Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
My advice to all worried undergrads is simple - don't fret just because things have become more challenging. Evolve and rise to the challenge. Start Networking. Milk your connections for all they're worth. Ask your friends and family if they have friends on the industry who might be happy to place your cv somewhere visible to their bosses or HR in exchange for a cup of coffee. Also, in this world of social media, you'll be able to find lots of potential cold call (or cold email) targets on forums and on LinkedIn.
Don't dehumanize lawyers. We're people too, and it can be very refreshing to receive a cold call from a hungry, ambitious undergrad who's scoured LinkedIn to hunt you and your peers down in an attempt to network his/her way into the industry. More important than legal skills are networking skills and the ability to build connections with strangers. Law is a business, and like all other businesses, ambition and thick-skinned hunger will take you far. Your prospective employers will appreciate your efforts and be impressed by your hunger, which could one day help to grow their business lines.
So stop worrying, and start getting hungry.
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Good advice. I definitely second it.
Let's not forget that the current and future grads have it very much harder than the lawyers of yesteryear. You won't believe how out of touch some hiring partners are with the conditions of today. Some seem to assume that trainee places are a virtual guarantee, and seem to assume that a graduate has some kind of problem if he struggles to get one. Repeated statements to that effect doesn't help either and perpetuates the same unrealistic career expectations that send increasing numbers overseas to study law every year.