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This year has flown, and it has been night and day since January! Conditions were nearly stagnant in the first quarter, while in the second quarter they were tight, and in the third they showed signs of movement.
At the same time, candidates are starting to wake up to a year of hanging tight in their current seats and waiting for the market to turn. Since Labor Day, my inbox has flooded with candidates looking to move across all practice areas. If you have considered a move for the coming year but are holding off for whatever reason, here’s the best advice I can offer you.
1. Interview Your Recruiter
I have worked with several recruiters over the course of my own lateral moves. Now that I sit in the recruiter seat, I can truly tell you that the recruiter you work with makes a huge difference, and we are not all the same. Unfortunately, some candidates have made their way to us too late. Meaning they have already been sprayed around the market by other recruiters and even took their search into their own hands following a complete lack of traction. As recruiters, our hands are tied in these situations, but I have been surprised at the quality of candidates who have told me they have had no luck with other recruiters.
Your relationship with your recruiter is like that with your clients. There has to be a mutual understanding and sentiment of trust. So many recruiters have an exhaustive list of roles that they are working on and mindlessly submit candidates to law firm portals, hoping something will stick. What they don’t tell you is that they are unfamiliar with the details of the role, are not personally in touch with the firm and that by submitting your materials, they have ownership for a period of 6 months over your application. If nothing sticks, they find another candidate and repeat the process.
At Sonder, we don’t work roles – we work candidates. Through this approach, since starting earlier this year, I have placed several candidates at firms where their role was not made public on the firm’s website. You need to have faith that your recruiter will present you on an individual basis to various law firms, work hand in hand with you on your CV, and understand the nuances of the legal market.
2. Your CV Probably Needs Work
This is one of my favorite aspects of working as a recruiter, because it captures the consulting aspect of my work. After every call, I provide candidates with materials to help them get their CVs in shape. I have even gone so far as to have various versions of a candidate’s CV for different roles and have worked with candidates to tweak their CVs along the way, depending on which roles are being applied to.
My comments and revisions are thorough, and I take the time to read through everything on a candidate’s CV to make sure it presents them with the best chances of an interview. This has included, dare I say, track changes. What other recruiter has done that for you? I know this has made the difference for several of my candidates.
3. The Time is Now
Do not try to time your search so that your notice period perfectly aligns with your bonus. Candidates still do not appreciate how long processes may take, and, regardless, negotiating delayed start dates is a conversation firms are expecting to have given how year-end bonuses are not so far away.
I recently worked with a candidate who came to me in June but was looking at a start date of November. My advice is not to delay the start of our search, get in front of firms given the pace at which processes have moved this year, and have as many options as possible. We went out to market, and after several interview processes, this candidate accepted an offer well before November. However, we were able to negotiate for a delayed start. Waiting could have very easily caused us to miss this opportunity.
Candidates will wake up to the increased opportunities and market changes, and soon, there will be a much larger talent pool on the market. The first quarter of 2024 will bring a rush of applicants to every law firm, and you will be facing a much more challenging process than at this point in time.
I mean it when I say, beat the rush!
