A Law graduate from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has landed a hat-trick of training contract offers, thanks to her huge social media presence.
Coleen Mensa, who graduated from DMU’s LLB Law course in 2012, has, in the past few years built an enviable online presence.
She has 11,000 Twitter and nearly 13,000 Instagram followers and writes regular blog posts for legal website LawCareers.net.
Having amassed such a following, Coleen has now grabbed the attention of the legal world and received three contract offers — one at a magic circle firm, one at a US firm and one at a Big Four accountancy firm.
And starting in September 2017, Coleen – who currently works as a paralegal at Pinsent Masons - has accepted a training position at EY Law.
In an interview with law news website Legal Cheek: “Social media can be a really valuable way to build your network and develop your brand. I feel that most law firms recognise this, and proactively use social media and video technology for recruitment, such as advertising events and carrying out video interviews.
“Talking to the camera feels natural to me. Yes, it’s personal content but if you are as comfortable with speaking as you are with writing, vlogging is just another way to express yourself.”
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Coleen, who makes at least one YouTube video a month in her professional capacity, admits planning, filming and editing videos can be time-consuming and said good time management was essential.
She told Legal Cheek: “It’s key to balance your time. If I’m in the office then clearly that takes priority, but I see social media as an outlet and if people want to get on board with it, then that’s great.”
But Coleen recognised that a public profile was just that – entirely public, and not without its risks.
She said: “Social media, if used in the right way, can open up a lot of opportunities. But you need to remember people can see your accounts at any time. It takes one video to go viral for people to get the wrong impression of you.”
Posted on Friday 3 February 2017