Almost Graduation: Job Strategies for 3Ls with no job
Posted: Tue Apr 02, 2013 7:17 pm
Hello,
I am currently a 3L, ranked in the top third of my class at a school ranked in the top 75-100 with no job offers yet. I've put substantial effort into my job search, but continue to strike out. I had a federal government internship my 2L summer, but they are not hiring (although I have tons of great references and recommendation letters). I've networked quite a bit in law school, but I'm having a hard time making it pay off. I usually hear from attorneys I know that they'd love to help me, but it doesn't seem like anyone is hiring. From talking to people in my network, my understanding is that a lot of small firms are not hiring until after the bar. I've sent letters to firms and have had a few informational interviews. These have gone well, but have not led to any offers. People always tell me something along the lines of "It's great to meet you, thanks for your interest, we're impressed with your resume/experience, keep in touch." Right now, I'm just continuing to cold-call small firms in the practice area that I'm interested in. If nothing comes up, I'm planning on volunteering for a legal services organization to do something good with my skills and build experience until I can get paid. It seems a lot of my classmates are in the same boat. Is there anything else I can do this late in the game to improve my efforts? Is anyone else in the same boat? Should I just continue to contact firms and hope for the best once I'm licensed?
I am currently a 3L, ranked in the top third of my class at a school ranked in the top 75-100 with no job offers yet. I've put substantial effort into my job search, but continue to strike out. I had a federal government internship my 2L summer, but they are not hiring (although I have tons of great references and recommendation letters). I've networked quite a bit in law school, but I'm having a hard time making it pay off. I usually hear from attorneys I know that they'd love to help me, but it doesn't seem like anyone is hiring. From talking to people in my network, my understanding is that a lot of small firms are not hiring until after the bar. I've sent letters to firms and have had a few informational interviews. These have gone well, but have not led to any offers. People always tell me something along the lines of "It's great to meet you, thanks for your interest, we're impressed with your resume/experience, keep in touch." Right now, I'm just continuing to cold-call small firms in the practice area that I'm interested in. If nothing comes up, I'm planning on volunteering for a legal services organization to do something good with my skills and build experience until I can get paid. It seems a lot of my classmates are in the same boat. Is there anything else I can do this late in the game to improve my efforts? Is anyone else in the same boat? Should I just continue to contact firms and hope for the best once I'm licensed?