Rats. I mean, Hooray! I got his voice mail!

Sometimes it seems that  the technology which was designed to improve our communication continues to build layer after layer of impenetrable walls between us and the people we need to reach.  So instead of looking at voice mail as a hindrance, look at it as a direct mail advertisement with a one hundred percent open rate.  One hundred percent of the voice mail messages you leave will be heard by the people you want to reach.  It’s up to you to come up with a way to get them to take action and call you back.



The type of message you leave is dependent upon the type of person you are trying to reach.  For prospective clients, your sales message is fruitless if it’s just a pitch and doesn’t offer anything of value. For prospective candidates, if you tell them you are a recruiter and that you have a great opportunity, they’ll probably roll their eyes and delete your message, just like they did with the five other identical messages left for them this week from your competitors.


I’ve seen different variations of getting candidates to call back. The most ridiculous is the silly trick of hanging up before you tell them why you’re calling. My name is Harry the Happy Headhunter, my number is 555-5555 and I need to talk to you about..(click!)”  At first it might seem that we’ve just discovered a new way to get people to call back.  But what if they don’t? What if they’ve already had that trick used on them before? It’s an overused and trite sales trick that dates back to the origination of voice mail. If you do this then you can’t ever leave another message for them. You’ve lost them and your credibility with them, forever.



Last week, I achieved one hundred percent success in getting call-backs from candidates when I left this message: “Joe, my name is Scott Love, my phone number is 828 225 7700 and I need to talk with you about Gina Smith.  Please call today. I’ll be available between three and five this afternoon. If my assistant tells you I’m on the phone, please ask her to interrupt me so I can take your call. My number is 828 225 7700.”

That’s it. Who is Gina Smith? She is someone that worked for me two years ago that already talked with this candidate.  Go through your database and look for candidates who have already been engaged in conversations by recruiters in your office who are no longer employed by your firm.



When the candidate calls back, you can say, “I’m glad you returned my call, Jim.  You had spoken with Gina Smith two years ago. She’s no longer employed by our firm.  I work for a company named (your company name).  Our firm accelerates the careers of people in the widget industry, we do executive search.  When you spoke with Gina it didn’t seem like the time was right for you to consider making a move,  so I wanted to touch base with you, Jim, to see if you are open to hearing about other opportunities. Is that something you are open to right now?"



And you take the call from there.  You are using that other person’s previous conversation to open up a dialogue with them.  It doesn’t matter whether or not they remember the other recruiter.  You’ve got them on the phone without being duplicitous. It’s a legitimate way to get people to take action, to get them on the phone with you, and to put them in your process.

Copyright (c) 2008 Scott Love
Scott Love improves recruiter performance by getting recruiters to think at a higher level, to develop a better strategy, to master recruiting tactics, and to develop better work habits. He has created a simple step-by-step system of recruiting success that is replicable. Nearly 2,500 search firms and staffing agencies from sixteen countries have invested in his training tools. Visit his website for free videos, training tools, free downloads, and articles at www.GreatRecruiterTraining.com


1. Fear of talking to strangers. As children most of us were admonished to "never talk to strangers" the inference being that strangers are dangerous and not to be trusted.  But in most networking settings the strangers are just like you, often work in the same field and may even share some of your hobbies and values. To overcome your fear try tricking your brain into seeing the strangers as long lost friends or distant cousins you're meeting for the first time at a family reunion.

2. Fear of rejection.  This is the root of our biggest fear of networking.  Many of us are simply afraid that people won't be receptive or responsive to our attempts to network.  To overcome this fear, create limits with yourself.  For example, you may decide that you will say "Hi, is this your first time here?" to someone and if they are not very talkative or receptive give yourself permission to move on.  

3. Fear of being boring or having nothing to say.  Well the good thing about networking and having conversation is that often the best conversationalists are those who listen.  Focus on listening to the other person when networking and ask questions directly related to what they are talking about, (i.e. their career, job, aspirations, recent project, award etc.).  You will soon discover that people enjoy talking about themselves and are highly appreciative of those who are good listeners.

Times are changing rapidly.  Firms are closing, merging and downsizing.  Attorneys are out of work in great numbers.  What does that mean for recruiters?  It means they will have to work just a little harder.  When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

The overall numbers are down for job openings, but many of the openings are indeed true needs.  If you can judge the age of the opening, you have a good idea of the validity of that position.  Many corporate job postings on firm websites may not be true needs, but positions in Intellectual Property, Labor & Employment, Energy and Bankruptcy generally are.  Intellectual Property tops the list with the most job openings, followed by Bankruptcy and Labor and Employment.  These jobs have a much more likelihood of being pursued by the law firm and filled.

Recently laid off attorneys are in an unfortunate position.  Their skills do not match the requirements of the jobs the firms are seeking to fill.  Your recruiting firm may be awash in resumes, but are they resumes of the desired attorneys?  The answer is most probably, ‘no’.  Now is the time to recruit those passive candidates with zeal.  You can’t spend time trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.  You must present candidates with the credentials and experience the law firm is seeking.  If you don’t, you risk losing faith with the law firm.

Will you find resistance from attorneys to move?  Yes.  In these rocky times, people have a tendency to hunker down, hoard and hold on to what they have, rather than embrace change.  An analysis of their standing at the firm would help them access their true job stability.  Are they getting enough work?  Are their billable hours low or merely mid-range?  Is their own firm stable, or poised for future cuts?  MOVING to a new law firm could in many cases, be the most prudent thing to do.  These are the ideas you should express to potential candidates.

Attorneys must access their value and options.  A recruiter should help them in this evaluation and decision. A recruiter’s own knowledge of the firm, where they are currently employed as well as the firm that’s being proposed, can make an enormous difference. Your mastery of the facts and knowledge of the industry can guide your candidate to make the right decision.  

Recruiting will continue, law firm needs will continue, but the successful recruiter must work harder in this market and dot every ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’.  Know the objections of the attorney before he brings them up.  Know the law firm and your attorney well, before you present them to the firm.  Now is the time for heightened professionalism and the willingness to go the extra mile for your client AND candidate.  

Leopard Solutions clients have the advantage of our data behind them. Leopard Reporting, our Job Program and the Leopard List put valuable research tools at our clients disposal. They have the hard facts they need in seconds, along with candidates and job openings. Non-clients are encouraged to use the free tools on our site that can help keep them AND their clients informed. Our Law Firm Profiles are an excellent tool for firm research.  The Hot Spot can deliver firm news to you each day – all day – to keep you up to date on what firms are doing.  This is the moment where you need to draw from every resource, and put as many tools in your arsenal as possible.  This is the time put your best foot forward, and we’re happy to help recruiters do just that!

Many of the most prestigious and highest-paying law firms (with a few exceptions), are searching for only the best graduates from the "Top 15" or "Top 25" law schools in the country.  This can cause considerable stress for an ambitious law student (who attended a lesser known school) hoping to land a job at a prestigious firm.  Fortunately, a law student's law school rank is not always the most important factor when employers are considering who to hire. Here are a few skills and experiences that can give graduates of lesser known law schools an edge in the job market:
•    Law school graduates who have clerkships/internships at a top national law firm or other prestigious organizations will increase their chances for consideration for employment at top national firms.
•    Law school graduates who have special legal work experience that is hard to find; but needed, will be given an edge in the job market.  For example, a firm looking for someone who has experience or knowledge of common law markets in Russia might give a graduate with that skill/knowledge more consideration despite what school he/she attended.
•    Language skills are critical as we move into a global era.  Law school graduates who have fluency in high demand/low supply languages will most likely have an edge over "top law school" graduates who don't have these skills.  Language skills in Chinese and Arabic are predicted to increase in demand as those regions grow.

     As most recruiters know, searching for the best job candidates can become costly in both dollars and time.  But the type of candidate a recruiter pursues can affect the amount of resources required to find the right match for just about any job opportunity. In recruiting, there are generally two types of candidates: active candidates and passive candidates. 
      Because they are currently unemployed, active candidates are often aggressively searching for a job and their decision-making process is often driven by the need to find a job. This type of candidate (active) usually sends out many resumes and responds to many job postings.  Because recruiters process volumes of resumes, it can often take a lot of time to identify the best active candidates; but because of the active candidate's aggressive job search the best candidates have often found other employment by the time the recruiter contacts them. This is why when a recruiter focuses the majority of his/her energy on active candidates he/she often expends more time and money finding the right match for a job opportunity.
      Then there is the passive candidate, who is usually employed and not looking for a job. They are not sending out resumes, checking job boards or visiting career sites. This is the candidate that you seek out because they are a perfect fit for the job you are seeking to fill.  If a recruiter focuses on and attracts passive candidates he/she can save time and money by getting access to the most qualified candidates quickly. 

Many attorneys who have had clerkships sometimes move on to work at large law firms; but the adjustments necessary can be difficult in many key ways.  Let's take a look at how former clerks can navigate the landscape of a large law firm.

1.    During a clerkship, attorneys often have the full attention of the judge they work with and are given meaningful and challenging work.  But once clerks make the transition to a large law firm, many feel like they have become simply a "cog in the machine" as they answer to a variety of bosses with a variety needs. The key to dealing with multiple bosses is to treat each one like a highly valuable client--be responsive, meet deadlines and deliver quality work. The more you can do this, the more likely you will be given challenging and meaningful assignments and build a positive reputation for yourself.

2.    Tracking and being accountable for billable hours can be very challenging for many former clerks or anyone new to the large law firm environment. To overcome this challenge, in the beginning you should always have your billable time checked by a senior associate or partner to make sure you are recording the hours correctly.

3.    Many former clerks feel lost and afloat in larger law firms with little or no guidance.  The trick to getting on the road to progress and promotion within a large law firm is to identify and develop relationships with associates and key partners who have the skills and willingness to informally mentor you. These informal mentors are key to helping you identify and improve your weaknesses.

4.    Last, but certainly not least, former clerks can benefit greatly by studying and learning from the "office politics" of larger firms.  By watching the failures and successes of others when dealing with "office politics" you can effectively learn how to navigate the law firm to reach your career goals and objectives.

We've talked a little about how networking and informational interviews can be goldmines for law students looking to land their first legal job.  But many law students don't quite understand how they can approach a contact regarding conducting an informational interview.  So to help law students take the first step to landing an informational interview, below is a sample letter/invitation to a contact asking for an informational interview.

YourFirstName YourLastName
Address
City, State, Zip

Date
Contact Name
Title
Company
Address
City, State, Zip
Dear Ms./Mr. Contact,
I am a junior at (insert law school), and found your name and contact information (insert source). I have an interest in working in the field of (insert legal practice area); but I would like to learn more from someone with experience working in (insert legal practice area).  I understand that you are very busy, but I was hoping to schedule a 15 minute informational interview with you to discuss your experiences in this field.
I would like to hear about why you decided to work in this field, the pros and cons of the practice area, and the work experience, classes and co-curricular activities I should consider if I want to work in this practice area.
I look forward to meeting you and hearing your insights and advice regarding this field.
Sincerely,
YourFirstName YourLastName (Class Year)