Some perspective, tips, and tricks for navigating networking for the 2L Recruit for those of us less socially inclined.
Are you someone whose social battery depletes rapidly in unfamiliar social situations? Has the mere idea of networking for the 2L Recruit felt like an insurmountable task? You are not alone! I hope this article will help my fellow introverts to better weigh the benefits of networking and develop strategies to help make the process easier.
Benefits of networking
The benefits of networking include asking questions early to determine which firms fit you best, gathering insider knowledge to show firms demonstrated interest, and practicing speaking to lawyers pre-interviews. While you can be successful in the 2L Recruit without networking, you will miss out on many benefits that may help boost your odds of success and reduce the overall stress of the OCI and in-firm interview process.
Insider information about firms gathered from networking can be leveraged to show firms you’re serious about them. Networking allows you to name-drop who you’ve already spoken with, and it gives you insight that allows you to tailor your cover letter and ask more thoughtful questions during interviews. Firms like to know you’re serious about them and that your application was not simply an attempt to play the numbers game.
The most underrated benefit of networking is the information you can learn for your own personal firm preference ranking. If you are a strong applicant, you may have to pick and choose which interviews to ultimately proceed with or who to use first choice language with. Interview capacity is something to be especially mindful of for more introverted people. I personally would literally combust if I tried to do more than 20 OCIs in two days. Instead, use networking to ask questions about firm culture and seek more candid answers from current and previous students at the firm. Consider what makes each firm unique and which would be the best fit for you.
Networking can be an opportunity to reduce the stress of interviews later by practicing speaking with unfamiliar lawyers now. Speaking to strangers is hard, but speaking to strangers who you admire can be even harder. During the interview process, you will be speaking to many lawyers in increasingly higher positions. In my experience, starting with articling students and working my way up to speaking with associates during the networking phase made speaking with partners during the 2L Recruit a lot less intimidating. With each coffee chat, I became better at making conversation with interesting people. The start of each conversation eventually turned from nerves to natural curiosity.
Networking in your early 2L Recruit experience is an investment that your future self will appreciate. There are several tips I can offer that personally made networking easier for me.
Networking Tips
First, determine what types of networking suit you best. Do you prefer in-firm events where you can blend in with a crowd, participate in group conversations, and potentially bring a buddy with you? Or do you prefer one-on-one coffee chats within a defined duration and a quieter setting? You don’t need to do it all! I personally preferred coffee chats and found them the best way to gather information and connect with firm members. I did not attend a single in-firm event and never felt this held me back during the recruit process.
Second, start early and start slow. Try to schedule your networking events to begin early in the summer and give yourself ample time to ease in. Your first event will be the most draining and require the most recovery time. As you become more comfortable, your capacity will also grow. As you become more confident, you can increase the number of networking events without feeling overwhelmed. Minding your capacity will help you take full advantage of networking benefits while still protecting your peace.
Third, take time to prepare before each networking event. I found a lot of the social pressure associated with networking was relieved by researching who I would be speaking to in advance. Reading headlines of cases the lawyers have been involved with and recent articles they wrote helped to organically inspire questions I genuinely became curious to ask. I reframed networking from a chore into an exciting opportunity to speak to an interesting person about topics I’m excited about, and this helped me a lot.
Alternatives to networking
I don’t believe that networking is essential for success in the 2L Recruit. I have been told by multiple student program managers that they do not explicitly weigh whether you attended an in-firm event or spoke with a high-level partner in their selection process. Networking is simply a tool for success, but there are other alternatives. For example, a lot of information about individual firms can be found online within the firm’s job listings, website, and social media.
If you want to develop your interview skills in solitude, I would suggest reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I found this book provided incredibly helpful tips on how to make great first impressions and how to engage people in enjoyable conversations. Some tips include the importance of learning people’s names and immediately using them, creating space for people to talk about themselves (everyone’s favourite topic) and the power of smiling.
Conclusion
Any networking accomplished should be viewed as a bonus. If you only have the capacity to do a single coffee chat with your top firm, that is okay! The 2L Recruit is a great opportunity for personal development generally. Either you get a kick-ass summer job, or you become a formidable, seasoned applicant for the Articling Recruit. The skills I learned from networking for the 2L Recruit continue to help me navigate relationship-building in the world of law.