Requesting a zoom call on LinkedIn?

[lawstudent12]

I was talking to a friend who studies economics and wants to be an investment banker. He shared that when he networks and connects with people on LinkedIn, he sometimes request a quick zoom call with the other person if he wants to know more about their work. I am a law student and this to me seems really strange because I wouldn't normally feel comfortable taking up so much time.

Is there anything wrong with his approach? Is it acceptable/professional in the legal industry?

Thanks!

 

[Jessica Booker]

Absolutely no harm in asking - the worst that will happen is that they say no (or don’t reply at all).

 

[lawstudent12]

Absolutely no harm in asking - the worst that will happen is that they say no (or don’t reply at all).

Thank you so much - I just wanted to make sure that it wouldn't come across as an entitled second-year bothering professionals lol.

 

[Jessica Booker]

Thank you so much - I just wanted to make sure that it wouldn't come across as an entitled second-year bothering professionals lol.

Some people might perceive you as such, but that’s all it is, a perception. I’d just be selective with who you request calls with and make sure the message to them is tailored to them with purpose as to what you want to talk about and some form of reference why you have asked them.

 

[Jaysen]

I was talking to a friend who studies economics and wants to be an investment banker. He shared that when he networks and connects with people on LinkedIn, he sometimes request a quick zoom call with the other person if he wants to know more about their work. I am a law student and this to me seems really strange because I wouldn't normally feel comfortable taking up so much time.

Is there anything wrong with his approach? Is it acceptable/professional in the legal industry?

Thanks!

I think it's a great idea. People may say no because they are busy, but this wouldn't be because a Zoom call is unprofessional.

 

[JunLee2808]

I was talking to a friend who studies economics and wants to be an investment banker. He shared that when he networks and connects with people on LinkedIn, he sometimes request a quick zoom call with the other person if he wants to know more about their work. I am a law student and this to me seems really strange because I wouldn't normally feel comfortable taking up so much time.

Is there anything wrong with his approach? Is it acceptable/professional in the legal industry?

Thanks!

I did this for a few people at firms I was applying, and there was always a gain - I learnt more about the firm, industry and really improved my networking skills! I was also able to continuously keep in touch with one of the lawyers I did this with, and we occasionally still message each other on LinkedIn, and he would shoot me a personal message if deadlines were coming or vacancies were opening soon because he knew I was interested in applying. When my friends did their internship at the firm (I got rejected), I asked my friends to help me say hi and thank you to that specific lawyer. My friends told me he received that really well, and he actually said I left a very good impression on him, and I could message him whenever I had queries.

Tl;dr - It's a really good idea to do this!! Don't worry about becoming unprofessional. I don't think there's any serious downside and it just shows you're proactive/interested. If you get ghosted, theres no net loss to you. If they reply, thats great! I spammed invitation messages to about 10+ lawyers and only heard back from 2, but it was still a meaningful call. Some knowledge and insights are better than none.

The only thing I would say is in your initial message, state a time/duration of how long the call will take. If the lawyer is free to take a call, stick to that time - no longer unless they're ok with it, because you never know if they might have another meeting or urgent matter they had to take on after the call.

Hope it helps!