A recent study by the International Bar Association has found that a significant number of young attorneys are unhappy in their current role.
According to the survey, 54% of respondents were “somewhat likely” or “highly likely” to change roles, and 20% were considering leaving the profession completely.
This could create a potential labor shortage in the legal industry, making it all the more important for law firms to know how to keep up with legal industry hiring trends so that they can snag the top talent available.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at adapting legal recruitment strategies to help your practice attract and, ideally, retain the best talent for every role.
1. Turning to social media
A lot has changed in the legal hiring world over the past decade, and one of those changes is that law firms and hiring managers are now starting their search on social media.
Wizehire Partner Victoria Collier, founder and CEO of Quid Pro Quo, said that many employers are using social media to learn about hiring best practices, “In the past two years, I have noticed that legal employers are staying updated on the latest industry trends in recruitment through social media, specifically private Facebook groups exclusive to lawyers. Lawyers tend to ask their colleagues for guidance on a plethora of issues, with hiring being a common topic.”
She also shared that LinkedIn has “many tools designed to recruit and hire top candidates” and has become a prime platform that firms are using to connect with and attract new attorneys.
LinkedIn may be a particularly powerful platform when it comes to reaching paraprofessionals, whose roles can be filled by non-attorneys.
2. Offering remote work opportunities in legal recruitment
When it comes to perks you can offer to sweeten the salary package, remote work in legal industry hiring is a big one.
A study from McKinsey & Company found that flexible working arrangements — including remote work— was the third highest motivator that drove employees to search for a new job. Offering that opportunity is an easy way to snag great talent when it comes onto the market.
“The pandemic created an environment and expectation that nearly everyone can work remotely,” explained Collier. “Employers who still offer that option are able to cast a wider net when hiring to secure outstanding talent. “On-site” only firms continue to struggle with filling vacant positions while employers willing to offer remote work are not.”
3. Creating standout job posts
“Standard job ads are boring,” says Collier.
“Employer’s personalities should shine through to attract prospects who will be a great culture fit. Instead of listing ‘skills and responsibilities,’ how about listing core values and desired character traits,” she said.
Many workers today aren’t just looking at the salary alone; they also want to find a workplace that values them and that aligns with their values. They are, essentially, looking for a culture fit.
“The days of expecting employees to be grateful just to have a job are over,” said Collier. “Employees want to know that what they contribute makes a difference. When an employer can demonstrate that as part of their value proposition, attracting top talent should be easier.”
To create job posts that set your firm apart, consider the following:
- Mention character traits you’re looking for
- Share diversity and inclusion initiatives (and what you’re doing to uphold them)
- Share the core values and the “mission” behind your law firm
- Highlight any perks that makes your brand different, including benefits like “unlimited PTO,” mental health resources, or physical health resources
- Use software like Wizehire to create and optimize any job post with help from one of our industry experts
4. Investing in employer branding
Employer branding is how potential candidates perceive your company values and work environment. Is your firm an ideal place to work? Would they be open to working with you if job searching, or would they even be willing to jump ship whether they were actively working or not?
Having a strong employer value proposition is an important first step in employer branding for law firms, because it allows you to tell candidates what matters to you. Creating strong job postings, as discussed above, is the next step.
Make sure that your firm is living up to what you’re promising. Don’t dangle remote work like a carrot and then still drag people into the office five days a week, and actually commit to the benefits you’re offering, like flexible time off.
If you’re creating a great work environment, word will get around over time, too.
5. Leveraging technology in legal talent acquisition
When it comes to staying updated with legal industry trends, you’ll want to look at the technological advancements in legal talent acquisition.
Wizehire, for example, is a hiring and recruitment platform that’s designed to help you find better candidates faster.
We offer industry-specific job templates, expert advice on your job postings, posting distribution, and a customizable hiring dashboard so you can track all applicants while assessing their potential fit for your company.
The ability to streamline the hiring process while getting an objective expert opinion about how to make your job post stand out is crucial. And our additional screening questions can help you review a potential candidate’s personality fit so you aren’t relying on a resume alone.
Keeping up with recruitment trends
Embracing new talent recruitment trends matters just as much in the legal industry as any other—if not more so, given that the industry could be facing a talent shortage in the near future.
Whether you want to offer a “family-first” culture with remote work and flexible time off, or highlight diversity and inclusion in legal hiring for your firm, consider how you can draw in top talent and leverage it as much as possible.
The right tools can help you create stronger job postings on multiple job search platforms, which is ultimately the best way to stay on top of legal talent acquisition trends.
Ready to hire top legal talent? Get started with Wizehire today.
FAQs
How can legal employers stay updated with the latest industry trends in recruitment?
Following trusted hiring resources — like Wizehire’s blog — and staying connected through social media are two of the best ways to stay up-to-date with the latest legal talent acquisition trends.
What are the advantages of offering remote work opportunities in legal hiring?
Offering remote work in legal hiring can be an enormous advantage to attracting top talent.
Many workers look exclusively for positions that allow for “hybrid” work at minimum, allowing them to work from home part-time, and many employees will actually leave specifically to find a position that allows for work-from-home opportunities.
Offering remote work can help you attract top talent; declining to do so could cost you those applicants.
Why is your employer value proposition crucial in attracting top legal talent?
Your employer value proposition is critical in attracting top candidates in the legal industry because it’s what sets you apart.
It can help you attract talent that’s likely to be a culture fit, and it can help prove to them that not only do you invest in your team, but that they can make a difference in their role. This is an important factor for many job seekers.
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