linkedin: networking for law students

Perkins Coie LLP

LinkedIn: Networking for Law Students

February 18, 2020

Legal Recruiting Manager

Rebecca Schermerhorn

Perkins Coie LLP | PerkinsCoie.com

Agenda:

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• Intro: Why LinkedIn?

• Creating a profile

• Creating a network

• Maintaining a network

• Closing & Questions


Why LinkedIn?

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The Legal Industry is on LinkedIn

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Does LinkedIn Really Help People Get Hired?

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From October 2018 through September 2019, Perkins Coie hired 85

individuals who found our job postings and applied via LinkedIn. 11 of

those applicants were attorneys.


Creating a Profile in LinkedIn

Tips and hints

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Creating a Profile

Must Haves!

o Photo

Professional, non-blurry

o Full Professional Name

As it appears on your paper resume

o Job Title

o About Section

Try to keep it to no more than two paragraphs

o Job History/Education

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Creating a Profile

Once you have an account set up, use the pencil symbol to

begin editing. LinkedIn will guide you via a step-by-step

process.

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Ways to Personalize Your Profile

Job Title

Get creative! Use this space to both tell

who you are and advertise for the job

you’re looking for.

Example: “Eager Law Student with Corporate

background Searching for the perfect in-

house role with your company!”

‘About’ Section

The ‘About’ section is your personal

narrative. Use it to tell a story about who

you are:

Why did you choose law?

What are you passionate about?

What skills and expertise will you bring to

a company?

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Creating a NetworkingWho Do We Add to Our Network?

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Networking Goal: Become more visible

Use LinkedIn to expand your

networks and become more

visible. You can:

• Share your accomplishments,

employment history, and other

information as broadly as you

like, and

• Develop relationships with law

firms, attorneys, recruiters, and

peers.

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Who Should We Add to Our Networks?

• Colleagues

• Former Colleagues

• Attorneys

• Past and Future Interviewers

• Law Firm, Corporate, &

Government Recruiting

Professionals

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Colleagues / Former Colleagues

Colleagues are an excellent

choice for your network because:

• Colleagues often provide helpful

materials for you to share with

your own network.

• Colleagues will often view your

posts and may be able to share

with someone in their network.

• Colleagues or former colleagues

can also share leads or

interesting job opportunities with

you.

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Attorneys & Interviewers

Attorneys

Connecting to other attorneys will

help you build and grow your

legal networking profile by

exposing you to their clients and

colleagues.

Interviewers

Requesting to connect to

past/current interviewers shows a

continued interest in the

employer, even if you didn’t get

the position. This sets you up for

future consideration by keeping

you present in the interviewers’

minds.

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Law Firm/Corporate/Government Recruiting Professionals

Recruiters often post new job

opportunities!:

• Following these individuals helps

you stay abreast of new

opportunities

• Learning of these opportunities

early allows you to apply quicker

than other candidates and gets

your foot in the door first.

• We recommend you connect or

follow recruiters from industries

you’re most interested in.

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Networking MechanicsHow to Connect to others?

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Before You Connect…

Make sure your profile is updated:

• Your Professional Photo, Job Title, and

About section should tell a compelling

story about who you are and what you

have to offer

• Show that you are worth connecting

with…

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Connecting to People on LinkedIn:

There are several ways to find

individuals:

• You can search for profiles from

your homepage using keyword

search for names.

• You can search for profiles using

the My Network page.

• Regardless of the search method,

it is recommended to connect

from a Profile Page of an

individual so that you can

personalize the invitation

message.

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Searching from Your Home Page

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You can search for potential

connections from your home page:

• Enter the name you want to search

in the text box.

• Sometimes the name needs to be

entered several different ways

before you locate the person you

are seeking.

• Use filters to find people by school

or firm if you don’t know their names

(see next slide).


Searching from Your Home Page: Filters

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Filtered Searches

Once you apply the filter, the search

will return results that are specific to

that filter (e.g., school):

• You can connect to individuals from this

page, but you cannot personalize the

invitation.

• LinkedIn will show you searches that it

believes are most relevant to you first.

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Connections: LinkedIn’s Suggestions

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LinkedIn will also suggest

Connections to you on your LinkedIn

“My Network” page based on your

groups, location, profession, and

company.

• Note that if you select “Connect”

from this page, you cannot

personalize your request with a

message.


Connecting: Profile Page

The best way is to connect is on the

individual’s profile page so that you can

personalize your message.

• Simply select “Connect” and select “Add a

note.” Enter your message in the

dialogue box.

• Your message should be brief (you have

only 300 characters) and should introduce

yourself and invite the person to connect

in real time.

• Remember to send a “Thank you” if

they accept.

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Sending Effective Messages:

When sending messages

to others to connect,

remember Inigo Montoya

and

The Four Parts of a Good

Introduction:

1. Polite Greeting

2. Name

3. Relevant Personal Link

4. Manage Expectations

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LinkedIn Suggests Additional Connections:

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LinkedIn will suggest

additional connections

once you have sent an

invitation (LinkedIn

already does this on your

My Network page). • You can connect from this

page, but you cannot

send a personal

message.

• Great page to connect

with people you know

already.


A Note About Groups:

Groups can be a powerful networking feature:

• Access to huge number of people interested in

the same topics.

• LinkedIn allows you to join up to 100 groups.

• Research a variety of groups and join ones that

are populated by your target audience.

• Groups can also give you information about

particular subjects that you can sometimes

share with your own network.

• You can join professional networking groups, the

alumni group for your alma mater, groups for

professional associations.

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Joining Groups:

You can join a group from your

homepage:

• Click into the search box and

select “groups” from the

dropdown.

• The groups page will show you

groups you can browse or you

can search using keywords.

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Connections vs. Followers:

• Connections are members who connected on LinkedIn.

• If you're connected to someone, you will both be able to see each other's

shares and updates on your LinkedIn homepages.

• You can also send messages to your connections on LinkedIn.

• Following someone on LinkedIn allows you to see the person's posts

and articles on your homepage without being connected to them.

However, the person you’re following won't see your posts.

• You can follow individuals, schools, publications, influencers, etc.

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How to Follow Someone:

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Following someone is easy:

• Locate the profile for the person

you want to follow.

• Select “More” and then select

“Follow” from the dropdown.

• Once you have “Followed”

them, you will be able to see

their posts/shares in your home

page feed.


Managing Your NetworkKeeping Yourself Visible

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Ways to Stay Visible to Your Network

• Provide status updates on a regular basis

to keep yourself visible to people within

your network.

• Like and comment on LinkedIn posts that

you think are valuable.

• Share posts with your connections and

other groups you belong to.

• When sharing, remember to add content

saying why you think it is valuable and

expressing your point of view.

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Follow Publications or Industry Figures

• You will receive

marketing updates from

Companies that you can

share with others.

• Follow publications,

schools, search

firms/recruiters, or

anyone else you think

will provide interesting

information you can

share to your network.

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Locating Your Followers:

You can find your followers

from your home page:

• Select “Me” in the upper right

corner.

• Select “Posts & Activity” from

the dropdown.

• Select “Followers” under your

name in the upper left corner.

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Stay in Touch

Use LinkedIn notifications to revive a connection:

• Send personal notes when your contacts have promotions and job changes.

• Personal inquiries keep your name fresh in the minds of others and could lead

to future connections or new business.

• Build relationships. Learn about the interests of your clients and potential

clients. Viewing a client's profile is a great way to learn more about a client

and build a relationship.

• Use LinkedIn status updates to share blog posts, articles, press releases and

client updates that are relevant to your practice.

• Drive more attention to your content by posting it to your LinkedIn groups.

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BUT …It’s Business First

Though LinkedIn is a social media platform, it is designed for professional

networking.

• Always remember to approach others on this network with professionalism and respect.

• Be polite and represent yourself in a professional manner in all content posted and

shared, as well as your responses, comments, and engagements within your network.

• Never use a client’s name in a post unless you have the client’s permission. Never post

about a client or a matter in which either you or the firm is involved. When in doubt, don’t

post.

• Be cautious about posting recommendations for or endorsing colleagues, former

colleagues, clients, etc.

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Questions?

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