What do candidates want from their legal recruiter?
The bottom line is that candidates want their recruiter to care, listen, streamline the process, and guide them throughout the career transition. They want their recruiter to push for the best fit for both the candidate and the firm, not just to make a deal. They want their recruiter to build a relationship with them rather than focus on completing the individual transaction.
Trust
It’s paramount that the search consultant engender absolute trust. The late former U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz, upon turning 100, wrote, “Trust is the coin of the realm. When trust was in the room, whatever room that was—the family room, the schoolroom, the locker room, the office room, the government room or the military room—good things happened. When trust was not in the room, good things did not happen. Everything else is details.”
The same thing holds true in the recruiter-candidate relationship. The recruiter holds the candidate’s career in their hands and must do so with great care. Candidates rely upon the recruiter to keep their best interests in mind when advising them on career options, presentation and interviewing skills, and when guiding them throughout the job search process.
Candidates want complete candor, confidentiality, and brutal (but nicely delivered) honesty from their recruiter; they want the recruiter to say no, provide pushback, rein them in if necessary, and provide reality checks.
Curated communications
From the initial contact until the move is complete, and even beyond, candidates want their recruiter to curate all communications, advice, and information so that it is tailored to the needs and interests of them individually. The recruiter should make it all about the candidate and not waste their time. Before reaching out to the candidate, the recruiter should ask: “Why is this information important to the candidate? Why this candidate? Why this firm?” They must think about what is necessary for the candidate to know to be successful in the move and in their career.
Bespoke opportunities
The recruiter should spend time getting to know the candidate’s goals and preferences so they can present a slate of opportunities tailored to the candidate’s personal aspirations. They should explore with the candidate what they both like and dislike about their current firm, not just what they don’t like. They need to find out what the candidate needs to best service their existing client base and attract new business, and what might be hindering business and career development at their current firm as well as what could facilitate further success at another firm. It can be helpful to use that information to create a spreadsheet of factors—both positive and negative—and rate each firm under consideration on those criteria.
Market intel
Good recruiters provide insight and knowledge of the market, the players, and the firms. They provide lots of preparation: inside information about the firm, what the firm is looking for, about the individual interviewers, and the process. They help the candidate prepare a resume, if necessary, and write a business development plan, if appropriate. Savvy recruiters realize that many partners haven’t interviewed in years and may need “socializing” and mock interviews/role play to prepare the best interview presentation. A top recruiter will help the candidate find their story, what is unique about them, and will coach the candidate on how to present it as a value-add in interviews. Candidates want their recruiter to help them “sell” their story.
Process management
Candidates rely on their recruiters to keep the process moving and help close the deal. They want the recruiter to facilitate the process, keep everyone updated, push both the candidate and the hiring firm on timing, and get both sides to commit. Once the offer is made, many candidates rely on their recruiter’s advice and wisdom in any final negotiations. And once the offer is accepted, candidates want their recruiter to prepare them on how to resign and what to expect from everyone—people at both the old and new firms, colleagues (both supporters and detractors), jealous people, “information-pumpers,” etc., and help them ease into the new role.
In other words
Candidates want their recruiter to act as a consultant or advisor, and sometimes a cheerleader and hand-holder—a real match maker—rather than just a headhunter and dealmaker.
