Using a Legal Recruiting Firm For Your Job Search by Vanessa Vidal

If you are planning to conduct an aggressive job search, it's worth considering sending your resume to one or more legal recruiting firms. Involving a legal recruiting firm in your job search can be very beneficial, especially if you are considering an in-house attorney job.

Over 80% of companies engage legal recruiters to recruit their lawyers. This means that the barrier to entry for in-house attorney jobs is very high. Companies are generally not well equipped to handle these types of searches and prefer to rely on specialized legal recruiting firms to identify talented attorneys for their positions. Legal recruiters can save them the time and expense of advertising, reviewing resumes, pre-selecting candidates, as well as keep the process confidential.

When selecting a legal recruiting firm, it is important to select an expert in his or her field. Working with a legal recruiting firm that specializes in in-house attorney search and placement can make a number of opportunities available to you. They can give you exposure to hidden/unknown jobs, and put you in touch with companies you would not have otherwise known about.

If you are looking for work in the legal marketplace, someone who has experience in the legal field will be better able to understand your needs and the expectations of potential legal employers. How can you find a good legal recruiting firm? Ask friends and colleagues for referrals. Also consider contacting a few legal recruiting firms in your area. In addition to checking their experience, expertise, and open positions, you must also be comfortable with the person with whom you have partnered. The key is to identify a legal recruiting firm you can trust and who can represent you effectively to potential employers.

Legal recruiting firms can also save you a great deal of time. Good legal recruiting firms spend a lot of time and resources researching the market, contacting companies about job openings, and determining who is and who is not hiring. In other words, legal recruiting firms can give you a good sense of the market, and direct you to companies and industries that are active in the marketplace. Something you would neither have the time nor the resources to do by yourself.

In addition to giving you access to active and unknown job opportunities, a good legal recruiting firm can provide you with invaluable services including sharing key information about a particular position or company, reviewing and revising your legal resume, assisting you with interview preparation, and helping negotiate your compensation package. Because the employer, and not the job seeker, pays a legal recruiter's fee, all of these services come completely free to you.

While a legal recruiting firm, like a good trainer, can give you the tools to win the race, they can't do it for you. In other words, you still need to continue your independent job search efforts. Legal recruiters can be invaluable in helping you secure an in-house attorney job, but in most situations working with a legal recruiting firm should only be one piece of your job search plan.

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