The Blogosphere -

            All of us read www.AboveTheLaw.com and other blogs about the profession. http://www.AbovetheLaw.comAbove the Law is a marvelous clearinghouse for information about law firm hiring, compensation, terminations, and all manner of humorous, topical, or scandalous behavior. The core content on the site is up to date, reliable, and provocative. Developed by David Lat, a former Wachtell Lipton associate and Yale Law School graduate, the site has become controversial because of its rapid-fire and detailed reporting on law firm terminations and financial issues.

            It attracts a fair amount of criticism because of the way that it peels back the layers of the onion of law firm management and compensation. In my opinion, law firms would probably not have been as transparent about terminations, summer program results, and compensation, if they had not been nudged by Above the Law. 

            The “comments” part of this blog permit any user to say almost any thing about any person or law firm. Many of the comments are obnoxious, baseless, bizarre, offensive, and half true at best. 

        For a law student in a summer program, please step away from the keyboard and do not post comments on any blog. Yes I know about your rights. And I know you will post from home under an assumed name. But if I am running your summer program, I can probably recognize your “voice” from what you say and how you say it. And engaging in the mud slinging that goes on in the comments section of any of these blogs is done at your peril. Committing grotesque public career suicide just to put something on a blog is as dangerous as it is foolhardy.

In an industry where reputation is everything, sending out unproven candidates to clients can be risky.  Below are a few tips on how recruiters can test the quality and experience of potential candidates before they interview:

1. Get samples of the candidate’s work, letters of recommendation directly from their former superiors and copies of any awards or achievements they may have earned.  Nothing speaks louder than a candidate’s work and the accolades of their superiors.  Anyone can put together a resume that fudges the truth but seeing a candidate’s work and hearing the feedback of their former superiors can provide the proof you need to feel confident about their abilities.
2. Written job simulations.  A written job simulation can be especially effective for new and/or unproven job candidates.  It can be set up online as a test that requires little to no effort on the part of the recruiter.  A written job simulation can test the knowledge of a candidate and their mental agility on the job.
3. Pre-interview questionnaire.  A pre-interview questionnaire can help you find out about a candidate’s experience, knowledge and personality.  Like the written job simulation, the pre-interview questionnaire can be set up online where the candidate can fill it out without the input of the recruiter.

During this recession job searches that stretch on for a year or more are more common that most job seekers expect.  And it’s the long job search that places many job seekers at risk for job search burnout which can jeopardize their chances of finding the right job for them.  Below are five signs that you may be suffering from job search burnout:

1. It feels like torture to even search for job leads.  If you find yourself avoiding turning on the computer or dreading checking in with your legal recruiter, you are probably suffering from job search burnout.
2. You do not feel enthusiastic even when you do find a job lead.  If you experience a pervasive sense of apathy about your job search even when you receive promising leads, then this may be a sign of job search burnout.
3. You lack the energy and motivation to properly prepare resumes or research companies before applying.  Or you may even allow job leads to go unattended to because you just don’t “feel up to it.”  If so, you are probably suffering from job search burnout.
4. You feel that you will “never” find a job and you often go weeks without doing any significant work on your job search.
5. You are easily distracted by leisure activities that may take you way from your job search for hours or even days.
6. If you are experiencing any of these signs of job search burnout, you may want to:
7. Take weekly breaks from your job search. Maybe a day or two away will refresh you.
8. Find a job search buddy who is enthusiastic about his/her job prospects.
9. Tackle your job search in small steps or goals that can be completed in 15 or 20 minutes.

1. Get samples of the candidate’s work, letters of recommendation directly from their former superiors and copies of any awards or achievements they may have earned.  Nothing speaks louder than a candidate’s work and the accolades of their superiors.  Anyone can put together a resume that fudges the truth but seeing a candidate’s work and hearing the feedback of their former superiors can provide the proof you need to feel confident about their abilities.
2. Written job simulations.  A written job simulation can be especially effective for new and/or unproven job candidates.  It can be set up online as a test that requires little to no effort on the part of the recruiter.  A written job simulation can test the knowledge of a candidate and their mental agility on the job.
3. Pre-interview questionnaire.  A pre-interview questionnaire can help you find out about a candidate’s experience, knowledge and personality.  Like the written job simulation, the pre-interview questionnaire can be set up online where the candidate can fill it out without the input of the recruiter.

Attracting and keeping quality candidates is a skill in its own right.  The best and most experienced legal recruiters understand that quality candidates are the lifeline of their business.  Below are four easy steps that can help any legal recruiter attract and keep quality candidates:

1. Indentify.  The first step to attracting quality candidates is to identify how you can best meet the needs of quality candidates.  Take the time to identify their wants and needs and then figure out how you are the best legal recruiter equipped to fulfill those wants and needs.
2. Client matching.  Once you have completed step one, take the time to identify the clients who are best fit for your top candidates.  This should be done rather quickly because the best candidates do not remain available for long.
3. Expedite.  Your top candidates should receive expedited treatment throughout the recruiting process. As quickly as you can, move them to the interview stage with employers.
4. Make sure you communicate often and clearly with your best candidates.  Keep them in the loop about the hiring process of companies they have already interviewed with and even if you have not found a perfect match for them, touch bases often enough to keep your recruiting services on their radar.

1. If a recruiter intends to maximize the benefits of social networking tools and not allow those tools to consume most of their energy and time, they must stay organized.  Take the time identity and assess the social networking tools available to you.
2. Identify which tools will be most beneficial to you as a legal recruiter.  Some tools are nice to have; but may not be as useful as we think.
3. Ease of use.  Indentify which social networking tools are user friendly and require the least amount of time and energy.
4. Prioritize.  Rank your social networking tools by their cost effectiveness, benefits and ease of use. 
5. Eliminate duplicates.  Try to avoid doing things more than once.  If one social networking tool achieves a goal easily and with the least amount of cost, there is no reason to utilize another tool that does the same thing. 
6. Stay current on changes that impact your target audience. Some social networking tools may lose favor with your audience while others gain popularity. To use social networking tools effectively you must be willing to be flexible.
7. Integrate. When possible try to integrate your social networking tools into one effective system that works seamlessly.  This will decrease the time and energy requirements needed to use them effectively.