Working with a legal recruiter can help you get your foot in the door and take the stress out of finding a job in the competitive legal field. We’ll explain what a legal recruiter does, the benefits of working with one, and tips to find a legal recruiter that’ll help you land your next job.
What Does A Legal Recruiter Do?
Looking for a new legal job, whether it is an associate position or a paralegal position, can be a daunting and overwhelming task. There are often many options to consider. There is plenty of prep work (e.g., updating your resume and preparing for interviews). Depending on where you are in life, such as if you lost your previous job suddenly, the stakes can be quite high. The entire process can wind up being mentally and emotionally exhausting.
Enter a legal recruiter.
A legal recruiter, also known as a legal headhunter, helps match job seekers with open positions at law firms and other organizations that need legal expertise. Because of their longstanding relationships with companies, legal recruiters often hear about positions before they’re posted publicly (and some that aren’t publicly advertised at all) and can give their candidates a head start in applying. Thanks to their knowledge of the field, legal headhunters can better assess a candidate’s likelihood of success in a role than a general headhunter or an HR rep, making them more likely to be hired.
Candidates don’t have to pay to work with a legitimate legal recruiter. Instead, the law firm or organization looking to hire pays the headhunter a salary-based commission or a flat fee. So, cost shouldn’t be a barrier to working with a recruiter if you’re looking for a law job.
Although the idea of using a legal job recruiter is sometimes overlooked and not considered, a skilled recruiter can be an invaluable asset when you are looking for a new job in the legal profession. Below is a list of some of the major benefits of working with a recruiter.
Advantages To Partnering With A Legal Recruiter To Find Your Next Job
1. Keen insights into the legal job market
Are you aware of current hiring trends? Do you know how long it usually takes someone with your skills to find a new job? Do you know all of the law firms that are looking to fill positions that match your skill set and background? Legal job recruiters do. They are in tune with staffing and hiring trends and can help you have a much better idea of what to expect throughout the hiring process.
2. Assist in updating and improving your resume
A bland resume can easily get lost in the shuffle of job applications in a hiring manager’s inbox. You want your resume to stand out and ensure you get a callback. Depending on the last time you actually looked for a job, your resume might be outdated. It may need to be fine-tuned to match the needs of the law firm or company you want to work for. No matter what work needs to be done on your resume, a recruiter can help.
3. Assist you in preparing for interviews
Along with polishing your resume, recruiters and headhunters can also polish your interviewing skills. An interview is your chance to make a great first impression on your potential employer, and you want to make sure you’ve got all the bases covered. A recruiter can help you know what questions to expect, clue you into the sort of interpersonal skills they might be looking for, and give you tips on things that you might not have thought of on your own.
4. Access to job openings you are not aware of
Legal job recruiters are almost always going to know about more job openings than you would be able to find on your own. Not all jobs will be posted on online job boards, and recruiters can help you discover those hard-to-find open positions. Likewise, companies that work with recruiters are likely to give priority to candidates that recruiters suggest. In other words, when you use a recruiter, you practically have a foot in the door from the beginning.
5. Save you time in your job search
Searching and applying for legal jobs can be time-consuming and stressful. A legal job recruiter can zero in on your particular skill set to find a job that is a perfect match for you. Plus, if you’re working at your current job while trying to find a new job, you’re short on time from the get-go. A legal job recruiter allows for more efficient job hunting and gives you someone to share the workload with.
6. They have your best interests at heart when searching and applying for jobs
Legal job recruiters are, most often, hired by law firms and companies looking for a new attorney, paralegal, legal secretary, administrative professional, and all other open positions within the firm. That does not mean, however, that they will fill any position with any employee. They want to deliver exceptional results to their clients (i.e. the law firm or company); they will do everything they can to fill each open position with an employee who is a great fit for the position. This ends up serving you as well, as you’re more likely to end up with a job where you will excel and that meets your needs.
7. They understand your worth in the marketplace
Recruiters are able to bring a vast quantity of information to the table, including how much someone in your position, with your skill set and experience, should be making. This can be invaluable as they can help you make sure you are compensated appropriately. For example, if you are an attorney looking to lateral from a large law firm in Tallahassee to a large law firm in Jacksonville, a recruiter can make sure you receive the appropriate “market rate” or higher for your new position, rather than you taking the risk of being offered a below-market compensation package.
How To Find A Legal Recruiter
Explore your options
One size doesn’t fit all. Talk with several recruiters to find the one that feels like the best fit. The right recruiter won’t try to pigeonhole you into a role-based solely on the job title. Instead, they should have a firm understanding of your career goals and work to place you in a position that will help you advance those goals.
Go local
If you’re looking to work in a particular city, make sure to choose a recruiter who has ties there. Personal relationships are everything in the legal field, so working with someone who has established clout in the local market is crucial.
Ask for references
A great legal recruiter should have no problem handing over a list of talented people they’ve helped land jobs for that you can contact for a reference.
Related: How to Request a Letter of Recommendation
Use an expert
While there are plenty of recruiters who can line up interviews for you, you’re not just looking for any job. You’re looking for a job in the competitive legal field that’s a great fit for you. Your best bet is to use a recruiter with a long resume of legal headhunting experience. They understand the nuances of the field and are well-versed with the requirements of different positions, which means a better chance of finding a role that you’ll be happy with and challenged in for years to come.
Contact a Skilled Legal Job Recruiter
As you can see, a legal job recruiter can save you a great deal of time and ensure you land a job that fulfills you professionally. Working with a recruiter is one of the best, most efficient ways to find a legal job that will be a great fit for you in the long term.
