You have made the decision to leave your current role and know what you are looking for.
Now, it’s time to start getting your social profiles in order.
Why do this before your resume?
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Social profiles provide a point of verification
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Being easier to find means that opportunities will start to find you
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Having a strong personal brand will impact the type of opportunities you are offered
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People within your network may start to think of you for opportunities
Start with LinkedIn
When we talk about getting your social profiles in order, in Australia, LinkedIn is the major platform that you need to give serious consideration.
Virtually every major law firm and recruiter is actively using LinkedIn to identify and approach lawyers with potential job opportunities. Potential employers (and clients) will also use your Lin
kedIn profile as a point of verification and proof of your background and experience.
Here’s what you need to do to be found:
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Check your privacy settings: You might choose not to broadcast to everyone that you’re updating your profile. Manage your privacy here. In this section, you can also notify recruiters that you’re open to opportunities.
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Join the Australian Legal Community LinkedIn group – it’s a great way to expand your network within the legal profession.
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Get your profile to 100% complete – this makes you 40x more likely to appear in searches. More visibility = more relevant opportunities.
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Upload a professional headshot – modern, clean, solo photo. Avoid social photos (especially wedding pics with someone’s arm cropped around you!).
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Update your contact details so you’re easy to find and contact.
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Use an action-based headline, e.g. “Qualified legal professional helping [INDUSTRY] achieve [RESULTS]”.
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Create a custom LinkedIn URL, e.g. https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliasrecruit/ – it looks cleaner on your resume and helps you rank higher on Google.
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Use keywords strategically – if you want to rank for “family law,” repeat that term in your headline, job title, and job descriptions.
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Consider a LinkedIn Job Seeker account – gives you InMail access and boosts your profile visibility.
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Request recommendations and endorsements – recommendations carry more weight than endorsements, which can be random or inaccurate.
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Connect with peers, leaders, groups, and company pages relevant to your legal interests.
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Post 2–3 blog articles to showcase your expertise and interests.
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Google yourself to see what others will find.
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Audit your Facebook privacy settings – make sure nothing unprofessional is public.
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Review your Instagram posts and consider switching to private, or deleting controversial content. Recruiters (especially in the US) may hire companies to vet your social media before making an offer.
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Consider using a service like BrandYourself to help manage and clean up your digital footprint.
And excuse the plug — but you may want to follow the Elias Recruitment LinkedIn page where we regularly share legal industry news and job opportunities.
For further details, check out our 8 ways to build your personal brand with LinkedIn article.