Recruitment Consultants: FAQs
Lawyers are suspicious of recruitment consultants. However, in order to access all the options, lawyers need to use them. And, in order to use them most effectively, we think lawyers need to know more about how they work. Therefore, we have put together some FAQs about recruitment consultants. We will add to and update these questions on a rolling basis.
Recruitment consultants: FAQs
Do I really need to use a recruitment consultant?
You do not need to use a recruitment consultant. If you know the firms to which you want to apply and if you know there are vacancies, you can apply direct.
A direct application is usually only advisable if you have a strong CV and are confident that you will not have any problems at interview. If your CV has some weakness, or if you are unsure what the prospective employer is looking for, you may be better off going through a good consultant. They will be able to help you position your CV, sell your strengths and advise on what the prospective employer is looking for.
If you have a friend who already works where you want to work and who is prepared to recommend you to his employers, you may better off going through your friend. He/she may receive an introduction fee and you could arrange to split the cash.
However, you certainly do need a recruitment consultant if you want access to as many options as possible. Recruitment consultants have the most up-to-date information on the state of the market. You may miss out if you merely scan the legal jobs pages because there is a delay between a position becoming available and its being advertised. Sometimes, the best vacancies will be filled by recruitment consultants' exisiting candidates before they even reach the legal pages. Furthermore, some jobs will not be advertised at any stage, because the consultant may consider that an advert is not the most cost effective way of filling the position.
In some cases, recruitment consultants are retained exclusively. Then you will have no choice but to go through that consultant (if you try sending a CV to the employer, it will usually be forwarded on to the recruitment consultant). This is rare in relation to private practice but common for in-house positions.
At what stage in the process should I involve a recruitment consultant?
Our view is that you should build up relationships with the good ones as early as possible in your career. This is the only way to ensure that you don't miss out on good opportunities.
Even if you are happy in your current role, it is always in your interests to have your ear to the ground. Recruitment consultants' knowledge can help you think about your long-term career options. Good market knowledge can also help you with your negotiations regarding salaries/working arrangements with your current firm. If you are not looking to move imminently, you should do no more than register yourself with a few of the best recruitment consultants (as recommended by other lawyers and Moretolaw). Set clear boundaries in terms of how frequently and in relation to what sort of roles you want to be contacted (or you can simply ask for regular updates on the nature of the market, for example).
If you are not happy where you are then you need to be more pro-active. A lot of City lawyers stick it out, flicking through the legal press every week, hoping one day to see a position that looks interesting (we know, we've been there). Unfortunately, if you are serious about finding the best role for you, this is not the most effective way to progress your career. As noted above, the recruiting starts before the advertising. Many of the best opportunities do not reach the legal pages. Recruitment consultants may already have someone lined up for the job and the best jobs get snapped up very quickly.
If you do not want to miss out on opportunities, you need to start building relationships with some recruitment consultants right away. Decide what you want out of your career and then pick the recruitment consultancy which most fits the bill, depending on your level of seniority and the direction in which you want to go. Go and meet them and decide whether you like them. They are not all the same – check out our factual descriptions of who they are and what they do for more information.
To what extent do they all list the same jobs?
Private Practice
Most law firms have a preferred supplier list which will consist of seven or eight of the well-known recruitment consultants. In general, all of the firms on that list will be able to access all of the jobs at the relevant firm.
In-house
In-house roles will usually be listed with a smaller number of recruitment consultancies. Frequently, recruitment consultants are retained on an exclusive basis for in-house roles. On other occassions, two or three may be instructed.
How many should I sign up to?
Private Practice
Signing up to one well-known agency for private practice roles will give you good coverage. You should ask the recruitment consultant in question whether they are on the preferred supplier lists of the firms to which you would want to apply.
We would recommend speaking to more than one recruitment consultant at the outset as they vary in quality considerably. Obviously, it helps if you like them, they like you and you have confidence that they understand what you are looking for. Once you have found one that you like (who also has sufficient coverage) then it may be best to focus on that one consultant and give them exclusivity so that you get the best out of them.
If you do use more than one agent, you should make sure you are clear on who is doing what and try to keep control. This will avoid duplication of applications, of which law firms will take a dim view.
In-house
No single agency will have a monopoly on all in-house roles, so it is not possible to sign-up to one in-house specialist and get full market coverage. If you are interested in in-house roles, it is therefore advisable to register with two or three good in-house recruitment consultants.
Where more than one recruitment consultant is being retained for the same in-house role, candidates need to keep control of who is doing what to avoid duplication. Make sure you know which roles your consultant is putting you forward for, and inform the other consultants you have appointed.
If I see a job advertised with one consultant, can I use my preferred consultant to get the same job?
Yes, if your preferred recruitment consultant also has the job in question listed. This is quite likely if it is a private practice role, less likely if it is in-house.
The recruitment consultants should be up front with you about whether or not they have the job in question on their books. However, we have heard about some who will tell the candidate that they do, when they don't, and then use the candidates' CV as a route to a new client. This is bad practice as it puts that candidate at a potential disadvantage. A candidate will be cast in a better light by going through the employer's preferred recruitment consultant rather than being used by another recruitment consultant as a marketing tool.
If I don’t like the recruitment consultant I have signed-up to, what should I do?
Simply tell them to take you off their books and go elsewhere.
How are they paid?
The standard rate for private practice roles is 25% of the placed candidate's annual salary. Some will have sliding scales around this number (normally with a higher percentage for higher salaries).
In-house roles show greater variation at around 20-25%. Fees may be reduced for exclusive arrangements.
In general, if they do not place a candidate, they get no fee, though for exclusive in-house roles there may be an up-front retainer.
The individual consultant will normally be paid a basic salary and then get commission depending on the level of candidates placed and the revenues from those placements. We have heard of one consultancy where the bonus is discretionary and does not link directly to revenue.
Isn't there a conflict betweeen the way they get paid and the help they can offer lawyers?
Yes, there is a potential conflict. At the end of the day, recruitment consultants are running a business and they need to make sales and keep their paying clients happy. We have heard from lawyers who have felt that their consultants were pushing inappropriate jobs or holding them back from the more popular roles - this is always going to be a risk in a sales-driven environment.
Most consultants are sensible enough to realise that it is in their interests to marry the interests of employers and candidates. Some are more focused on simply making the sale than others. That is why it is so important to find a credible, honest consultant. A personal recommendation is best, and we are hoping that Moretolaw will become a proxy for this, as the recruitment consultant reviews develop.
We will keep you updated on progress with law firms and recruitment consultants. If you have any comments about any of the issues raised here then do contact us (in total confidence). And check out how we are doing so far with the recruitment consultant reviews:
Recruitment Consultant Reviews