Networking can play a very important role in developing a deeper understanding of the legal sector. It can also help you secure Qualifying Work Experience (QWE) and other relevant opportunities to boost your CV.
Asking your contacts for help does not show weakness – it demonstrates confidence, proactivity and resourcefulness. And besides, most people are more than happy to help. Saying that, networking during a job search is not as simple as wandering around with a begging bowl or pestering people you don’t know to offer you a job.
Your contacts are more likely to offer help if approached in the correct manner, at the right time and not too often.
Realistically, few of your immediate current contacts are likely to be directly responsible for hiring. However, many will be great for lending a sympathetic ear or helping you to strengthen your knowledge of the legal sector. Some will also be great sources for gleaning inside information on employers when researching the right career match for you. This is particularly important for career changers. Networking can play a critical role in ‘information interviews’.
Some contacts, many of whom might not yet be familiar to you, do play an integral role in opening doors. As you should already know, many jobs are filled through word of mouth!
Before requesting calls or coffee meetings with existing or future contracts, it’s worth having a serious think about who the best people are to do this with and the order in which you should make contact.
Much of this will, of course, depends on what you want from them. Do you just want to pick their brains? Are you after help with CV preparation and interview practice? Do you want them to introduce you to a potential new contact? Or do you simply want to ask them for a job?
For example, senior contacts may be best avoided until you’re ready to start making formal job applications. Meeting them when you’re still in the thinking phase may result in them writing you off as confused or needy. It’s worth putting contacts into different categories based on the nature of your relationship with each individual. For example, how close they are to you and their seniority.
Your closest and most trusted personal contacts should be your first port of call for ‘exploratory chats’. They can be relied on for help, emotional support and encouragement or simply to run ideas by. You should also feel relaxed in their company and not feel pressurised to impress every single time you meet with them. These contacts can also serve as useful gateways or bridges to potential new and more senior contacts.
Next category is mid-to-senior level contacts you know well but speak to on a more ad hoc basis. Examples of these include former university lecturers or lawyers-turned-informal mentors. These you might have met on an insight day or through social media. They are helpful for information gathering, insight and seeking leads. This is because they are often people who are closer to decision-makers or hiring managers.
The final group of individuals in your network are typically senior ‘influential’ contacts. Chances are that as a student you won’t already have many people in this group in your inner circle. If so, your aim should be to use existing contacts to broker introductions.
Alternatively, they may be persons you meet directly yourself at networking events, internships or even on a course. These contacts are likely to be in the best possible position to offer you a job. They should be approached once you have concluded the exploration stage of your job-hunting plan and moved to the execution phase. By this point, you should have a polished CV. It would need to be already reviewed by your close contacts. This also includes a prepared ‘elevator pitch’ to quickly capture a potential hiring manager’s interest.
It is important to manage and monitor any communication (both written, verbal and face-to-face) with your network. Before emailing or calling a contact it’s definitely worth creating an Excel spreadsheet. In it, you can record names, email addresses and phone numbers of everyone on your hit list. Your spreadsheet should also include an extra column for noting when and how contact was made, the outcome and any useful information gleaned as a result of speaking to the individual.
Before putting feelers out to your contacts ensure you aren’t overly demanding on their time or generosity. Common sense should tell you if your request is reasonable, based on how well and for how long you’ve known an individual. A question well worth asking yourself before making an approach is ‘what’s in it for them?’. Reciprocity is also very important because networking is not a one-way street. Also, always remember to help others including any fellow SQE Prep students on your course who are in a similar situation to yourself. When the time comes, this way they are more likely to return the favour.
When making contact aim to be clear and specific about what you want from your contact. Phrase your request appropriately, remembering to include any key deadlines. This will ensure your contacts help you both happily and expediently.
Finally, please do not be put off if some of your contacts dismiss your ideas or plans as unrealistic or wishful thinking. Unfortunately, many individuals make a habit out of raining on others’ parades or simply focus on the negatives. Similarly, others might over-simplify a situation. So, whenever seeking advice from contacts be brave, push back and ask for evidence to support a contact’s stance on a particular situation.
Information interviews
Information interviewing is a powerful technique pioneered by the late Richard N Bolles in his bestseller ‘What Colour is Your Parachute?’. They are useful tools to enhance your knowledge of new sectors or professions and are effective for reality checking any ideas you come up with. They can also simply be deployed to get your head around jargon. They can also help to understand the structure of an organisation you might be considering approaching. But most importantly, they can help to boost your visibility in the hidden jobs market. Specifically, this would allow you to spot roles before they get released to recruitment agencies or job boards. But remember the idea behind information interviews is *not* to persuade someone to offer you a job even though along the way you may get lucky!
Once you have identified individuals to interview then it’s a simple case of asking them open questions. These will initially be people you already know or who you can be introduced to and who love to talk about their industry or sector. Points to discuss may include:
- What inspired you to become a solicitor?
- What’s the culture like in your firm/team?
- What employers should I be targeting for the area(s) of law I’m interested in?
- What do you enjoy about working as a lawyer?
- What might I find interesting about working as a solicitor/legal sector?
- What are the worst parts?
- How can I match myself better if a role comes up in the future?
Who else I should be speaking to and can you please broker an introduction?
Alternatively, use the REVEAL method advocated by career strategist John Lees in his book ‘How To Get A Job You Love‘.
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