Your first job marks the beginning of your career, which is why you want it to be perfect and help your CV shine. It doesn’t matter whether you are graduating from law school or any other university; generally you have to think about job search in the last years of studying. If you take matters seriously and prepare in advance, you will have a job offer on time with your law school graduation.
What Can You Do With a Law Degree?
The legal profession is one of the most prestigious and high-paid in the USA. However, if you decide to pursue it, you have to be prepared for the hard studying in law school and extremely serious and responsible work after graduation. Many law students in the process of getting the degree reconsider their choice, but the ones that stay and study hard are on the way to an exciting legal career.
No matter how difficult the studies are, every law student knows that the main goal they have is getting a job after law school. The first job determines many aspects of how your career will go on, but you shouldn’t rush after a job that is considered prestigious. Always think about what will be comfortable for you and what environment you can flourish and grow. The workplace you choose will be the space where you spend most of your working hours.
Ten Tips on How to Get a Job After Law School Graduation
Your ability to be on the top list of job applicants depends on you, your studies, and determination, but we have gathered the tips you can use to be more successful.
1. Focus Your Job Search on What You Know and Can Do Best
The first rule of finding a job is weighing out your strengths and assessing where you can apply them. If you want to stand out among other applicants, you have to find out where you are the best and how you can impress the potential employer. You should start preparing for job search in law school where you can hone your skills.
If you are unsure where to start and what skills matter for different jobs in the legal industry, you can also use this guide. Harvard Law School also prepared a detailed guide with references you can use.
2. Rekindle Old Connections and Create New
Law school isn’t only about studying, it is also about networking. After their studies, many lawyers joined the firms of their professors or stayed in the firm where they worked as interns. You can attend legal conferences, communicate with people that work in various legal departments. Eventually, you will have a clearer picture of what you want to do and what you need to do to make this a reality.
3. Become a Volunteer
Volunteer activities are not only great for your job search but also a great way to give your energy and time to something that matters. The American Bar Association frequently posts updates on the volunteering opportunities that law students and legal professionals can engage in. However, you can also look for volunteering job openings on your law school’s website.
4. Write and Get Published
Finding a job after law school is easier when you already have a good reputation in the legal world. Doing legal research and publishing in respected journals can influence your job prospects. Many employers look at the work applicants put into their studies. They will also try to determine what interests you and how you can contribute to their office.
5. Receive Additional Training
When you determine your job interests and what skills are needed to excel at it, you have the opportunity to hone your skills or acquire new ones. The best way to do this is to refer to your administrative office or talk to one of your professors. They will guide you to the right path and may give you a list of additional classes you can take or literature you can study.
You can try to find lawyers online, for instance on Lawrina.com, that will be happy to take you on as an intern and give you an opportunity to practice.
6. Attend Various Events
The secret that no one tells you is that if you pay attention to networking and your legal writing, you wouldn’t even have to look for job opportunities; potential employers will find you. Attending legal events is useful because you can meet professionals that can become your mentors or employers. It’s also a great way to simply grow your social network, which could be very valuable to you in the future.
7. Use Social Networking Sites
In the modern world, employers just as carefully as into your CV. You shouldn’t neglect your social media presence, and in fact, you can turn this into an advantage. On your social media, post about the events you attended, publications you have made, and share the success of your studies. You can grow your network there and follow the influencers in the legal field.
8. Contact Your School’s Career Counselor
While you’re in law school, it’s important to realize that you have a strong ally in the job search right in front of you. Every school is interested in making their students successful, and the career services office consistently works on it. You can contact the career counselor, tell them what you’ve already done to try to find employment,or ask for advice on where to start. The office will have the latest legal jobs listings and can help you with weighing out your chances or preparing for the interview.
9. Keep an Eye Out For Recruiters
With the help of recruiters, large law firms often look for talented law school graduates at legal conferences and during the law school events. They are not spies, and you will often be aware of their attendance. If you are confident about your chances, you can approach them and introduce yourself. Maybe as a result of your conversation, you will gain new influential contacts on social media and in the real world.
10. Don’t be Afraid of Alternatives
You will likely put a lot of effort into how to get a job after law school, but you should also be prepared for the alternatives. If you don’t land the job you would like, you can begin your career somewhere else.Any job will give you experience, and the experience is the most important gain.
Final Thoughts
The legal job search is a very important step of the graduation process. Everything you do in law school prepares you for your future career. It also helps you understand what job is perfect for you, so don’t neglect the opportunity to talk to your teachers, engage in internships and conferences, grow connections. The most essential thing you can do while studying and preparing is to be patient and optimistic that your perfect job will find you. Also, never forget about your health, both mental and physical, and how important the work-life balance is. Studies at law school can be stressful and, being under pressure, you need to remind yourself to take breaks.
