Moving jobs is a big step regardless of the stage of career that you’re at. Often it can be a life changing decision. It’s therefore important that you get the best consultative advice possible from recruiters who are specialists in their field.
In recent years we have seen that many law firms have increased their efforts to hire directly and now have their own internal recruitment teams and advertise their vacancies via their own website, job boards or via social media, usually Linkedin. Alternatively, they may even approach you directly. However, despite these efforts, the legal recruitment industry continues to grow and for law firms, agencies such as MAP Legal Recruitment continue to offer an invaluable resource for securing the very best legal talent in the market and the most appropriate candidates for their jobs.
As a candidate you would be forgiven for not knowing whether to apply to firms directly or via a legal recruitment agency, which route will give you a better chance of securing that career making move?
At MAP Legal, we provide a highly consultative service tailored to each individual candidate, whether that be a newly qualified solicitor seeking their first role, or a seasoned Partner looking for a new firm. We spend time getting to know you inside out, finding out about your skills and experience, your career aspirations and as importantly where they sit amongst your list of life priorities and family commitments. It is important that we fully understand your personal circumstances so that we can offer the most suitable opportunities to you. Whilst a corporate job at a top tier firm may have been the ultimate goal for you in your twenties, by your forties you may be happier in a job that enables you to get away from your desk at a reasonable time so that you can get home and spend time with your family. We can provide advice on working hours, culture and firm ethos to enable you to decide if a particular job is going to work with your lifestyle and commitments.
A major advantage of partnering with an experienced recruiter is the extra knowledge that we are able to give you; all applicants will have access to the job specification but frequently that provides little guidance in terms of what firms are really looking for, what personality will fit their teams and which particular skills are the most crucial in their new recruit.
At MAP Legal we have forty years combined experience and have worked with our clients for many years, therefore we are able to provide you with a unique insight into exactly what these firms are looking for. We can give you in depth information on what their interview format looks like and the type of questions you can expect to be asked, as well as advising on the types of candidates they like; personality fit can often be as or more important than the appropriate skills and experience that a candidate has to offer.
In addition to having a head start when it comes to the interview, there are a number of other benefits we can offer. We make the applications on your behalf, organise interviews and manage your entire job search for you, saving you a considerable amount of time and effort.
We will provide you with advice in relation to how you can improve your CV and work with you until it reflects you in the best possible light for any particular job. Once applications have been made we follow up with firms and talk through your experience, personality and why we feel you’re suitable for a given role. Our close working relationship built upon many years of trust and a successful history of placing the right people into their jobs enables us the benefit of being able to do this.
Through our long standing relationships with our clients, we hold considerable sway in our recommendations and since we also know you well, we can answer any initial questions which firms may have about you which, without clarification, could otherwise see your CV on the reject pile. You are therefore more likely to secure an interview when applying through MAP Legal.
When it comes to an offer we are also better placed to negotiate your salary and overall package, something which can often feel a little uncomfortable when done directly. Having knowledge of the wider market, budgets, salary bandings, flexibility and the urgency with which a particular role needs filling, we do this from an informed standpoint. Ultimately, taking into account all of your circumstances we want to ensure that you are making the best move for your career, and also that we are placing the most appropriate lawyers for the job with our clients.
For a confidential discussion about your next career move please contact Raj Sidhu