If you are a candidate with a legal or legal/business support background and you haven’t worked with a Recruitment Consultant before, then the entire process may seem slightly daunting. It can sometimes become confusing as to what the processes are between Human Resources and Recruitment and to understand exactly what and how we do what we do to assist you in your job search.

Whilst you may think you are your own best advocate, working with an experienced Recruitment Consultant who specialises in your industry is extremely beneficial to your job search (and we’re not just saying that because we’re Recruiters ?).

Why? Well, first and foremost, here at Amicus we specialise in Legal Recruitment, therefore we know all the ins and outs of the legal industry from private practice firms to in-house legal teams and government bodies. This is significantly beneficial to you as we can help answer any questions you have about the marketplace and provide you with invaluable advice to help you and your career. A recruitment Consultant not only has a far-reaching network of industry contacts and intel, but is also highly skilled in negotiating. We are able to negotiate on your behalf, things such as salary package and bonus structures, terms of employment, commencement dates, etc.

Another perk is that Recruitment Consultants are often privy to ‘hidden’ roles because not every vacancy is advertised and we are often the first to hear about a role before the firm post it to their careers sites or job posting platforms. We regularly have our clients provide us with a heads up as to what roles they have coming up and/or ask us to keep a look-out on the market for a particular type of candidate with experience in specific areas of law.

Let’s be frank, finding a job can be a rather time-consuming and stressful exercise. Add this to the fact that most people who are already in a role and looking to change, need to keep their search under wraps. So, the whole process is made even more challenging when you factor in trying to take phone calls during work hours from potential employers. That’s where a Recruitment Consultant also comes into the picture. When you work with us, we take care of all of the nitty gritty details involved in finding the perfect role, which saves you A LOT of time!

The Process Explained…

If you have contacted us directly and/or applied for one of our advertised roles, one of our Consultants will be reviewing your CV to weigh up whether your experience is in line with the role you have: a) specifically applied for, or b) whether you are potentially suited to other opportunities we are working on.  You will then be contacted for a quick phone screen with the view of organising a face-to-face interview with us directly.  If it’s the case that you aren’t available for a face-to-face interview in person, thanks to the world of technology that we live in, there are plenty of alternatives available such as FaceTime, Skype, etc. Following the interview, we will present your details on your behalf for the opportunity as discussed.

We will then guide you through the entire process – from the first-round interview with the firm to second rounds a well as psychometric testing when required.  We then conduct your reference checks and throughout all of this, we are your liaison. We keep you in the loop throughout the entire process, so don’t worry if you are nervous or unsure about what questions to anticipate in an interview, we will do our best to ensure you are as best prepared as you can be!

One Important Thing to Note… 

In the world of Legal Recruitment, if it’s the case that either yourself or another recruitment agency has sent your CV to a law firm within the previous 12 months, no other person is able to present your details – regardless of the role and regardless of whether you obtained an interview or not! In the world of recruitment, it is referred to as avoiding ‘double-ups’ as you as the candidate need to be seen in the best possible light by any potential employer and when these sorts of ‘double-ups’ occur, it not only puts you in a difficult position, but it is not an ideal situation for the two agencies who have presented you. A lot of people are under the misconception that if they send their CV directly to a firm after an agency has already done so on their behalf, or have more than one recruitment agency representing them to a firm, that it makes them look more interested/keen… wrong!! All this does is result in issues regarding candidate representation and can often result to the firm declining to consider the candidate (you) for the role.

The Exciting Part…

Once you have completed your interview/s, we will follow up with the firm to see whether you were successful in obtaining an offer. We will then liaise with both yourself and the firm to negotiate things such as your salary package and start date. Once both parties are happy, you will receive your formal offer of employment to sign and the job is yours! We will also check in with you once you have started your new role to see how you are going and if you are experiencing any problems or issues you are always welcome to contact us for assistance – we’re here for you!

This is just a brief overview of what we do. If you would like to find out more about how we can assist you in finding your perfect role, please do not hesitate to contact us.