headlines state things like “Slave Labor on the Deathstar”—potential employers are not looking for an editorial on your professional life, but rather a state- ment about what you do and how you do it. Your experience/employment history must be complete so former colleagues can find you, and you can show potential employers your career trajectory and skills. Other content that is specific to you could be organizations you are passionate about or alumni organiza- tions in which you are active. (Remember that with networking, groups and organizations that you are members of, and follow, become part of your online persona.) Also, you MUST have a professional picture uploaded to your profile, although it may seem awkward, we all like to put a name to a face. All of these things will get you to an “All-star profile strength” level on LinkedIn, where people will find and read your profile. Once you have set up your
JILL BACKER is assistant dean for career and profes- sional development at Pace Law School.
profile, you need to use it. Put aside at least 15 minutes a week to manage your social net- working, but you should make sure to update your profile often.
You should also become active on LinkedIn and respond to things in your LinkedIn world. “Like” or comment on an article someone posted or wrote, or post an article yourself. Make sure to congratulate those with new jobs. Your contacts with new positions will be creating a new branch of their network and thus a new branch of yours. You never know from where your next job will come. Also, you should actively review LinkedIn’s suggestions of who you should link with— they are sometimes useful suggestions. Don’t forget, LinkedIn is not just for you to link with other lawyers, colleagues, former classmates
The bottom line is that you have to be discriminating about what you say and what you put out on social media.
and mentors. You should link with people that can help you with your career goals, and those that are potential clients. LinkedIn can help you market yourself to the correct and desirable cohort.
LinkedIn is obviously not the only social media game in town, though it is the most widely used by lawyers. Many people have Facebook accounts, but like any online site, you need to pay attention to what you are putting out there. Make sure to enable ade- quate privacy settings that will protect your personal privacy from your professional life. Facebook can also be used in a professional mode but mostly if you are creating a page for your business (firm). It is great if you are a solo or a small firm to use a firm Facebook page to drive business to your firm.
Other social media platforms like Insta- gram and especially Twitter are everywhere. Twitter seamlessly loads to other platforms (for example, I follow a Broadway star I like on Facebook but he only uses Twitter, it just loads to Facebook.) Twitter posting is easy and sometimes done without much thought, more like a stream of conscious- ness. That can get someone into trouble when you only have a limited number of characters to use.
So can social networking help your job search? The answer is a resounding yes, but only under certain circumstances. The bot- tom line is that you have to be discriminating about what you say and what you put out on social media. In addition, you have to be cognizant at all times of not only what you are saying and posting, but what people in your networks are saying and doing and your reaction to these things. Your next job may depend on it!