A Great Way To Market Yourself If You Are Looking For Or Will Ever Look For A Job

A few days ago I received an email from a first year law student, Justin, and he posed a very interesting question.  His email read;

“What is your personal opinion of law students having their own resume-styled website? I tried to do some research and could not find many that existed. Having an undergrad degree in Graphic Design, I've built my own. What do you think?”

Well my personal opinion is that setting up your own personal webpage to market yourself is an excellent idea! This idea extends far beyond law students and is an excellent thing to do for anyone including students in other disciplines, lawyers, and also any other professionals. This is a great idea for anyone that is or will be looking for a job and/or anyone that could benefit from positive marketing.

Here is Justin’s Site: www.justinhwalters.com

Justin is exactly the type of innovative law student that our profession needs and the idea of creating your own website to showcase yourself is something that I wish I had thought of.  Also, it is always a good idea to use part of your prior life (in Justin’s case marketing and graphic design) to make some money or compliment a new legal or professional life. 

       A few comments about this exceptional marketing tool.

Why Is Setting Up A Personal Website A Good Idea?

I started to write this section myself but then remembered that Justin had already done an excellent job summarizing on his website why setting up your own website is a good idea.  As such, I will copy his words which echo my exact thoughts.

“I believe there is a need for students to have their own websites with their resumes, portfolios, and contact information.  I believe it is beneficial for professional students, especially those studying law, to be able to place a personal website address on their business card or in the signature of their email.  Having a website can be appealing to prospective employers because it shows you are independent, creative and ready to advance into a more professional role.”

I will only add one additional point and that is that the webpage puts all of the relevant information that an employer wants (short bio, resume, writing sample, skills) in one place and makes it all easily accessible.  Given that employers spend very little time assessing candidates you want to make your information as easy to access as possible and A simple webpage accomplishes this. 

What Does It Take To Get Set Up?

I am not a web designer but am confident that with a bit of determination I could create a page like the page that Justin has created. Wordpress is the web design tool of choice but if you do not want to use that there are many other options available with templates that will get you started.  In terms of hosting the website, that costs around $5 a month (a more complex website would be maybe $8 a month because it has more space) and you will pay around $10 a year for domain name. (You should try and nab your own name – just think of where Barack Obama would be if he had not purchased his domain name www.barackobama.com years ago).   

It literally takes a few hours to set everything up and install a simple website and if you prefer not to do it yourself you can always hire Justin.  Justin can design a website just like his own for you (and I must say it is a very professional looking website) and his fees are extremely reasonable.  You can contact Justin through his website - www.justinhwalters.com.  As for the upkeep, if someone can operate Facebook, they can operate a Wordpress blog as it is really user friendly.

The Lowdown

In this economy you cannot afford to be at a disadvantage and it is important to ensure that you are constantly improving, marketing and selling your brand.  This should start early in your career and creating a website is a great networking and marketing tool.   Creating your own personal website also forces you to give some thought to what important things you want to showcase to the world and may encourage you to constantly reevaluate key aspects to showcase.

Here is an excellent example that demonstrates that proper networking and marketing goes a long way. In this case, Justin sent me his website a few days ago and as a direct result of his marketing and networking efforts, I am likely going to hire him to work on my new law firm website - www.legalservicesincorporated.com. I currently use a template (yes, I know it looks like a template) but will hire Justin to create something that is closer to my own style. How is that for marketing efforts quickly finding a job!  I am also certain that some of you reading this blog will contact him to work on your websites.  This is only one example of how innovation and marketing yourself in the new cyber world can increase your chances of success and put money in your pocket.

I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the website idea and again please feel free to contact Justin if you need help with your website. His contact information is all on his website.  Here it is again. www.justinhwalters.com

Should You Accept a "Cold Offer" from a Law Firm?

The legal job market is tough and for many turning down a full-time job offer from a large law is something that is not considered.  The question arises though of whether or not you should accept an offer even if you get a clear signal that the firm does not really want you.  My answer is no but the decision will be guided by how badly you want the job.  So how does this happen?

In the legal field, there are many organizations that track and publish statistics regarding how many summer associates are brought into the firm after their 2L year and how many are offered full-time jobs after they graduate.  As many large firms want to maintain their statistic of offering 100% of their summer students jobs in order to attract the best students, they will at times give students a “cold offer.”  A cold offer is something like this.

“John, your performance during the summer has not really been that great and we do not see that you have much of a future with the firm. That being said, we are going to make you an offer. You should really consider whether this place is the place for you and we strongly encourage you to do some soul searching before you accept the offer. Perhaps a large firm is not for you.”

This is of course a "strong" cold offer and there are variations of them.  My personal opinion is that a cold offer is not a good thing and I would recommend turning it down unless you are desperate.  If you do accept the offer, the firm is under no obligation to keep you after you start and you will be a “marked” person who will be the first to be let go if there is ever downsizing.  Moreover, as your performance is already in question, you could be terminated with cause shortly after you start.  Also, in the United States employment is “at will” which means an employer can terminate you even without cause.  The ultimate decision is of course yours but these factors are something to consider.  Also remember that if the firm does not want you, someone else will.  Let your pride guide you and go somewhere where you are wanted.