Attracting the type of talent that will help your law firm thrive and grow requires a mastery of recruiting and hiring basics. Developing a strong understanding of the foundations of recruiting and hiring will give you the advantage needed to hire the best attorneys. On Smokeball’s website, we put our core values to showcase potential applicants how our company functions. It has helped us find great talent for such a specific area jobs.
Job Ads Are Branding
Every time you post a job ad, you’re not simply posting a list of requirements for a job. Your job ad is in fact marketing and branding for your law firm. Every job ad should include the following:
- Critical information about the job. Experience and skills needed by the applicant and the expectations the law firm has of candidates.
- Law firm culture. Every job ad should give insight into the culture of the law firm. Is the law firm fast-paced? Does it value the experience of veteran attorneys? Is there a lot of room for advancement? This is the time to let others know what it’s like to work for that firm.
- Compensation and benefits. Closely tied to law firm culture, you compensation and benefits aren’t just about money, there about the things you can see. What intangible benefits will new hires receive? Will they have an opportunity to work with experienced and hard-to-find mentors? Do you have a fast track to partnership? Do you offer an opportunity for attorneys to advance their education? Make sure you’re accurate but unabashed about sharing what benefits you offer new hires.
Properly using your job ad as the marketing space it is allows you to access the right kind of candidates.
You Get What You Pay For
No matter how many times you think you’re getting a deal when paying bargain basement prices for “top” talent, you rarely get more than you pay for. It’s important to understand this simple truth about hiring before you’re stuck with mediocre new hires on the cheap. Take the time to research what the going rate is for the type of talent you’re recruiting and aim to never offer less. The best talent won’t accept less than what they are worth even in the worst economy. However, if you’re willing to pay just a little more than average you may be able to access better than average talent. That’s the type of deal that can benefit your law firm for years to come.
Create A Tight Process
Few things are more frustrating for job candidates than a process that is chaotic. It’s important that you create a recruiting process that respects the candidate’s time and values communication. From the moment a candidate engages your recruiting process, you should aim to move them through all your sourcing steps smoothly. Minimize the number of interviews necessary by having as many stakeholders present at the first interview as possible, and reduce the chances of losing sought after candidates by placing a deadline on when you will make a decision after interviews have been completed.
Stay Honest
Once you’ve decided that a candidate simply won’t work for your law firm, don’t keep them on the back burner, quickly let them know your decision. It’s better to let a candidate know that they haven’t been chosen so that they can move on and there are no feelings of frustration or resentment. Remember, even if you didn’t choose a candidate for your current job opportunity, that doesn’t mean that they can’t refer other qualified candidates your way in the future.
Getting a tight hold on recruiting and hiring basics will increase your chance of attracting the best candidates.