Do Blackberries outnumber iPods in your office? The connected generation is no longer a passive audience when it comes to obtaining information. Make sure your recruitment efforts are aligned with the newest generation of graduates.

There is a new reality in legal recruiting and the old rules no longer apply. In the midst of a very competitive recruiting environment, firms are competing to attract the attention of a new generation of law students – the online generation that has been bred in the world of technology.

Look around your office. How many Blackberries are there? Now look again. How many iPods do you see? If your firm is like most, the Blackberries outnumber the iPods by a significant margin. You might conclude that iPods are unimportant to your recruiting efforts. But, you'd be wrong.

According to Apple Computer, in the fourth quarter of 2005, 14 million iPods were sold. Compare this with the entire population of three million Blackberry users in the U.S.

Today's law students not only have new vehicles for getting information, they have a different mindset about the information gathering process. They want to be in the driver's seat, controlling how, when and where they get information.

In the past law students were passive recipients of information. They would have to sift through the material a law firm sent them – regardless of its relevancy or their interest. But, as electronic age visionary Marshall McLuhan so aptly stated, the medium is the message. Given the new reality of today's online generation, firms need to provide information via the technology students are comfortable using. It is now up to the students to pick and choose what is relevant to them.

Recruiters must also consider the criteria that law students use to select one firm over another. Studies have shown that what typically tops the list is the students' comfort with the people, environment, culture and values of a firm. Online media, including Web videos, blogs, and podcasts, are well suited to convey this information. They can communicate, in an authentic and compelling way, a firm's personality and values as well as capture what it would be like to work there. The online media is also readily accessible to students, as well as easy and cost effective for a firm to produce.

How can you leverage this new media to your advantage and communicate what truly sets your firm apart? Following are five strategies for accomplishing this:

• Liven up your website with Web video. Create an engaging Web site by integrating video. A simple Web video, for example, can make a managing partner's letter, attorney bios and testimonials come alive. Web videos can also be used to describe special activities and initiatives, such as a firm's diversity commitment or pro bono work. By integrating Web videos, you can show the genuine culture and personality of your firm in ways that written words just can't.
• Consider blogs to communicate multiple perspectives on your firm. There are 41 million blogs worldwide, according to an article in the June 1 Wall Street Journal. Law firms are successfully using blogs for business development by showcasing their expertise. Why not for recruiting purposes as well? Not only should recruiters have their own blogs, they should consider having multiple blogs presenting different perspectives. Attorneys could share news of their practices, recruiters could discuss hiring plans or interview tips and new associates could describe their first week of work at the firm. All of your blogs should be friendly, personable and inviting. It's also important to update them frequently so law students have a reason to check back. Additionally, frequency of updates increases the chances that search engines will find your blog when students are surfing the Web.
• Get ready for video blogging. Things are moving fast in this arena. Video blogging promises to be “the next big thing.” For example, Rocketboom, a three-minute daily news spoof video blog has reached almost 300,000 daily viewers in just 18 months!
• Reach out to students through podcasts. Podcasting, or distributing audio for playback on iPods and other mobile devices, is an effective way of reaching the busy law student who's looking for instant, on-the-go information. Podcasts provide a comfortable vehicle for “passive” job seekers who would prefer to remain anonymous at this point of their search. Podcasts can also be distributed through an online syndication capability known as RSS feeds. In the same way that news is distributed through wire services, podcasts can be made available through multiple channels.
• Take your story with you, wherever you go. You've traveled across the country to meet a candidate. You're sitting at lunch trying to convince him or her that your firm welcomes diversity. The candidate is skeptical. You reach into your pocket and pull out your Palm TREO phone and show a series of 30-second heartfelt testimonials from minority attorneys at the firm. Seeing and hearing people talk about their experiences can be very compelling.

Web sites, blogs and podcasts offer unprecedented opportunities for reaching law students in unique ways. However, technology alone will not get your message across if you don't know what you want to say. In the end, it's all about messaging. You need to determine what sets you apart, and convey your differentiated message consistently using the media of the online generation. That way, students will be able to get to know you in an authentic and compelling way before they even set foot in your door.