Tips for Networking Strategically

Employ these strategies to start connecting with those who will likely help you find your next opportunity.

• Determine your ultimate career goal and strategize on how to achieve it.
  • What is your ultimate career goal?
  • What is the logical next step in your career progression toward your ultimate goal?
  • What industry sectors would be most interested in your experience?
  • What is the geographic scope of your search?
  • What sectors are most prevalent in that geographic area?
  • How does your experience align with the legal needs of companies in that sector?
• Reach out to people you know.
  • Lawyers who you know and/or have worked with in the past, including from your old law firm(s).
  • Businesspeople with whom you have worked (i.e., a vice president you worked with and had a good relationship with who moved to another company).
  • Send an email or LinkedIn message to start a conversation to let them know you are open to new opportunities.
  • Ask your connections for recommendations on who else you should contact, preferably indicating that your contact suggested that you connect. Reach out to people you do not know.
• Use LinkedIn to identify potential contacts at organizations that you are most interested. Find commonalities to leverage to make a connection.
  • Indicate you are impressed with their career path that aligns with your goal.
  • Most people are open to a short call.
  • Try to do a video call to make a better connection.
• Set a weekly goal to reach out to five new contacts.
  • You are busy. If you do not set a reasonable weekly goal, networking will fall to the bottom of your tasks to do list and never get done.