GURU GOBIND SINGH INDRAPRASTHA UNIVERSITY

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
ASSIGNMENT

Submitted by:
Name: Aman Gahlot
Course: B.B.A. LLB
Enrolment No.: 00416503520
Introduction

What is Networking and Why Should I Do It?

Networking can feel like an intimidating process, but networking is really just another
word for creating and maintaining professional relationships. Law students often tense
up at the idea, but in reality, networking involves little more than talking to others about
their careers and prior experiences, asking for their advice, and staying in touch. By
networking, you are building relationships, as well as relationship-building skills, which
will help you far beyond the short-term goal of finding summer or post-graduate
employment.

Building your professional network will enhance your career in three main ways:

Career Exploration: Connecting with other legal professionals can help you learn the
advantages and disadvantages of career paths that interest you, while also exposing
you to new areas you may not have yet considered. Keep in mind that exploration is
an ongoing process. You will likely switch jobs one or more times over the course of
your career and having a knowledgeable network will help make those transitions easier
and more rewarding.

Job Hunting: Many employers rely on their own connections to recommend good
candidates, so when job openings occur, few are widely publicized. By meeting people in
your desired field, you are greatly increasing your chances of finding out when these
“hidden” openings occur. Once you’ve identified a job prospect, your network can also
help move your application forward in the hiring process. Of course, your merit will
actually get you the job, but it may be your network that gets your resume reviewed in
the first place.

Professional Development: Even if you are not actively looking for employment,
building your network early on will give you a head start on identifying potential clients,
meeting the movers and shakers in your field, and staying informed of important
developments in your industry and market. It always makes sense to build your
professional network, as it will serve you well for many reasons throughout your career.

Office of Career
Planning
Expanding Your Network
Believe it or not, you already have a network – former employers, neighbors, friends,
classmates, professors, and so on. Keep in touch with these people as you move through
your career! From here, think of your network as ever-expanding two ways – outward
and upward.

Outward networking is connecting with people with whom you do not yet share a
personal connection. As a student, this most often involves talking with MLS alumni, and
it is one of the smartest steps you can take in finding a summer internship or post-
graduate job. Most alumni are thrilled to talk with students about their own practice
and their career paths, and to provide insight into the employment market in their city.
Don’t think that you must have already decided on your career path or a particular
practice area to talk to alumni; remember networking is as much about career
exploration as it is career advancement.

Upward networking is just as crucial and involves building on the contacts you’ve
already made. Never end an informational conversation with a professional contact
without asking for the name of someone else who might be able to help. And don’t
forget your personal connections! Does your fraternity brother’s father work at the
EPA? Maybe you have an aunt with contacts at a San Francisco law firm. When reaching
out to these people, be polite and be sure to ask your primary contact before using his
or her name as your point of referral.
Sourcing New Contacts

 LinkedIn is an amazing tool for reaching out to alums and other

lawyers with similar interests. Build your profile to 100% completion
to present a professional public image, then connect with people
already in your network, as well as those you meet through the
networking process..

 Use the MLS AlumNetwork to search for alumni by market, practice area, and
other criteria. Don’t be shy about reaching out to these alums – the results of
your search will only bring up alumni who want to be contacted by students.

 Use OCP’s Public Service Network to find public service alumni who are willing to
advise students. PSN also includes summer public service job summaries written
by Michigan Law students who received 1L or 2L funding. These summaries
include information about their organizations, the intern hiring process and
oversight, a discussion of the work performed, and tips on applying.

 Visit [Link] and use the advanced search function. You can limit your
search by a number of relevant criteria, including law school attended, practice
area, and name of company. Martindale is not exhaustive, but can be a great way
to identify alumni that may not be covered by one of the other sources above.

 Most law firms have a directory of attorneys that allows you to search by law
school, in addition to searching by name or city or practice area.

 Browse the Student Summer Employment List which lists where students spent
their summers. The list can be sorted by geographic area, employment type, and
organization name. Everyone listed has agreed to speak with other students about
their experiences.
Other Great Resources

 Attend (or organize!!!) meetings and panels about job searching, practice areas of
interest, and so on. Talk to panelists about their organizations and find out about
summer internships and possible job openings. If the speakers are students, ask
them questions about their summer experiences and how they got their jobs.

 Michigan Law professors are an excellent source of knowledge and contacts, in

both the private and public sectors. Don’t be shy about asking for their
mentorship and advice on certain paths in the law where they have knowledge
and/or experience.

 Don’t forget networking opportunities through bar associations in the city or

state of your choice as well as special interest associations such as the Armenian
Bar Association or the Insurance Law Section of the ABA. Many associations
charge only a nominal fee for students. You may also get access to newsletters
and unique job postings, in addition to finding alumni. You can also search the
licensed attorney rolls of a particular state for Michigan alumni.
Reaching Out to Potential Connections
Once you’ve identified a potential connection, you’ll want to be sure you know the right
way to reach out to ensure a positive first impression. Many attorneys and business
professionals prefer that students first contact them via email rather than making the
first point of contact via telephone. Your outreach email should be professionally
appropriate – make sure you proofread to catch any errors!

Your Approach Email

For your initial outreach, draft a brief, customized email to each contact. In your email,
you should introduce yourself as an student, explain where you got the contact’s name,
and provide a sentence or two of background information about yourself. Then,
politely ask for 10-15 minutes of time to find out more about his or her career path.
While alumni are often happy to speak to students for more than 10-15 minutes, asking
for shorter initial meetings lets the alum feel like he or she is making less of a
commitment, and gives him/her to power to decide whether he or she would like to give
you more time. Remember, if all of your questions are not answered in the first round,
you can circle back with some follow-up questions later on, which is a great way to
keep the conversation going. Although it takes time to craft separate emails for each
network contact, a well-written outreach email ensures a greater response rate than a
generic correspondence. Mentioning mutual connections in your email, whether a
mutual contact, a shared professional or academic experience, or membership in the
same student organization, can engender goodwill and impel even the busiest alum to
respond. See the appendix to this handout for samples of initial contact emails. Once
you’ve completed your email, ask an OCP counselor or trusted friend to review your
outreach; sometimes requests inadvertently come across as overly pushy or apologetic,
or with an unclear request.

Office of Career
Planning
The Informational Interview
First - Research!
Before your meeting, do some basic research about the agency or organization,
including the specific office, where your contact works. That way, you won’t waste time
asking something you could have learned on your own, and you’ll look much more
informed and engaged. You should especially be familiar with anything that is already on
a public website.

You should also think about what advice and information you are hoping to learn and
create a written list of several questions you would like answered. Review the examples
in the appendix to this handout for ideas, but remember that more specific,
personalized questions are bound to elicit better advice and help you establish a
stronger connection.

The Conversation
When you speak with your contact, your goal is to get advice, information and referrals.
It is always better to ask for something the alum can give you – advice – rather than
asking for a job. When you aggressively sell yourself or ask for favors too soon, the alum
may be reluctant (or unwilling!) to help you because he or she doesn’t yet know you!
Impress the contact with your intelligence, interest and drive during your meeting and
he or she may be willing to introduce you to additional contacts within their network,
provide advice on the application process, or even advocate for your candidacy.

At the end of your conversation, ask for the names of other people with whom you can
speak. Contact these people and forge relationships with them as well. Remember, this
is an ongoing process—when it comes to your network, bigger is usually better.

You may find that you feel a bit awkward during your first few networking conversations
– that’s okay! Like any other skill, networking can be improved with practice. Many
students find it helpful to start networking with classmates and people they already
know so their skills are more polished when they start reaching out to alumni or people
with whom they are not already acquainted. Students generally report that their
comfort level with networking improves once they’ve had a few conversations. If you
are not finding this to be the case, consult with an OCP counselor to develop networking
strategies that work well for you.
Follow-up
After your conversation, you should plan to stay in touch with your new contact. Always
send a thank- you note or email within 1-2 days of the meeting. You’ll want to also
continue to update alumni on your job search progress based on their advice (e.g., if
they referred you to an additional contact, let them know when you’ve connected with
that person). Make sure you also update your contacts once you complete your job
search, even if it is not with their organization – people like to hear that their advice was
useful!

Some Final Tips…

Be Persistent. If your contact doesn’t answer your initial email, don’t be bashful about
following-up in about a week to ten days. Of course, don’t be a pest – if your contact
doesn’t answer the follow-up email, try moving on to another potential contact.

Be Organized. Keep a spreadsheet listing with whom you spoke and who referred you to
each person. Include some basic information about each person such as his or her
contact information, the date you last spoke, target follow-up dates, and one or two
sentences about your conversation.

Be Inquisitive. Ask your contact about what she perceives to be the positives and the
negatives of his or her practice. Only by having a sense of both can you make
preliminary judgments about whether the job matches your skills and values.

Be Likeable. Networking is all about building relationships. Being polite and friendly and
connecting with people on a personal level is just as important as sounding professional
and well-informed.

Be Respectful. Make sure you have permission from your contact before using his or her
name in further outreach or cover letters.

Maintain the Relationship. Send your professional contacts periodic updates about
where you landed and what you’re doing. If someone’s advice led to a job or changed
your career trajectory, let him know! You may just make his day with a thank you and an
explanation of how his advice helped you.

Have Fun! Remember you are not reaching out to your network solely to get a job
interview. Enjoy the process of meeting people and learning about their careers and
allow the relationships to build organically.

And always send a thank-you note!

Sample Networking Emails