It’s easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. But how do you choose from the cream of the crop?
Effective legal and compliance recruiting is more than a process of elimination. Reading between the lines of a résumé, analyzing subtle distinctions in character and anticipating team chemistry are examples of key criteria in the recruiting process.
Recruiters are expert at scanning hundreds of résumés, but that’s just the beginning.
Three Top Practices of Top Recruiters
We’ve identified three practices of top legal and compliance recruiters. If your team isn’t using them to narrow down the very best applicants, they should be.
- Parse professional presentation.
Look for indications of the candidate’s level of interest and relevant personality traits. Examples are errors in written communication like formatting, syntax and grammar, which are obviously unacceptable. On the phone or online, the candidate should be highly articulate and responsive with a voice that projects confidence. If interviews with the leadership team must be rescheduled, which is common at this level, does the individual show frustration or lack of patience? In person, does the candidate’s demeanor appear to align with your corporate culture? Does he or she seem rattled or stressed by the interview process?
- Assess motivation.
When you ask top candidates to discuss their reasons for seeking the position, anticipate responses related to your business and to the position. Any discussion of the individual’s dissatisfaction with a current post should be concerning. Look for sincerity. In the candidate’s responses to in-depth questions, expect to see a balance between insufficient details—which can suggest a lack of involvement with the project or a prepared answer—and too much detail, which can indicate a fabricated story. Although some vying for positions like yours may be expert in interviewing, your instincts and insight serve as a critically important filter.
- Glean more from the resume.
Use a resume as a guide to the evaluation process. Review it carefully with an eye to any gaps, which should be addressed by the candidate. Be mindful of the frequency of job changes and the reasons for them. Ask about specific projects and the candidate’s role. Use of the pronoun “we” to describe achievements could mean less personal involvement. Or it could suggest a more collaborative approach. Look for indications that the individual is attracted to and seeks out opportunities to lead.
Overlooking the right candidate—or hiring the wrong one—can affect the productivity and morale of your legal or compliance department. And it can leave your company exposed to avoidable risk. Get more insights on candidate evaluation.
Connect with a legal recruiting advisor
* indicates required fields
