There’s some great advice in a recent posting in lawjobs.com by Ari Kaplan, a former BIGLAW attorney who wrote a great book on networking (“The Opportunity Maker: Strategies for Inspiring Your Legal Career Through Creative Networking and Business Development.”)
The posting stresses the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) to legal employers. In a recovering market, they will be focussing on candidates who exhibit flexibility, resiliency, creativity, empathy, self-awareness, self-control, optimism, confidence, self-directedness, and determination despite setbacks. Persons with high EIQ display good judgment and get along well with others. (For more on EI, you should check out one or more of Daniel Goleman’s books on the subject.)
You really should read the Ari Kaplan’s entire post, but here are a couple of key quotes:
“Individuals who demonstrate thoughtfulness about the needs of an organization’s clients, the institution’s goals and the state of the legal industry will distinguish themselves.”
“[W]hen you meet someone, add a follow-up call or e-mail to your electronic calendar. For instance, if during a conversation someone shares an important court date, a key client meeting or a personal event, set a reminder to ask him or her about it in a week, a month or even longer, depending on the appropriate timing. Every interface is an opportunity.” (emphasis added)