Headhunters. Huh. What Are They Good For?

The following anecdote highlights the importance of understanding a prospective firm’s culture — something a good and well-prepared recruiter will know all about.

“I work closely with a pre-eminent corporate firm which I know prizes its collegiate and collaborative culture, both at the partner and the associate level. The attorneys in one particular office specifically request that I avoid sending them ‘A-type’ personalities who are not collaborative by nature and this helps me both to prep candidates for interview and to weed out others who might fit on paper, but who I know wouldn’t last a day at the firm.”

Intelligence Gathering: Acing The Interview

“What was your LSAT score?” “If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?” Just a couple of questions Chicago-based Lateral Link recruiter Katherine Hagman often finds her candidates need to prepare for. I’d hazard a guess you probably want to be prepared for questions like these. Wouldn’t it be great if you knew they’d be coming? With a good recruiter, you can be.

The best recruiters know each firm’s interview methods, the personalities of individual interviewers, and the material differences between various rounds. Is it a 45-minute phone interview? Then it’s most certainly a screen and the interviewer will likely be searching for red flags and a commitment to your chosen field and location. Is it a full morning or afternoon? Then time to get your game on. You should fully research the firm and your interviewers, and be prepared to answer any and all questions concerning your experience, the matters you’ve worked on, and why you’re the best person for the job. In short, the best recruiters will do their utmost to ensure you cover all the bases, so that you’re prepared for whatever you might be asked. Here’s where a personal knowledge of the interviewers can come in handy, as one of our recruiters in D.C., Kristina Marlow, explains:

“Headhunters are particularly valuable when they can leverage their ‘insider knowledge’ about a firm. For example, I learned that a senior partner was quite the bibliophile and had assembled an impressive personal library. I recommended that a candidate scheduled to interview with that partner be prepared to talk about what he was reading. The partner did ask the candidate, ‘What book is on your nightstand?’ — and the candidate had an answer ready that led to a lively discussion.”

Of course, not all questions will come out of left field. Some you will anticipate, but still, a good recruiter can assist, as the following anecdote demonstrates:

“I recently worked with an associate who was nervous about the number of law firm moves and relocations on his résumé, which in fact he was asked about point blank during his interview at an elite firm. Luckily, I had spent several hours on evenings and weekends going over this and other obvious weaknesses on his résumé for which he felt he had no answers, and prepared him with honest responses I knew would put the firm’s concerns to rest. He got the job over several other highly qualified contenders, and now works at arguably the best firm in his field.”

Intelligence Gathering: Unposted Opportunities

As you may have heard, not all good opportunities are publicly posted or “hard” needs. In fact, the smartest recruiters spend at least a portion of their time searching for unposted or “soft” needs, to give themselves and their candidates an edge.

For example:

“I’m currently working with a pre-eminent firm that hundreds, if not thousands, of attorneys would give their right arm to work for. The search is unposted and I only caught wind of it due to recent relationships I had forged at the firm. An interview date is already set, and given my candidate’s excellent background, the trust the firm has in my judgment, and the fact that we’ve beaten the rush, chances are high he’ll get the job.”

The “Targeted Search”

Knowledge of a firm can come to a recruiter through a number of channels. One of the best ways, however, is the “targeted search,” in which a firm works exclusively with the recruiter to narrow down a short list of ideal candidates for the position, which the Hiring Partner has vetted. If you find yourself on one of these lists, don’t take it lightly. First of all, the firm is approaching you, and in most cases that means at least a phone call or interview with a bigwig to learn more, which can’t hurt. Second, the recruiter spearheading a targeted search invariably has access to a wealth of unusual information about the firm and the opportunity, so the chances of a fit are that much higher.

Lateral Link Principal, Julie Locke, who has had much success with this approach, reports the following:

“The great benefit of our targeted searches is that they are very often unique and tailored opportunities, and the candidates have already been vetted by the firm and by me. Focusing on a small pool of candidates, I am able to make a strong case as to why each person should be interested, and frequently find out information about the candidate that makes him or her an even better fit than we originally suspected. Just recently, for example, I spoke with a New York-based bankruptcy associate with credentials and experience my firm client had vetted who just happened to have personal ties to California. I was able to share specific reasons why the firm was interested in the associate, and why he should take the opportunity seriously. The candidate eventually accepted an offer at the target firm and both he and his wife are now very happy, living close to their extended family on the West Coast.”

“I’ll Keep You In Mind”: Long Term Candidate-Recruiter Relationships

Given the frequency with which the best recruiters hear about hard and soft opportunities, I would argue it is advisable to stay in contact with a recruiter over a period of months and years, even if you feel happy in your current position. This is because, as the heading above suggests, recruiters can (if you let them) keep your name at the top of their list for the best opportunities that come up — opportunities that might be exactly what you’re looking for, whether you know it now or not.

“Most recently I placed an associate with whom I had been in contact for over a year. I first called the associate during her tenure at a law firm, and though she was at first resistant to it (being happy where she was), we eventually struck up a professional relationship. Later, the candidate decided to pursue a federal clerkship, ending more than a year after we had first made contact, and was of course very happy to hear from me during clerk hiring season! I managed to place her in a matter of weeks at her ‘dream’ firm, beating out some stiff competition, and she has been so satisfied with my services that I have already received several high caliber referrals from her.”

Accelerating Your Job Search: Leveraging Relationships

This is where the headhunter really starts to prove his/her value. Think Harvard cum laude candidates don’t get lost in the pile? Think again. As automated as some initial screening processes can be nowadays, it’s still very possible (especially during busy season) for the very best résumés to remain neglected. Enter the headhunter, who with the right relationships can very possibly revive an inactive application. One stellar in-house candidate writes:

“Mike Allen, Managing Principal of Lateral Link, was instrumental in helping me get my current in-house job at a broadcast network. I had sent my résumé in through the online portal and happened to speak to Mike a couple of days later about the position. He had a good relationship with the GC of the network, and facilitated an introduction over email that day. The GC contacted me that same day to set up an interview… and 2 weeks later, I was offered the job. Three years later, I’m still with the company (and really like my job) and I have Lateral Link to thank for it.”

Turning Around Rejection: Perseverance and Diplomacy

Accelerating a candidate’s job search is an excellent service headhunters provide. But it doesn’t end there. There are several examples here at Lateral Link of times when recruiters have even helped candidates secure positions at firms that rejected them not weeks before. [These are candidates that were originally submitted to the rejecting firm by Lateral Link, unless otherwise indicated.]

“My relationships with firms are such that I often talk with recruiting coordinators and hiring partners on a daily basis. Thus, when I submit a candidate, I am able to follow closely the progress of his or her application, and discuss any issues with the firm. In one particular case (not an isolated incident), I was able to make the case that the firm should re-interview one of my previously rejected candidates in another closely related practice group staffed by attorneys with an even more similar background to his own. The recruiting coordinator agreed and sent his résumé along to the relevant partner, who hired the candidate despite hot competition. It’s placements like these which are the real wins.”

Being Your Best Advocate: Highlighting Your Hidden Strengths

Sometimes firms haven’t “lost” your résumé, and they don’t quite want to say “no” either. Again, it’s time for your headhunter to earn their pay and advocate on your behalf. Perhaps surprisingly, given the tough market these days, this advocacy can pay real dividends:

“I’ve helped more than one or two candidates get a look in at firms which ordinarily would have put their applications on the back burner. These candidates are usually very strong on paper, but perhaps don’t have exactly the experience the firms happen to be looking for. Perhaps they’re a little too junior or a little too senior. Or, perhaps their practice is very closely related, but not quite a match. In many of these cases, I’ve been able to highlight other aspects of a candidate’s résumé, such as the sophistication of their current practices and their educational background, to secure them interviews that, by the employer’s own admission, they otherwise would not have gotten.”

Win-win.

Previously from Lateral Link:

• Taking The Temperature Of Your Career
• Planning For A Legal Career Overseas (Part II): Language Skills, Caveats, And What You Can Be Doing Now
• Planning For A Legal Career Overseas (Part I): Picking The Right Practice Area And The Right Firm
• The Top 5 Reasons Attorneys Move
• 5 Tips To Maximize Your Lateral Compensation Package

---

Lateral Link is one of the top-rated International Legal Recruiting Firms. With over 14 offices world-wide, Lateral Link specializes in placing attorneys at the most prestigious law firms in the world. Managed by former practicing attorneys from top law schools, Lateral Link has a tradition of hiring lawyers to execute the lateral leaps of practicing attorneys. Click ::here:: to find out more about us.