In today’s highly competitive legal recruiting market, law firms have challenges finding and attracting talent to join their firm. From law firm associates to senior partners and whole practice groups to new office branches, efficient legal recruiting can make the difference between simply competing and consistently winning.
Summary
Are you looking to hire an attorney recruiter?
These are the characteristics you will want to look for:
- Intuitive, self-starter, with great people skills
- Entrepreneurial skills
- Diligence & great work ethic
- Knowledge & understanding of the law profession
- Likeability & impressive persuasion skills
- High level of concentration
- Resilience
According to the American Bar Association, there were about 1.336 Million lawyers in the graduating class of 2017. Statistics also show about a 1.6% increase in the number of attorneys in comparison to 2016.
Hiring an Attorney Recruiter has become more of a necessity rather than a choice for any law firm looking to build their team with the right talent
Characteristics of a Great Attorney Recruiter
1.Intuitive, Self-Starter, with Great people skills
Often people ignore the power of intuition in recruiting. We have found that intuition is that “hunch” that helps us make the right choice for our clients. In many cases, clients are clear about the tangible qualifications the attorney needs to possess, however, they often leave out other requirements, such as compatibility with the organizational culture; or the need to work with someone who fits in (in this case it defines the flow of the firm).
Being a good Attorney Recruiter requires the ability to see the bigger picture and sometimes introduce new ideas that neither the firm nor the job seeker has previously considered.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Recruiting attorneys can seem like a high-profile opportunity, but it is not as easy as it appears. Good attorneys are sought by many different firms. It takes long hours of research and phone calls.
Recruiters live by the motto “your profit is from the business you bring”, which means their compensation is based on performance rather than just the hours they put in. Based on all of this, becoming an attorney recruiter is as entrepreneurial as it can get, which means that very few people will make it as Attorney recruiters.
Diligence & Great Work Ethic
In the legal profession, diligence and great work ethics are some of the most important characteristics to possess as a lawyer or a recruiter.
There is a misconception that attorney recruiters have to put in fewer hours compared to an actual lawyer working in a firm. This is a false impression. It can take hundreds to even thousands of hours to find and engage with the right attorney candidate for a client.
Finally, attorney recruiting requires a high-level of work ethic; clients (firms) are depending on the recruiter to make the right choices for them. We always walk away from a deal that could hurt our client. We advise our clients against hiring our candidate if sometime just seems “off”. At the same time, firms expect the recruiter to become flexible enough to deliver the desired results within the right time frame. As you can imagine, this can be stressful.
Knowledge & Understanding of the Legal Profession
While it is possible to become a legal recruiter without going to law school, there are some exceptions where attorneys become recruiters.
It is necessary to have a working knowledge of the legal profession in order to understand the candidates who are recruiting. One can assess a recruiter’s knowledge with a general conversation.
Being a great recruiter takes passion, drive, and the ability to make the right matches.
5Likeability & Impressive persuasion Skills
Likeability is the means by which an attorney recruiter gets in the door in the first place. Likeability leads an attorney recruiter to gain the trust of a firm or client; as well as to get the best attorneys to take our call.
Often, firms are looking at more than one attorney recruiter, so persuasion and history of success helps the recruiter stand out.
High levels of Concentration
Attorney recruitment is a process that takes patience, trust, and time.
There are often frustrating days, but the commitment to find the client the right person helps tremendously.
Higher levels of commitment and concentration allow the attorney recruiter to notice opportunities or problems that the firm may not notice.
Bouncing back from adversity & resilience
Recruiting can be a bumpy but rewarding ride. It takes the ability to bounce back from adversity which some refer to as resilience. Recruiters are selling an opportunity. As with any sales role, the recruiter hears 100 no’s to every 1 yes.
It’s vital to ensure you find an attorney recruiter who possess these qualities. At Talent Matched, we pride ourselves on our team, process of passive recruiting, and the fast that we always try to do the right thing for all parties involved. To learn our passive recruiting secrets, visit us at http://talentmatched.co/top-3-secrets-to-hiring-the-best-talent.