Any HR or recruitment professionals working in the Legal industry know that at the present time, sourcing outstanding legal support staff is like trying to lasso a bubble.

With Australia's unemployment rate the lowest in six years, the fight for talented legal candidates has become a fast and furious game to get in first, with any talented individuals being quickly recognised by potential employers or retained by current employers.

So how do you secure the top legal support talent before your competitors in the industry?

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Pre- Interview

Some candidates are driven purely by money, some for career progression and others for flexible working arrangements. Whatever the main driver behind a potential candidate seeking out their next opportunity, ensuring that your company brand and Employee Value Proposition are clearly defined is essential to attract and retain talent.

In an industry as competitive as Legal, you need to set yourself apart from your competitors – why should they work for you? What can you offer that other law firms can't? Why do your staff stay? Convey your EVP through all hiring channels to articulate why a candidate should apply for a role with you.

Research and post the advert in all the right places i.e. job boards relevant to your target audience and write with your perfect candidate in mind. In your advert, go beyond the standard job description and include the perks (e.g flexibility, early finishes, study support, social clubs) to appeal to your ideal candidate.

Make it easy for candidates to apply online and ensure the application process runs smoothly. Include a closing date and provide an email receipt so candidates know their application has been successfully lodged.

Be prepared to pay for the perfect candidate. Telephone screen candidates and identify salary expectations at the very start of the process. Research salaries in your market and trust the advice from your recruitment partner. Do not enter the interview process unless you are confident you can match these expectations (skills and experience permitting) otherwise you will just waste everyone's time. Making an offer less than desired at the end of the process is insulting and can affect your brand in the market.

The Interview 

From the first pre-screening phone call through to the offer, try to get the whole process completed in two weeks. Be mindful that interviewing is a daunting process and some candidates will be using their lunch breaks to see you. Be flexible with your time – coffee at 8am? Sure. This will ease the candidate's mind, getting the best out of them in an interview scenario, and shows how flexible you are as an organisation.

Send a calendar or email invitation clearly stating who they will be meeting, what they need to prepare, the interview type, location and attach the job description along with any interview tips to help the candidate prepare.

Where possible, show the candidate around the office and arrange for them to meet the team. This demonstrates that you are a workplace that values team spirit and culture fit at all levels, not just the decision makers. Besides, would you accept a role if you didn't get a good insight into the working environment and potential colleagues you'd be working with on a daily basis?

Make sure the interview is well structured and that all interviews follow the same basic format. That way you can fairly compare each candidate. And remember, interviewing is a two-way street; you have to communicate and sell as much as you tell. Any good candidate will be interviewing you as you interview them.

Do not add unnecessary steps to the interview process. Two interviews (usually one informal and one formal) is the industry standard - followed by psychometric testing and additional background checks if required.

Always remember to thank the candidate for their time and offer contact details for who they can follow up with if they have any further questions.

Post Interview & Offer Stage 

Time is of the essence – decide and do. Don't drag your feet making a decision – these candidates often have multiple offers on the table. Snooze, and you'll lose. I have lost count (and sleep!) at the amount of times clients have stalled at this stage and lost out on their perfect candidate due to lack of communication.

Now that you have your preferred candidate and they have verbally accepted, produce a Letter of Offer/Contract 'Subject to satisfactory references' – this is common practice in Europe and ensures the candidates have trust and will commit to the final stages of the process. It also avoids the referees being contacted more than once resulting in more thorough reference checks as they will set aside more time to chat.

Don't take a verbal acceptance for granted. I have heard of clients taking too long to put together a contract, post reference checks, resulting in losing the candidate due to nerves or other offers. Let them know you want them!

Once your candidate has accepted, be sure to get back to the candidates who interviewed but are not successful. Don't email, call and give them feedback as to why they are not successful. Again, this is how you can build relationships with top candidates so you can keep them in your talent pool for future roles. It will also keep your reputation as an 'employer of choice' strong in the market.

Remember to also update candidates that applied for the role. Send a rejection email that has some warmth and relevance to the job they applied for to demonstrate that you value the candidate, successful or not. Who knows, they may be that hard-to-find unicorn candidate for the next role you advertise.

We are not out of the woods yet! Be prepared for the dreaded counter-offer. It is becoming more and more prevalent for outstanding candidates to receive a counter-offer at resignation stage. Although I would never recommend a candidate accepts a counter-offer, it can provoke emotions and be a tough final decision to make under pressure from peers or managers.

They may also receive an unexpected offer for another role they were interviewing for. If the candidate is money motivated, then be prepared to enter a salary negotiation war. Inflating salaries to remain competitive in a talent-short market is not ideal but sometimes inevitable.

If money is not the main motivator and you have delivered an excellent candidate experience throughout the process then you can be confident that you will still get them across the line or at least part on good terms.

Lastly, don't forget the candidate during their notice period. Anything could happen! Arrange a coffee catch up with the team. Check up every now and again. Keep the communication flowing, four weeks can feel like a lifetime from interviewing to starting a new role. It's guaranteed that your competitors and other recruiters will continue to run new opportunities past them in the hope to entice them.

Do Not Underestimate the Candidate Experience

It would be amiss of me not to mention the candidate experience. Communication is a big part of the candidate experience, starting from the beginning of the hiring process in how you position your job ads, to the end of the process after follow ups with your candidate and beyond.

Remember this; how you make people feel, will be remembered beyond your transactions. That is, if you treat someone with little courtesy and make him or her feel unimportant… they will remember. They'll not only tell their friends, but they'll avoid dealing with you in the future.

On the other hand, if you make someone feel special, are decisive and professional, the positive impact on your reputation will last longer than any paid advertisement could.

Here's your gift! A cheat sheet on how to secure the top talent. Just click HERE.

If you are struggling to find candidates for your team, or would like to find out more about how I can help streamline your recruitment process, then please do not hesitate to contact me:

Becky Honess – Practice Manager, Legal & Business Support

E: bhoness@morganconsulting.com.au

P: 03 8606 0356

More About The Author:

Becky has over 9 years of international recruitment experience specialising in the Legal & Business Support space. With a strong philosophy of creating a personal experience for all her clients, Becky is well-known for her honest and ethical approach to recruitment.

Becky is a trusted recruitment partner to global and Australian law firms and can provide staffing solutions on a temporary, contract or permanent basis.