Reprinted from NALP Bulletin, August 2010. 2010 National Association for Law Placement, Inc.® All rights reserved.
A Guide to E-Professionalism for Law Students:
Five Steps to Create and Maintain a Professional Online Persona
by Kristen Uhl Hulse
What Is Social Networking?
Social networking is about making connections online,whether they are personal, professional, or a combination of both. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are the leading social networking websites, each offering a unique platform to help you share information with your personal and professional contacts.
• LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com), which allows users to make “connections” with professional contacts, has over 65 million professional users in over 200 countries.(See http://press.linkedin.com.)
• Facebook (www.facebook.com), designed to facilitate online connections between “friends,” is the most visited Internet website. (See Facebook Surpasses Google in Weekly Traffic,available at www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_14698296.)
• Twitter (www.twitter.com),a relative newcomer to social networking,is a micro-blog that allows users to communicate with “followers” in short 140-character messages (“tweets”).
Making connections online can yield favorable offline results, such as making new professional contacts or networking to find a new position. Conversely, it may also expose you to unintended risks and consequences. It is therefore important to manage the information you share online(your “online persona”)to help you achieve your professional goals. This concept is known as e-professionalism.
Any information that you share online may influence an employer’s view of you, even if the employer cannot legally consider the information in employment decisions. With that in mind, this advice is designed to assist you in promoting yourself as a professional online, offering five simple steps to help you create and maintain a professional online persona.
STEP ONE: Identify your online social networking goals and choose the social networking platform accordingly. Law students typically use social media to keep in touch with family and friends, reconnect with fellow alumni and former colleagues, make professional networking contacts, and even search for jobs. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter may all be used for those purposes, but some are better than others for maintaining a professional image. Choose a social media platform aligned with your current goals, mindful that your goals may change. Err on the side of professionalism because it can be difficult to clean up “digital dirt” in the future.
Once you have chosen an appropriate platform, manage the content you post online. Any information you post on a social networking site creates an electronic record that may be accessible for years. Because employers may be able to locate your online posts and photos in the future, take steps now to establish a professional online persona.
STEP TWO: Conduct due diligence on your online presence. Is there disconnect between your online persona and your offline persona? Find out by conducting “due diligence” on your online presence. Whether you are an active user of social media or you have chosen not to participate, chances are information about you is publicly available online. Before you can begin managing your online identity,you must first determine what your online persona is now. To do this, run a search of your name (including your maiden name if relevant) on www.google.com, www.bing.com, www.pipl.com and search.intelius.com.
Assume any information you retrieve is discoverable by an employer. Many legal employers have admitted to running searches of a candidate’s name, the results of which can influence the employment process. Remember: your online persona is part of the complete application package you submit to employers. What you post publicly online may be just as important as what you have printed on a formal résumé.
STEP THREE: Clean up your online presence to reflect a professional online persona. Start by thoroughly examining the information you have posted on social networking sites, including status updates, photographs, and even responses to friends’ comments. You do not have to be posting about illicit behavior to raise an employer’s eyebrows. For example,consider the following Facebook or Twitter status updates:
• LAWYER “is stuck on a conference call with a bunch of idiots. Calgon, take me away!”
• LAW STUDENT “just got a job offer! Selling my soul to the devil for financial stability!”
While social media make it easy to share information with friends, be careful when doing so, particularly on Facebook. Even if your personal pages are private, your friends’ pages may be publicly accessible, allowing personal information you post on friends’ pages to be discoverable. Similarly,Facebook friends have the opportunity to “tag” photos of you without your permission.When interacting with a friend online, ask yourself: Does your friend have privacy controls? Do you know your friends’ friends? Assume that if you are telling a friend something sensitive online, the whole world will know your secret.
Beyond interacting on a friend’s page, friends might post material on your page that you may not wish the public to see — for example, “Care to take a ‘sick day’ and join me at the beach on Friday?” or “What time did you get home last night? Can’t believe we drank all those tequila shots.” Think carefully about the image you convey in any status update, photograph, or blog posting. Review information you have posted online as if you are an easily offended employer and purge any questionable material.
There are additional ways to mitigate the risk that a potential employer will find personal information. First, become an expert in Facebook’s privacy settings. From your profile page,select “Settings” for an extensive list of settings to provide different access to identified groups. Note that Facebook changes its privacy settings often. Thus, “fan” the Facebook Privacy page for automatic alerts each time Facebook alters its privacy settings.
• If you have personal AND professional friends on Facebook, create “Friend Lists” to control the types of information visible to various parties.
• You may restrict who can view your Profile, Search, News Feed and Wall, and Applications, allowing you to block a list of work colleagues from seeing certain activities.
• Once your Friend Lists are operational, you can assign new friends to a list when accepting friend requests.
Set Facebook e-mail alerts to notify you of Wall postings and “tagged” pictures of you. You can then act quickly to remove questionable material. Unfortunately,it is impossible to have complete control over what your friends post on your online profile. However,by choosing your Facebook
“friends” wisely and by requesting that they not post questionable items, you will hopefully prevent professionalism pitfalls.
STEP FOUR: Actively manage your online persona to meet your social networking goals. Once you have performed “due diligence” on your online persona and cleaned up your existing online identity, the next step is to actively manage your online persona. Conduct a self-assessment by asking yourself what kind of student you are now and what kind of lawyer you want to be. Specifically, what do you want your public online profile to be?
Based on your goals from Step One, implement an online strategy to manage your online persona. Online reputation management is a key component of e-professionalism. While you may not be able to erase negative online personal information, you can take steps to minimize negative content. In other words, you can create positive content through strategic use of social networking.
LinkedIn
Begin by setting up a professional profile on LinkedIn. LinkedIn’s high Search Engine Optimization (SEO) means it often appears at the top of search engine results. The higher on the screen positive search results appear, the lower the likelihood that the public will find negative information. A professional public profile on LinkedIn helps you establish and maintain a professional online persona. However, be sure your online information matches your offline résumé because employers may check the consistency and accuracy of both.
For tutorials on how to use LinkedIn professionally,visit the LinkedIn Learning Center at learn.linkedin.com and the LinkedIn Learning Center for Attorneys, learn.linkedin.com/attorneys/.
Facebook
As a social networking site designed to facilitate information sharing between friends, Facebook should be used exclusively for personal use to minimize instances of unprofessionalism. Lock down your Facebook privacy settings to ensure that only your personal contacts can view your Facebook activity. Like LinkedIn, Facebook has a high SEO, so failure to impose strict privacy settings runs the risk that your personal information will be publicly visible. For further guidance, see “Nine Best Practices for Attorneys Using Facebook,” www.insidefacebook.com/2009/12/22/9-best-pra
ctices-for-attorneys-using-facebook/.
Twitter
Although Twitter is designed to accommodate both personal and professional networking, you can use the site to emphasize your professional presence. Namely, you can use Twitter as a means of branding yourself as a professional in a particular area. Like LinkedIn and Facebook, Twitter has a high SEO and is a powerful tool for self-marketing. Twitter enables you to post tweets that are visible to the public (if tweets are unprotected) or your preapproved followers (if tweets are protected). Decide whether you want to use Twitter personally or professionally and do not mix the two (or set up separate personal and professional accounts).
If your goal in using Twitter is personal, “protect” your tweets so they will not appear in search engine results. However, if your goal is professional,leave your tweets public.
To get started, see “How to Use Twitter as a Lawyer,” blogforprofit.com/2008/09/11/how-to-use-twitter-as-a-lawyer-part-1/.
Google Alerts
Google Alerts (www.google.com/alerts) allow you to get e-mail updates of the latest Google results based on your search criteria (for example, your name and/or e-mail address). Results often include social networks, online forum postings, and captions for Flickr photos. Alerts enable you to regularly monitor your online persona. Similarly,you can search for your name and apply for automatic updates on Twitter at search.twitter.com/.
For further suggestions regarding online reputation management,see “Google Reputation Management: Tips on How to Fix Your Reputation and Remove Negative Results,” www.marketingpilgrim.com/2007/10/google-reputation-management.html.
STEP FIVE: Be accountable for your online persona. Even if you implement these best practices today, an employer may still find something questionable about you online and seek an explanation. This allows you to clarify or put the material in context. It is crucial that you react professionally and accept responsibility. If it is a picture of you partying at Mardi Gras, explain that this behavior is in your past and that it was poor judgment to post the picture online. If it is a comment that you posted on an inflammatory blog as a law student,explain why you felt so passionate at the time. Mistakes are made — be prepared to be accountable when this might happen.
When answering an employer’s questions about your online materials, do not be defensive, and try to handle the questions with composure. Remember that in many cases, the employer may be trying to see how you react under pressure and whether you have learned from your mistakes. Use the opportunity to demonstrate you now have the judgment and maturity necessary for the position. Finally, if you wish to engage in social media
from your office, be sure to check whether your employer has an official social media policy governing employees’ use of social media. Legal employers are increasingly implementing such policies,and while some are lenient, others are strict and may monitor your access to social media networks from the office and your online posts. Review your employer’s policy carefully and follow it.
You now have the tools to actively manage your online persona to put your best “e-footprint” forward. This will help mitigate the risk that you will be held accountable for past online indiscretions. Become a strategic user of social media by being cognizant of your purpose for using social media. Participate in social networking in a way that enhances your online identity, so that your online activity advances — rather than impedes — your offline professional goals.
Kristen Uhl Hulse, Esq., is Associate Director, Graduate Career and Professional Development, at Georgetown University Law Center.
Marina Sarmiento Feehan, Assistant Director, Office of Career Planning at the University of San Francisco School of Law, provided editorial assistance.
Showing posts with label Networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Networking. Show all posts
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Building a Professional Network
From Mary's News Box
by Mary Crane
http://www.marycrane.com/readMaryNewsletter.jsp?newsletter_id=20
A graduate of George Washington Law School, Mary Crane lobbied in Washington D.C. for nearly ten years before pursuing her life-long interest in food and wine. Crane enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America and, upon graduation, worked at the White House as an assistant chef. During this time, Crane discovered the interplay of food, wine, and business. Her desire to share this unique knowledge yielded Mary Crane & Associates.
Today, Mary travels North America delivering high impact, high energy programs to Fortune 500 companies and more than 50% of the AmLaw100. She helps new employees quickly assimilate in today’s fast-paced work environment. She also helps managers understand how to best recruit, motivate, and retain today’s newest workers.
Mary has been featured on 60 Minutes, Fox Business News and ABC Radio. She has been quoted extensively in a variety of print and electronic media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, and Fortune.com.
BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
The people who not only survived—but thrived—during the Great Recession of 2009 were the people who had previously invested time and effort building strong personal and professional networks. In some cases, these people had access to more information about developments in their industry, something that allowed them to prepare for the downturn. In other cases, as unemployment rose, these intrepid networkers received early information about work opportunities as they developed. And in virtually all cases, these people had a bevy of contacts upon whom they could lean for pure emotional support.
The most effective networks are the ones that are consciously constructed and carefully nurtured. To the extent that you are helping someone think through their own networking needs, consider the following general guidelines:
Networking Guidelines
1. Start by understanding who and what you currently know.
Unless you’re a recluse, odds are you interact with lots of people on a day-to-day basis. To begin building your network, create a list of the people you know personally and a separate list of the people you know professionally. Then, go through both lists and quantify how frequently you connect with these people. Make a note as to whether most of your connections are face-to-face or electronic.
Make yet another list of the organizations to which you belong. With each organization, note how frequently you attend its meetings and events. It might also be worth noting whether you always attend the same one or two organizational events, though the organization hosts others that have piqued your interest. For example, you have consistently attended the local bar association’s tax section education programs but never signed up for the association’s young lawyers monthly get-together.
Ask yourself how frequently you add new contacts to your network. Also, examine the extent to which you regularly offer to help your contacts by providing them with information or put them in touch with others.
2. Identify your goals.
People build personal and professional networks for a variety of reasons. Make sure you understand your own goals.
If you are a new graduate looking to land your first job, your networking goals might include: Acquiring loads of information about any possible job openings; gaining some visibility among adults who are not your college peers; and acquiring the opportunity to make personal connections with people who can provide advice and support.
If you are an established professional who now seeks to use your network for business development purposes, networking goals might include: Deepening your relationships with current clients; identifying prospective clients; and becoming viewed by colleagues as a trusted professional to whom they would feel comfortable referring business.
3. Look at a variety of different types of groups.
Ideally, personal and professional networks help provide access to extremely diverse skill sets. So don’t hesitate to choose groups and activities that are unrelated to your chosen career path or profession. And, in order to ensure that you regularly attend group meetings and events, choose groups and activities that you truly enjoy.
Some research suggests that among the most effective networking opportunities are those that incorporate some type of “shared activity.” These are unscripted activities organized around a common point of interest, for example, roll-up-your-sleeve events like preparing food in a soup kitchen or sorting collected clothing to be sent to a disaster relief area. According to the research, networkers at “shared activity” events are more likely to engage in genuine conversations and thereby get to know each other more thoroughly. (See B. Uzzi and S. Dunlap, “How To Build Your Network,” Harvard Business Review, December 2005).
Feel free to join groups where you’ll primarily meet people over a coffee and Danish or cocktails, but make sure you also join groups that host “shared activity” events.
4. Recognize that building a network takes time.
The most effective networks are comprised of people who know and trust each other, and trust rarely develops overnight. For this reason, make sure to reach out to members of your network regularly, at least every three to six months. Electronic updates are fine, but face-to-face connections help deepen relationships faster.
And by the way, for the same reason, get started on building your network right now. Don’t put it off until fall. And certainly, don’t put it off until the next economic downturn. You know you need a network. Start building it today.
5. Be prepared to help others.
If you think networking is all about you, you couldn’t be more wrong. Successful networkers make sure they give to others as well as take. Every time someone helps you (points you to a job opening, suggests how you can improve your résumé, refers some business to you), make sure you quickly follow-up with your thanks. Then, look for ways that you can return the favor.
Before you...attend a networking event, make sure (you) are aware of the following five practical networking tips:
Networking Tips:
1. Before attending the event, prepare your introduction. This should include your name and one or two sentences that tell the other person something about who you are and what you do. Make your introduction memorable. In fact, view this as your own 30-second commercial.
2. Eat something before attending a networking event. Throughout the event, your focus should stay on making new contacts, not satisfying hunger pangs. And whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of grabbing a drink and a plateful of nibbles at the same time.
3. Everyone attends networking events with the understanding that they have a responsibility to mingle. Use the business card exchange to bring conversations to an end. After a brief conversation, simply say, “I enjoyed talking with you and would like to stay in touch. Do you have a business card?”
4. As soon as you leave the event, review the business cards that you have collected and make notes regarding specific conversations. Then, in the days, weeks and months that follow, use this information to constantly reconnect with people in your network.
5. Follow-up. Attending a networking event is the first step to building a relationship. Follow-up with people regularly, making sure that you give just as much information, assistance, and support as you receive.
by Mary Crane
http://www.marycrane.com/readMaryNewsletter.jsp?newsletter_id=20
A graduate of George Washington Law School, Mary Crane lobbied in Washington D.C. for nearly ten years before pursuing her life-long interest in food and wine. Crane enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America and, upon graduation, worked at the White House as an assistant chef. During this time, Crane discovered the interplay of food, wine, and business. Her desire to share this unique knowledge yielded Mary Crane & Associates.
Today, Mary travels North America delivering high impact, high energy programs to Fortune 500 companies and more than 50% of the AmLaw100. She helps new employees quickly assimilate in today’s fast-paced work environment. She also helps managers understand how to best recruit, motivate, and retain today’s newest workers.
Mary has been featured on 60 Minutes, Fox Business News and ABC Radio. She has been quoted extensively in a variety of print and electronic media, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes.com, and Fortune.com.
BUILDING A PROFESSIONAL NETWORK
The people who not only survived—but thrived—during the Great Recession of 2009 were the people who had previously invested time and effort building strong personal and professional networks. In some cases, these people had access to more information about developments in their industry, something that allowed them to prepare for the downturn. In other cases, as unemployment rose, these intrepid networkers received early information about work opportunities as they developed. And in virtually all cases, these people had a bevy of contacts upon whom they could lean for pure emotional support.
The most effective networks are the ones that are consciously constructed and carefully nurtured. To the extent that you are helping someone think through their own networking needs, consider the following general guidelines:
Networking Guidelines
1. Start by understanding who and what you currently know.
Unless you’re a recluse, odds are you interact with lots of people on a day-to-day basis. To begin building your network, create a list of the people you know personally and a separate list of the people you know professionally. Then, go through both lists and quantify how frequently you connect with these people. Make a note as to whether most of your connections are face-to-face or electronic.
Make yet another list of the organizations to which you belong. With each organization, note how frequently you attend its meetings and events. It might also be worth noting whether you always attend the same one or two organizational events, though the organization hosts others that have piqued your interest. For example, you have consistently attended the local bar association’s tax section education programs but never signed up for the association’s young lawyers monthly get-together.
Ask yourself how frequently you add new contacts to your network. Also, examine the extent to which you regularly offer to help your contacts by providing them with information or put them in touch with others.
2. Identify your goals.
People build personal and professional networks for a variety of reasons. Make sure you understand your own goals.
If you are a new graduate looking to land your first job, your networking goals might include: Acquiring loads of information about any possible job openings; gaining some visibility among adults who are not your college peers; and acquiring the opportunity to make personal connections with people who can provide advice and support.
If you are an established professional who now seeks to use your network for business development purposes, networking goals might include: Deepening your relationships with current clients; identifying prospective clients; and becoming viewed by colleagues as a trusted professional to whom they would feel comfortable referring business.
3. Look at a variety of different types of groups.
Ideally, personal and professional networks help provide access to extremely diverse skill sets. So don’t hesitate to choose groups and activities that are unrelated to your chosen career path or profession. And, in order to ensure that you regularly attend group meetings and events, choose groups and activities that you truly enjoy.
Some research suggests that among the most effective networking opportunities are those that incorporate some type of “shared activity.” These are unscripted activities organized around a common point of interest, for example, roll-up-your-sleeve events like preparing food in a soup kitchen or sorting collected clothing to be sent to a disaster relief area. According to the research, networkers at “shared activity” events are more likely to engage in genuine conversations and thereby get to know each other more thoroughly. (See B. Uzzi and S. Dunlap, “How To Build Your Network,” Harvard Business Review, December 2005).
Feel free to join groups where you’ll primarily meet people over a coffee and Danish or cocktails, but make sure you also join groups that host “shared activity” events.
4. Recognize that building a network takes time.
The most effective networks are comprised of people who know and trust each other, and trust rarely develops overnight. For this reason, make sure to reach out to members of your network regularly, at least every three to six months. Electronic updates are fine, but face-to-face connections help deepen relationships faster.
And by the way, for the same reason, get started on building your network right now. Don’t put it off until fall. And certainly, don’t put it off until the next economic downturn. You know you need a network. Start building it today.
5. Be prepared to help others.
If you think networking is all about you, you couldn’t be more wrong. Successful networkers make sure they give to others as well as take. Every time someone helps you (points you to a job opening, suggests how you can improve your résumé, refers some business to you), make sure you quickly follow-up with your thanks. Then, look for ways that you can return the favor.
Before you...attend a networking event, make sure (you) are aware of the following five practical networking tips:
Networking Tips:
1. Before attending the event, prepare your introduction. This should include your name and one or two sentences that tell the other person something about who you are and what you do. Make your introduction memorable. In fact, view this as your own 30-second commercial.
2. Eat something before attending a networking event. Throughout the event, your focus should stay on making new contacts, not satisfying hunger pangs. And whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of grabbing a drink and a plateful of nibbles at the same time.
3. Everyone attends networking events with the understanding that they have a responsibility to mingle. Use the business card exchange to bring conversations to an end. After a brief conversation, simply say, “I enjoyed talking with you and would like to stay in touch. Do you have a business card?”
4. As soon as you leave the event, review the business cards that you have collected and make notes regarding specific conversations. Then, in the days, weeks and months that follow, use this information to constantly reconnect with people in your network.
5. Follow-up. Attending a networking event is the first step to building a relationship. Follow-up with people regularly, making sure that you give just as much information, assistance, and support as you receive.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
LinkedIn is More Than Just Your Profile
LinkedIn is More Than Just Your Profile
by Allison Shields on April 7, 2010
I just returned from ABA Techshow 2010 and noticed that more and more lawyers are embracing social media. The general consensus among lawyers seems to be that LinkedIn is the most ‘professional’ of the networks, but in my experience in speaking with lawyers about social media, I’ve found that lawyers are “on” LinkedIn, but they are not using it effectively. Many don’t know what to do other than posting a profile, responding to invitations and occasionally inviting others to link. But they take no other action and rarely follow up.
You would not go to a networking event, collect business cards, do nothing with them, never follow up and expect to get business. You would not join a networking group, put your name on the membership rolls and then never show up and expect to get business. In the same way, you cannot expect to get business from LinkedIn without participation, follow up and engaging your connections.
First, as with any other undertaking, you need to know why you’re joining LinkedIn. What are you hoping to get out of it and who do you want to connect with? To learn more about purpose and social media, see this post on the Legal Ease Blog: http://legalease.blogs.com/legal_ease_blog/2009/12/social-media-for-lawyers-whats-your-purpose.html
Some quick tips for using LinkedIn:
■Upload your contacts and invite others to link with you
■Personalize your invitations; let the contact know how you know them
■Customize your profile page url: include your name, firm name or brand
■Join Groups and follow what’s happening in your area(s) of interest and in your clients’ industries
■Update your profile periodically; make sure it reflects how you help your clients and how you are different
■Let your personality shine through
■Keep your status current
■Join discussions to share your expertise and learn from others
■Post events and invite others to participate or attend
■Consider recommendations; even if you don’t want to ask for them, be generous about giving them to others
■Use the Questions and Answers section to share information and build your expert status
■Use search features to find people in industries or businesses you’re interested in
■Look at your connections to see who they are connected to and ask for introductions
■Follow up and take your LinkedIn relationships offline; pick up the telephone or meet for coffee
Allison Shields is a law practice coach and consultant with Legal Ease Consulting, Inc. She writes the Legal Ease blog and the Lawyer Meltdown e-newsletter
by Allison Shields on April 7, 2010
I just returned from ABA Techshow 2010 and noticed that more and more lawyers are embracing social media. The general consensus among lawyers seems to be that LinkedIn is the most ‘professional’ of the networks, but in my experience in speaking with lawyers about social media, I’ve found that lawyers are “on” LinkedIn, but they are not using it effectively. Many don’t know what to do other than posting a profile, responding to invitations and occasionally inviting others to link. But they take no other action and rarely follow up.
You would not go to a networking event, collect business cards, do nothing with them, never follow up and expect to get business. You would not join a networking group, put your name on the membership rolls and then never show up and expect to get business. In the same way, you cannot expect to get business from LinkedIn without participation, follow up and engaging your connections.
First, as with any other undertaking, you need to know why you’re joining LinkedIn. What are you hoping to get out of it and who do you want to connect with? To learn more about purpose and social media, see this post on the Legal Ease Blog: http://legalease.blogs.com/legal_ease_blog/2009/12/social-media-for-lawyers-whats-your-purpose.html
Some quick tips for using LinkedIn:
■Upload your contacts and invite others to link with you
■Personalize your invitations; let the contact know how you know them
■Customize your profile page url: include your name, firm name or brand
■Join Groups and follow what’s happening in your area(s) of interest and in your clients’ industries
■Update your profile periodically; make sure it reflects how you help your clients and how you are different
■Let your personality shine through
■Keep your status current
■Join discussions to share your expertise and learn from others
■Post events and invite others to participate or attend
■Consider recommendations; even if you don’t want to ask for them, be generous about giving them to others
■Use the Questions and Answers section to share information and build your expert status
■Use search features to find people in industries or businesses you’re interested in
■Look at your connections to see who they are connected to and ask for introductions
■Follow up and take your LinkedIn relationships offline; pick up the telephone or meet for coffee
Allison Shields is a law practice coach and consultant with Legal Ease Consulting, Inc. She writes the Legal Ease blog and the Lawyer Meltdown e-newsletter
Friday, July 24, 2009
Facebook, Twitter and More: The New Rules of Social Networking
By Elaine Pofeldt
published on BNET.com 7/16/2009
If you aren’t using social-media sites to tap into career and business opportunities in today’s tough economy, you should be. A survey released in January by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that more than one-third of all Americans now have profiles on social-networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, up from just 8 percent in 2005. And it’s not primarily kids, either:
The average LinkedIn user is 40 years old; most Twitter users are now 35 and older; and people
from 35 to 54 now represent the biggest group of users on Facebook. “You get access to people via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter that you can’t get in other ways,” says Sharon Rich, founder of outplacement consulting and coaching firm Leadership Incorporated. “I think it’s mandatory to be on there.”
Social-media sites can become a time suck, so you’ll need to limit the time you invest in them each week. But done right, social networking is a powerful way to build your professional reputation, find out about job opportunities, and keep abreast of the latest news and gossip in your industry.
Things you will need:
• An updated resume. Have this handy so you can transfer relevant information to different social-media sites quickly.
• A digital photo of yourself. Get a good head shot of yourself showing you at your professional best to use in your profiles.
• Your e-mail contact list. Once you join a network, you’ll want to quickly send invitations to connect to your professional contacts. In many cases, this can be done automatically using tools on each site.
Build a Powerhouse Profile on LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s business-only focus makes the site popular with successful professionals (so far,
the site has 43 million members in more than 200 countries), so it’s the best place to start your social-media push. LinkedIn’s large amount of traffic also means that your profile there is likely to be the first thing that potential employers and clients see when they google your name, so it’s important to invest some time in building a strong profile. “Why not tell the story your way?”
says Randy Hain, managing partner of Bell Oaks Executive Search in Atlanta. Hain knows
firsthand the value of a good profile: He recently signed a client (who will do an estimated
$100,000 to $200,000 worth of new business this year) when the client searched for Hain’s LinkedIn profile after reading an article he wrote in a trade publication.
Checklist
How to Shape Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
• Seek out recommendations from past bosses, key clients, colleagues, and direct reports to create a 360-degree picture of your strengths. Tell them that you’ll be happy to do the same for
them.
• Instead of a generic job title at the top of your profile, such as “Owner of John Doe and
associates,” use a short description of valuable credentials that you can quantify, such as “20-year veteran of $100 million in high-tech mergers,” advises Chris Muccio, author of the
book 42 Rules for 24-Hour Success on LinkedIn.
• Fill out the “Interests” section with pursuits, such as charitable projects, that reinforce your
value to potential employers and clients.
• For consistency and branding, use a good head shot of yourself as your photo, and use the same photo on other social networks, advises Megan Hendricks, director, employer relations at the College of Business at the University of South Florida.
• Opt for a free vanity address for your profile that uses your full name, such as
linkedin.com/in/janedoe, so colleagues can find your profile easily.
Use LinkedIn’s Tools to Research Potential Job Opportunities
LinkedIn’s profiles of more than 360,000 businesses and organizations can be used to gather invaluable intelligence on job openings and opportunities. Start by entering your target company’s name in the search bar at the top of the page and specifying “Search Companies” to find its LinkedIn profile. From there, you can see the names of current employees that are in your network, job openings, the names of recent hires, employees who have left the firm, and even the top feeder company and the most popular next employer among those who have left.
You can also choose to “Search Answers” on the name of a particular firm to see questions
its employees have posted for other members to answer, their replies to other questions, and Q&As that mention the company. These pages can provide useful information on the corporate culture or current challenges the company is trying to solve that will help you with your cover letter and interview strategies.
To find out about unadvertised job opportunities, try contacting people you know at the target
company, including those who are second- or third-degree connections (to contact them, you’ll
need to get an introduction from your mutual contact first). If your network is small and you
don’t know anyone at the target company, consider upgrading to a paid business account on
LinkedIn, which starts at $24.95 a month. With one of these accounts, you can contact anyone
on the site directly, although there’s a limit on how many people outside your network you can
contact per month. When contacting strangers, it’s a good idea to browse their profile and see if there’s any common ground in either their work or personal interests you can point to that will make your initial message warmer.
Another way to expand your network is by joining LinkedIn discussion groups pertaining to your industry and becoming active in posing and answering questions. Bill Snyder, 42, recently ended a long job search by answering a question on LinkedIn about which were the best conferences for meeting the heads of nonprofit organizations. The question turned out to have been posted by the founder of a start-up called We-Care.com, who then invited Snyder to a lunch the next time he was in town. One month later, he offered Snyder a job as the company’s general manager.
Tweet Your Way to Greater Career Visibility
Twitter is a fast-growing “microblogging” site that lets you send out frequent 140-character
messages (“tweets”) to a network of people who have opted to follow you, as well as to follow
the updates of anyone in your network. Many professionals use Twitter to send short bits
of useful information, such as business tips or links to interesting articles, to help build their
professional visibility and make new contacts. The trick is to make sure you limit yourself
to messages that are truly useful (or at least entertaining), so that they’re of value to your
followers.
To make sure you build an appropriate audience, go to the “Settings” menu and check the box
that says “Protect My Updates.” This will enable you to approve each new follower request
— a smart move if you want to block spammers on the site. Conversely, choosing to follow
well-connected thought leaders in your field can help keep you abreast of trends in your
industry, as well as the latest gossip. One good way to find people and sites in your industry
is to search by what are called “hash tags” — key words preceded by the “#” sign that people
can include in their tweets to make them searchable. For example, to find people posting about law or lawyers, you’d search under “#lawyer,” take a look at all the relevant tweets, and then choose to follow some of the people or groups with the most interesting posts.
Master the Delicate Art of Using Facebook Effectively
Facebook can be a great way to reconnect with old friends who may now be in a position to
help you with your career goals, as well as to stay in touch with colleagues on the site. But
since there’s always a chance that someone in your network could post an embarrassing photo of you or make comments you don’t want your work contacts to see, make sure you’re familiar with the site’s privacy settings before building out your network of friends. Go to “Settings” at the top of your page, choose “Privacy” from the pull-down menu, and you’ll come to a page that lets you control who can see almost every posted item on your page, who can post messages to your wall, and even whether strangers can search for you and how much of your profile they can see.
Facebook is also rife with professional groups that you can join and subsequently exchange news with others in your industry and make new contacts. Simply type in the name of your profession or industry into the search bar and you’ll see a list of relevant groups, most of which you can join immediately. While these groups on Facebook are sometimes not as active and professionally focused as those on LinkedIn, they still can be a good way to meet new people.
Facebook can be particularly useful for getting the word out and building a community around
a new business venture, but experts advise setting up a separate “fan page” of your venture
to avoid making your personal page too promotional. John Mooney, principal of marketing
firm JRM Communications LLC, recently advised a Manhattan client who sells waffles from
a mobile truck to create a Facebook group. The client sends out news of the truck’s future
whereabouts to people in his network that he’s invited to become fans, which has helped increase sales significantly. “They’re all in New York, and they’re all really into food,” says
Mooney of the group’s members.
But of course. Social networking is all about quickly finding people in every possible niche.
Especially the one that matters most to your career: that marvelous niche of folks who might
just help you succeed.
Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
published on BNET.com 7/16/2009
If you aren’t using social-media sites to tap into career and business opportunities in today’s tough economy, you should be. A survey released in January by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that more than one-third of all Americans now have profiles on social-networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, up from just 8 percent in 2005. And it’s not primarily kids, either:
The average LinkedIn user is 40 years old; most Twitter users are now 35 and older; and people
from 35 to 54 now represent the biggest group of users on Facebook. “You get access to people via LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter that you can’t get in other ways,” says Sharon Rich, founder of outplacement consulting and coaching firm Leadership Incorporated. “I think it’s mandatory to be on there.”
Social-media sites can become a time suck, so you’ll need to limit the time you invest in them each week. But done right, social networking is a powerful way to build your professional reputation, find out about job opportunities, and keep abreast of the latest news and gossip in your industry.
Things you will need:
• An updated resume. Have this handy so you can transfer relevant information to different social-media sites quickly.
• A digital photo of yourself. Get a good head shot of yourself showing you at your professional best to use in your profiles.
• Your e-mail contact list. Once you join a network, you’ll want to quickly send invitations to connect to your professional contacts. In many cases, this can be done automatically using tools on each site.
Build a Powerhouse Profile on LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s business-only focus makes the site popular with successful professionals (so far,
the site has 43 million members in more than 200 countries), so it’s the best place to start your social-media push. LinkedIn’s large amount of traffic also means that your profile there is likely to be the first thing that potential employers and clients see when they google your name, so it’s important to invest some time in building a strong profile. “Why not tell the story your way?”
says Randy Hain, managing partner of Bell Oaks Executive Search in Atlanta. Hain knows
firsthand the value of a good profile: He recently signed a client (who will do an estimated
$100,000 to $200,000 worth of new business this year) when the client searched for Hain’s LinkedIn profile after reading an article he wrote in a trade publication.
Checklist
How to Shape Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
• Seek out recommendations from past bosses, key clients, colleagues, and direct reports to create a 360-degree picture of your strengths. Tell them that you’ll be happy to do the same for
them.
• Instead of a generic job title at the top of your profile, such as “Owner of John Doe and
associates,” use a short description of valuable credentials that you can quantify, such as “20-year veteran of $100 million in high-tech mergers,” advises Chris Muccio, author of the
book 42 Rules for 24-Hour Success on LinkedIn.
• Fill out the “Interests” section with pursuits, such as charitable projects, that reinforce your
value to potential employers and clients.
• For consistency and branding, use a good head shot of yourself as your photo, and use the same photo on other social networks, advises Megan Hendricks, director, employer relations at the College of Business at the University of South Florida.
• Opt for a free vanity address for your profile that uses your full name, such as
linkedin.com/in/janedoe, so colleagues can find your profile easily.
Use LinkedIn’s Tools to Research Potential Job Opportunities
LinkedIn’s profiles of more than 360,000 businesses and organizations can be used to gather invaluable intelligence on job openings and opportunities. Start by entering your target company’s name in the search bar at the top of the page and specifying “Search Companies” to find its LinkedIn profile. From there, you can see the names of current employees that are in your network, job openings, the names of recent hires, employees who have left the firm, and even the top feeder company and the most popular next employer among those who have left.
You can also choose to “Search Answers” on the name of a particular firm to see questions
its employees have posted for other members to answer, their replies to other questions, and Q&As that mention the company. These pages can provide useful information on the corporate culture or current challenges the company is trying to solve that will help you with your cover letter and interview strategies.
To find out about unadvertised job opportunities, try contacting people you know at the target
company, including those who are second- or third-degree connections (to contact them, you’ll
need to get an introduction from your mutual contact first). If your network is small and you
don’t know anyone at the target company, consider upgrading to a paid business account on
LinkedIn, which starts at $24.95 a month. With one of these accounts, you can contact anyone
on the site directly, although there’s a limit on how many people outside your network you can
contact per month. When contacting strangers, it’s a good idea to browse their profile and see if there’s any common ground in either their work or personal interests you can point to that will make your initial message warmer.
Another way to expand your network is by joining LinkedIn discussion groups pertaining to your industry and becoming active in posing and answering questions. Bill Snyder, 42, recently ended a long job search by answering a question on LinkedIn about which were the best conferences for meeting the heads of nonprofit organizations. The question turned out to have been posted by the founder of a start-up called We-Care.com, who then invited Snyder to a lunch the next time he was in town. One month later, he offered Snyder a job as the company’s general manager.
Tweet Your Way to Greater Career Visibility
Twitter is a fast-growing “microblogging” site that lets you send out frequent 140-character
messages (“tweets”) to a network of people who have opted to follow you, as well as to follow
the updates of anyone in your network. Many professionals use Twitter to send short bits
of useful information, such as business tips or links to interesting articles, to help build their
professional visibility and make new contacts. The trick is to make sure you limit yourself
to messages that are truly useful (or at least entertaining), so that they’re of value to your
followers.
To make sure you build an appropriate audience, go to the “Settings” menu and check the box
that says “Protect My Updates.” This will enable you to approve each new follower request
— a smart move if you want to block spammers on the site. Conversely, choosing to follow
well-connected thought leaders in your field can help keep you abreast of trends in your
industry, as well as the latest gossip. One good way to find people and sites in your industry
is to search by what are called “hash tags” — key words preceded by the “#” sign that people
can include in their tweets to make them searchable. For example, to find people posting about law or lawyers, you’d search under “#lawyer,” take a look at all the relevant tweets, and then choose to follow some of the people or groups with the most interesting posts.
Master the Delicate Art of Using Facebook Effectively
Facebook can be a great way to reconnect with old friends who may now be in a position to
help you with your career goals, as well as to stay in touch with colleagues on the site. But
since there’s always a chance that someone in your network could post an embarrassing photo of you or make comments you don’t want your work contacts to see, make sure you’re familiar with the site’s privacy settings before building out your network of friends. Go to “Settings” at the top of your page, choose “Privacy” from the pull-down menu, and you’ll come to a page that lets you control who can see almost every posted item on your page, who can post messages to your wall, and even whether strangers can search for you and how much of your profile they can see.
Facebook is also rife with professional groups that you can join and subsequently exchange news with others in your industry and make new contacts. Simply type in the name of your profession or industry into the search bar and you’ll see a list of relevant groups, most of which you can join immediately. While these groups on Facebook are sometimes not as active and professionally focused as those on LinkedIn, they still can be a good way to meet new people.
Facebook can be particularly useful for getting the word out and building a community around
a new business venture, but experts advise setting up a separate “fan page” of your venture
to avoid making your personal page too promotional. John Mooney, principal of marketing
firm JRM Communications LLC, recently advised a Manhattan client who sells waffles from
a mobile truck to create a Facebook group. The client sends out news of the truck’s future
whereabouts to people in his network that he’s invited to become fans, which has helped increase sales significantly. “They’re all in New York, and they’re all really into food,” says
Mooney of the group’s members.
But of course. Social networking is all about quickly finding people in every possible niche.
Especially the one that matters most to your career: that marvelous niche of folks who might
just help you succeed.
Copyright © 2009 CBS Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Five Ways to Find Opportunity in a Faltering Economy
Five Ways to Find Opportunity in a Faltering Economy
1133 Broadway, Suite 706, New York, NY 10010 • Tel: 646.641.0600 • Fax: 800.895.9559 • ari@arikaplanadvisors.com
Copyright © 2009 Ari Kaplan Advisors LLC
Executive Summary
I taught English in various summer camps, as a college student. Fast-forward 17 years and to my surprise, one of the campers saw my profile on the social networking website Facebook (after no contact for almost two decades) and sent me a note. Welcome to the era of opportunity, circa. 2009. My former student’s effort highlights that making contact with others is no longer the problem. If you want to reach hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of people in a short amount of time in 2009, you can do so. Comment on a popular blog post, upload a catchy YouTube video or create a group, perhaps one for long lost English teachers, on the professional online network LinkedIn. Turning your initial contacts into long-term relationships is a worthy goal. And those that stand out by helping others build relationships benefit by earning a powerful form of acknowledgment, reflecting more on their character than their ambition. Here are five ways to find success.
1. Profile Your Peers and Clients
Find individuals at your office or in your community who are doing something noteworthy, even if it is something small. You can write an article or record the conversation as a podcast (with permission, of course) recognizing his or her achievements. It demonstrates your interest (and technological aptitude in the case of the podcast), yet also allows you the chance to get to know individuals on a more personal level. Show your social media know-how by posting the profiles on the social messaging website Twitter (feel free to visit me at Twitter.com/arikaplan).
2. Use ‘Google Alerts’ For Others
Add those people you just met at a meeting or industry event to a Google alert (Google.com/ alerts), which will advise you each time a person on your list is mentioned online. This may provide you with thoughtful opportunities to connect in a meaningful fashion. Consider adding terms that have absolutely no value for you, but could give you the chance to help others, which would be particularly welcome in today’s softening market.
3. Share Press Leads
With the immense popularity of the US-based online source provider HelpAReporter.com (HARO) and the allowance for sharing (though not posting) press leads, look for ways that your colleagues and other contacts can earn well-deserved press in print or other forms of broadcast media. The 70,000-plus subscribers to the free HARO service receive three e-mails per day with a variety of queries from reporters looking for experts to comment on stories they are preparing, ranging from the shopping habits of European tourists to the proposed economic policies of the new US administration. While you may not be the right expert for some (or any) of these requests, consider sharing them with those individuals who could provide the insight for which the journalist is searching.
4. Guest Blog
I do not have a blog, but I do participate in the digital conversation as a regular guest on Law.com’s Legal Technology blog (legaltechnology.typepad.com). Those interested in getting started, but not ready to make a permanent commitment, may want to consider contributing to other popular blogs or collaborating with colleagues. Doing so will build a level of comfort with the medium and help the writer find his or her voice. While blogging can be used to demonstrate one’s interest in a specific area, it can also be used to highlight the writer’s familiarity with the key thought leaders in the industry. In that way, it is a powerful networking tool and those who provide thoughtful, well researched content can quickly establish themselves as trusted authorities offering valuable information.
5. Jump on the Social Networking Train
Facebook is no longer for a younger generation trying to find their summer camp English teachers. A growing cross-section of the legal community is also using the platform to enhance the depth and consistency of their connections. It offers opportunities to reach out to clients and prospects on a more personal and multi-dimensional level, which helps to build friendships rather than simply contacts. There is even an increasingly popular invitation-only service targeted specifically to this group called Legal OnRamp. Twitter is also becoming a great supplement, and even alternative, to blogging because it allows for the same type of commentary and a similar audience. For many, it is more approachable because of the 140-character limitation. There seems to be less pressure to contribute as frequently as a blog, but more incentive to produce thoughtful content since there are identifiable followers.
Conclusion
Marketing means different things to different people. For those that use their toolkit to demonstrate their character as well as their value, 2009 will be another successful year.
1133 Broadway, Suite 706, New York, NY 10010 • Tel: 646.641.0600 • Fax: 800.895.9559 • ari@arikaplanadvisors.com
Copyright © 2009 Ari Kaplan Advisors LLC
Executive Summary
I taught English in various summer camps, as a college student. Fast-forward 17 years and to my surprise, one of the campers saw my profile on the social networking website Facebook (after no contact for almost two decades) and sent me a note. Welcome to the era of opportunity, circa. 2009. My former student’s effort highlights that making contact with others is no longer the problem. If you want to reach hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of people in a short amount of time in 2009, you can do so. Comment on a popular blog post, upload a catchy YouTube video or create a group, perhaps one for long lost English teachers, on the professional online network LinkedIn. Turning your initial contacts into long-term relationships is a worthy goal. And those that stand out by helping others build relationships benefit by earning a powerful form of acknowledgment, reflecting more on their character than their ambition. Here are five ways to find success.
1. Profile Your Peers and Clients
Find individuals at your office or in your community who are doing something noteworthy, even if it is something small. You can write an article or record the conversation as a podcast (with permission, of course) recognizing his or her achievements. It demonstrates your interest (and technological aptitude in the case of the podcast), yet also allows you the chance to get to know individuals on a more personal level. Show your social media know-how by posting the profiles on the social messaging website Twitter (feel free to visit me at Twitter.com/arikaplan).
2. Use ‘Google Alerts’ For Others
Add those people you just met at a meeting or industry event to a Google alert (Google.com/ alerts), which will advise you each time a person on your list is mentioned online. This may provide you with thoughtful opportunities to connect in a meaningful fashion. Consider adding terms that have absolutely no value for you, but could give you the chance to help others, which would be particularly welcome in today’s softening market.
3. Share Press Leads
With the immense popularity of the US-based online source provider HelpAReporter.com (HARO) and the allowance for sharing (though not posting) press leads, look for ways that your colleagues and other contacts can earn well-deserved press in print or other forms of broadcast media. The 70,000-plus subscribers to the free HARO service receive three e-mails per day with a variety of queries from reporters looking for experts to comment on stories they are preparing, ranging from the shopping habits of European tourists to the proposed economic policies of the new US administration. While you may not be the right expert for some (or any) of these requests, consider sharing them with those individuals who could provide the insight for which the journalist is searching.
4. Guest Blog
I do not have a blog, but I do participate in the digital conversation as a regular guest on Law.com’s Legal Technology blog (legaltechnology.typepad.com). Those interested in getting started, but not ready to make a permanent commitment, may want to consider contributing to other popular blogs or collaborating with colleagues. Doing so will build a level of comfort with the medium and help the writer find his or her voice. While blogging can be used to demonstrate one’s interest in a specific area, it can also be used to highlight the writer’s familiarity with the key thought leaders in the industry. In that way, it is a powerful networking tool and those who provide thoughtful, well researched content can quickly establish themselves as trusted authorities offering valuable information.
5. Jump on the Social Networking Train
Facebook is no longer for a younger generation trying to find their summer camp English teachers. A growing cross-section of the legal community is also using the platform to enhance the depth and consistency of their connections. It offers opportunities to reach out to clients and prospects on a more personal and multi-dimensional level, which helps to build friendships rather than simply contacts. There is even an increasingly popular invitation-only service targeted specifically to this group called Legal OnRamp. Twitter is also becoming a great supplement, and even alternative, to blogging because it allows for the same type of commentary and a similar audience. For many, it is more approachable because of the 140-character limitation. There seems to be less pressure to contribute as frequently as a blog, but more incentive to produce thoughtful content since there are identifiable followers.
Conclusion
Marketing means different things to different people. For those that use their toolkit to demonstrate their character as well as their value, 2009 will be another successful year.
Friday, June 19, 2009
New Job Search Features on Martindale.com
Martindale.com has just instituted two major enhancements:
1. A job board, which is free for job seekers. You can access it at www.careers.martindale.com .
2. A new social networking site for attorneys, called Martindale-Hubbell Connected. The site has just been rolled it out to attorneys this summer; further roll outs to faculty and to law students will take place over the next few months. This is a great way for attorneys to connect with each other and could become a valuable networking tool for students in the coming year. You can check it out at www.martindale.com. Look for the link to "join connected,", and be sure to watch the short video when you get to the site
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Networking is key to navigating recession
Ari L. Kaplan / Special to NLJ.com
March 2, 2009
There have been thousands of layoffs in the legal market since the financial crisis began, but if you are one of its casualties, you have options and can still create opportunity. In the current market, those who continue to think of ways to provide value to others will stand out in a sea of people that is only growing more crowded as the credit crunch lingers.
Start thinking about who inspires you in your community and why. Then try to meet one or all of those individuals. It is important to begin this process of finding inspiration because as you hone those skills, you will be able to nourish your appetite for interesting and unique perspective throughout your career. The manner in which you can meet them varies depending on your style. Some people are comfortable cold-calling or e-mailing prospects. Others prefer to use technology. Still others are only comfortable with an introduction by a friend. While all of these methods work, you may not have the luxury of pursuing only the option with which you are most comfortable.
Buoyant times allow us to relax, but in leaner periods, we must explore all possibilities for distinction. That said, your personal style is critical to your professional success. Many types of personalities can arrive at the same destination — they just need to do so by taking different routes. If you are more comfortable in small groups, consider individual interviews or small discussion groups. Meal-time events, e.g., dinner clubs, can be productive gatherings where contacts are more inclined to discuss issues of greater importance to them, including family, sports and hobbies. These conversations provide deeper insight into an individual than changes in the market or frustrations with billable hours. Book clubs offer a similar environment. The key to finding value in these interactions is to use what you learn for genuine follow-up. For instance, if an individual mentions an upcoming vacation, you can e-mail him or her in a few weeks and ask about the vacation. If he or she has an important client meeting in a few months, you can calendar that event and wish him or her luck. You can do this by e-mail, phone or handwritten note (a personal favorite for many), but the act itself is more critical than the means. Also, consider interviewing people that you want to meet or with whom you would like to develop stronger relations. Start a podcast, which can be as simple as posting telephone interviews online, or write an article. Again, it is the act, rather than the method that will help you enhance your profile. You can follow up on what you learn by developing panel presentations to bring members of your new network together. If you can find ways to spotlight career milestones and showcase the achievements of another, you will go beyond building a network. You will begin setting the foundation for friendship. Those who think of others are often more successful because of the reflection it brings on their character.
Consider conducting a survey to connect. Identify an issue that is of importance to the population of people that you are trying to reach. Then contact members of that community and ask them about the problem and potential solutions. It is a great opportunity to get to know someone and it positions you as an insightful advisor. Once your survey is complete, you can publish the results and position yourself as an expert in the area you have covered. It will enhance your name recognition and encourage others to market your work. Journalists will be curious about your findings and many will be looking to your results to benchmark their own insights and performance. The key to getting your conclusions published is to position it as relevant at the time you are issuing the results. For example, if it is early in the year, you can position it as a tool for planning for the next year. Since the economy is a popular issue in the current environment, you can characterize your survey as a means for streamlining operations by incorporating some of your conclusions. Depending on the confidential nature of your study, ask certain participants, particularly those who may have a higher profile, if you can quote them because it will associate them with your work. As others Google them, they will find you. They will see that you are associated with high caliber individuals and make similar judgments about your qualifications.
Many lawyers (and most professionals) believe that client development and even career satisfaction are the result of luck. Some people get lucky with their mentor, with their assigned practice area and with their first client. The truth is, everyone benefits from random luck at least once. The great ones, however, attract luck as well. The chance you have in the downturn is an important one, and you get to choose to take advantage of it. You can build the foundation for your next opportunity, when it is almost effortless, or wait and force it into a complex schedule competing with many other prospects when you find employment again.
Ari L. Kaplan, a lawyer and a writer in New York City, is the author of The Opportunity Maker: Strategies for Inspiring Your Legal Career Through Creative Networking and Business Development from Thomson-West (2008). He delivers keynote presentations, in-house programs and university lectures at law schools, bar associations and law firms nationwide. Download a free discussion guide on creating opportunities at http://www.AriKaplanAdvisors.com. And, for a free 1-hour program on ideas for creating job and business development opportunities, contact the author directly at ari@arikaplanadvisors.com.
March 2, 2009
There have been thousands of layoffs in the legal market since the financial crisis began, but if you are one of its casualties, you have options and can still create opportunity. In the current market, those who continue to think of ways to provide value to others will stand out in a sea of people that is only growing more crowded as the credit crunch lingers.
Start thinking about who inspires you in your community and why. Then try to meet one or all of those individuals. It is important to begin this process of finding inspiration because as you hone those skills, you will be able to nourish your appetite for interesting and unique perspective throughout your career. The manner in which you can meet them varies depending on your style. Some people are comfortable cold-calling or e-mailing prospects. Others prefer to use technology. Still others are only comfortable with an introduction by a friend. While all of these methods work, you may not have the luxury of pursuing only the option with which you are most comfortable.
Buoyant times allow us to relax, but in leaner periods, we must explore all possibilities for distinction. That said, your personal style is critical to your professional success. Many types of personalities can arrive at the same destination — they just need to do so by taking different routes. If you are more comfortable in small groups, consider individual interviews or small discussion groups. Meal-time events, e.g., dinner clubs, can be productive gatherings where contacts are more inclined to discuss issues of greater importance to them, including family, sports and hobbies. These conversations provide deeper insight into an individual than changes in the market or frustrations with billable hours. Book clubs offer a similar environment. The key to finding value in these interactions is to use what you learn for genuine follow-up. For instance, if an individual mentions an upcoming vacation, you can e-mail him or her in a few weeks and ask about the vacation. If he or she has an important client meeting in a few months, you can calendar that event and wish him or her luck. You can do this by e-mail, phone or handwritten note (a personal favorite for many), but the act itself is more critical than the means. Also, consider interviewing people that you want to meet or with whom you would like to develop stronger relations. Start a podcast, which can be as simple as posting telephone interviews online, or write an article. Again, it is the act, rather than the method that will help you enhance your profile. You can follow up on what you learn by developing panel presentations to bring members of your new network together. If you can find ways to spotlight career milestones and showcase the achievements of another, you will go beyond building a network. You will begin setting the foundation for friendship. Those who think of others are often more successful because of the reflection it brings on their character.
Consider conducting a survey to connect. Identify an issue that is of importance to the population of people that you are trying to reach. Then contact members of that community and ask them about the problem and potential solutions. It is a great opportunity to get to know someone and it positions you as an insightful advisor. Once your survey is complete, you can publish the results and position yourself as an expert in the area you have covered. It will enhance your name recognition and encourage others to market your work. Journalists will be curious about your findings and many will be looking to your results to benchmark their own insights and performance. The key to getting your conclusions published is to position it as relevant at the time you are issuing the results. For example, if it is early in the year, you can position it as a tool for planning for the next year. Since the economy is a popular issue in the current environment, you can characterize your survey as a means for streamlining operations by incorporating some of your conclusions. Depending on the confidential nature of your study, ask certain participants, particularly those who may have a higher profile, if you can quote them because it will associate them with your work. As others Google them, they will find you. They will see that you are associated with high caliber individuals and make similar judgments about your qualifications.
Many lawyers (and most professionals) believe that client development and even career satisfaction are the result of luck. Some people get lucky with their mentor, with their assigned practice area and with their first client. The truth is, everyone benefits from random luck at least once. The great ones, however, attract luck as well. The chance you have in the downturn is an important one, and you get to choose to take advantage of it. You can build the foundation for your next opportunity, when it is almost effortless, or wait and force it into a complex schedule competing with many other prospects when you find employment again.
Ari L. Kaplan, a lawyer and a writer in New York City, is the author of The Opportunity Maker: Strategies for Inspiring Your Legal Career Through Creative Networking and Business Development from Thomson-West (2008). He delivers keynote presentations, in-house programs and university lectures at law schools, bar associations and law firms nationwide. Download a free discussion guide on creating opportunities at http://www.AriKaplanAdvisors.com. And, for a free 1-hour program on ideas for creating job and business development opportunities, contact the author directly at ari@arikaplanadvisors.com.
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