Let’s face it, recruiters generally aren’t held in the highest esteem by the general public. As a recruiter myself, I’m not really interested in recruiter bashing and helping to perpetuate the negative stereotypes of recruiters that seem to do the rounds on LinkedIn. However, I do think that we recruiters aren’t as good as we could be at explaining to jobseekers what it actually is that we do for them. Yes, in a nutshell we help people to get jobs; however, if those of us that are ethical and genuinely quite good at what we do were only more thorough in explaining the service we provide (free of charge to jobseekers, I might add), I think it would improve the reputation of the recruitment industry and, in turn, give jobseekers more confidence to work with recruiters in the way that recruiters like (i.e. closely and openly).
As such, I thought that it would be a sensible idea for me to set out in a simple manner what it actually is that the recruiters here at Realm offer…
1. We understand your motives and priorities
The starting point for us is always to get to know you. We want to properly understand what it is that is driving you, what aspects of your job you like and dislike, what it is that you would broadly want to achieve if you were to move jobs, and what your overall priorities are. Is it all about reducing your commute or earning more money, for example, or are you looking for greater flexibility or more varied work?
Most of this information we can extract from an open and honest introductory chat, though we sometimes ask people to go away and complete certain exercises if they struggle to answer our questions.
In going through this process, we help many of the people we work with to gain some perspective. This process can often make them realise that they’re actually pretty happy and have perhaps been fixating on something relatively small, or conversely it can awaken them to the fact that there is actually a lot wrong with their current role. Either way, it helps to put us in a position whereby we can properly use our market knowledge and expertise to offer you advice and direction.
2. We give you an informed overview of the market
Once we’ve got under your skin, we will talk you through what’s going on in the wider market. We’ll explain not only who is actively recruiting, but amongst other things we’ll also tell you who is discreetly on the lookout to grow, who has recruited recently, what sort of salaries are being offered, and what trends we’ve identified.
We’re experts in the areas we recruit into but, we don’t expect you to take that for granted and understand that it is easier for you to believe in the advice we’re likely to offer further down the line if we’ve properly briefed you as to the bigger picture at the outset.
Having a good overview will also give you yet more perspective and help you to make informed decisions.
3. We discuss specific options
We will then run through prospective options that we think could tick the boxes for you.
With the market in recent years having generally been jobseeker-short, many of the law firms we recruit for take a pragmatic approach to recruitment and so a lot of the placements we make come about despite there not necessarily having been a vacancy. As such, we won’t simply match you up to the vacancy we’re currently recruiting for that we think your experience best fits; we’ll talk through our clients whom we think could be a good fit for you. You’ll work with a recruiter who either recruits specifically into the practice area in which you work or who has been recruiting lawyers for around a decade, so you can be sure that we’ll be able to open doors for you.
4. We help you with your CV
A well-drafted, up-to-date CV is a great tool for us to use in our efforts to secure you a new role. As such, we will endeavour to help you to pull one together. We know the people we work with have busy lives and so we don’t just offer advice, we also physically help to draft and format your CV.
Nonetheless, the time involved in putting a traditional CV together, particularly for someone who hasn’t an old copy to work from, can sometimes become a barrier. However, we always make sure that we extract as much information from you as we can, so that we can still make a meaningful introduction on your behalf to our clients in the absence of a CV. In fact, we are making an increasing number of placements without a CV having ever come into play.
5. We act as your brand ambassador
We don’t clumsily shower firms with a copy of your CV. We expect you to be open and honest with us and so, in turn, we take our responsibility to represent you in the jobs market very seriously.
Whether it be accompanying your CV with a well-crafted email that sets out your suitability for a firm in a manner that we know our client is most likely to respond positively to, persisting in trying to catch an evasive partner on the phone so that we can convince them that they need to meet you, or throwing our weight behind you with a personal endorsement to one of our clients, we do whatever we can to get you in front of the firms that you’d be interested in joining.
6. We steer you through the process
We support you every step of the way, including the all crucial interview stage. Just because you’re a qualified lawyer, we don’t assume that you’re a whizz when it comes to interviewing. Indeed, we work with a lot of people who’ve not had an interview for many years, and some who’ve only ever moved job via personal connections and so haven’t interviewed since they secured their training contract (or even articles!).
Not only do we coach you on interview technique but, we undertake detailed interview debriefs and will offer you candid advice to help you navigate your way to hopefully securing your role of choice.
7. We negotiate on your behalf
Aside from the fact that we know the market well and therefore have a good idea of what the going salary rates are in different practice areas in line with PQE, we also take the emotional pinch out of the negotiations.
We know that it is easy for an individual’s resilience to crumble when a negotiation process is all that stands in their way between them and something they really want; however, using our experience and expertise, we’re able to stand firm, know when it’s time to push or when it’s time to concede, and ultimately secure you a salary that is fair.
Are you looking to make a move? Contact our expert legal recruitment team today.
If you’re looking for a new opportunity, or simply want to learn more about the current market within your practice area, the friendly team at Realm are ready to help you.
Call our legal recruitment consultants on 03300 245 606 or visit our website to see our latest opportunities.
