Interviewing job candidates is perhaps the most serious responsibility of management. A bad hire is a full-time disaster, because the lawyers, the staff, and the manager spend more time with that person than they do with their own families. Interviewing is an artificial situation and managers get tricked by it. Everybody can have a pat answer to the standard questions of "what … [Read more...] about 10 interview questions that reveal the true personality of every job applicant
Hiring
Emotional retention: New strategies to retain top talent
By Brenda Barnes bio Great businesses are built with great people. In today's competitive employment market, it's hard enough to recruit those great people, but the real challenge is getting them to stay. Traditional retention strategies haven't worked so it's time to take a fresh look at how to keep the best people you have. Benefits vs. retention We often confuse … [Read more...] about Emotional retention: New strategies to retain top talent
Firms spend average of $12,000 to recruit and train each entry-level lawyer
Newly minted associates may see employers extend more job offers, research indicates. Nearly one-quarter (22 percent) of lawyers recently interviewed by Robert Half Legal said their law firm plans to increase its hiring of first-year associates in the next 12 months, while 67 percent indicated no change in hiring activity and 7 percent plan a decrease. Not only are law firms … [Read more...] about Firms spend average of $12,000 to recruit and train each entry-level lawyer
Five personalities to weed out when hiring for staff positions
Just as important as being able to do the work and being willing to do the work is having a personality that fits the job. Five traits can spell disaster in law firm staffing. Those five traits can cause severe friction within the staff. They can stymie the work. And they can undermine the administrator. Here's a definition of each plus the detection questions to ask and the … [Read more...] about Five personalities to weed out when hiring for staff positions
How your firm’s telecommuting policies affect your recruiting strategy
If you're rethinking your firm's telecommuting policies, hold on. There is a trend among some larger companies of bringing remote workers back into corporate offices, but candidates still expect work from home options, says new data from the MRINetwork 2017 Recruiter Sentiment Study. And while your intent may be to increase collaboration, creativity, mentoring, and innovation, … [Read more...] about How your firm’s telecommuting policies affect your recruiting strategy
Four tricks to improve the hiring process
Beyond the résumé, reference check, and the interview, use these four techniques to improve your hiring process. 1 Identify past mistakes One essential element to consider is the office's history. Before interviewing anybody, look at what has gone wrong in the job when other people have held it and identify what filters need to be set up for the next hiring decision. Look … [Read more...] about Four tricks to improve the hiring process
Employment Law Update for August 2017
By Mike O'Brien bio Here is my periodic update prepared for interested HR professionals trying to deal with the complex American employment laws. In this update: REPEAL? REPAIR? REPLACE? NOT FOR NOW. EEOC/DOJ TAKE OPPOSITE VIEWS IN SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISPUTE DOL SURVEY ON OVERTIME RULES ASKS SOME INTERESTING QUESTIONS TO FIRE OR NOT TO FIRE? EMPLOYERS SHOULD READ … [Read more...] about Employment Law Update for August 2017
A telling way to interview job candidates
Everyone walks into a job interview with their best foot forward and a slew of prepared answers. It's your job to sift through what's often a rehearsed performance and find out what the firm will actually get if the person is hired. Here management consultant Manola Robison, CMC, of Robison Management Consulting in Atlanta suggests a novel—and very telling—way to do just … [Read more...] about A telling way to interview job candidates
Employment rate for new law school graduates rises slightly
The National Association for Law Placement (NALP) has released its Employment for the Class of 2016—Selected Findings, a summary of key findings from the upcoming annual Jobs & JDs: Employment and Salaries of New Law School Graduates—Class of 2016 report, coming out in October 2017. Despite a drop in the number of jobs and the graduating class size, this year's Selected … [Read more...] about Employment rate for new law school graduates rises slightly
Follow these best practices of top performers and become more valuable to your firm
It's no surprise that managers rate top performers as their most valuable employees. But what might not be as obvious is the massive impact a top performer has on the organization. A new study by VitalSmarts revealed employees rated by their managers as Nines and Tens on a ten-point performance scale are three times more valuable to the organization than the average … [Read more...] about Follow these best practices of top performers and become more valuable to your firm