From Law School to Law Firm: How Law Students Can Use Social Media to Build Relationships and Get Hired

The typical law student is part of the millennial generation that is constantly on social media. Between Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram there is a wealth of people to engage and content to explore. Law students use these social networks to connect with friends, but what if they use them to create relationships with others in the legal profession, including potential employers?

According to The Muse, about 92% of employers are using social media for hiring prospective employees. With law school graduate employment rates decreasing, it’s important for soon-to-be graduates to use any opportunity they can to get a job.

On many social media platforms, law students can directly connect with law firms. By following firms and thought leaders on LinkedIn (personal accounts, company pages, and groups), Twitter and Facebook, students can keep abreast of what’s going on at the firm and in the legal industry. Using these platforms also provides the ability for the student to be notified about job opportunities, services provided, and the latest trends. Another important part of this process is to be active follower, sharing, “liking” and replying to posts are a great way to show your interest and expertise to a potential employer.

However, getting noticed amid all the noise on social media can be difficult. It’s important for law students to stand out from the crowd. Students should keep their social channels and content informative, creative and professional. By showing their personality and interests on social platforms, law firms that are looking to hire can get a sense of the student’s character and determine how they would fit in with the firm’s culture.

Social media can also be used as a great interview-prepping tool. Researching the Twitter or LinkedIn profiles and feeds of your interviewers can inform you of what that person has accomplished and recent cases they have worked on. You can also see what their interests are and the law school they attended. However, students should use this as a reference and a general understanding of the person interviewing them, to avoid crossing the line from informed to creepy.

Using social media in a meaningful, useful, and strategic way can give law students the opportunity to create and nurture relationships, get in the door, and jumpstart their careers.

To learn more about how to use social media and see where your law firm stands, contact our experts at Good2bSocial for a free social media audit. 

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