LexisNexis: Using Social Media to Aid Your Job Search Wrap Up

By: Jason M. Tenenbaum

On November 9th, LexisNexis, one of the top online legal research providers, ran a webcast for law students on using social media to aid in searching for a job. Unfortunately, I missed it the first time around because of class. Luckily, however, there is a recording of the webcast that you can watch here, and a wrap up here. The webcast is about an hour, and is well worth listening to. However, if you're short on time and just want the highlights, here they are:

1. Invest time in "social branding."

Tim Tyrell-Smith, Marketing Coach and Career Strategist, discussed the benefit of personal/social branding. He discussed the importance of being aware of everything you post online. He said that over time, a student builds their brand by just completing everyday tasks, and therefore everything that a student does will influence their brand. He said that a brand is important because once your resume gets you in the door, and you demonstrate that you have the competency for the position, the offer depends on "fit," and that the determination of "fit" depends on your brand. The other point he made was that students should be aware of the content they distribute. He argued that people, and employers, will choose whether or not to engage you based on content, and therefore you should make sure what you pass along is relevant and useful.

2. Make sure you are aware of how you appear online. 

Catherine Sanders Reach, Director of the Legal Technology Resource Center at the ABA, discussed the importance of being aware of your online presentation. Building off of what Mr. Tyrell-Smith discussed, Ms. Reach highlighted the importance of using Google to search for yourself to make sure your web presence is what you want it to be. Employers are using Google to search for people, and she made the point that law students need to make sure that everything that comes up in a search for their name is giving the right impression of who they are, and that the information online is sincere and accurate. 

3. Invest time in using social media to become "expert" in the field you want to practice. 

Daniel Schwartz, author of the Connecticut Employment Law Blog, talked about the benefits of blogging about a specific field. He started his blog 4 years ago, and specifically chose to write about Connecticut employment law because that is the field he practiced in. Now, four years later, his blog has over 1 million views, and a Google search for "Connecticut employment law" returns his blog higher than the state’s employment laws. He argued that blogging as a law school student is well worth the time commitment. As a result of spending 15 minutes a day, three days a week, he attracts readers, fans, and new clients. He said that as a law student, blogging could lead to numerous career-changing opportunities for a relatively minor time investment.