As you gain experience in your legal career, you’re likely to be contacted by a legal recruiter at some point. Here are tips on building and managing strong relationships with them:
Know what you want. Offer yourself as a candidate only if you’re serious about making a change. Headhunters don’t like “tire-kickers.” Legal recruiters are engaged by their clients to find qualified and motivated candidates.
Be available. Once you’ve agreed to submit your resume for a particular position, make yourself available for interviews. Although it’s time-consuming, being too difficult to schedule potentially sends a message to a prospective employer that you’re not interested in the position.
Is everyone on board? Be sure to discuss career moves with family members who would be impacted by a change, or whose voices count in your decision-making process. Don’t get to the offer stage before you discuss relocating with your spouse.
Disclosure. If you have submitted your resume to other firms or companies, and by all means, if you are currently interviewing for a different position than the one for which you’ve been contacted, disclose this information up front. No one likes surprises, especially the firm or company that’s about to make you an offer.
Stay in touch. Check in with legal recruiters about once every two weeks to stay on the radar screen, and especially if you have a status change.
