Despite the world continuing the second year of a global pandemic, there are ways to create opportunities for your legal career in 2021, according to an article published by the American Bar Association (“ABA”) Journal. The feature is based on an interview of a co-founder and CEO of a legal recruiting firm and provides great tips on how to move your career forward even in today’s environment.
Tips to Follow
According to a leading legal recruiter, the industry has changed significantly over the past few decades. One pivotal factor in this change was the birth of social networks. 20 years ago, the recruiting business was paper-based and time-consuming. Online recruiting tools did not exist and LinkedIn — a huge game changer in career development — had yet to be born. Couple this with a significant change in how people communicate and the speed in which a recruiter must identify and coordinate with candidates is critical.
Important trends in the legal recruiting industry, according to the ABA Journal interview include:
Positions in highest demand: While demand does change from year to year, as of early 2021 the most important positions are focused on revenue generation. This is because businesses are seeking income — which is important even when times are good — due to the global pandemic’s impact on their organizations. For these reasons hot jobs include strong sales professionals, those with data privacy experience, as well as project managers.
Qualities and experience employers want: Many companies are not just looking for talent that will strengthen their business and its teams, but they also want stability. This means that individuals who may have job hopped throughout their career may be less attractive to a potential employer. Likewise, companies are considering a candidate’s ability to embrace the culture as an important hiring factor. Some companies are being even more cautious on who they bring into the remote work environment.
Career advancement: Company leaders, department heads, recruiters, and talent managers all look at LinkedIn first to make an initial decision on a candidate, so make sure your profile is perfected. This means highlighting key areas that are attractive to potential employers, modeling your description after those you want to emulate, sharing personal interests that may relate to the role, and obtaining certifications or other skills if appropriate.
Interviewing tips: During an interview, be sure to emphasize how you fit with the company based on your background, experience, and interests in addition to your skills. Come into the conversation with familiarity with the organization and its team so you can highlight your compatibilities. Finally, because stability is important, if you get the job and it is challenging, try to find ways to adapt instead of leaving. Try to stay in any role for at least two years — but three years is better.
The entirety of the interview can be accessed at Reinventing Professionals.
