Essential LInkedIn Dos and Don’ts for Law Students

Dan Pinnington / Excerpted from LAWPRO Magazine, Student Issue #1, 2012

With over 120 million users in more than 200 countries (including at least a million lawyers) and web traffic that ranks it as the 13 th most visited site on the planet, LinkedIn is the social networking tool of choice for professionals.

LinkedIn can also be useful to law students in a number of ways. First, it can help with your job search. A LinkedIn network can be helpful for finding people you (or your contacts) know at law firms you are interested in. Second, it gives you some online profile. Potential employers are likely to “Google” you and look at what you have posted in social media circles. They will also look to see your online connections and friends.

If you aren’t on LinkedIn, you should take the plunge. It is very easy to create and maintain a presence on LinkedIn. And, when one considers ethical obligations and other practical dangers, LinkedIn is the safest social media tool for lawyers to use. . . .

Don’t list every job you ever had. . . .

Do list other relevant or interesting background. . . .

Don’t use formal and dry CVspeak. . . .

Do make your profile public. . . .

Do create a LI vanity URL. . . . I suggest you use the following: linkedin.com/in/First NameLastName. . . .

Don’t automatically blast all your other social media updates to your LI contacts. . . .

Do post regular updates, but don’t overdo it. . . .

[Read the full LAWPRO article at http://www.practicepro.ca/lawpromag/LinkedIn-dos-and-donts.pdf]