Garrett Coleman ‘25
Staff Editor
This past Wednesday, the Office of Private Practice graciously brought many 1Ls up to speed on that most pressing of issues: how to interact with employers. From my perspective, my fellow KJDs and I had the most to gain from this primer on how to talk to people outside of a classroom.
First among the issues was the tone with which you address these potential employers. Unfortunately, helpful phrases such as “at your earliest convenience” betray the perception that you care about the employer’s time. Rather than make it obvious that all you want in life is to pay off your loans, the audience learned that employer interactions are a delicate tango of flattery. Ask them questions they know how to answer. Respond promptly to any communications from them. Do not further burden them with work of any sort. Never negotiate salary until at least the third interview. This frame of mind, in which you briefly sacrifice your interests to ease the employer’s workload, is absolutely necessary.
Closely related to this is the process of networking. When meeting with or calling attorneys to learn about how fulfilling—or lucrative—their careers are, it is critical to do your research beforehand. Know their alma maters, if and for whom they clerked, and where they are from so that you can ruthlessly exploit any similarities. Further, quality over quantity is the name of the game. Bragging about your incredibly high firm count will not do nearly as much good as the student who takes the time to forge genuine relationships with his contacts. But beware, networking can be overdone, to your detriment. Do not inundate the firms with communication or stalk every event in their calendar. Demonstrate your interest in a professional way and let the process take shape.
Much of the talk centered around large, campus-wide events, such as On Grounds Interviews (OGI) and the Firm Mix & Mingle coming this October. First on the To-Do List is crafting a short narrative statement in which you can quickly explain to a recruiter why you came to law school, for reasons other than softball. I initially feared that my philosophy major and subsequent lack of confidence in the job market were insufficient. But Kevin Donovan was sure to assuage similarly situated students that they must have some story to tell, or else they would not be walking these Grounds. He also explained how Career Services is available to help every student craft that narrative, and that their questions merely pull out the special characteristics of every UVA Law student.
Another revelatory aspect of this part of the presentation was the physical nature of events such as OGI, especially considering that many KJDs have basked in the comfort of virtual interviews and internships. Here are a few ground rules: (1) Do not eat messy food; (2) You may have one drink only; (3) Your left hand must not enter the handshake process; (4) Be persistent in getting your body into the carnivorous circles that form around recruiters; (5) Always help your classmates as they attempt to do the same. This process is further complicated by a reality described by OPP: “A lot of attorneys are awkward.” In many ways, this puts the onus on the UVA Law student to adapt her behavior to accommodate that attorney who would rather be reading in a hermitage.
When events do not take place in person, though, some additional rules of etiquette are introduced in exchange for you not having to wear pants. Your Zoom background needs to be clean and hide the fact that you stopped doing the dishes when your readings picked up. OPP explained how you should have notifications disabled, so as to give all your attention to the employer at hand. Your artistic goal in these settings should be to make the interaction as real as possible, letting your charm and good looks flow through the camera as they do in Spies Garden.
Lastly, strategies for the follow-up period were laid out. For those special someone attorneys that you really connected with in the speed-dating round, a personalized “thank you” email is a must. This, of course, should be formal in nature, filled to the brim with complete sentences, and able to actually demonstrate that you can differentiate that conversation from the dozens of others you had at OGI. Also, Lauren Parker explained how, for some older recipients and judges, paper “thank you” notes may be appropriate and add an additional touch of appreciation. Upon further research, I believe that these “paper thank you notes” refer to ancient English common law writs, used when lords and ladies found emails discourteous.
I am quite certain that the prospects of my fellow KJDs and I were greatly improved by this thorough and engaging presentation on interacting with employers.
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jxu6ad@virginia.edu