Building your professional network can seem intimidating at first, but if you think of this as a natural way to engage in the world that you have chosen for your career, you will find it to become a pleasant - and productive - activity.
Basic advice:
- Choose activities that you already enjoy, where you may also meet those in your field of interest;
- Educate yourself as thoroughly as possible in advance, in order to generate interesting conversation;
- Do not be shy about letting people know your career dreams and interests;
- Never underestimate the help that non-lawyers can provide - everyone will be contacting lawyers, if you contact others they will be able to generate creative and useful contacts;
- Focus any discussion on positive topics - think long term and ask for things that can be delivered (advice, information, referrals) not awkward items that cannot be instantly produced (job);
- Show enthusiasm!
Expert advice:
- Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams, 2nd Edition by Kimm Walton
- Networking without Treating People as a Means to an End: Six Tips for Students by Anna Marshall
- Using Informational Interviews to Build Your Network by Stephanie Mitchell
- Informational Interviewing: Both an Educational and Networking Tool by Jeanine Dames
- Mastering the Three Dreaded Networking Moments by Steven J. Shaer
- Fearless Networking by Miriam Krasno
- Leveraging your Network: What to do with All those Business Cards by Mary-Christine (M.C.) Sungaila
- How I Learned to Network with Other Attorneys by Todd M. Morgan
- Networking: You as Your Best Business Card by Lilly Ghahremani
- Networking Advice for Second Career Lawyers by Steven C. Bennett
- Networking to Get (or Create) a Public Interest Job by Tracy J. Simmons
Social media is an integral part of the networking landscape. Use it wisely!
- The 6 Ps of the Big 3 (+ blog) by Amanda Ellis
- Reinventing Professional Services: Building your Business in the Digital Marketplace (+ blog) by Ari Kaplan
- Moving from Social Networking to Handshakes by Thomas C. Ksobiech
- Building a Brand with Social Media: The New Normal in a Job Search by Allison Hembd, Vic Massaglia and Diane Quick
- Social Networking for Lawyers: The Lawyer's Guide to Making Friends by Susi Schuele
- The Professional's Social Network: LinkedIn by Allison C. Shields
- Seven Tips for Building Up your LinkedIn Network by Bob Ambrogi
- Social Media Networking for Lawyers: A Practical Guide to Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Blogging by Simon Chester and Daniel Del Gobbo
Get started by exploring the wealth of professional organizations: