By now we’ve all read that the job market is turning around. We’re noting that most Boomers really will retire – sooner rather than later – and law firms will have to contend with the skill gap. This means the competition for the best talent is going to intensify.
In these days of social media and crowd sourcing, your firm is in no position to waste a marketing and branding opportunity with poor interview experiences. Candidates, especially the highly sought after, have more clout than ever. Firms need to realize that they are being evaluated and branded as potential employers by every lateral candidate who walks through their doors. What’s more, those laterals have the means to broadcast their experiences by word of mouth and via social media. The message they convey, for the good or the not so good, will impact who is willing to apply to the firm in the future.
Firms must keep in mind that each interview, regardless of level or outcome, impacts their employer brand. With every meeting you are sending a message about how you value people, how well you keep commitments, how easy –or not — it is to get decisions from firm management and what’s the probability you will support your new hires. Squandering these opportunities puts a firm at risk for winding up on the bottom of the list when serious talent is ready to make a move.
Here’s a list of the top 6 things you can do to seriously sully your employer brand:
1) Don’t respond to resumes. A simple response is basic courtesy and easily achievable. Yet this is the number one complaint from job seekers. Lack of response says: we don’t even care enough to acknowledge your attempt.
2) Once you have contacted a person, don’t communicate with them again for a few weeks, months, or ever…. “Our time is more valuable than yours” is the inadvertent message. No one wants to work for a black hole.
3) Turn the interview into the Spanish Inquisition, making it feel like an interrogation rather than an exchange of information. Or, act like you are doing the candidate a favor by interviewing them. Arrogance, even when unintentional, is not a quality most people look for in a potential employer.
4) Promise decisions or next steps at a certain time, but don’t follow through with your response as agreed. Presenting your firm as a place where decisions are never made and people’s time is not valued will not set you up as an employer of choice.
5) String candidates along when they don’t fit the job and you have no plans to hire them. There are only two reasons firms do this and neither of them are valid. Either you think you are being kind and just can’t bear to say NO, or you are delaying in hopes of finding a better candidate. Both will backfire. Even a negative answer will allow the candidate to move on gracefully. Holding on to what you may perceive as a mediocre candidate will only serve to lose you the candidate. Ultimately they will go somewhere more responsive.
6) Go bargain hunting with your offers. This isn’t just how the offer compares to market, but where the offer is in relation to the position range and other individuals within your firm at a comparable level. No one wants to feel their new employer was trying to take financial advantage of them. Eventually word will get out that you are overly zealous of your budgetary conservation measures.
Savvy firms understand that every lateral who applies becomes a walking advertisement for them. Each person will form an opinion based largely on how your interview process made them feel. In 2014 and beyond, they all have the means to spread the word as never before. And, that will become your Employer Brand.
TMG’s Take is a regular e-mail advisory produced by The McCormick Group. The company’s Legal, Government Affairs, and Law Firm Management groups combine the expertise of more than 15 Consultants to help law firms fulfill all of their lawyer and administrative recruiting needs. TMG’s Take covers topics across the spectrum of law firm management, including associate and partner compensation, growth strategies, marketing and business development, operations and facilities management, finance and accounting, professional development, and technology. Please direct all inquiries to Steve Nelson, Managing Principal at (703) 841-1700 or snelson@tmg-dc.com.
