In-House Counsel

How To Create A Job Search Strategy That Actually Works

It takes planning, preparedness, and strategy to make it to the finish line (i.e., a job offer).

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Photo Courtesy of Wolters Kluwer.

You’ve updated your resume and your LinkedIn profile to strategically market you and your terrific legal skill set. You’ve got the right number of keywords in both, you feel confident about taking the next steps to advance your legal career, and you’re excited to get out there and begin interviewing.

Yet, no one is knocking down your door? Why?

You can have an amazing resume and equally fantastic LinkedIn profile, but you still need to put the time into your job search strategy. That means taking advanced steps beyond just waiting for the phone to ring.

I like to think of it this way: your career is a marathon not a sprint. It isn’t just a simple 5k that you roll out of bed and show up to a start line. It takes planning, preparedness, and strategy to make it to the finish line (i.e., a job offer). Your job search is like a pie: one-third is your resume, one-third is your LinkedIn, and the other third is your job search strategy.

LinkedIn makes it easy for you to actively pursue opportunities, but you must pursue them. This means connecting with the right people, targeting the right companies, and building a network to propel your job search. It also means spending maybe 15% of your time applying to job search boards and the rest on making connections and expanding (or building) your network for opportunities. Here are some specific strategies I recommend undertaking during your job search:

  • Look beyond just having a LinkedIn profile. While being on LinkedIn is a necessity for a digital-age job search, just having a LinkedIn profile only gets you so far. Start becoming more active on LinkedIn by sharing articles, increasing the size of your network, and engaging with those in and out of your network. For example, I had a senior law firm partner with deep experience in the private equity space who heavily marketed himself on LinkedIn by connecting with general counsels at specific private equity companies he found intriguing in the SaaS technology space. He secured multiple informational interviews that ultimately led to multiple job opportunities. Again, this was done specifically through calculated and targeted networking, not a “spray and pray” method of job searching.
  • Connect with recruiters on LinkedIn. Don’t wait for recruiters to reach out to you — be proactive and start building relationships with recruiters who are actively posting open opportunities on LinkedIn. Send an e-note and let them know you’re beginning a confidential job search. Don’t be afraid to ask to set up a quick chat so you can run through the type of role you’re seeking. You want to build an ongoing relationship with multiple recruiters so they can keep you apprised of any future opportunities where you might be a good fit. While it’s good to build relationships with recruiters in your geographic area, expand your search to recruiters who do nationwide placements since the job market today fosters incredible opportunities for remote work.
  • Check your LinkedIn settings. Make sure your LinkedIn settings are correct and that your profile is searchable and visible to nonconnections. Check your job search preferences. Make sure those are turned on as well as the button that allows recruiters to reach out to you directly. These preferences allow you to target on-site, hybrid, and remote opportunities — they’re terrific if you’re looking to pursue an out-of-state or international job search.
  • Seek out informational interviews and networking meetings. Begin setting up meetings and heavily networking with other high-level executives who are where you want to be currently as well as in the future. Message them. Introduce yourself and your reason for reaching out (but do not push your resume in their face — if your LinkedIn profile is optimized correctly, it will give enough detail for that cursory introductory call). Find a common thread if possible (example: you both worked in Biglaw or you both grew up in Florida and went to undergrad there). Ask for a 20-minute chat to learn more about their in-house experience at XYZ company. Let them know you’re pursuing an in-house opportunity in the industrial manufacturing space — perhaps they know of a similar company that’s currently seeking a corporate counsel with your level of experience. Continue to engage with their content on LinkedIn. Show enthusiasm for their subject matter expertise and thought leadership.
  • Apply for jobs that are advertised as well as not advertised. A good number of jobs are not advertised online (also known as the hidden job market), and many advertised online are filled by internal candidates. This is why it’s imperative to network. Again, I emphasize this: reach out and connect with people who are where you want to be five, 10, or 15 years from now. An employee referral is one of the best ways to get your foot in the door and can lead to those hidden job market opportunities. Remember, follow-up with people. Do not wait for them to get back to you.
  • Apply to the right positions. Just because you read a job description and think the role seems intriguing doesn’t mean it’s the right position for you. If you’ve got 15 to 20 years of practical experience running a legal department at a publicly traded company and the job posting is seeking a general counsel with three to five years of experience, that likely means the company is seeking someone more junior to serve as the sole counsel (and likely at a lower salary range than what you would be commanding with two decades of experience). Go through the roster of people in the legal department before you apply to a role — perform a simple search of the employees listed on the company’s LinkedIn profile. You’ll get a feel for how long they’ve been there for and how long they’ve been in practice for. While you can still inquire about the role even if you’re outside the realm of their target and seek out an informational interview, concentrate your efforts where your years of experience match and you meet at least 75% to 80% of the key qualifications. You’ll find you get better responses that lead to better opportunities.
  • Organize your job search. Create a list of companies or law firms you want to target (anywhere from five to 15). Also, consider industry, sector, and geographic targets. Next, create a job search spreadsheet to keep yourself organized. You’ll want to keep track of when you’ve made outreach, who you’ve contacted, and the progress of the outreach. Complete as much research as you can on a company before you ever reach out to anyone at the company — if you’re already a general counsel, you’ll want to interact with other members of the C-suite team. If you’re a junior corporate counsel, you’ll want to connect with someone who is more senior than you who will have decision-making authority. The key is to create a warm lead that fosters a long-term relationship. This means following up and nurturing that relationship.

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The job search process has changed dramatically in the past few years. Proactive networking, an organized strategy, and a positive mindset are just some of the tools you’ll need in the process. I hope these job search strategies will set you up for great success in your upcoming or future digital age job search.

Have a job search strategy question? Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message.

Wendi Weiner is an attorney, career expert, and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for attorneys, executives, and C-suite/Board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications about alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at wendi@writingguru.net, connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.  

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