“At a glance,” says Neil Sirota, assistant dean of career services at UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law, “many résumés look the same.”
That truth is one of the reasons Sirota is teaming up with Director of Graduate and International Admissions Sarah Dorner for a webinar that offers advice and guidance to prospective LLM students looking to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack.
On February 17th, “How to Market Yourself (and Your LLM) to Land Your Dream Job” was a free, 60-minute event. Among the topics Sirota discussed was building your brand and developing an elevator pitch, and the “who” and “how” of successful networking. Dorner was on hand to discuss UNH Franklin Pierce’s specialized LLM programs in intellectual property, commerce and technology, and international criminal law and justice. Watch the webinar:
In addressing not only what a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is but also how to create one, Sirota advises that LLM students must figure out how to offer prospective employers insight into who they are as individuals and also why they are the ideal candidate for a particular position.
“Most LLM students have some amount of practice experience as well as the graduate degree,” Sirota says. “The USP is an expression of your personal brand—the combination of education, skills, experience, and soft skills that only you can provide.”
To accomplish the establishment of a personal marketing plan, adds Sirota, students must first identify the areas in which they have excelled. “Perhaps you have both a strong technical background and a high emotional quotient,” he says. “Perhaps you have cross-border practice experience and can speak legal jargon in multiple languages. Coming to clarity with yourself about your USP is the first step. Next comes marketing it to employers.”
A Unique Selling Proposition, Sirota asserts, comes down to one essential question around which to build a personal brand: “What do you have that others don’t?” The answer could include anything from skillset to experience to character, and all things in between. Highlighting these selling points can be done visually on a résumé as a first impression, including the use of bold and italics to bring attention to areas of particular significance.
“The key to expressing the USP in your application materials is to ensure that the materials reflect an expression of your brand,” Sirota says. “Make sure your cover letter tells a story that goes beyond clichés and uses concrete examples to illustrate your strengths and accomplishments. Together, all your application materials should be a reflection of your brand and specifically those parts of your brand that are uniquely you.”
