Page 20 - Dallas Vol 5 No 4
P. 20

Four Simple
Steps to
Finding Your
Next Employee
BY JENNIFER GORE-CUTHBERT
Since opening the doors of my law  rm, I have interviewed a lot of job candidates. A lot. Some of
them had a great résumé but actually lacked the work experience they were touting. Others were articulate and personable during the interview, only to become sullen and sluggish once they were in the o ce. A er redesigning my search process and  guring out what red  ags to look for, I became more adept at weeding out the application pool and  nding the hidden gems in the group. Now, I am proud to say that my o ce has a solid foundation of quality employees, all with di erent talents and strengths. Here are four steps I recommend taking in order to  nd your next ideal employee:
NO. 1: In your job advertise- ment, ask that candidates include speci c items in a speci c format.
I always ask that candidates email me a cover letter, résumé, and work references, and that the email have a speci c title. If they do not provide all four of these, then I delete the email and proceed on to the next candidate. Details are so important, especially at a law  rm! You want to look for someone who can follow your directions and is detail-oriented. Also, if he or she is truly interested in the position, then they should take care to provide everything you are requesting.
NO. 2: Email all potential candidates a series of rel- evant questions.
If the candidate has successfully
completed step one and you approve of their cover letter and résumé, the next step is to email them a series of questions relevant to the position and to your  rm. (For example, when I hired a bookkeeper, I asked the candidates about accounts payable and receivable, payroll accounting, payroll taxes, accounting so ware, and settlements). To su ciently answer the questions, the candidate must have some basic knowledge about that position. Only consider those who complete this section properly. Do not be surprised about how many candidates will not reply to the questions – they have self-selected out of the hiring process.
One of the biggest mistakes I made early on was hiring someone without experience, hoping to train them a er they joined the  rm. Sometimes you get lucky and the person is able to learn and excel quickly. But hiring someone and training them is a time luxury that many law  rms do not have.  e supervising attorney ends up spending the majority of his or her time training the new sta , which causes the supervisor’s productivity to run backwards.
NO. 3: Review résumés and check references before the  rst phone interview.
I know that it might seem obvious to recommend checking the candidate’s résumé and references, but if you cannot verify at least two great recommendations, that could indicate a huge problem. Also, make sure you reserve enough time to complete this part of the hiring process. If you are desperate to  ll the position or you
fall in love with the candidate before checking his or her references, you might get stuck with a bad employee. At my law  rm, we have dodged some major hiring mishaps by checking all of the candidates’ references (or lack of references).
NO. 4: Schedule a phone interview, followed by an in- person interview.
You have reviewed the candidate’s cover letter and résumé. He or she has answered your questions via email, and their references check out. Now, it is time to speak with them directly! During your phone interview, you should ask them some basic questions to see if they pass the general test of competency and personality for the position. Following a successful phone interview, invite them to your law  rm for an in-person interview. Run them through a few scenarios they will regularly encounter on the job and see how they think on their feet. Let a second member of your sta  interview the candidate as well, and make sure you pay close attention to that sta  member’s feedback.
At this point in the process, you should be con dent in knowing the candidate’s strengths and whether they would be a good  t with the law  rm culture. It is time to make a decision! Good luck, and happy hiring.
JENNIFER GORE-CUTHBERT IS THE FOUNDING ATTORNEY AND OWNER OF AT- LANTA PERSONAL INJURY LAW GROUP, A PERSONAL INJURY LAW FIRM LOCATED IN ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA. CONTACT HER AT [email protected] OR(404)436-1529.
ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · DALLAS· VOL. 5 NO. 4 20


































































































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