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November 09, 2009
Creative Ways to Distinguish Yourself
In a competitive job market it is more important than ever to do everything you can to distinguish yourself from other candidates. You should always keep your eyes open for opportunities to set yourself apart from the crowd, and creative ways to market yourself to potential employers. To help give you ideas of how to take your job search to the next level, the Career Services Office suggests you consider instituting the following strategies:
1. Read regional legal and business publications. Most of you probably already read the daily news paper, whether hard copy or online, so why not add a publication or two to help keep you abreast of the most important current events and legal trends. You’ll find all sorts of useful nuggets of information, such as changes in law firm status (new offices opening, new practice areas, firm mergers), upcoming conferences, seminars and events, and law firm open houses. Crain’s Cleveland is one example of a local business publication that will keep you in the loop. Mark your calendar to attend as many of these advertised events as time permits.
You will inevitably find articles written about issues in specialties that interest you. Use this find to your advantage by contacting the author of the article to set up an informational meeting. Writers love to be complemented on what they’ve written, so think of how flattered the individual will be when you reach out to them for advice on a specific topic.
2. Write something! Strong legal research and writing skills are of utmost importance to most legal employers, so anytime you can demonstrate those skills is an opportunity you do not want to pass up. Outside of Law Review and various other journals here at the law school, there are many other opportunities to showcase your writing abilities. Consider writing an article for a bar association legal publication. Perhaps as a result of reading legal and business publications, you come across a cutting-edge topic that piques your interest. Jump on this thought and turn your interest in the topic into an insightful article. You could even take it a step further by contacting professionals and practitioners in that particular specialty as you conduct research for your article.
Another great way to showcase and strengthen your writing skills is to seek out writing competitions to take part in. Many of these writing competitions carry cash prizes and receive only 3 or 4 entries each year. The CSO often posts writing competition advertisements on the bulletin board right outside our office, and we have a binder filled with writing competitions. You can also search the writing competition database on the Student Home Page of the law school intranet. Various writing competitions are also listed on the ABA’s website: www.abanet.org/lsd/competitions/writing-contests/home.html.
3. Spend some time volunteering. Volunteer opportunities exist everywhere – bar association functions, CLEs, conferences, alumni functions – the list goes on and on. Volunteering is an easy way to network and it is also an item you can add to your resume. Engaging in volunteer activities show potential employers that you are enthusiastic, social (rainmaking potential!), and that you know how to manage your time. Be sure to talk to a CSO counselor if you are looking for events or organizations to volunteer with. As mentioned in a previous Docket article, we have a Volunteer Opportunities Handout available in the CSO, but we certainly encourage students to create their own volunteer opportunities as well.
Adding some creativity to your job search may be exactly what you need to catch an employer’s attention. Use the above suggestions to get started, and take a look at Guerrilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams, by Kimm Walton, for additional unique strategies.
Posted by cld30 at November 9, 2009 12:33 PM