How To Find the Right Candidate for Your Law Firm: Image: Supplied
It’s very common for highly desirable candidates to entertain discussions with two or more law firms because they know they’re in demand. With fierce competition, it’s crucial to stand out from the crowd to attract top talent. But how are you supposed to maximise your chances of retaining top talent when competing with firms of the same calibre? Despite what many people think, the top picks don’t always take the highest salary or join the biggest law firm. Today’s job candidates want clear expectations of their role, to grow personally and within the company, and good communication with management.
If you’re struggling to attract candidates or finding out they’re dropping out in the middle of the recruitment pipeline, don’t overlook these strategies for finding that next great legal professional.
If you don’t have first- or second-hand knowledge about any suitable candidates, you might be tempted to think there’s no chance of succeeding. Nothing could be further from the truth. The perfect candidate for your law firm is out there somewhere. If you wait too long to promote your job opening, you’ll do yourself a disservice. Ask your existing employees for help; they can advertise your business to friends and family so that you get free publicity. If you’re targeting graduates of a particular law school, promote through its channels. Students are interested in law firms that embrace innovative technologies, so emphasise your modern approach.
Better yet, hand over the recruitment process to an expert. Growing to the point of needing to expand is an accomplishment, but bringing new people on board is a tad complicated. To make sure you don’t screw up one of the most important decisions, use a legal recruitment agency which can find qualified legal staff at all levels. The legal recruiter will match candidates with the open position at your law firm – solicitor, legal executive, paralegal, support staff, etc. Legal Recruitment Agency UK is an option worth considering, specialising in introducing the strongest talent to clients. If you want to find out more, please visit https://www.legalrecruitmentagencyuk.co.uk/.
As mentioned earlier, highly sought-after candidates have lots of options to choose from. Salary, benefits, and career prospects play a key role in the decision-making process, but the deciding factor is often speed. A long interview process gives top picks time to reach out to competing law firms, which is why you need to try to seal the deal as soon as possible. Of course, you don’t want to compromise on quality hiring decisions, so create a candidate evaluation process. A good recruitment agency will help you find out what motivates candidates and give them all the information they need to make a decision.
Make it easy for interviewees to share feedback, although it might seem counterintuitive. Knowing why candidates drop out in the midst of the recruitment pipeline is the only way to improve the process and keep them engaged. More than half of job candidates have a poor experience, so give them the opportunity to share their grievances, especially if they feel like they’ve been taken seriously. The length of the interview process is only one issue. You might have been doing other things unintentionally that are driving top talent away, and who better than candidates to uncover the issues you need to address?
At present, candidates want to build successful law careers. In other words, their first working years must result in recognition and advancement; the last thing they want is to be stuck in a depressing dead-end role. If you want to win over top talent, show prospective employees what the future might look like. This doesn’t mean having a discussion about job titles but about the types of cases future legal professionals can expect to be involved in or what opportunities there are for mentoring trainees. Career progression is of the essence in the workplace journey. If the conversation begins after the offer stage, it’s too late to address concerns.
Leading law firms understand just how important it is to encourage professional development. Top talent will work for a firm that will help them acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to advance their careers, so do your best to support career growth. By understanding their long-term aspirations, you can better shape your actions. Maybe prospective employees want a mentor or a role model in their careers to help them make the right decisions and overcome challenges. Your most experienced legal professionals should pass on guidance, experience, and advice, while working in a one-on-one or group setting. Consider establishing a formal training program for partners who want to participate as a mentor.
Finally, yet importantly, you must be prepared to move on because It’s impossible to succeed with every undertaking. Even if you give the candidate a view inside the company and demonstrate a positive career path, they’ll take another offer. They’ve had a change of heart and decided they’re no longer interested. Frustrating as it may be when a job candidate declines your offer, act gracefully to avoid receiving a bad review. After all, you must run a reputable business. Even if the person has refused to join your team, maintain the relationship as they might share their experience with their peers or refer a friend.
If the job candidate doesn’t offer you a reason for declining the job, ask for one. With this information, you can successfully attract top talent in the future, so make sure it’s on the record. If you’re losing too many good candidates to the competition, the benefits may be more attractive, so do a competitive analysis and identify the key differences between you and them. When you partner with experts from a recruitment agency, you can improve your candidate experience. They’ll help you day in and day out. Of course, you don’t have to modify your practices all at once.
To sum up, finding the right person to hire can be frustrating. It won’t become any easier if you rely on outdated methods.
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