Is attaching a resume to your initial outreach presumptuous? Not Necessarily!
I’ve been helping folks apply to law firms out of law school for almost 7 years now so I’ve gotten many questions about the process outlined in The Complete Guide (even before I formalized it on this website). I love when this happens because it forces me to revisit the concepts and make sure they are still relevant.
This morning I got the message below from somebody going through the process and thought it was such a good (and probably common) question that I should respond to it in a blog post (I also responded directly to this person!).
hey there, I really love your guide, but something im battling with (and I dont know that I necessarily agree with), is the approach to ask for a job/attach your materials straight away. Perhaps its ingrained in my brain that its best to set up a call first and then go for the kill, as it were. BUT I do see the positive with just being upfront about it. I'm still not sure, convince me why my approach is wrong lol
Here is what I responded:
Hey there! So I see your point, but what happens in many cases is that your email gets forwarded around. Either to other partners or to the recruiting department with a note from the partner saying “I want to interview this person.” For example, when I used this method to get an interview at a large NY firm, the actual invite did not come from the partner I emailed. It came from the recruiting department (that I did not contact). If my materials weren’t attached it’s likely it wouldn’t have shaken out that way. All of that said, if you’re going for networking and just want a coffee chat, I do agree with you. Hope this helps!
Although the answer largely speaks for itself, I do want to call attention to two critical points:
The email you send will likely be circulated throughout the group/firm you send it to if the initial recipient thinks you are a good fit. It is therefore important to make it as easy as possible to forward your entire application package. This is why I advocate for putting all of your materials in a single PDF file.
Although I do not cover it in The Complete Guide, warm networking is a good way to start creating connections with prospective employers and can be done as early as your 1L year and also in the lead-up to OCI. When doing warm outreach to develop your network through coffee meetings and the like, do not send your resume and transcript until and unless you are asked for it.