Perkins Coie LLP
LinkedIn: Networking for Law Students
February 18, 2020
Legal Recruiting Manager
Rebecca Schermerhorn
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Agenda:
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• Intro: Why LinkedIn?
• Creating a profile
• Creating a network
• Maintaining a network
• Closing & Questions
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Why LinkedIn?
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The Legal Industry is on LinkedIn
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Does LinkedIn Really Help People Get Hired?
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From October 2018 through September 2019, Perkins Coie hired 85
individuals who found our job postings and applied via LinkedIn. 11 of
those applicants were attorneys.
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Creating a Profile in LinkedIn
Tips and hints
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Creating a Profile
Must Haves!
o Photo
Professional, non-blurry
o Full Professional Name
As it appears on your paper resume
o Job Title
o About Section
Try to keep it to no more than two paragraphs
o Job History/Education
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Creating a Profile
Once you have an account set up, use the pencil symbol to
begin editing. LinkedIn will guide you via a step-by-step
process.
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Ways to Personalize Your Profile
Job Title
Get creative! Use this space to both tell
who you are and advertise for the job
you’re looking for.
Example: “Eager Law Student with Corporate
background Searching for the perfect in-
house role with your company!”
‘About’ Section
The ‘About’ section is your personal
narrative. Use it to tell a story about who
you are:
Why did you choose law?
What are you passionate about?
What skills and expertise will you bring to
a company?
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Creating a NetworkingWho Do We Add to Our Network?
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Networking Goal: Become more visible
Use LinkedIn to expand your
networks and become more
visible. You can:
• Share your accomplishments,
employment history, and other
information as broadly as you
like, and
• Develop relationships with law
firms, attorneys, recruiters, and
peers.
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Who Should We Add to Our Networks?
• Colleagues
• Former Colleagues
• Attorneys
• Past and Future Interviewers
• Law Firm, Corporate, &
Government Recruiting
Professionals
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Colleagues / Former Colleagues
Colleagues are an excellent
choice for your network because:
• Colleagues often provide helpful
materials for you to share with
your own network.
• Colleagues will often view your
posts and may be able to share
with someone in their network.
• Colleagues or former colleagues
can also share leads or
interesting job opportunities with
you.
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Attorneys & Interviewers
Attorneys
Connecting to other attorneys will
help you build and grow your
legal networking profile by
exposing you to their clients and
colleagues.
Interviewers
Requesting to connect to
past/current interviewers shows a
continued interest in the
employer, even if you didn’t get
the position. This sets you up for
future consideration by keeping
you present in the interviewers’
minds.
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Law Firm/Corporate/Government Recruiting Professionals
Recruiters often post new job
opportunities!:
• Following these individuals helps
you stay abreast of new
opportunities
• Learning of these opportunities
early allows you to apply quicker
than other candidates and gets
your foot in the door first.
• We recommend you connect or
follow recruiters from industries
you’re most interested in.
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Networking MechanicsHow to Connect to others?
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Before You Connect…
Make sure your profile is updated:
• Your Professional Photo, Job Title, and
About section should tell a compelling
story about who you are and what you
have to offer
• Show that you are worth connecting
with…
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Connecting to People on LinkedIn:
There are several ways to find
individuals:
• You can search for profiles from
your homepage using keyword
search for names.
• You can search for profiles using
the My Network page.
• Regardless of the search method,
it is recommended to connect
from a Profile Page of an
individual so that you can
personalize the invitation
message.
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Searching from Your Home Page
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You can search for potential
connections from your home page:
• Enter the name you want to search
in the text box.
• Sometimes the name needs to be
entered several different ways
before you locate the person you
are seeking.
• Use filters to find people by school
or firm if you don’t know their names
(see next slide).
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Searching from Your Home Page: Filters
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Filtered Searches
Once you apply the filter, the search
will return results that are specific to
that filter (e.g., school):
• You can connect to individuals from this
page, but you cannot personalize the
invitation.
• LinkedIn will show you searches that it
believes are most relevant to you first.
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Connections: LinkedIn’s Suggestions
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LinkedIn will also suggest
Connections to you on your LinkedIn
“My Network” page based on your
groups, location, profession, and
company.
• Note that if you select “Connect”
from this page, you cannot
personalize your request with a
message.
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Connecting: Profile Page
The best way is to connect is on the
individual’s profile page so that you can
personalize your message.
• Simply select “Connect” and select “Add a
note.” Enter your message in the
dialogue box.
• Your message should be brief (you have
only 300 characters) and should introduce
yourself and invite the person to connect
in real time.
• Remember to send a “Thank you” if
they accept.
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Sending Effective Messages:
When sending messages
to others to connect,
remember Inigo Montoya
and
The Four Parts of a Good
Introduction:
1. Polite Greeting
2. Name
3. Relevant Personal Link
4. Manage Expectations
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LinkedIn Suggests Additional Connections:
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LinkedIn will suggest
additional connections
once you have sent an
invitation (LinkedIn
already does this on your
My Network page). • You can connect from this
page, but you cannot
send a personal
message.
• Great page to connect
with people you know
already.
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A Note About Groups:
Groups can be a powerful networking feature:
• Access to huge number of people interested in
the same topics.
• LinkedIn allows you to join up to 100 groups.
• Research a variety of groups and join ones that
are populated by your target audience.
• Groups can also give you information about
particular subjects that you can sometimes
share with your own network.
• You can join professional networking groups, the
alumni group for your alma mater, groups for
professional associations.
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Joining Groups:
You can join a group from your
homepage:
• Click into the search box and
select “groups” from the
dropdown.
• The groups page will show you
groups you can browse or you
can search using keywords.
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Connections vs. Followers:
• Connections are members who connected on LinkedIn.
• If you're connected to someone, you will both be able to see each other's
shares and updates on your LinkedIn homepages.
• You can also send messages to your connections on LinkedIn.
• Following someone on LinkedIn allows you to see the person's posts
and articles on your homepage without being connected to them.
However, the person you’re following won't see your posts.
• You can follow individuals, schools, publications, influencers, etc.
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How to Follow Someone:
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Following someone is easy:
• Locate the profile for the person
you want to follow.
• Select “More” and then select
“Follow” from the dropdown.
• Once you have “Followed”
them, you will be able to see
their posts/shares in your home
page feed.
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Managing Your NetworkKeeping Yourself Visible
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Ways to Stay Visible to Your Network
• Provide status updates on a regular basis
to keep yourself visible to people within
your network.
• Like and comment on LinkedIn posts that
you think are valuable.
• Share posts with your connections and
other groups you belong to.
• When sharing, remember to add content
saying why you think it is valuable and
expressing your point of view.
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Follow Publications or Industry Figures
• You will receive
marketing updates from
Companies that you can
share with others.
• Follow publications,
schools, search
firms/recruiters, or
anyone else you think
will provide interesting
information you can
share to your network.
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Locating Your Followers:
You can find your followers
from your home page:
• Select “Me” in the upper right
corner.
• Select “Posts & Activity” from
the dropdown.
• Select “Followers” under your
name in the upper left corner.
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Stay in Touch
Use LinkedIn notifications to revive a connection:
• Send personal notes when your contacts have promotions and job changes.
• Personal inquiries keep your name fresh in the minds of others and could lead
to future connections or new business.
• Build relationships. Learn about the interests of your clients and potential
clients. Viewing a client's profile is a great way to learn more about a client
and build a relationship.
• Use LinkedIn status updates to share blog posts, articles, press releases and
client updates that are relevant to your practice.
• Drive more attention to your content by posting it to your LinkedIn groups.
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BUT …It’s Business First
Though LinkedIn is a social media platform, it is designed for professional
networking.
• Always remember to approach others on this network with professionalism and respect.
• Be polite and represent yourself in a professional manner in all content posted and
shared, as well as your responses, comments, and engagements within your network.
• Never use a client’s name in a post unless you have the client’s permission. Never post
about a client or a matter in which either you or the firm is involved. When in doubt, don’t
post.
• Be cautious about posting recommendations for or endorsing colleagues, former
colleagues, clients, etc.
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Questions?
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