Effective Online Networking: Getting Started
You’ve likely already heard how important networking is for law students and young professionals. I’ve certainly drilled it into every NCA and Law student I’ve mentored over the past year or so. However, in our current pandemic climate, where large gatherings are forbidden and everyone is staying indoors, effective networking may seem like an insurmountable task. We are lucky, of course, to live in the internet age with a plethora of ways to connect with each other even from great distances. But online networking comes with its own challenges and doing it right requires a slightly different set of skills than in-person networking.
As someone who did 90% of her Canadian legal articling recruitment activity while working and studying in the UK, online network is not a foreign concept to me. I didn’t have the luxury of attending in-person networking events or gong for coffee with Toronto lawyers before applying to firms’ articling programs. Instead, I spent a lot of time online and on the phone chatting with lawyers and student recruiters building valuable connections.
To help you out during this difficult time, I’ll be providing my top tips for effective online networking over the next two posts. Today, we’ll start with the basics of preparing to network by polishing your online presence and preparing email templates.
Finesse Your Online Presence
If the cut of your suit or dress was your “first impression” in the physical world, your online presence is the equivalent for online networking. Let’s be honest. You, like me and basically everyone else, have joined a video call at one point or another wearing a nice top and sweatpants, but you would never go to a networking event or coffee meet-up dressed like that!
Similarly, your online presence should be polished and professional as this may be the first thing a connection sees when you reach out to them online. Anything you use or plan to use to reach-out to connections—from LinkedIn (which I highly recommend you have) to Skype, Zoom, and your email account—should reflect your professionalism:
1) A Professional Head Shot. Don’t use selfies or glamour shots. This photo should be similar to the kind of photo you see on the lawyer-profile pages on firm websites. It doesn’t need to be taken professionally (portrait mode on an iPhone can do a lot!) but you should ensure you are dressed professionally, there is a non-distracting background, and it is taken from the shoulders up.
2) Current and Truthful Information. Make sure any information you post about yourself on professional platforms like LinkedIn is both current and true. Your LinkedIn profile should largely match your official resume and really shouldn’t include super old work experience unless it is particularly relevant to the kind of work you want to do.
3) Aim for Uniformity. Your name and photo should be consistent across all the platforms you may use to network and communicate with connections. For instance, if you use a middle initial or an “English Name” on LinkedIn make sure that the same initial or name is assigned to your email account (e.g. in your Gmail settings) and is reflected on your resume and cover letter heading as well. Whatever photo you put on LinkedIn should be the same one you use on your professional email profile and any other professional communication tools (e.g. Whats App, Signal, Zoom, Skype, etc.). Some people remember faces better than names and that doesn’t change when you move networking online.
Prepare To Send Some Emails
Likely, you will initially be contacting people via email or another messaging service and it is important to ensure that these emails/messages are well-written, genuine, and free of typos. If you aren’t sure how to get started, I highly recommend looking at some “informational interviewing” email templates to build a few of your own that you can edit and tailor to each contact as you need. Many university careers centres post useful examples for you to copy including Harvard and my very own NYU (see pg. 96).
Having a template to at least get you started can reduce the amount of energy you need to spend writing messages. However, as I will discuss in my next post, your communications should still be tailored to each recipient.
You should also make sure you have a professional email signature that automatically attaches at the end of every email you send from the professional email account you intend to use. Again, your name should be consistent with the one you use on your LinkedIn etc.
Here’s my example to get you started:
Tiffany [Middle Initial]. [Last Name]
New York University School of Law, LL.M 2020
City University of London (UK), LL.B 2018
[LinkedIn Profile Link]
You’ll note I don’t put my email address in my signature since I think that’s a bit redundant in the email context. I’ve also opted not to include a phone number since I have different ones depending on whether I’m emailing the USA, UK, or Canada but that is certainly something you can include if you like.
I have, however, included my LinkedIn profile as this can be a subtle way to “include” your resume without attaching a PDF document which may seem a bit obnoxious or presumptuous in your first introduction email. It also gives your recipient an easy way to find out more about you if they like.
______
If you follow these tips, you’ll be in a great position to start networking. In my next post, I’ll provide my tips on sourcing connections and starting genuine and effective conversations with them.
Until next time!
-Tiffany
Tiffany is an LLM candidate at NYU Law. and a regular blogger for NCA Tutor™.