How to Make Opportunities Come to You

Most lawyers, when they’re ready to make a move, check out job postings to see what’s available, dust off their resume, and apply. Don’t be like most lawyers! Get ahead of the curve and make make opportunities come to you. How do you do that? This article summarizes the advice of  Harvard career services advisor and first-generation college and professional school grad Gorick Ng.  I have been advocating the same for years:

1. Build up social capital. First create your network. Join professional associations, volunteer at nonprofits, work with startups (meetup). Then people who know you (including your personality, work style, and interests) can keep an eye out for you for the right job. You have to also describe to them what that ideal job looks like since they don’t have ESP.
2. Position yourself for the job you want. Identify what you are interested in, figure out which companies fit the bill, see who you know who works there, and cultivate relationships in advance. That way when the job you want opens up, the employer thinks of you, rather than your passively applying at that time.
3. Update LinkedIn so people can quickly understand what you offer. The first thing many employees do when considering candidates is check out their LinkedIn page, so make sure it looks good and presents you well.
4. Keep abreast of industry trends for your career. Check out adjacencies to your area. If you are in employment law, you can pickup compliance. Or in commercial, pick up product. If in product, pick up privacy. Know where the market is going, what is growing and what is shrinking.