Page 14 - Phoenix Vol 10 No 9

Four Simple
Steps to
Finding Your
Next Employee
SBY JENNIFER GORE-CUTHBERT
ince 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 artic- ulate and personable during the inter- view, only to become sullen and slug- gish 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 tak- ing in order to nd your next ideal employee:
NO. 1: In your job advertisement, 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 some- one 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 relevant
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 can- didates about accounts payable and receivable, payroll accounting, payroll taxes, accounting so ware, and settle- ments). To su ciently answer the questions, the candidate must have some basic knowledge about that po- sition. Only consider those who com- plete 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 af- ter 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 candi- date’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 deci- sion! 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 · PHOENIX· VOL. 10 NO. 9 14