Part 3 of the 3 part series… What to Look For When Seeking Out A Legal Recruiter, by Neal Rechtman, CEO of Lawmatch
Once you’ve identified a Search Consultant you want to work with, it is important to verify in advance how the recruiter plans to represent you and protect your confidentiality. You should retain control over the appearance of your legal resume and how it is distributed at all times. Even if you know the recruiter you’re working with is highly experienced search consultant, confirm verbally that your resume will not be sent, nor your name disclosed, to any prospective employer without your prior permission. If your search is highly confidential, make sure that the resume being circulated does not disclose the name of your current employer. If a recruiter wants to contact an employer that you already know, consider whether or not you might be more effective representing yourself to that employer.
Even after you’ve established a rapport with a Consultant, I recommend staying actively engaged and in control of the process. As noted, Search Consultants can be aggressive, and you may encounter those who will suggest, in so many words, “I’m a professional at this. I’ll take care of you – leave it all to me.” I think that approach is valid up to a point, but I advocate that your relationship with a recruiter is like a relationship with a doctor: you describe your ‘symptoms’ (your dissatisfaction with your current employment), and the recruiter will ‘prescribe’ a better job. You, in the meantime, are the only one who really knows how you feel, and you should rely on your own judgment and your own perceptions in determining what is best for you.
There is no rule that says you should only work with one recruiter; you can work with several, but it can be tricky. If you’re going to go down that path, be well-organized and take notes on conversations with all players so that you can keep your ducks in a row.
(3) Legal Search/Staffing Companies – If you’re not the type of candidate that would interest a contingency-fee Search Consultant, you may want to focus your efforts in the commercial recruitment marketplace on search and staffing companies that work with active job seekers (a good place to start is Lawmatch’s National Directory of Legal Recruiters).
In most major markets there are branches of national staffing companies, and often there are locally owned firms as well. These companies focus on developing short-term or project-oriented opportunities, and offer temp-to-perm hiring arrangements for employers that don’t want to pay contingency search fees.
While many of the assignments offered through Search/Staffing Companies are tedious document review projects, not all of their assignments are of this type. And even if you do end up working on a document review assembly line, you’re at least in an environment where you’ll have an opportunity to make new connections or distinguish yourself in some way.