Networking. An activity that brings anxiety to most students unfamiliar with the corporate environment. A skill that is hard to perfect but easy to be average at. Fortunately, at networking evenings in the clerkship process, you don’t need to excel – these sessions are not assessed. Rather, it is an opportunity for you to learn as much as you can about the firm before your interview.
While you can choose to relax and enjoy your evening, there are also ways for you to take advantage of this opportunity and have all your questions answered. Here, I share 3 golden rules that have allowed me make the most out of my networking evenings.
Tip 1: Have an agenda
The night is about you. Unless you are one who can really stand out at such events (I know I could not), you are not here to impress everyone. Instead, take some time before the event to prepare a list of people who interest you so you have an agenda to follow on the night. A great way to start preparing that list is to identify certain practice areas that interest you.
On the evening, don’t rush into networking with the first person you see. Rather, I recommend that you first speak with the HR representative and ask them to help direct you to the person you are most interested in speaking to
Tip 2: Ask Direct Questions
Every lawyer in the room knows that you are after information and are often more than happy to assist. Don’t hesitate to be straightforward and direct when asking questions (but be somewhat prepared to answer if they throw the question back onto you). While speaking to a Partner seemed like an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed, I found that graduates and junior lawyers sometimes gave better and more insightful answers to my questions. As many students were often crowded around partners, junior lawyers were also more accessible.
When networking, I recommend that you tailor the questions in a way that can assist you with your interview preparation. Actively consider how the conversation could supplement your existing knowledge and lead the conversation to have those questions answered. One thing I often did at these networking evenings was ask the lawyer or partner a question that I expected to be asked at my own interview and see how they respond. If the response is eye-opening, you can look at incorporating those comments into your own interview. At the very least, it provides you with insight into what interviewers expect when they pose the same questions to you at the interview. These networking evenings gave me a great opportunity to develop my own answers and impress at my interviews.
Some other questions I have asked include: What is something this firm offers that its competitors do not? Which practice areas are the best in this firm? What made you stay with this firm for so long?
Tip 3: Entry and Exit Etiquette
Once you see the evening as an opportunity to learn as much as you can, you actively begin see value in some conversations and not others. This is perfectly fine but there is general networking etiquette you should follow so that the lawyer does not get the wrong impression. For most students, the biggest hurdle in networking etiquette is being able to seamlessly enter and exit conversations.
Enter…
Once you spot a lawyer you want to speak to, focus on two things: spacing and eye contact. Simply, find a space where the lawyer is able to see you and try to make eye contact with them. Once eye contact is made, smile and approach the group, introduce yourself and ask if you could join their conversation. In networking evenings such as these, the answer is always “yes, please join us”, the lawyer will brief you on what they were talking about and continue the conversation from there. Although you may have entered the conversation midway, don’t hesitate to take control of the discussion and ask the questions you want answered.
… and Exit
I have seen too many students stay back or “get stuck” speaking to lawyers for the sake of networking and get nothing out of the conversation. While it can be daunting to exit the conversation, lawyers understand that you want to get the most out of the networking evening, so it’s not rude to exit the conversation.
To exit a conversation, let the lawyer finish their response to the question, smile, shake their hand and thank them for their time before excusing yourself. You may also want to ask them if they could direct you to a particular person or someone from a particular practice area. This would save you time – the lawyer might even find that person and personally introduce them to you.
Want to feel ready for the next stage of the process – the interview stages? Have a read here on how to perform on the day!