I’ll never forget the most miserable hour of my day when I first started in the business.  It was ‘plan time.’  This dreaded hour was spent hand-writing names and numbers of those people who I was going to call, and if I didn’t call them, then I’d have to spend an entire hour the next day hand-writing the same numbers and names over and over again.  This was before computer databases existed and it was a miserable experience, so I did what any fun-focused recruiter would do:  I blew it off.  And my production reflected my lack of planning.
 
But a few years later, when databases became main-stream, I found that I didn’t have to hand-write the names and numbers over and over again. All I had to do was print out the names and numbers of who I was going to call.  I didn’t really have much focus of when I was going to call them and I was supposed to develop some sort of a plan, but I figured that I’d just randomly follow the call list and I did what any over-confident technology-savvy recruiter would do with planning:  I blew it off.  And my production reflected my lack of planning.

Finally, I made a decision to hit the next level in production.  I was tired of almost achieving my goals and knew that I had to get just a little bit sharper on my desk.  The only way I could get better with my placements was to get better with where I spent my time, which is the whole objective of planning.
 
Follow these seven secrets of planning and see how much more you can bill in the next 90 days:

1.    First, start each day with a specific focus:  “What are the two or three things I need to accomplish today to be considered successful?”  Write those goals down everyday and think about them throughout the day.

2.    Review your activity sheet.  Identify those four or five searches that need to be ‘touched’ in the day.  Do you have to extend an offer for search assignment A?  Do you have to prep and debrief interviews for search assignment B?  Do you have to qualify candidates who you recruited yesterday for search assignment C?  Do you have to find candidates for search assignment D?  Do you have to source names for search assignment E?  Review your activity sheet and make notes each day on what action items need to happen to keep the rhythm of the searches moving forward.  Ask yourself this question when you look at each search on your desk: “What is the most important thing that needs to happen with this search, right now?”

3.    Carve out specific blocks of your time for each of those four or five action items.  Thirty minutes of sourcing can give you thirty names if you do it right.  (8 – 8:30) Three hours of recruiting can give you coverage of fifteen candidates if you hustle and stay on the phone and keep your initial recruit calls to six minutes or less. (8:30 – 11:30)  Two or three hours of prepping, debriefing and qualifying can help you bring your candidates forward in the process and give you more information on those who you wish to present to your clients.  (1 – 3) An hour blocked out for your client and candidate who are getting ready to bring closure to your deal is enough to close it, but be flexible on this because this type of call is the most significant of your day and takes priority over all other conversations. (3 – 4). And wrap up those calls at the end of the day that are still important (4 – 4:30) and leave at least thirty minutes to an hour at the end of the day to strategically plan where you are going to spend your time tomorrow ( 4:30 – 5 or 5:30).  Each day is different, but this gives you an idea of how you can keep your desk balanced.  You can also shake it up by scheduling business development calls with warm prospects and other business-generating activities a few times a week.


Seven Secrets of Good Planning Continued.....

A judicial clerkship is one of the most rewarding (and prestigious) employment opportunities that a recent law school graduate could experience. They usually last one to two years and serve as an excellent bridge from law school to the actual practice of law.  Working as a judicial clerk will give a recent law school graduate access to knowledge and connections that will make them a very attractive candidate for even the most prestigious law firms.  To apply for a judicial clerkship:

1.    You must be a U.S. citizen to become a federal judicial clerk.  Those who are non-citizens may be able to work for the federal judiciary in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. Both non-citizens and citizens can apply for a judicial clerkship at the state judiciary.

2.    You must have completed your J.D. degree.  Although there are no specific requirements, the most competitive clerkships which are the federal clerkships usually prefer students in the top 25% of their class.  However, each judge has his/her own criteria for picking judicial clerks, so don’t allow grades to stop you from applying.

3.    Applicants must send a cover letter, resume, writing sample, official law school transcript and 3 - 4 letters of recommendation to the judge.  The application materials cannot be sent separately, everything must be sent at one time in one enveloped marked "Judicial Clerkship Application."

To learn more about hiring criteria of federal judges visit https://lawclerks.ao.uscourts.gov.

When it comes to the issue of a job candidate's references many recruiters are failing to get the full mileage out of them.  Not only can candidate references be used to help a job candidate win out over others and secure a position, they can also be used by recruiters up front to secure an interview for the candidate.  Here's how…

Encourage the candidate to provide references at the beginning of the recruitment process and ask them questions about how they added value to their former employer.  For example, a recruiter might ask, "What was your proudest accomplishment at XYZ firm?"  Request that they provide specifics.  So instead of a job candidate saying, "I was really great at multitasking and worked well under stress," he might say, "I worked on 20 cases a month and once saved the company $20,000 when an irate client threatened to take us off their case. I resolved the client's issue quickly and they eventually became a repeat client."

Once the recruiter secures the "value added" statement from the job candidate, he/she should confirm the statement with the candidate's references.  Once they have confirmed the accuracy of the candidate's statement they should submit to their client, the candidate's "value added" statement along with their resume, cover letter and a note saying that the statement was confirmed by the former employer.  Verified "value added" statements are almost guaranteed to go a long way in winning the confidence of clients and by extension a face-to-face interview for your job candidate. 
 

Writing effective job ads is an important aspect of every recruiter's responsibilities. Poorly written job ads get poor results, low quality applicants and can create more work for recruiters who need to weed through all those inappropriate job candidates. If you want to attract the best job candidates, then write a job ad that will appeal to them.  Here are few tips:

1.    Understand your target job candidate.  What types of jobs do quality job candidates want?  Do they want a high salary?  Room to grow? Great location? Do they want to work for a prestigious company?  Do they value working independently or working on challenging projects?

2.    As you finish answering the questions above, ask yourself, "Why should the best candidates work for our client and not the competition?"  What advantages does your client have?

3.    When you write your job ad, be specific, never vague.  Make sure you list the exact salary or salary range if possible. Offer details on job responsibilities, workplace culture and what training and rewards the job candidate can expect if they choose to work for your client. For example, you ad might say "XYZ firm prides itself in a fast paced environment that rewards employee productivity with substantial yearly bonuses."

4.    If there are features about your client's job that you know will be selling point, then emphasize them.  For example, if a firm offers an official mentor program that may be something you want to point out in the job ad.

5.    Finally make sure your job ad is written in a dynamic, specific conversational tone (yet professional) and utilize active verbs.  For example, you might say, "XYZ firm invests in their attorneys by offering continuing education funding starting in the first year of employment," instead of saying "XYZ firm offers educational assistance."

Many recruiters and employers requesting resumes via email are often cautious about attachments.  Some employers and recruiters may even ask a job candidate to send their resume in the body of the email to avoid the possibility of viruses.  But doing so can leave a job candidate with a formatting mess.  Here are some instructions on how you can create a readable and attractive text resume that can be inserted into the body of your email.

1.    Open your resume and rename it using the .txt extension. Most programs will allow you to do this by going to "Save as…" and saving the document as ASCII text. If you don't see the ASCII option then select "text only with line breaks."

2.    Remove any graphics, including lines, photos and logos.

3.    Replace bullets with asterisks or dashes.

4.    Use the spacebar to line up text the way you want. Do not use tabs or any macros.

5.    You are limited to 80 characters per line.

6.    You can also use Microsoft NotePad or any other text program to make the changes above or any other changes to you text resume.

7.    Once you're done you can save it again.  Make sure you select "Save as…" "ASCII" because most word processing programs will revert to their own extensions (i.e. Microsoft Word .doc).

8.    Once you have completed your text resume, you can copy and paste it into the body of the email.

Traditionally, well-positioned law firm partners see an uptick in calls from recruiters for a number of reasons tied to their professional success.

Contacts can become more frequent, for instance, if a partner's star is on the rise, maybe because they've recently won a major piece of litigation or concluded a big deal that has generated buzz and perhaps a bit of press coverage. Or perhaps their practice area has become especially hot, like securities litigation, bankruptcy or financial services regulatory work.

While attorneys enjoying these successes will always be in demand, such achievements don't account for the record number of cold calls that many are currently fielding. Some might suggest an additional reason is the very challenging year many law firms had in 2008 -- and continue to suffer well into 2009 -- with workforce reductions striking even the most iconic firms, and a number of once-venerable partnerships dissolving in a matter of months. However, recruiters have traditionally targeted firms with significant drops in profits-per-partner, so we must look elsewhere.

In fact, the primary reason for the especially aggressive courting of partners is that legal recruiters who had been doing associate placement work now have little or nothing to do. Faced with the choice of starving or turning to the one market that remains fluid, associate recruiters have chosen the latter, even though the vast majority of associate recruiters have no experience placing attorneys with substantial books of business or extensive -- and sometimes complicated -- client relationships.

An attorney friend of mine believes that in Dante's "circles of hell," legal recruiters occupy a level somewhere between music industry executives and car dealers. That is a harsh judgment, but not without some truth. Our industry does have its share of what "60 Minutes" correspondent Mike Wallace used to refer to as scoundrels and scallywags. When you add to this the legion of inexperienced recruiters with low track records at placing more-senior partners or even counsel, there is more reason than ever for partners to be wary about which recruiter they work with.

When speaking with partner candidates I am often amazed at how many will allow someone to "submit" their credentials to a law firm without really knowing much about the person making that presentation. This is dangerous but never more so than in the current climate.

Consider: would your clients ever entrust a "bet the company" matter to you without having a good idea of your professional background and actual experience in similar situations? Of course not. Think of your decision about whether to remain at your current firm or to make a move to a new home as a "bet the company" matter in the overall scheme of your career. Viewed that way, you are likely to want representation only by recruiters with a stellar track record of integrity and placing partners with at least your level of achievement. In other words, if you are a securities litigator with $10 million in portable business, you want someone who has worked with partners with sizeable books of business.

The good news is that it is relatively easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. Here are a few must-ask questions to pose to any recruiter seeking to represent you.

1. What firm are you calling on behalf of?

The best recruiters are calling on behalf of a specific client -- as opposed to those simply dialing partners trolling for bait, who after finding interested partners on the phone line, run to the Am Law 100 list and send the partner to multiple firms, claiming that Partner 'X' is interested in speaking with them.

2. Who do you work with at the firm?

One partner I know always gives cold-calling recruiters a reality check by asking about a fictitious partner at the named law firm. "Oh, you're working with the 'XYZ' firm, you must know Fred Goldsmith". Any affirmative response ends the conversation.

As a general rule you want to hear that the person calling you is working with either the firm-wide chair, managing partner, head of a particular practice group, head of lateral recruiting and/or the managing partner of the firm's office in your city. The closer the relationship between firm and headhunter the more valuable that recruiter can be to you.

Note To Partners, Continued......

Have you ever read a job ad and felt that it told you a lot about an employer (good or bad)?  The truth of the matter is that an employer's job ad can reveal many things about the culture of that company and the attitude they have towards their workers.  Here are a few rules on how job candidates should read between the lines of job ads:

1.    How detailed is the job ad?  On many internet job sites, employers are allowed to create very detailed job ads (over a 1,000 words) that include information about the company's culture and mission.  If the employer fails to include details about their company and/or specifics of the position when they have more than enough space to do so, it may be a bad sign.

2.    Does the employer's job ad include information about how the position will benefit the job candidate? Or, do they simply focus on the responsibilities, duties and work experience required of the job candidate.  Employment is a two-way street that requires value from both the employee and the employer.  If an employer fails to mention how the company/job will benefit the job candidate then it may be cause they don't realize that the employment relationship is a two-way street which is never good for workers.  When examining a job ad, look for postings that answer the question: How will the job candidate benefit from working at this company?

3.    Job ads should offer valuable details such as salary information, specific job responsibilities and at least some information about the company's culture, history and/or mission. If a company offers the specifics necessary for a job candidate to make an informed decision about the applying for a position it is usually a sign that they understand and respect the relationship between the employer and employee and are willing to hold up their end of the bargain.

One of the most important steps that a recruiter can take in vetting the suitability of a job candidate is to perform thorough background checks that include reference checks.  Before doing so, a recruiter needs to notify the job candidate that he/she will perform a reference check.  Most of the time a job candidate's references will be positive; but there are times when a recruiter will receive a negative reference.  What should a recruiter do?

1.    First try to determine if the negative reference is legitimate or given by someone who "has it in" for the job candidate.  Although this is rare, sometimes negative references are illegitimate.

2.    Get specifics. Find out specifics about why the former employer is giving a negative reference.

3.    Cross check various references.  Is everyone giving a negative reference on this job candidate?  Are the majority positive or negative? If you have two references and one is saying something negative; go back to the positive reference and say, "I received some negative feedback about this job candidate, is there anything about him/her that might not make him/her a good employee?"  This gives the reference the opportunity to "come clean" if he/she was being less than honest.

4.    To tell or not to tell…the job candidate.  The jury is out on whether a recruiter should disclose to a job candidate that he/she was given a negative reference.  Some recruiters believe in disclosure while others think it's important to keep reference feedback confidential. However, if the recruiter promised to keep feedback from references confidential he/she was honor that promise.

The NALSC conference recently held in Philadelphia provided some interesting information and insight into employer/recruiter relations.  The law firm Managing Partner Panel discussed several issues, along with complaints about recruiters that have long lived in the industry.  Recruiters who don’t do their homework, recruiters who present candidates without first introducing themselves, recruiters who do not educate their candidates on a firm before they go in for their first interview, AND recruiters who place a candidate on one day only to raid from their firm the next.  

Their criticism, while valid, was also curious.  They were speaking at a NALSC conference, whose members work to uphold the highest ethical standards in recruiting, yet they were complaining about ‘unethical’ recruiters.  I respectfully suggest that the onus is on law firms to correct the problems they face with recruiters. Protests against questionable recruiter behavior fall flat when law firms use those same recruiters to procure a candidate. They should lose their right to complain as they perpetuate the cycle by working with recruiters whose practices they denounce. The bottom line seems to be the candidate - no matter who presents them. Their position, while somewhat understandable, works against building the standards they claim to seek.
 
It’s like a minister denouncing sin on Sunday morning, but gleefully partaking of it on Saturday night.   These managing partners were preaching to the choir in Philadelphia about the standards they would like recruiters to uphold.  Now if law firms backed up their position by choosing to only work with recruiters who follow the ethical standards they say they want, their complaints about the recruiting industry just might disappear.

Unless you're brand new to the work world, you've probably read literally thousands of job descriptions during your job search.  But how do job descriptions impact your job search and how can you use them to increase your odds of being hired?

Well the first thing you need to know is that each job description is created to give the job candidate an accurate view of job duties, responsibilities and required qualifications of that particular position.  Most job descriptions are created by an objective examination of the actual position's required tasks and what skills and experience is needed to successfully complete those tasks. Well written job descriptions will include details about working conditions and even reporting responsibilities, along with a list of up to 20 "responsibilities."  Reading all of that information could become overwhelming or even confusing for most job candidates.  To simplify your life, focus on the first four to five responsibilities listed when writing your resume and cover letter.  Those are usually the responsibilities that are most important to the hiring company. As you write your cover letter and resume keep in mind how you will fulfill those responsibilities or how you can prove you are competent enough to fulfill those responsibilities.  Use measurable, specific statements and if possible, insert the same keywords that are used in the job description.  For example, if a job description says that they are looking for an attorney with "the ability to manage a heavy case load," you may want to include in your cover letter, a line that says "Worked on 40 cases a month during my five years at XYZ Law Firm."  This gives the employer very specific numbers while proving that you can handle a heavy case load.

As you write your resume and cover letter, keep in mind that no matter what the job responsibilities say your primary job responsibility is to add value to that company.  Make sure you prove that you are willing and able to add value to the company when writing your cover letter and resume. Be explicit and specific when describing the type of value your bring to the table.

We've talked about Twitter and other social networking sites; but LinkedIn is actually one of the most commonly used social networking sites that is used almost exclusively by professionals looking to make business connections. If you're a recruiter who wants to squeeze the most benefits out of the social networking tools available, using LinkedIn may be a great starting point.  Here a few tips for using the service to find job candidates:

1.    Use LinkedIn's search engine.  Go to the LinkedIn search field and select "Advanced" and "Search People."  You can enter specific keywords, job titles and even specify locations to locate candidates that best fit your parameters.   For example, if you're searching for a "Spanish speaking contract attorney," you may want to enter "Spanish" "contract attorney" into the search fields.  But beware some candidates may not have complete profiles or failed to use the keywords you're using.

2.    You can also search under certain companies and find current and former employees. Once you click on the company name, LinkedIn will list former and current employees who are connected to the company via LinkedIn. This search method may be effective in finding passive job seekers and those job seekers who have experience with a certain type of firm.

3.    When you receive your search results take a look at the candidate's work related experience (beware: LinkedIn info may be inaccurate or incomplete); but more importantly see if you can find any recommendations given by former employers or even colleagues.

4.    Once you have found good potential job candidates, it's time to reach out and connect to them.  Send them an email via LinkedIn or if you can, send them a non-LinkedIn email.  Remember, that many people do not check their LinkedIn accounts very often.  Also, never use any of the boilerplate messages that LinkedIn provides, always personalize your message.  

Leopard Solutions clients now receive 25 FREE job postings in our job board each month!  We have increased the number of FREE job openings to help us continue to grow the service for attorneys. We have more job seekers, more job views and applications coming through each day and by increasing the number of FREE listings, it will make even more opportunities available to our visiting attorneys.  In addition, recruiters who are not Leopard Solutions clients are still invited to post 5 free jobs each month.  They may simply register as an employer and post their free listings.  A video is posted on the job board that will take employers step by step through the posting process.
 
Did you know about our LAW SCHOOL PROJECT?  We have created a special site for Law Schools where students and alumni of Harvard, Northwestern, Duke and several other top ten schools will be coming to our site for assistance with their job hunt.  As they use our tools to plan their future, attorneys can apply for positions directly through our Job Board.
 
We're doing our best to help our recruiters and attorneys in this unusual time.  The Leopard Job Board is another piece of the puzzle designed to bring attorneys and employers together. Many of the free tools available to attorneys are also available to the public – our Law Blog, the Hot Spot (our legal news aggregator), Leopard Chats, Legal Recruiter Directory and our Law Firm Profiles are available free of charge.  
 
We encourage attorneys, recruiters and law firms to continue using our site for valuable information. Leopard Solutions is dedicated to providing high quality tools and information to our attorney guests AND to our professional recruiting clients.

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We've talked about the power of networking online and offline, including the use of Twitter to connect with recruiters and employers. LinkedIn is another online social network which can be a great resource for any job seeker who wants to begin building a network (that may eventually lead to a job) quickly and easily.  Here a few tips that can help you use LinkedIn effectively as a job seeker:
1.    Create a professional profile.  Creating a professional profile is the key to getting others to take you seriously on LinkedIn.  Treat your LinkedIn profile like a resume.  Make sure your job experience listed is complete and accurate.
2.    Use keywords.  Use the right keywords in your profiles so that recruiters and employers can find you easily.
3.    Connect to former supervisors and colleagues.  Make sure you get them to post recommendation for you on your account.  A LinkedIn recommendation from a former supervisor can go long way in impressing recruiters and employers.
4.    Connect with others.  This one is tricky because anyone who has spent any time on social networks knows that there are tons of spammers who send out blanket "friends requests" to people they've never met. This is a huge turnoff for those professionals who are serious about using LinkedIn to make real connections. Before you send a friend request, make sure you have something of value to offer that person. Which takes us to our next point…
5.    Don't be a spammer.  Make sure that you offer value to the LinkedIn community.  Join groups/discussion boards and share information that can help others.  Think about sharing articles, job leads and information about upcoming events. You may even want to start a blog/column to share your expertise and knowledge.  This will make others want to be connected to you.
6.    Take your connections offline.  If your LinkedIn contacts are local you need to cultivate the relationship so that it eventually goes offline.  Think about inviting others to offline events or classes.  And if you've followed some of our other tips, you may even have an offline course or discussion of your own that you can invite your LinkedIn connections to.

When receiving a job offer each candidate needs to honestly evaluate the offer before they commit. Here are a few things you should think about when considering a job offer:

1.    Salary (and benefits).  Even if you're doing the job that you love, you need to make sure that you're making enough money to pay your bills and meet any financial goals in the future. Also, what type of growth is there for the position you're being offered?  Remember, most likely you will be at this job for several, if not many years, so you need to consider if the salary is large enough and offers enough growth to meet your future financial goals. You should also take a look at what others are earning doing similar work in your geographic. Visit www.salary.com to research current salary trends for your job.

2.    While we're on the subject of salary, job candidates should consider the costs of the job.  Every job has a cost associated with it which might include, commuting expenses, clothing expenses or other business expenses. Make sure you calculate these expenses and deduct them from your salary to find out how much money will really take home. If your health benefits and other insurance is limited, healthcare may need to factor in with expenses.

3.    Working environment and culture. We've talk about this issue previously; but it needs to be repeated…you must have the right personality for the company you're joining.  Before you accept that job offer take another look at the company's working environment and culture.  Does the job require long hours, lots of overtime?  If so, do you mind giving up your weekends and evenings (for years)?  What about the stress level?  If you're laid back do you think you would fit in with a high-paced office?  You should also consider the work-styles and personalities of your possible co-workers and/or supervisor.  Before you commit make sure it's the right fit.

We all know that recruiting is a relationship driven business; but it's also a knowledge driven business that requires each recruiter to know the intimate details of the industry they're working in.  Do you, as a recruiter, know the inside scoop on your talent market?  Good recruiters should be able to discuss with clients the following:

1.    How many candidates (generally speaking) are available for that particular position?  Are competitors laying off people creating a surplus of high quality job candidates?  Or, is their a lack of job candidates with the skills needed to fill that position?

2.    What are job candidates looking for in a job?  This information will help clients highlight aspects of their job that will be appealing to the most desirable candidates.  Also, the recruiter must make the client aware of things that may turn a job candidate away from a particular job.

3.    What type of job candidate would be best for their company?  Often clients are not aware of the type of personality that gels well with their company culture. A recruiter who is educated about the client's culture and business needs will be able to recommend job candidates with the right skills and personality to create a perfect match.

This talent market knowledge is only obtained by ongoing reading about the industry and the effective use of lots of surveys and other data collection tools

If you've been on the job search for awhile and are wondering why you haven't hit the jackpot yet, you may want to try to put yourself in the recruiter's (and employer's) shoes.  Every recruiter wants to find the perfect match for his/her client and if you're the right match they're more than happy to promote you to their client. However, there are two major fears every recruiter has that you may want to consider as you continue your job search:

1.    Every recruiter (and employer) fears that they will hire someone who is not a good fit for the culture of that particular workplace. They fear that the new employee may have the skills to do the job but lack a personality that will mesh with the other workers. To ease this fear, each job candidate should be honest about their personality and the type of workplace they enjoy.  For example, if you prefer a fast-paced environment, don't pretend to be laid back and vice-versa. You may even want to offer examples of how you handled difficult interpersonal situations, such as resolving a conflict with a peer or supervisor.

2.    Every recruiter fears that he/she will make a hiring mistake so bad that it will jeopardize his/her reputation and damage the relationship with the client.  This is most likely to happen if the job candidate is incompetent or has been dishonest about his/her ability to perform the job.  To ease the recruiter's fear about this issue, make sure that you offer generous amounts of proof that you are qualified for the position.  Also, give concrete examples of your success in similar types of work.

Friday was an interesting day at the NALSC conference in Philadelphia.  The Managing Partner panel was moderated by Hank Grezlak, Editor-In-Chief of Newspapers at Incisive Media Inc., and the guests were:  Joan C. Arnold is a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP; Arthur Makadon, Chair of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP: Abraham C. Reich, Co-Chair/Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP; and John J. Soroko, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Duane Morris, LLP.

Take a look at some random quotes that could shed light on how to work with these firms.
Arthur Makadon –  ‘I can’t recall anytime a recruiter has asked what the firms needs are….the random email, to get a call from a recruiter just doesn’t mean much to me, I’d like to actually MEET a recruiter.”  

Joan C. Arnold-   “I like the recruiters who listen to our needs.  Don’t send me your whole rolodex, I know your candidate focused, but find out what I need.”

John Soroko – ‘ Associate hiring is going to change in very, very radical ways.’

Andrew Reich – ‘We’ve all heard of market corrections, we’ll we’re going through a ‘professional correction’ in the industry.

According to the panel, the business of recruiting along with the business of law is in the beginning of an enormous shift.  Law firms overpaid their associates, and their partners. The compensation model at some firms caused internal friction and firms will need to look at their ‘tiered’ payment structure for partners to resolve those issues. The panel generally agreed that there will be a lasting ‘correction’ in the industry.  Attorneys will be paid LESS, and if recruiters do not look at changing or modifying their business model, their business could be in trouble.  Law firms are adapting, realizing where waste and excessive compensation occurred, and changing course.  Recruiters will need to adapt to the new legal landscape in order to survive.

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For maximum effectiveness in your job search, your cover letters should be specific and customized for each prospect.  But you should also make sure that your cover letters address the needs of the type of target you are writing to.  For example, legal recruiters want to get an overview of your skills and what you have to offer for their various clients.  Here are a few tips on crafting cover letters specifically for recruiters:

1.    Focus.  Target legal recruiters who have clients or job opportunities in your practice area.  If you have skills in several practice areas create a list of recruiters in each area of expertise. This is going to take a little research on your part but the payoff can be huge.

2.    Be specific.  You cover letter should focus on your area expertise highlighting how your skills and experience can benefit their clients.  You may even want to mention some of their clients and talk about how your experience would be beneficial to them. Once again, this is going to take some research on your part.  You will need to do a little research on their clients.  If you're not sure where to start with your research, start with a Google search or the recruiter's website.

3.    Cast your net wide.  Don't just send your cover letter to one recruiter; send out customized cover letters to many recruiters who would benefit from your experience. Also, don’t limit your search to only regional recruiters, many legal recruiters work nationwide.

With full-time work harder to find and job searches lasting a little longer than expected, many job candidates are considering part-time work as a short-term or in some cases a long-term solution.  But before you take the part-time plunge there are a few things you should consider.

1. Most part-time positions are paid less compared to their full-time counterparts.

2. Most companies do not offer benefits to their part-time workers.  Only about 17 % of part-time workers receive health insurance benefits and only 21% of part-time workers are included in their employer's retirement plan.

3.  Despite having more time for family life or personal pursuits, part-time workers usually receive no paid vacation or sick leave and are often not eligible for leave under the Family Medical Leave Act.  The Family Medical Leave Act requires that an employee work at least 25 hours a week for a year to be eligible.

4. If you're working part-time you may not be eligible for unemployment insurance.  Only about 25 states unemployment insurance programs cover part-time employees.

Nobody's perfect, but when you're a job seeker there are some mistakes that could do serious damage to your job search.  If you want to stay on the good side of recruiters who can open doors to some of the best jobs available, there are some mistakes you must avoid:
1.    Sending recruiters amateur, sloppy or dishonest resumes. Resumes that deviate from the standard or are riddled with spelling and grammar mistakes will mark you as unprofessional. Dishonest resumes with fabricated work histories and fake job duties will brand untrustworthy. No recruiter will work with a dishonest, untrustworthy person.
2.    Not showing up for interviews or showing up late.  Bailing out on an interview (or showing up late) demonstrates that the job candidate is probably not dependable. You want to let your recruiter know, with your actions, that they can depend on you by showing up on time and prepared for the interview.
3.    Failing to make a recruiter aware of you true job status.  If you are currently working or have other job offers in the works you need to let your recruiter know. If you take one of the job offers after interviewing for the recruiter's position, you must immediately make the recruiter aware that you are no longer available.  This will go a long way in creating a good long-term working relationship with the recruiter.

One of the most common complaints from job candidates is that recruiters fail to communicate important information when considering them for a job opportunity.  Important items such as detailed job duties, possible compensation and information about the recruiting process are often completely absent or poorly communicated.  Below are some items a recruiter should always include in their conversation with a job candidate:
1.    Detailed information about the job requirements and responsibilities.  If there are skills that the client is looking for specifically, do not forget to share this information with a job candidate.  The same goes for what the client's specific expectations are for the position.  Are there any unusual expectations?  Are there duties that require special skills?  Are there unusual hours?  These are all things you want to include in your conversation with the job candidate.
2.    Compensation and benefits.  We know that it can be difficult to give concrete numbers when it comes to compensation; but give the job candidate a range and mention any benefits (or lack thereof).  You also need to ask the candidate what his/her compensation and benefits requirements are and what he/she is willing to accept.
3.    Keep in contact with the job candidate throughout the process.  Often, job candidates are left waiting for weeks after they complete an interview with a client.  Don't allow a week to go by without sending the job candidate an email or calling to let them know where the client is in the decision process.
4.    Keep aware of candidate job status.  After a job candidate applies for a position make sure you remain aware of the job candidate's job status.  If a client takes longer than a week or two a job candidate may find another job and become unavailable.  To avoid any surprises, check in with the candidate every week and ask them "Has your employment status changed?"

Every recruiter has had this experience--you hire a job candidate based mostly on that "gut feeling" but end up with a disaster and mess to clean up.  Bad hiring decisions come with the recruiter territory; but there are some things every recruiter can do to reduce the amount of bad hiring disasters they experience:
1.    Make your hiring decisions based on 100% facts, backed up with hardcore evidence.  If you have a "good feeling" about a potential candidate make sure that you collect all of the supportive evidence for your feeling before you hire.
2.    If you are interviewing a candidate in a group setting, make sure you inform subordinates and peers that it is okay for them to raise concerns about the possible new hire. Ask them to explain why the may "feel" a certain way about a possible new hire.
3.    Don't place too much value on the job candidate's presentation skills.  Some candidates will be good interviewers while others may be poor interviewers, this does not necessarily reflect their ability to get the job done correctly. Make sure you look at the candidate's critical traits such as teamwork skills, self-discipline, leadership skills, motivation and whether or not he/she is the right cultural fit for the company.

Unless you've been out of the loop for the past year or so, you probably already know that video interviews and even video resumes are beginning to gain popularity amongst recruiters and even some employers.  Many recruiters are beginning to request that candidates interview via video using Skype.  Are you prepared?  Here are a few tips that will help you shine in your Skype video interview:

1.    Dress as if you are going into the office for an interview.  That means business attire, right down to the shoes.  You want to make sure that you're in the mindset of "interview" during your Skype video interview and dressing the part will help you achieve that mindset.

2.    Set design is imperative.  In a Skype video interview, not only will the recruiter see you, (in your business suit); but he/she will also see the background.  Before you conduct your Skype video interview, create a calm and uncluttered background that you can sit in front of during the interview.

3.    Look into the camera.  When you're talking to the interviewer make sure that you look into the camera, not the screen.

4.    Limit the amount of arm/hand movement.  Many people talk with their hands.  Unfortunately, wild arm/hand movements can be very distracting in a video.  Try to keep your hands in your lap for the most part when doing you Skype video interview.

5.    Eliminate background noise as much as possible.  If you have roommates or family who will be home during the interview, let them know that they need to be quiet.  The last thing you want is a vacuum cleaner roaring in the background during your interview.

6.    Practice.  Don't do your Skype video interview cold-turkey, make sure you practice.  Get a friend to play the part of the interviewer using Skype and get feedback. You may even want to record yourself using your desktop software and review the video to find out what needs to be tweaked.
    

I once had an employee who would peak into ecstasy whenever he made a successful cold recruit call with the candidate agreeing to send in his resume.  Then he would plummet to the depths of despair when the resume didn’t come in a few days later.  And when it finally came in he would peak up again when the candidate showed signs of going forward.  But when the client expressed concerns about interviewing, he would fall back down again.  But he came back up when he overcame those concerns.  It was up and down like this through the entire process and when he had his first deal fall apart, he nearly fell apart along with it.
 
The recruiting and search profession is the only business where you can experience every single human emotion in the course of an afternoon.  The swings are just as great as the income potential in this industry and if you’ve been in it for more than a month, then I know you have felt it.  If you don’t manage it and if you don’t get control over it, then you’ll either go crazy, get sick, or abandon the business and all the rewards that come with it.
 
Here are four ways you can overcome this nerve-eating aspect of your job and keep both your sanity and dreams intact:
 
 1) Understand what is really worth getting excited about.

 Is it when the candidate sends in a resume?  No.  That’s expected.
 
 Is it when the client agrees to interview the candidate?  No, that just means you are doing your job.
 
 Is it when the interview goes well?  Perhaps a little enthusiasm is good, but don’t go buy a boat just yet.  You are only at the first step of deal infancy.
 
 Is it when the candidate gets an offer and says he or she is going to accept it?  Definitely not.  Yeah, you can feel some positive feelings about how it’s going forward but remember we still have the most dangerous part of the process to get through, the resignation and counteroffer.
 
 Is it when the candidate gives his resignation and turns down the counteroffer?  No way.  People have been known to change their minds at the last minute.
 
 Is it when the candidate shows up for work?  Maybe.  You can feel good about what you’ve done but the only time you should get really, really, really excited is after the guarantee period.  Yes, that’s right.  Even after the candidate starts and after you’ve been paid, the risk for the deal falling apart does exist.  Go ahead and admit it and dole out the appropriate amount of enthusiasm and excitement, but restrain yourself because you can’t predict or control the future.

 I think what trips most rookies up in this area is that they really don’t know how fragile deals are and put all their hope and confidence in a place that can’t handle that weight of emotion.

 2) Understand the concept of ratios and probabilities.

 From what I’ve seen in the industry, a common standard of interviews to placements is five to one.  That means that for every five interviews that you set up between candidates and clients, you’ll close one deal.  So that means if you have four things fall apart, you are on the right path. 

 Rejection is the same way.  Most people are going to say ‘no’ but we are looking for those few ‘yesses’ out there to complete our business model.   Remember that you can’t win every game and you’ve just got to accept the fact that most things fall apart in our world.  There’s a difference between expectation and attachment. I expect everything I work on to blossom into fruit. But I’m not attached to it when it fails to bloom. Understand the difference between the two and make a clear distinction in your mind between them.

 Also, if you start seeing weird things happen, then it’s a good sign.  It means you have enough activity to see screwy things materialize on your desk.  When it starts getting weird, it means you are starting to get good experience.

 3)  Manage your emotions.

 There’s a concept in the last ten years that has caught on in the business world known as emotional intelligence.  This means that you know how to manage your emotions and positively influence the emotions of other people.  It starts with knowing how to keep your emotions in a managed state so you don’t spin out of control and turn into a self-destructive mess. 

 Start with getting a journal.  Start writing your feelings and frustrations, triumphs and tragedies, dreams and disappointments.  This will get those emotions to the surface where you can actually deal with them. If you stuff them you will get sick or go crazy.  

 For myself, I write in my journal every few days about all the good and bad stuff happening at work and in my personal life.  It gives me perspective and allows me to sift through the events of my life so I can draw strength and renewal from them instead of letting them control me.  It brings me to a place of mastery and contentment, where I can look at things from a perspective that is healthy and objective, rather than reacting based on emotion.  Sometimes it might take me a few days to process through an upsetting event, but my journal helps me through it.  Journaling is also a great decision-making tool because you can really process through situations and end up choosing the best course of action. 

 4)  Start an exercise program. 

 When I was a midshipman at the Naval Academy, one of the coaches told us to break a sweat everyday.  Spending four years in an environment of structured adversity where stress was deliberately orchestrated, I learned that you have to manage it from a state of peak performance, otherwise you crack.  So frequent workouts became a habit a long time ago and have helped me in the stressful job of recruiting. 

 If you exercise, you are fresh.  Our bodies have a way of healing themselves through adversity.  If you cut your skin, the scar tissue grows stronger.  If you break a bone, the point where the bone broke heals stronger.  When you exercise and tear muscles down, they heal and build strength and mass.  If you expend energy on the treadmill, you get it back several times over.  (Check with your physician if you’ve never exercised, of course.)  If you don’t belong to a gym, then invest thirty bucks a month in your health.  You’d be amazed how exercise removes stress and puts energy back in to your life.

  Remember, recruiting is a game of probabilities and you never have complete control over the outcome.  But you do have complete control over how you respond to situations, and by responding from a position of strength, you can get an edge over them and build your own personal resilience.

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