Choose your recruiter wisely!!!

The UK’s Recruitment Industry's hit £38.9 Billion Revenue. 

Despite a challenging year, the UK's recruitment industry turnover reached £38.9 billion in the year to March 2020. 

Whilst the UK legal services market (including private practice firms, barristers, patent agents, and other legal services providers) was valued at an estimated 37 bn in 2019, increasing by 4.6% at current prices on the 2018 market value.

This week as we look to crunch the data from our 2021 Salary and Benefits Benchmarker with some interesting highlights to follow in the coming weeks – we look at how the profession secures their new career move and how to make sure you gain the most from your consultant! 

Highlight - 35% of UK legal professionals according to the national data used a recruiter in their most recent job move. 

Why is that and how can you gain the most from the experience?

A Legal recruiter’s job has always been complicated. Various stakeholders, understanding the market, having the connections and ability to represent you at leading firms. Given the gravitas and potential downfalls associated with such a decision it is essential that you take some time before agreeing to work with your chosen recruiter. There are usually a small handful of Legal Recruitment Firms that gain access onto the more converted Law Firm suppliers lists and making sure you are being represented by a recruiter that has access to those all-important relationships is key to any candidate gaining a full market reflection. 

In 2015 there were 19,823 recruitment agencies registered in the UK. This number has undoubtedly risen since then and may seem like a staggering number of potential recruitment partners. before you take the plunge check out the agency’s website, perhaps review some of the adverts posted on job boards. While more generalist legal recruiters may be able to assist, it would make sense to approach a consultant whose sole focus daily is to engage with Clients within your chosen field of expertise. 

#1 CHOOSE WISELY – do your due diligence!!!

Expert legal recruiters will specialise in a particular field and geographical territory. Usually, as a rule of thumb the wider the patch and area of law the recruiter covers will be an indication of their lack of meaningful relationships with the market. A scattergun approach is not what is required from a meaningful service.

#2 DON’T REGISTER WITH MULTIPLE RECRUITMENT AGENCIES

For a busy legal recruiter to go above and beyond for you, they need to feel that you are committed to them and their process. If you are registered with 10 recruitment agencies, there is a good chance their time and effort is going to be wasted.

The love needs to go both ways, so if a recruiter feels that you have placed your trust in them, they will be significantly more motivated to get results. I always ask candidates to work with me (and me alone) for just a few weeks. If I fail to deliver an outcome, they are more than welcome to call someone else.

#3 BE OPEN AND HONEST

When you contact a recruiter, they need to learn all about you so that they understand how best to support you in achieving your goals. Approach the new relationship with honesty and be open about the direction in which you are headed. A recruiter is a valuable resource for helping you achieve career nirvana – if they know what your nirvana looks like!

#4 EXPECT GOOD COMMUNICATION

A good recruiter will set expectations from the very beginning, so you have no doubt as to what you should (and should not) do during the process. A good recruiter will also provide advice on your resume and interview techniques. They want you to succeed, so trust in their expertise and accept constructive feedback. Expect regular updates on how your applications are progressing.

#5 A REAL SPECIALIST WILL HAVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Length of Service - If someone claims to be a "specialist legal recruiter" but has been in their role for a couple of months then you may want to proceed with caution. To build meaningful relationships and establish a client base this could take a recruiter anywhere from 12-18 months to achieve. Obviously, there are exceptions to the rule but unfortunately the Recruitment industry suffers from an incredible rate of turnover each year so check out potential recruiters online before making any kind of commitment on your part. 

Douglas Scott Recruitment is the largest specialist legal recruitment agency in the UK. 

We place lawyers through meaningful relationships with the Top 100, Legal 500 and FTSE 100 UK firms. We are privileged to be included in the most coveted supplier agreements due to our breadth of expertise and candidate talent pool. 

Our consultants are entrepreneurial and encouraged to seek out all suitable opportunities on behalf of our candidates. 

We also have a great deal of gravitas and experience within the industry and can boast nearly 20 years of trading which is important when it comes to being able to service you fully within the market.