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:

• Intro: Why LinkedIn?

• Creating a profile

• Creating a network

• Maintaining a network

• Closing & Questions

Why LinkedIn?

The Legal Industry is on LinkedIn

Does LinkedIn Really Help People Get Hired?

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

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

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.

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?

Creating a NetworkingWho Do We Add to Our Network?

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.

Who Should We Add to Our Networks?

• Colleagues

• Former Colleagues

• Attorneys

• Past and Future Interviewers

• Law Firm, Corporate, &

Government Recruiting

Professionals

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

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.

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.

Networking MechanicsHow to Connect to others?

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…

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.

Searching from Your Home Page

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

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.

Connections: LinkedIn’s Suggestions

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.

Sending Effective Messages:

When sending messages

to others to connect,

remember Inigo Montoya

The Four Parts of a Good

Introduction:

1. Polite Greeting

2. Name

3. Relevant Personal Link

4. Manage Expectations

LinkedIn Suggests Additional Connections:

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.

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.

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.

How to Follow Someone:

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

colleagues, clients, etc.

Questions?

linkedin: networking for law students

Documents

linkedin networking cvh 20092

tutorial 6 - linkedin/networking event

social networking & linkedin for job searches

guerrila networking on linkedin

beyond networking linkedin

linkedin networking tips & tricks

(3) networking on linkedin

linkedin b2b social networking

linkedin networking for professionals

21st century networking via linkedin

networking and linkedin - ogaps - home · • discuss...

linkedin, networking for professionals

jterm11 - day 9 - linkedin & networking

linkedin - social networking service

getting linkedin -- sourcing through social networking

networking and linkedin

networking with linkedin

linkedin for networking & jobs - uwm 2014

networking on linkedin 101

social & business networking on linkedin