When you write a CV of any kind, particularly in the area of work we are based in, which is for the legal profession, it is important not to exaggerate any detail on the CV, regardless of how irrelevant or insignificant it may seem at the time. Exaggerating can come back to haunt you at…
Advice This is a particular type of question where you need to have a number of examples of work you have undertaken in the past or present that can be tailored according to the question asked. You need to think of specific examples where potentially you have completed a task well. However because this was…
I don’t know about your business, but in ours on a daily basis we have to deal with some really pompous arses. I don’t like using bad language when writing articles, but there really is no other way of describing some of the people we come across each day. The definition of a pompous arse…
Advice Although this is a closed question with potentially a simple yes or no answer, it does give you the opportunity to get over to the interviewer how you are quite comfortable working on your own and to demonstrate specific examples of times you have perhaps introduced new methods of working or increased sales through…
We recently had an instance where a solicitors firm interviewed three or four different solicitors for a role, which was relatively well paid and required a particular level of expertise. The partners saw four candidates at interview and made a decision after the interviews to recruit one of these. They immediately emailed the unsuccessful candidates…
Recruitment rule 223: Never, ever return to an employer you have just told that you will be leaving. Here’s the scenario; you get despondent at work and decide to look around for a new job. A firm offer you a role after you have attended interviews, you like the look of the new company, they…
Summary As ever we undertake a comparison between the last calendar month and the same time period in 2017 to see if there has been any difference, particularly with the current political uncertainty. In October 2018 we saw an increase of 47% in the number of new solicitors registering compared with October 2017. This is…
Advice This is a question involving the STAR technique and another example of a question where you need to have specific projects and incidents stored in your brain ready to be adapted to answer these questions. The author of this article thinks that this approach to interviewing is not particularly good or effective. The technique…
Summary In recent months there has been a lot of political uncertainty and we were curious to see whether this had been reflected in the legal job market. Each month we undertake a comparison with the same time period in 2017 to see if there has been any difference. The job market was busier in…
Advice Preferably you will have been asked this question with just the well as opposed to the badly bit as it is a general rule in interviews that wherever possible you try to avoid any negative comment or thought about anything. It does make a difference to the perception of the interviewer if you focus…
Advice This is a loaded question and one you need to be very careful about answering. If you are applying for a junior post, for example a training contract with a solicitors’ firm, you really should not be giving any indication at this stage of an interest to specialise in. You simply do not know…
Advice This question really depends on the circumstances of the interview. If you have been headhunted, are currently in employment and not particularly looking until you were approached then it would be perfectly acceptable to give a straightforward answer. If not, you need to consider your response very carefully. If you give an affirmative answer…
Advice This again is a question that almost requires you to say yes. If you say no it almost indicates that you really don’t care about your work or your activities. You are the type of person who is happy just to turn up to work each day and sit at a desk for 8…
Advice This is almost a challenge and is again one of those interview questions that can really only be considered in a negative fashion. There are obviously jobs where aggression is considered to a certain extent as a positive at certain levels, but this question really is one to determine negative and not positive issues. …
We took a call yesterday from a solicitors firm somewhere in England and Wales, and the conversation went as follows: “Hello I wonder if you can help, we’re looking for a family paralegal.” “Yes sure, can you give me a bit more information please?” “Yes, we would like a paralegal who’s able to assist with…
Interview Question – Are you Accepted into a Team Quickly? Advice At first glance you may be forgiven for thinking that this is a yes or no answer as you are being asked a pretty closed question. This question gives you the opportunity to give a specific example and to get over a point to…
Interview Question – Are you a leader? What a horrible question! Some would argue that it is too formulaic – would “yes” or “no” suffice depending on the job? Would you want to recruit a junior paralegal who said “yes”? Advice This is a very difficult question to respond to if you have not prepared…
To read Legal Recruitment News for September 2018 please click here: http://www.legal-recruitment.co.uk/september-2018-legal-recruitment-news/ Summary In recent months there has been a lot of political uncertainty and we were curious to see whether this had been reflected in the legal job market. So this month we have undertaken a comparison with the same time period last year…
We have had a query this week from a Year 13 student awaiting A level grades – can poor A Level Results affect any chances of a legal career? The quick and honest answer, and something perhaps relevant to qualified solicitors with many years PQE even, and an answer you will rarely hear from HR…
Legal Job Market Report Summary June has been a mixed month, but generally quiet in comparison with other years. The World Cup and uncertainty over Brexit have both contributed but by far we think the largest effect on the job market has been GDPR legislation coming into place in May. In House legal roles have…
CV Review for a Paralegal – as usual personal data removed. Feedback at the bottom of the CV. Reviewee has consented to this review being published. On these reviews please ignore the layout – this is due to our cut and paste operation! ——————————————————————– CANDIDATE NAME Address: Email: Telephone (Mob): Telephone (Home): EDUCATION September 2018…
Extracting yourself from the business We are involved in the buying and selling of solicitors’ firms and accountancy practices across the UK and further afield. Sellers can be anybody from a sole practitioner through to a very large partnership or company, but the usual aim of owners selling up is to get out of the…
Hourly Rates of Pay for Locum Solicitors and Legal Executives Rates are now starting to go up as we approach the summer. Up to £35 per hour in Conveyancing is still the norm for most locums, although the current competitive level for longer term assignments is £30. Very rare to see locums working for less…
Summary April has been a very busy month, surprisingly busy really because traditionally it is the quietest month in the year after December. However locum and permanent roles are both up and we have seen an increase in demand on the property side – property market seems to be quite active at the moment. In…
Today is the day when the LAA have issued a whole new load of contract awards after recent tenders by law firms across the UK. So far we have had telephone calls from law firms asking about Family Law Supervisors and Mental Health Law Supervisors. Any more? I can’t remember if Housing or Immigration are…
Ask a Recruitment Consultant – questions this month on our chat bot Questions sent to us via our Chat service online, together with general career questions emailed across. We do our best to answer all queries, sometimes after a fairly lengthy delay if we are busy! Q: I am currently studying to become a solicitor…
Yes. This could be the shortest article I have ever written! Here is what to write.. 1. Make sure you cc in any agent you are working through so they know what has been said.. The firm may think you are trying to circumnavigate their involvement.. 2. Thank the interviewer for their time and say…
Minutes from HMRC’s latest IR35 forum indicate that similar reform could hit the private sector soon. This could be a worry to a good number of law firms who regularly use locums. Our own thoughts on it are that provided the contractual position is clear and the locum is a senior lawyer who is able…