Articles From the Team
Challenges facing Legal Recruitment in 2022
As we have seen over the last few years, the world of legal recruitment is changing all the time.
As a result, we as legal recruiters are always facing new challenges that need to be tackled head on. Read on as we take a look at the top challenges that are facing recruiters in the coming year. ..
Navigating a candidate light market
Finding qualified professionals and linking them with law firms is the goal, and it sounds like a doddle on paper, but what happens when candidates just aren’t prepared to make a move?
Currently we are experiencing a candidate's market; there are more roles available than there are skilled candidates. Whilst this may be a challenge for recruiters looking for great talent, it’s actually very beneficial for great lawyers looking to land their dream legal job.
The skills shortage is leading to an increased number of firms increasing salaries in order to keep their best employees.
We are also seeing a number of firms substantially increase an employee’s salary once they have secured a role elsewhere, in a bid to ‘buy them back’. Whilst this is great for candidates, it means that recruiters are inundated with roles that are becoming increasingly difficult to fill.
Placing candidates when the demands are so high
More so than in the past, the demand for new candidates is very high mostly due to the skills shortage. We have created a vicious cycle where firms desperately need to recruit, but they are so short staffed that they have no time to complete the recruitment/induction process.
As recruiters, we find ourselves sending out great candidates to firms that we know are taking on, but we get no response. This is down to overworked, understaffed departments that just do not have the capacity to take on extra responsibilities at the moment.
Finding the right fit for candidate and firm
Once the two challenges above are addressed, it’s then up to the legal recruiter to find the perfect match. This applies to both the law firm and the candidate. The law firm might love the candidate, but the ethos of the company might not suit the legal professional. Similarly, the candidate might love the role, but the law firm doesn’t see them progressing at the company. Whatever the issue, identifying potential pain points during the recruitment process is a huge challenge in legal recruitment.
Ultimately, an agency isn’t doing their job properly for the candidate or the client if they don’t place the right candidates in the right roles.
Finding the right fit is about much more than just matching skills on paper, it’s securing a firm with a professional that's a going to be successful, strong, long term match and solution for both parties.