If you’ve posted a position at your firm recently, chances are you’ve been inundated with hundreds of resumes. If you're a recent grad looking for employment, you know the competition is tough for every job opening. A recent ABA report shows that only 57 percent of 2013 law school grads got full-time jobs that required passing the bar. (See ABA 2013 Law Graduate Employment Data.)
I’ve been asking ICLE contributors and customers for job-hunting advice for recent law school grads. Here is some of the best advice I’ve heard:
- Maintain your law school network. As a recent grad, your network is already bigger than you realize. Keep in touch with your law school contacts; you never know who can help you in the future. Don’t be afraid to let your law school friends know you’re looking for a job—they might hear about an opening and give you the inside track.
- Identify someone with your “dream practice” to shadow. Find a lawyer with a practice you admire and ask to shadow him or her. Lawyers with whom you share a connection, like the same law school or local bar association, may be more open to your request. Get advice on what associations to join and what skills to learn to build a similar practice.
- A not-so-great job now can lead to a great job later. Yes, your law school and GPA may play heavily into where you get your first job. After that, your next job largely depends on the skills and reputation you develop at that first job. Once people see you at work in court, as part of bar association events, or in the community, they will decide whether or not they want to work with you or recommend you based on you, not your law school GPA.
- Don’t forget your local bar association. Several people stressed the importance of joining a local bar association—it was where they got the lead or recommendation that landed them a job. Regularly attending local bar meetings opens up opportunities to demonstrate your work ethic and lines you up for potential recommendations.
For more tips, visit ICLE Top Tips in Ten Minutes Conducting a Successful Legal Job Search.