Your summer job experience is complete and you are back in the classroom . . .  What steps can you take now to help you land your next summer position or post-graduate employment?

Today’s Expert Opinion column comes to us from Sharon Booth, Director of Public Interest Programs at Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad Law Center in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.  Sharon is a former Legal Aid attorney who has been with NSU for approximately 10 years.  Her column addresses the key steps you should be taking now to ensure you are maximizing the potential of this summer’s experience to further explore your career path and find your next job.

1.) Continue to cultivate your relationship with your summer employer(s).

• Keep in touch with your summer employer(s) by periodically emailing or calling them after you return to school.  If your employer has an email distribution list for announcements ask to be added to the listserv.
• Be assertive in expressing your interest in a future position with their organization (if applicable).  If not, keep them apprised of your future plans and career goals.
• Participate in networking opportunities with your summer employer(s) by attending office events, community service activities or local bar association meetings during the academic year.
• Maintaining this relationship could lead to anything from a great recommendation to a full time job after graduation!

2.) Utilize your summer contacts to set up informational interviews.

• Create a list of the contacts you made over the summer, including geographic and practice areas.
• As you begin to plan for your second summer or post-graduate employment, set up informational interviews with several of these individuals.  Although you are not seeking employment directly from them, always take an updated copy of your resume in case they offer to pass it along.
• This type of research and preparation is an invaluable tool for learning more about the opportunities, personalities and legal culture in a particular city, practice area or organization.
• For more information on informational interviews, including sample letters and questions, you can check out this publication from Harvard Law School:  http://www.law.harvard.edu/current/careers/opia/landing-your-job/networking/index.html

3.) Remember your fellow students.  Your peers can be a great source to further your understanding of various practice areas and/or to help you broaden your own network of contacts.

• After returning to school, meet with fellow interns from your organization and/or students who worked at other organizations that interest you.
• Students who worked at other organizations can often provide introductions to their own summer employer(s) which could lead to an informational interview or even a job opportunity.
• Ask questions, share your experiences and brainstorm about the positives and negatives with your fellow students.  Determining what you don’t want to do is sometimes as important and establishing what you love to do!

4.) Update your resume while this summer’s experience is fresh.

• Use the information on your timesheet or pro bono log to update your resume with an accurate and comprehensive job description.
• Be specific!  Include the skills you learned/honed over the summer (legal research projects, writing assignments, client contact, courtroom experience, etc.).

5.) Be proactive.  Did you complete a written product that would be a great writing sample for your job search?  Request permission to use the piece as a writing sample.

• A good writing sample is an important part of the interview and hiring process.  Once you have permission to use all or part of a particular piece of work, be sure that is formatted properly and free of any typos or errors.
• It is a good practice to include a cover page for your writing sample that explains the context of your writing sample, when it was written, and confirms that it is shared with the permission of a previous employer (if applicable).

6.) Reflect on your summer experience.

• What skills sets did you strengthen?  Which areas need improvement?
• How should this influence your co-curricular activities, your choice of classes and/or your next job search?
• Use what you learned over the summer—about yourself and about the legal profession—to make informed choices about your future.