As the older generation of legal support professionals retires, law firms and legal departments have begun to consider refreshing their ranks with new graduates. These professionals at the start of their careers may lack experience, but they bring a fresh perspective and a familiarity with learning that can reenergize a team and provide the foundation of a long-term relationship.
How can you make the most of hiring recently graduated legal support professionals? Consider these four tips:
- Look for (and discuss) analogous experience. Recent graduates don’t have the track record of on-the-job experience that hiring managers see in established professionals. But this doesn’t mean they’re completely “green.” In application materials from new graduates, look for volunteer positions, internships, and other work in which abilities or “soft skills” translate well to the legal support environment. Prepare interview questions that explore potential transferable skills in more depth, such as “What kind of writing and research did you do in your internship with ____?”
- Examine what the candidate knows about your organization. Focus on the candidate’s knowledge of your firm or department, as expressed both in the application materials and during an interview. New graduates who are genuinely interested in working for your organization will display some background knowledge of what you do and how you do it. Those who are simply looking for “a job,” however, will be less likely to know your organization or to be able to connect their skills to your position.
- Review your onboarding procedures. Hiring a new graduate is analogous to hiring an entry-level staff member in many ways. Because they’re taking their first step into the work world, new graduates often need more help orienting themselves to the workplace. Consider teaming up a new graduate with a mentor, and make sure your onboarding procedures for all new employees are effective and efficient. Your recruiter can help.
- Work with a recruiter. As with all candidates, new graduates are carefully scrutinized by the staffing professionals with whom they work. If you’re unsure whether a new graduate will be a good “fit,” don’t hesitate to talk to your recruiter about your concerns.
One of the biggest challenges in hiring recent grads is that they have no quantifiable, hard data to assess. How can you separate middle of the road candidates from the real stars? By relying on a recruiter who specializes in the legal field. They interview and screen hundreds or thousands of candidates per year. Their knowledge and experience can shorten your search by allowing you to interview only the best prospects.
Working with a recruiter can help you choose the right legal support professional for your organization’s needs and its future growth. Contact Kent Legal today to learn more about finding legal support staff in the Toronto area.