3. Use your law school’s career services office
It may take you some time to build up your network, but in the meantime, you can tap someone else’s. Your on-campus career services office can help you find internships, schedule interviews and become more educated about the legal job market. They can provide information on a range of legal jobs, including nontraditional-track positions in law firms and corporations.
You can also learn more about interviewing, starting salaries and billable hours expectations, among other topics. One area where your school’s career services offices can be especially helpful is providing insight into how the legal job search follows distinct seasonal patterns. As a general guideline, firms tend to assess staffing needs as the quarter begins, meaning that January, April, July, and October are prime times for sending out your applications.
Many career services offices also recommend the following steps to boost your legal job search efforts:
Make quarterly updates to resumes and writing samples.
During peak hiring seasons, monitor job boards daily.
Have application materials prepared and ready to go before major hiring cycles begin.
Stay on top of application deadlines for target firms.
Make use of email alerts for new position postings.
In short, your school’s career services office will know a lot about how to help you get a job after law school.
6. Don't give up, and expect a good outcome
You may be wondering, “Is it hard to find a job after law school?” That’s a perfectly normal question to ask yourself, but if you find yourself answering in the affirmative, reconsider your thinking process. There’s likely to be many job opportunities on your legal career path if you just know how to go about finding them.
Don’t rely on just one method to land a position. Use an integrative strategy as you look for your first post-law school job in the legal field. Here are some final tips to get you started:
Join professional groups and stay in touch with law school colleagues and professors.
Enroll at ABA Legal Career Central to receive email alerts when opportunities are posted in your preferred practice area.
Research and proactively contact firms.
Respond to job postings you find through LinkedIn or other sources.
Even though there’s no one surefire formula for how to get a job after law school, there’s a lot to be said for the power of persistence and positivity.
If recruiters are ignoring your resume and cover letter, rework them. If you have a bad interview, ask for feedback and then come back stronger next time. If there’s a day without a serious job lead turning up, know that you've done your part and try again the next day.
In a sense, all the energy you put into your job search is like practice for getting the legal job you will eventually land. You’ll still need some luck, but adapt and apply the old saying so often used by successful coaches of various sports: “The more you practice, the luckier you’ll get.”
