Do Something! Reconsider your hiring process

Thinking about hiring attorneys or staff? Many law firms make big mistakes in their recruiting and hiring efforts by failing to take time up front to evaluate their needs properly and create a profile of their ideal candidate.

Recruiting and hiring are like marketing – they won’t be successful if you don’t know who your target market is and focus on what you can offer them. If you don’t know who your ideal candidate is and if you don’t have a realistic view of your firm’s requirements and culture, the hiring process is much less likely to be successful. And hiring poorly is expensive – the cost of turnover is skyrocketing, and poor hiring has a negative effect on existing employees.

Consider these questions before you hire:

• What skills and abilities are necessary to do the job?
• Which of these skills are easily acquired through training after hiring?
• Which skills are an absolute must at the time the new employee begins employment?
• What are the firm’s values?
• How has the candidate demonstrated those values in their previous employment or experience?
• Does your firm and this position require someone that is a self-starter? A team player?
• What kind of work does the firm perform for its clients now?
• What kind of work does the firm want to do for clients in the future?
• What traits do the firm’s top employees exhibit?
• Does the candidate display those same traits?
• Does the candidate exhibit traits that are ‘missing’ in the firm now that could enhance the firm’s performance?
• How has this candidate demonstrated characteristics of success in the past?
• How can the candidate’s past experiences enhance the firm’s performance?
• What behaviors does the firm want to encourage?
• How has the candidate exhibited these behaviors?
• Who will be interviewing the candidates?
• What kind of feedback does the firm need from the interviewer to make a decision?
• What kinds of questions should the interviewer be asking?
• What kinds of questions would you like to see candidates ask?
• What issues are important to your ideal candidate? How will the firm address them?
• What can the firm offer that would be attractive to the firm’s ideal candidate?

While this list is by no means exhaustive, it should put you well on your way to re-thinking your hiring process.