Although it is impossible to control the legal job market, there are a few key things you can control to maximize results when working with a recruiter. Recruiters work with a large number of candidates; therefore, try to forge a genuine relationship where there is mutual trust. Be honest and be yourself.
Let the recruiter know you as a real person and not just as a resume. Communicate your real or hidden agenda, if there is one. This will result in a personal connection where the recruiter will be able to truly support your efforts. Your recruiter will then be able to help you find the right new job, and not forget you when the market is tight and there is tough competition for each opening. It is a great advantage if a recruiter knows you, can truly promote you, and can help forge relationships for your benefit.
Avoid spreading yourself too thin by working with a large number of recruiters. Not every recruiter believes in the same system of integrity and confidential communication.
Before you are even aware an unscrupulous recruiter may have submitted your confidential information to several firms without your permission. This not only compromises your confidentiality and job security, it also makes it difficult for us to help you even if we have a strong relationship with that particular firm. It is very discouraging for a recruiter if your resume is already all over town. At most, make a few select personal connections with recruiters and maximize those contacts.
If you learn about a job on your own, contact your recruiter first before submitting your resume. Your recruiter may have an inside connection at the firm that could be beneficial. If they have strong relationship with a key figure at the firm, it is to your advantage to have the recruiter handle the introduction. This allows them to promote you in the event that the firm passes on you. This is something that you can not do for yourself. If a recruiter has integrity, they will tell you when you are better off applying directly to a firm. This may happen if the recruiter either lacks a strong connection inside that particular firm or if they know the firm is trying to avoid paying recruiter fees.
Never underestimate the power of connections and history. We have been able to arrange meetings between a firm and a candidate even after the firm has initially rejected the candidate by merely by picking up the phone and personally promoting the candidate. This is rarely done, but when it is, it pulls weight.
Do not send your resume to firms which lack an actual opening. The exception is when the recruiter has a strong connection and thinks this is a wise idea. Doing this haphazardly can cause your name to be placed on a list of candidates that the firm has passed over, and some firms do not look back.
It is in your best interest to maintain a good record of where and when your resume was submitted and by whom. Articulate strongly that you do not authorize anyone to circulate your resume without your explicit approval for each position. Attorneys in top international firms have made the mistake of giving their resume to a recruiter whom they knew nothing about, talked to once on the phone, and that recruiter subsequently forwarded their resume to every firm in the city.
It is mismanagement of the search process if a firm receives your resume from multiple sources at multiple times. It is also enormously compromising to your confidentiality, current job security, and reputation. Be careful with whom you work and how closely you manage the search process. It is your career. Work with people that you can trust.
