the "hidden" job market actually exists.

[dennis]

There is an article on Law.com by Valerie Fontaine and Roberta Kass about tapping the hidden job market. The article is targeted at older attorneys, but its lessons are applicable to law students as well.

Fontaine and Kass write:

Information about the vast majority of job openings passes by word of mouth, rather than through recruiters or advertisements. Therefore, you need to tap into this "hidden" job market.

A surprising number of law school opportunities pass through word of mouth. These opportunities include research assistant openings, student committee spots, scholarships, and fellowships. Many of these opportunities are ignored because they are buried in the law school email spam electronic student digest, or otherwise under-advertised.

Law School Networking in a Nutshell:

1. Meet upperclassmen through activities that interest you.
2. Protect your reputation and don’t piss off your peers. These are the people who will vouch for you when asked.
3. Be natural because insincerity is counterproductive.
4. Be consistent because returning to an organization or event will strengthen ties and present new opportunities.

 Read more on each of the four after the jump.

 

Networking:

Many positions in law school go to students who are referred. A way to improve your chances of a referral is to make meaningful acquaintances within the law school, which is a fancy way of saying "go and network." Acquaintances are more likely to help you snag opportunities than your close friends because we tend to be aware of the same opportunities as our inner circle.

Let’s clear up something about networking: networking is not beaming your peers with business cards or mass-adding people on facebook and LinkedIn.

Networking is simply building a base of meaningful acquaintances. A meaningful acquaintance is someone who is aware of your talents, goals, reputation. This is the difference between someone who knows that you are another law student, and someone who knows that you are interested in asylum law. The acquaintance aware of your interests is more likely to remember and recommend you if an asylum law related opportunity comes up.

Upperclassmen:

The easiest way to network within the law school is to join a few student organizations that you are interested in and befriend some 2Ls and 3Ls. This should be organic, and not forced. Do not join a club that bores you to death or cozy up to people solely because they are on a prestigious moot court or journal.  Law students have a keen sense of smell, and brown-nosers don't smell like roses. You have to do things that interest you because insincerity is a very effective way to get shunned.

Aside for 1Ls: don’t address upperclassmen by “sir” or “mam” or sign your facebook messages with “sincerely” or "best regards" because we will make fun of you. I promise.

If you make the upperclassmen you meet aware of your interests (in a tactful way) then they will put you on their radar and mention you as opportunities arise within the school – this can be anything from a professor mentioning that they need an assistant, to a dean seeking members for a student panel.

Last year, I was approached by a 3L who scared me. He was the kind of guy that spears deer on his way to a UFC match. He was a big, intense, and all-around terrifying person that made my deodorant break down every time I talked to him.

So I was surprised (and sweaty) when he approached me in the library one day: 

Scary 3L: “What are you doing this summer?”
Me: “Uh, I’m interviewing for a job this week actually! We’ll see how that goes.”
Scary 3L: “Oh, well, Professor Doe is looking for a summer fellow. I recommended you. Looks like you have two interviews this week.”

I had only spoken to Scary 3L in passing (obviously, because he terrified me) but Scary 3L was aware of my reputation, ran my name past a few other 1Ls, and decided to refer me. It was that simple.

Peers & Reputation:

The lesson that Scary 3L taught me was that networking with my classmates was as important as networking with upperclassmen. The 3L was aware of me, but the conversations he had with other 1Ls is what made it the referral happen.

The chance of receiving a referral is proportionate to the amount of students who have a good opinion about you. If someone asks a classmate about you, and you completely offended that person the day before, then you are out of luck.

I wasn't "friends" with any of the 1Ls that vouched for me when asked by Scary 3L, but they knew “of me” through my reputation and mutual friends.

Reputation in law school is an unwieldy thing, especially if you have an online presence. I think the easiest way to maintain a positive reputation is by being genuine, following classroom etiquette and respecting to your peers.

The easiest way to kill your reputation is by being rude, crass, or self aggrandizing. The idea is to be more like Jill Scott and less like Lady Gaga. (who is probably off getting a MBA).

The more natural you are the easier it will be to network (and to be a human being!). If you meet and connect with people you like, then you are more likely to be referred to relevant opportunities. As a now-referring 2L, I know that I tend to help out and recommend people who are more natural than angsty. But maybe that's just me.

Consistency

Once you establish yourself as a reliable, somewhat grounded student, organizations (or the administration) will return to you if they need help with a specific event or job. Through this consistency will come stronger connections and new opportunities, which (for me, at least) is the whole point of networking.

For example, my law school can always count on me to convince prospective students from warmer places that they won’t freeze to death in Minnesota.

Hope this helps!

Comments

[Legal big guy]

Dennis, Bottom line, in this job market, it is my opinion that it is all about networking and the hidden job market. I didn't have the best grades in law school. But, I networked myself to death. And, now, with Linkedin, Jigsaw, etc., you can get even more creative with your efforts.

[SFJD]

Excellent post, law students should live by this coda.

[JT]

What the heck? Job openings have gone from largely word of mouth to recruiters and back again? It's so unfair when you just don't know the right person.

[Buy cialis]

ey ey ey..why not nobody told me something about this?! in this moment I'm so despareted to het some job, and nobody told me, I think that I gonna kick some asses for this.