Effectively participating in career fairs takes more than just showing up.  Job seekers who maximize the benefits of career fair events combine certain planning activities and strategies.  Let’s take a look at a few tips:

Before The Career Fair

1. Research.  Find out which employers are attending, whether you want to work with them and whether or not they are hiring. Don’t assume that a company attending a career fair is ready to hire immediately, that’s not necessarily the case.
2. Make a list and don’t spread yourself too thin.  Choose a few companies to target and prioritize them with your favorite picks on top.  Once again, do your research on these companies. Are they financially sound? Are they looking for someone like you? Are they hiring now?
3. Create your strategy.  Your strategy will depend on the structure on the career fair and the amount of time you’re willing to invest in it.  Can you schedule interviews with companies in advance?  How much time do you want to commit to working the career fair booths? 

During The Career Fair

1. Starting with your priority companies begin rubbing shoulders with representatives.  Have questions already formulated; but don’t interrogate anyone. Try to keep the conversation natural and mutually enjoyable.
2. Don’t overstay your welcome. If an employer or recruiter is sending the signal that they are not interested or busy, don’t linger.
3. Be prepared. Have copies of your resume and business cards available for those who request it.

After The Career Fair

Follow-up is key to career fair success.  It’s not likely you will receive a job offer on the spot (sometimes it does happen) so you need to follow-up with contacts and interviewers. 

When searching for employment, job candidates should consider whether their work style is a good match for the firm.  Below are a few questions job candidates should ask about work style before they go on an interview:

1.      What is the company’s work/life balance policy?  While a great number of law firms expect their attorneys to work until the job is done even if that means long hours and weekends, there is a growing number of companies which take a more balanced approach.  The job candidate should consider their own values first when determining if a firm’s work/life policy is a good fit. Ask yourself:  Do you want more time with family? Do you have an active life outside of work?  How often do you spend working weekends voluntarily?

2.      Does the firm micro-manage?  While some attorneys enjoy receiving detailed directions, others prefer more leeway in deciding how they will approach their work.  Which one are you and which style does the firm primarily use?  If you prefer to make the majority of the decisions about your work then you probably don’t want to work with a firm that insists on an “our way or the highway” work policy.

3.      Is the firm a company of “teams” or “lone wolves”?  Most law firms have some level of collaboration when it comes to getting work done; but this level can vary from one company to the next.  Job candidates need to first determine if they prefer to work alone or in groups when deciding which type of firm is best suited for their work style.

Creating a top notch recruiting strategy is a prerequisite to attracting top performers and to get extraordinary results a recruiter must be willing to do what others aren’t willing or able to do.  But the task of creating a winning strategy requires an understanding of some basic principles of the business.  Let’s take a look at a few:

1. Recruiting is a never-ending series of battles over talent.  The best recruiters understand and respond to the fact that they are in competition with others over a limited pool of valuable job candidates.
2. Every job candidate recruited must have a positive impact on a business’ bottom-line. When a firm is looking for talent they are looking for someone who will help make their business more profitable.  When choosing candidates recruiters must ask themselves, “How will this job candidate improve the firm’s financial standing?”
3. Technology is useful in helping a recruiter build long-term relationships with potential job candidates.  Any recruiting CRM software or technology that fails to aid in building a long-term relationship with job candidates is not worth having.
4. Building a relationship with top performers BEFORE you need them for a job order is critical if you want to be competitive in the recruiting industry.
5. Poaching top performers from companies in transition is not only acceptable; but a smart recruiting strategy.  Companies experiencing mergers, bankruptcy, layoffs and changes in leadership are prime locations for finding and recruiting top performers. 
6. Change is the only constant in the recruiting industry, what worked yesterday may not work today.  This is why recruiters must consistently measure the results of each recruiting tactic.

This time of the year most people create lengthy lists of things they want to accomplish by the end of the year.  However, within a few weeks or months many of those New Year’s resolutions are either forgotten or abandoned.  Below are a few tips on how to stick with your job search resolutions:

Get Clarity

When it comes to making resolutions, you’re more likely to achieve them if you’re clear and specific. Take the time to write down your goals and be honest about what you really want. Don’t just say you want a job making lots of money if the truth is that you want a job that will give you more time to spend with family. 

Take Inventory

Take inventory of your true desires, wants and needs.  Oftentimes we pursue goals because they are what our spouse, parents or friends would want for us.  Now is the time to get clear about whose dream you’re really pursuing. If you’re pursuing someone else’s dream, now is the time to change course.

Create Action Steps

Once you get clear on your desires and goals it’s time to create simple action steps.  All action steps should be “bite-sized” and easy to measure.  For example, if you want to get a new job, one action step might be to edit your resume, while another action step would be to send the resume to a hiring manager. While you don’t have the power to control whether the hiring manager will interview you, you can control the actions necessary to get your resume on their desk.

Remain Focused

Looking for a job in this market is a long-term project.  This means that you will need to sustain momentum for months before you see any big results. To remain focused and avoid getting frustrated, take the time to measure your results and reward yourself for the effort. 

A job seeker’s professional network is their circle of industry related contacts which include former colleagues, supervisors and other associates in their field.  Job seekers who have maintained their professional network are more likely to find work quickly than those who have allowed their network to get stale.  Below are a few signs that your professional network needs a tune-up:

You Haven’t Maintained A Relationship With Most Former Coworkers

The more former coworkers you stay in touch with, the more opportunities you will have to find a job quickly.  Former coworkers can keep you abreast of changes at their firm and give you a heads up when a position is slated to open.

You Only Have A Few People Willing To Serve As References

A good reference is critical to getting work in this job market.  To make sure you have an ample supply of good references, stay in touch with individuals who are personally familiar with your work and who would be willing to share their positive experience with employers.

You Haven’t Attended Industry Related Events In Over A Year

Attending industry related events gives you an opportunity to add “fresh blood” to your professional network.  Industry events give you access to new contacts; but following up with those contacts is what will help you maintain your professional network.

You Don’t Have A Follow Up System

If you don’t schedule times to touch base with contacts, your professional network will eventually atrophy. It’s important to touch base with all contacts at least twice a year.  You should also make a habit of having in person meetings with your most important contacts at least once a year if possible.

When creating a business strategy in your recruiting business, the quality of the tasks you take on is just as important as the quantity of time spent on them.  Let’s take a look at some issues of quality facing recruiters who want to improve their effectiveness:

Passive Candidates

Recruiting passive candidates is a core part of most recruiters’ sourcing strategy; but oftentimes the quality of their passive candidate contacts may be overlooked.  Ask yourself the following before contacting a passive candidate:

1. Is the passive candidate really a good match for this job based on the information I already have?
2. Do I have a powerful pitch that will nudge the passive candidate towards leaving their current position?
3. Have I done my homework on the position for which I’m recruiting?

Client Cold Calls

While volume is important when doing sales calls, the quality of the sales leads is equally if not more important.  Recruiters who want to improve their effectiveness must ask themselves the following questions about the quality of their sales leads:

1. Are these potential clients in the business of hiring third-party recruiters?
2. Are these potential clients financially sound and willing to pay for my services?
3. What type of reputation do these potential clients have with other recruiters?

Networking and Professional Events

Attending professional and networking events offers independent recruiters the opportunity to meet potential clients and get to know other recruiters.  However, just attending any event won’t be enough to get the benefit.  Recruiters should ask the following questions about professional and networking events:

1. What do other independent recruiters say about this event?
2. Is it professionally organized and does it have a history of success?
3. What direct benefit will I receive from attending this event?

Productivity is about getting things done and done effectively – and if you’re lucky, done fast.  But how does a recruiter increase their productivity?  The answer may be surprising:

Get Specific

It’s not enough to say “I want to make more sales calls” you must get as specific as possible.  “I want to make five additional sales calls per day,” is a real goal that is measurable.

Get Realistic

So many of us set unrealistic goals and then become frustrated when we fail.  “I want to make 500 sales calls in one hour,” is an impossible goal to reach.  Instead, a recruiter should set a goal they know they can reach.  And once they reach it, they can always raise the bar.

Write It Down

Don’t depend on your memory for setting and accomplishing your goals. Write your goals in a place where you will see them every day.

Take Baby Steps

A close cousin to being realistic, taking baby steps allows you to break your goals down into everyday actions you can take.  If you want to make 20 sales call a week, then you will need to make 4 calls each day to reach your goals.

Measure Actions And Results

Focusing only on results can leave you frustrated if you don’t see immediate progress. For example, if you say, “I want to get five new clients this year,” measuring the baby steps taken will help you stay on track.  By measuring your actions, you can say “I’m doing what I need to do to accomplish my goals.”

With so many job candidates applying for so few jobs, many recruiters find themselves facing a mountain of resumes they find impossible to sift through.  And while the first instinct is to avoid responding to the job candidates who don’t qualify, that’s a serious mistake.  Below are a few reasons why:

1. The failure to respond to job candidates can harm a recruiter’s brand. When a job candidate sends a resume and never receives a response, they are less likely to respond to future jobs.  While the job market currently favors employers/recruiters, this won’t last for long.  What will happen when the tide changes and it becomes difficult to attract qualified candidates? Don’t damage your brand by becoming known as the recruiter who doesn’t respond, create a system that will make it easy to send rejection letters.
2. The failure to respond to job candidates quickly can actually end up wasting a recruiter’s valuable time. Job candidates who believe they are still in the running for a job will often send up follow-up letters, emails and even call.  This can create a time suck for recruiters who must now wade through communications from job candidates who are think they are in the running but who are actually not qualified.
3. Failure to respond to a job candidate’s application may close the door to a future relationship.  Imagine failing to respond to a job candidate’s application and then contacting them seven months later about another job opportunity.  The job candidate may have forgotten about the lack of a response; but it’s a possibility it could impact the candidate’s response to the new opportunity.  By sending a “not right now” rejection letter, recruiters keep the relationship with the job candidate amicable. 

When job candidates apply for an opportunity, they carry a load of expectations that recruiters must meet if they want to leave a good impression. Below are three of those expectations recruiters must meet:

Acknowledgment

When a job seeker applies for a job they are often anxious to confirm that someone received the application.  Recruiters who want to leave a positive impression, should at least setup an automated response system that acknowledges the receipt of the application.

Timeframe

The second expectation that job seekers have is that they will know when to expect a call. If using an automated response to applications, recruiters should include some verbiage about when they will respond to the inquiry.  For example, “If you meet the qualifications, expect a response within 7 to 10 days.”  That does two things; it gives the job seeker a timeframe to work with and helps them manage their expectations of whether or not they are moving to the next level in the process.

Qualifying

Job seekers want to know if they have a chance at the job opportunity as soon as possible. While it’s understandable that most recruiters cannot respond to every resume that comes across their desk, letting job seekers know that qualifying candidates will hear from a recruiter by a certain date will go a long will in creating good will with job seekers.

A New View On Relocation

When I meet lawyers who have risen through the ranks to General Counsel or other C-level corporate posts, I always try to understand what strategies they've employed throughout their career.  Among several common threads I've seen, one continues to appear:  flexibility on relocation.  Increasingly, the most successful in-house lawyers have been willing to move for a promising opportunity -- sometimes across the country -- sometimes across the globe. 

Relocation for lawyers is a sticky issue--particularly in the United States.  If a lawyer starts his or her career in one state, it may be difficult to simply get up and move to a different location.  A private practice lawyer must be admitted in the jurisdiction where they sit.  The ease of relocating to a new state depends on the state:  the rules governing reciprocity vary widely.  So while it can be quite easy to pass the New York bar and later waive into practice in Texas, moving a few miles east to New Jersey would require becoming licensed all over again.  Because lawyers are licensed state-by-state, a license to practice law is not particularly portable.

None of this is to say that associates and partners don't relocate during their careers at law firms--they do.  While it's possible to move during the course of one's tenure in private practice, it's not generally commonplace.  Generally speaking, we see lawyers relocating for personal reasons--there is generally not a professional or career motivation.  And it's not generally something that's required to push a career to the next step in the private practice context.

Negotiating salary and compensation packages can be an anxiety inducing experience especially for job candidates who have been out of work for an extended amount of time.  However, compensation package negotiations are absolutely critical to making sure that the job candidate gets what they deserve.  Below are a few tips on how job candidates can confidently and effectively negotiate their compensation package:

Put yourself in the employer’s shoes. It’s important that the job candidate understand the needs and desires of the employer before they begin negotiations.  Is the employer doing well financially?  How badly does the employer want to hire you? What type of compensation has the employer provided to past employees? What is the standard compensation package in your industry for someone taking that particular job with your set of skills and experience? 

Don’t aim too low.  Remember, you are not a commodity.  When hiring professionals, employers do not always go for the lowest bidder.  Make sure that your offer is high enough to reflect your value as a new hire; but also make sure it is in line with the financial realities facing the employer.

Carefully consider all options.  When creating a compensation package offer, make sure you have in mind several options.  For example, if the employer is not willing to pay more in salary would they be willing to give you additional vacation hours?  Anticipate the employer’s objections and be prepared to offer them alternatives.

Be prepared to walk away. Compensation package negotiations are only effective if you are willing to walk away.  Before coming to the negotiating table, determine what you’re willing to accept as the final offer and be willing to walk away if that offer is not accepted. 

While a recruiter’s sales pitch should never be scripted, the talking points must be carefully crafted.  Below are a few questions recruiters should answer honestly when creating their sales pitch.

How Many Years Of Experience Do You Have?

Clients want to know if they’re dealing with a recruiting veteran or a newbie.  If a recruiter has many years of experience they should mention that fact early in their sales pitch.  On the other hand, if they are new to recruiting, they should emphasize the fact that they bring fresh insight and perspective as a new recruiter.

What Makes You Unique?

The industry is crowded with experienced recruiters, which means that selling yourself requires that you show clients how you are unique.  Make a list of all of the ways you stand out as a recruiter.  Are you faster?  Do you have an extensive list of high quality job candidates?  Do you have experience as an attorney or special understanding of the legal field?  Are you willing to make guarantees that other recruiters won’t? Whatever it is that makes you unique, include it in your sales pitch.

Have You Won Awards?

Winning awards and recognition as a recruiter can go a long way in helping you stand out. If you have received an award or special recognition for your work as recruiter be sure to include this in your sales pitch.

Do You Make Accurate Placements?

While many recruiters can get job candidates to interviews, it takes a lot more skill to get the job candidates who are a good match and who stay once hired.  If you’re a recruiter with a high placement rate and your placements have a history of staying on the job, this is critical information you must share in your sales pitch.

When creating a business strategy in your recruiting business, the quality of the tasks you take on is just as important as the quantity of time spent on them.  Let’s take a look at some issues of quality facing recruiters who want to improve their effectiveness:

Passive Candidates

Recruiting passive candidates is a core part of most recruiters’ sourcing strategy; but oftentimes the quality of their passive candidate contacts may be overlooked.  Ask yourself the following before contacting a passive candidate:

1. Is the passive candidate really a good match for this job based on the information I already have?
2. Do I have a powerful pitch that will nudge the passive candidate towards leaving their current position?
3. Have I done my homework on the position for which I’m recruiting?

Client Cold Calls

While volume is important when doing sales calls, the quality of the sales leads is equally if not more important.  Recruiters who want to improve their effectiveness must ask themselves the following questions about the quality of their sales leads:

1. Are these potential clients in the business of hiring third-party recruiters?
2. Are these potential clients financially sound and willing to pay for my services?
3. What type of reputation do these potential clients have with other recruiters?

Networking and Professional Events

Attending professional and networking events offers independent recruiters the opportunity to meet potential clients and get to know other recruiters.  However, just attending any event won’t be enough to get the benefit.  Recruiters should ask the following questions about professional and networking events:

1. What do other independent recruiters say about this event?
2. Is it professionally organized and does it have a history of success?
3. What direct benefit will I receive from attending this event?

The best recruiters understand that sourcing strategies must remain flexible for a constantly changing landscape of job candidates, job orders and firms.  Inflexible recruiting strategies can lead to unnecessarily lengthy candidate searches or worse – lost opportunities.  Below are a few questions recruiters should ask before creating their next recruiting strategy:

Who Is The Ideal Candidate?

The strategy used to recruit a new law school graduate maybe be significantly different than the one used to recruit a seasoned attorney for a high level position.  If a recruiter doesn’t know who the ideal candidate is then they run the risk of going down the wrong strategy path.

Does This Job Ad Attract The Right Job Candidate?

When creating job ads, recruiters need to make sure they are addressing the needs and wants of their ideal job candidate.  If a job ad is attracting a large volume of inappropriate resumes, then the job ad is failing to do its job.  When revisiting the job ad, the recruiter should ask, what will make the ideal job candidate respond to this ad?

Is This The Right Place To Look?

Searching for passive job candidates on a job board or a seasoned attorney on a website designed for recent law school graduates are both examples of looking for the right job candidate in the wrong place. Recruiters must make sure they are using the right search strategies if they plan to reach their ideal candidate with their job opportunity. 

For job seekers who have remained unemployed for a year a more, finding the right opportunity may seem daunting.  But sometimes leveraging imperfect job opportunities may be exactly what a slow job search needs. Let’s take a look at a few tips:

Working Outside Your Field

Working in a job outside your field could offer benefits to your job search.  Besides the prospect of earning cash, this type of imperfect opportunity may offer other types of experiences or access that could benefit you.  For example, if you find the perfect employer who doesn’t have the job your want, taking another position at the firm may give you a foot in the door.

Working Temp/Contract Jobs

While some job seekers are hesitant to take temporary positions because they fear it will slow down their job search, doing so could offer some benefits.  Temp and contract workers are often considered first when full-time opportunities become available.  To successfully use temp/contract jobs to your benefit, you must be committed to continuing your search while working the temporary job. Temp and contract work also gives you an opportunity to get a feel for an organization from the inside.

Have An Exit Plan

Making sure your imperfect job is only a temporary pit-stop is critical to a successful job search.  The last thing you want to do is spend a protracted amount of time in a job while allowing your search to languish.  Before you take an imperfect job opportunity make sure you create an exit plan and timeline. 

Every recruiter understands that quality job orders increase their chances of not only finding top performing job candidates, but of getting them placed with the client.  But what type of job order constitutes a quality one and how exactly can a recruiter fill their plate with quality job orders as opposed to junk?  Below are a few tips:

Know The Difference

Knowing the difference between a quality job order and junk is critical to improving placement and revenue.  A quality job order is a job opportunity coveted by top candidates.  It is also a job order which if filled has guaranteed placement.  The critical questions to ask are, “Do quality job candidates want this position?” and “Is the client ready to hire now for this position?”

Avoid Junk Orders

Just like in a diet, filing yourself up on junk job orders leaves no room for the job orders which will bring in the highest amount of revenue.  While it may be tempting to fill your time placing for “bottom rung” job orders when the economy is shaky, that move can be a mistake.  Recruiters must leave ample room to market to and recruit for the “perfect” job order.  Also, they must be willing to replace lower quality job orders with high quality ones if they ever plan to become a big biller.

Less Is More

As can be expected, quality job orders take more energy to win and more time and discernment when looking for the right job candidate.  This means that recruiters need to spend more time and energy marketing to clients who have the sought after positions.  And they need to spend more time and energy recruiting for those positions.  To accomplish this task, top billing recruiters often work on a handful of high quality job orders instead of attempting to do large volumes of “middle of the road” job orders.

Not surprisingly, when faced with long-term unemployment, many job seekers consider reinventing themselves. Maybe they consider pursuing a long forgotten passion or have found some new interest they want to explore.  But what does it take to properly tackle career reinvention?  Below we look at a few questions job seekers should ask themselves:

1. What is most important to you at this point in life?  Job seekers should carefully assess what it is that they want out of life.  Do they want more time with family?  Do they seek more financial achievements? Are they looking to leave some type of legacy behind for others?  Whatever it is that would make them feel more fulfilled, they need to discover it before they embark on a career reinvention.
2. What are you must passionate about?  Passion is defined as a strong feeling towards something or someone.  When answering this question don’t limit your answer to just the work sphere.  If you answer, “I am most passionate about my kids” that’s okay.  Such an answer might indicate that you should take on a career that will allow more time with family. On the other hand, if you say, “I am most passionate about helping those who are the most vulnerable,” then it might indicate a career in public service, such as helping death row inmate appeal their cases.
3. What about previous jobs did you like the least?  Don’t worry about offending former employers with your answer. Remember, only you will know your answer.  Knowing what you have disliked about former jobs will give you better insight into the type of work you should avoid in the future. 

Top performers are searching for opportunities, not just jobs.  Even if they’re unemployed and especially if they are already working, they won’t budge unless the job offered by a recruiter is framed as an opportunity for career growth and advancement.  So how does a recruiter find out if the employer’s open position is a mere job or a career opportunity?  Below are a few tips:

• Ask the employer to describe the types of opportunities for advancement and growth available while in the position.  Will the new hire be eligible for promotion?  If so, how soon?  Does the employer offer mentors, training or do they fund education?  Will the new hire have an opportunity to work on important projects that allow them to gain skills necessary for advancement? If so, what type of projects? Make sure the employer offers details so that you can share this with job candidates.
• Find out who has taken the job before and performed well.  Was this person promoted? If so, to what position?  How long did it take for them to be promoted? What skills and qualities earned them the promotion?  Try to get two or three stories about people who used the job to launch the rest of their careers and share those stories with job candidates.
• Ask the hiring manager how the job is important to the overall operations of the firm. Top performers want to know that what they’re doing is really making a difference.  Make sure you can explain to job candidates how the position is critical to the success of the company.