S1: Bonus Episode: Claudio A. Klaus Jr
Meet Claudio A. Klaus Jr, a LinkedIn influencer and a law student from Brazil. He built a network of 9,000 LinkedIn followers under 6 months. He became interested in pursuing a Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree during the pandemic. While researching different study abroad options, an idea struck him: “why not share my research?” He founded Estudar Direito pelo Mundo (Studying Law around the World) to share his insights and conversations with international legal professionals. Then the opportunities soon started pouring in. His network of international legal professionals led to multiple study abroad opportunities and an externship opportunity at Arizona Supreme Court . Now heʼs working for Duolingo, the language-learning App that has over 500 million active users around the world. Find out more about how to maximize your potential on LinkedIn and how to make job and internship opportunities come to you from Claudio A. Klaus Jr!
Tell us about yourself.
My first degree is in international relations, which sparked my interest to engage in international matters. Subsequently, I pursued law school and am soon to become a lawyer in Brazil, having graduated this July. Since high school, I have been interested in international opportunities and connecting different countries through my pursuits. Thus, exploring how I could integrate the law into such endeavors has been fascinating. During my law school years, I had the privilege of being a legal extern at the Arizona Supreme Court. I took courses in foreign law at various US schools, including Fordham Law, Ohio State and York University in Toronto. These short courses, coupled with summer schools in Europe and a chance to visit Azerbaijan, have provided me with valuable training. They have enabled me to build a network of mentors and peers that supports my continued work and study in different parts of the world, connecting me to diverse cultures and legal systems.
How did you get the opportunity to extern at the Arizona Supreme Court as a lawyer trained in Brazil?
During the pandemic, I had a fortuitous opportunity to participate in Project Arizona, where I attended a lecture by Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick. After the lecture, I had the chance to speak with him and have kept in touch ever since. When Project Arizona resumed in person, I applied for the externship opportunity at the Arizona Supreme Court. I was fortunate to be offered the opportunity to work on several special projects, including researching the independence of the judiciary in various countries. The Justice often traveled around the country giving lectures on various topics, and I was able to assist the clerks and contribute to their ongoing work. Overall, it was an excellent experience.
Now you have built a community of 9,000+ followers in only 6 months. How did you create your network through your project Studying Law around the World?
I started my project called "Studying Law Around the World" or in Portuguese, "Estudando Direito pelo Mundo" during the pandemic. My initial idea was to pursue an LL.M. degree and learn from lawyers of diverse backgrounds, but I also wanted to investigate how one becomes a lawyer in different jurisdictions. I started interviewing legal professionals from around the world. I thought why not created a podcast featuring these interviews. I conducted the interviews bilingually, asking questions in English and translating their answers into Portuguese. It was a lot of work initially, but I eventually built a community and started hosting webinars with law schools. In the last six months, I've focused on interviewing different attorneys about their successes and legal careers in different countries, especially for aspiring international lawyers.
If you are looking for jobs or internships these days, you cannot afford not being on LinkedIn. How does one leverage social media to build one's network and expand job opportunities?
I completely agree that we should all have a presence on LinkedIn to build up our professional network, whether or not you are looking for jobs. While I understand that some people value their privacy, there is still value in being on social media. Itʼs not just about having a presence, it's also about using it effectively as a social network. One tip is to follow people on LinkedIn who teach you how to use the platform effectively.
In terms of important factors, it's essential to have a complete experience section, as this is where recruiters and people who search for you will learn about you and what you've been doing. Additionally, filling up the skills section is vital because the algorithm will help you match with job opportunities. Establishing a professional brand on LinkedIn is crucial, and networking is also important.
Providing professional updates helps those who are actively looking for job or internship opportunities. When you are proactive in demonstrating that you are working towards your professional goal, people are more likely to keep you in mind. First build the network. So go ahead and add people as connections, all those people in your graduating class, people you have relationships with, people that were your professors, etc. people that you met in events. Those connections become valuable in that sense because you kind of expand it, right? Sometimes, it just so happens that between you and a recruiter or between you and somebody who is interested in getting to know your work, you may have a mutual connection. That is very nice to see because you build your network and connections as well.