by Ashley Matthews

During today’s #PSJDChat on Twitter at 3 pm Eastern, we’ll be discussing ways to use our social media profiles during the public interest law job hunt to stand out from the crowd and create a personal and professional brand. It’s no secret that social media has revolutionized the way job seekers look for new opportunities. With easy access to technology, searching for jobs has become a task that most people can complete at home in their pajamas, at any time of day or night.

So how does this affect you as a law student or graduate looking for public interest employment? According to the American Bar Association’s 2012 Legal Technology Survey Report, there has been a marked growth in the amount of social media activity in legal communities. This means that law firms and lawyers are more likely to blog and use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn than ever before.

With competition for public interest law jobs at an all-time high, law students are getting proactive about ways to use social media to plan their careers and manage their online reputations. However, there is an art to building a digital brand – especially in the world of public interest law. Here are a few things we’ll be discussing during today’s #PSJDChat:

1. Broadcasting What Kind of Job You’re Looking For

With the rise of microblogging and status updates, it’s easy as a click of a button to find out the latest information about anyone with a searchable social media profile. Today, we’ll discuss the best ways to maximize your microblogging and send out public blasts about yourself and your professional interests.

2. Building a Multiplatform Digital Profile

These days, some would argue that your online profile is more valuable than your paper resume. With the right hyperlinks and recommendations, your digital resume can offer a much more comprehensive view of who you are and what you do.

3. Stalking Researching Your Potential Employer

One of the best tips in preparing for a new job is to investigate news and developments related to where you want to work. Finding this information is easy, but what do you do with it once you find it? We’ll discuss this today during the #PSJDChat!

4. Retweet, Retweet, Retweet

Twitter is quickly becoming one of the best ways to create your own personal brand and find out information about employers that would previously be difficult to locate. Today, we’ll talk about how to strategically retweet desired employers and hiring managers, and how to connect with those in your chosen field.

5. Developing Your Personal and Professional Brand

Your social media profiles all offer a comprehensive view of who you are. In the world of public interest, your hobbies and beliefs may be more important to potential employers. Today, we’ll talk about how to effectively use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to show your personality and professionalism, and discuss other web tools that can help you develop and shape your online reputation.

6. Joining Industry Chats

#PSJDChat included! Industry chats are a great way to show a demonstrated interest in your chosen field. Today, we’ll talk about industry chats that exist relating to public interest and social justice law.

7. Using Different Social Media Outlets in Different Ways

With controversy over privacy concerns mounting, it’s smart to tailor your use of social media to your different job search needs. There’s no way around it: lawyers are held to a higher ethical standard, and our public profiles must reflect that. We’ll talk about the different ways to use various social media outlets to enhance the public interest law job search.

8. Following Your Digital Footprints

Potential employers use Google to research applicants’ past history, employment and education. Where does your digital footprint lead? We’ll show you how to find it.

9. Using Pinterest Professionally

Pinterest is the relatively new-kid-on-the-block in the world of social networking sites. We’ll talk about innovative ways to keep your Pinterest page professional and use this site to your job-hunting advantage.

10. Creating a Social Media Package

Once you’ve developed a personal and professional brand using social media, how do you package and present yourself to potential employers using all of this information? We’ll share ideas and fun ways to get yourself noticed and stand out from other job applicants using the power of social networking technology.

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During the #PSJDChat, we will talk freely, share success (and horror) stories, and get advice about all of these tips and more. Be sure to check out our #PSJDChat blog post for instructions on how to join and links to sites that will help you follow along with the conversation. We will post a recap and transcript of the chat here on the PSJD blog, along with standout tweets and information about next week’s chat.

See you there!