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Author: Eventus

Eventus Recruitment Group > Articles by: Eventus
20Dec

Preparing for Virtual Interviews

Are businesses still conducting virtual interviews?

Virtual interviews became popular during the pandemic, as they allowed hiring businesses to continue interviewing for their job vacancies. Although, there has been a move back to face-to-face job interviews, some businesses are still using virtual interviews within their recruitment process. Whether they are being held on Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype virtual interviews remain a major part of many recruitment processes.

Why are businesses still using virtual interviews post pandemic?

Businesses have found that virtual interviews give more flexibility to both them and the candidates. Virtual interviews can be done from anywhere, saving time and costs associated with commuting for interviews. They make it easier for candidates to find time to join the interview. We all know how hard it can be to find time for job interviews when working.  As a result, businesses will often interview virtually in the initial stages of their interview process. Afterwards, they will interview the candidates they would like to take forward in face-to-face interviews.

How do I prepare for virtual interviews?

Like any interview situation, preparation is key. Obviously, you should still carry out your normal interview preparation including thinking about questions to ask the interviewer and preparing answers to questions you expect to be asked.

For those who aren’t tech savvy, virtual interviews can be daunting. However, they don’t have to be. Preparing for virtual interviews will ensure that they go smoothly. Here are a few ways you can make sure you are fully prepared for your next online interview.

Test your technology when preparing for virtual interviews

It might seem obvious but one of the most important things to do before a virtual interview is to check your technology is working properly. Hiring companies are used to hosting virtual job interviews, so they should tell which platform they are using. However, if they don’t enquire which platform they use in advance of your job interview. This will allow you to get step up and test that the platform is working / updated on your device prior to your job interview.

In addition, check your WIFI, microphone and sound. You don’t want to be cut off halfway through by a poor internet connection or have the interviewer struggling to hear you because your microphone isn’t on properly. Why not have a test run with a friend or family member? Set your device up where you intend to sit for your interview and video call someone to check your connection, video and sound quality.

Be ‘interview ready’

As with any interview it is key to make a good first impression. Make sure that you are sat somewhere quiet where you will not be interrupted. It is also a good idea to think about your background. If possible, sit with your back to a blank wall to create a more professional setting. In addition, make sure to dress professionally as you would for a face-to-face interview. Don’t be sat in hoodie, as the interviewer will notice.

Finally, make sure that you are organised and have everything next to you that you may need. This could include a notepad and pen, a copy of your CV and a glass of water.

Speak clearly during online interviews

In order to make sure your online conversation flows well remember to speak clearly and slightly slower than normal. This should prevent callers from speaking over each other and will mean you can be clearly understood.

Be aware that you are on camera

Ensure that throughout the interview you remain engaged in the video, maintaining eye contact with the interviewer and facing the camera as much as possible, even when taking notes. In addition, think about your body language and how you are sitting. So, you can create a positive impression and show that you are fully engaged.

Be on time

Finally, make sure that you are on time. Have everything prepared and be logged on a few minutes before the call so that as soon as the interviewer joins you are ready to begin.

Conclusion

A Practice Manager of a Lancashire Law firm commented that as well as being more ‘Covid friendly’ conducting a video interview allows the firm to asses the candidates’ ability to use technology and to see how well they communicate over video call. Afterall, with many people now working hybrid, it is likely that successful candidates could be expected to communicate with colleagues and clients virtually rather than in person.

Hopefully, these hints and tips will help you feel more prepared for your next online interview. Good luck!

Job search support

If you are job hunting in the legal, finance or financial services sectors and would like job search support, register with us here. We are specialist recruitment consultants who offer support to professionals at each stage of the recruitment process, including interview preparation.

Further reading on job interview preparation 

Interview Hints and Tips. View our resource here.

Questions to ask in a job interview. Click here to read.

Questions to avoid asking in a job interview. Click here to read.

Job search resources. View here.

"Siobhan Courtney was instrumental in helping me land my current job, which is exactly what I had been looking for. Her professional approach, quick response time, and dedication to finding the perfect fit were truly impressive. She made the entire process seamless and stress-free, ensuring my CV was only shared with potential employers with my explicit consent. I'm very grateful for her guidance, especially in negotiating a competitive salary package. On top of this, she is personable and charismatic, which made me feel super comfortable and made the entire process a positive experience. I could not recommend Siobhan enough!"
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Ana, placed Solicitor
03Dec
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Volume vs. Specialist Recruitment

Volume Vs. Specialist Recruitment

Volume Vs. Specialist Recruitment: Key Differences

Recruitment is a crucial process for any company, involving the search, application screening, interviewing, selection and onboarding of new employees. Many companies choose to partner with recruitment agencies to make this process more efficient. However, not all recruitment agencies operate in the same way—some focus on volume recruitment, while others specialise in specialist recruitment.

Understanding the difference between these two approaches is vital for making informed decisions when hiring. This blog will help you explore the key differences, enabling you to select the right recruitment partner for your specific needs. By doing so, you’ll ensure a more effective and efficient hiring process for your business.

Whether you’re hiring for multiple roles, temp staff, or searching for niche expertise, choosing the appropriate recruitment consultant is essential to achieving your objectives.

Firstly, what are volume and specialist recruitment?

Absolutely there is a place in the market for both volume and specialist recruiters. Both serve completely different purposes.

A volume recruiter services a client in the need for efficiency, where the skillset may be more straight forward. Industries that utilise volume recruitment to their advantage can include the likes of call centres, manufacturing, retail, and hospitality. Short-term roles or companies with high turnover are also likely to fall under this style of recruitment.

On the other hand, a specialist recruiter is for when a role is more niche or technical. The candidate source may be refined and smaller, with more specific requirements. Legal, Healthcare, IT, Finance and Engineering are some examples of industries requiring a more refined approach to recruitment, and a much longer-term approach.

Efficiency Focus

Mostly, volume recruiters optimise for speed and efficiency across many hires. The process is built to scale efficiency. Aiming to fill multiple roles quickly across various sectors, volume recruiters focus on high numbers. Often, this comes as a cost of building less long-term relationships. In turn, this means a lot of these placements are a one-time transaction, without return custom from the client as no relationship was formed.

Contrastingly, specialist recruiters tend to invest more time in building relationships with clients and candidates. Thus, maintaining a network of top talent in a specific field. Investing considerable time in each placement, specialist recruiters take a more targeted approach. Concentrating on fewer, yet high-quality candidates in that specific area. Whilst placement rates may be less than volume recruiters, a specialist ensures long-lasting hires ensuring a perfect candidate is placed for the role.

Time Spent on Placements

Less time is spent on each individual hire when it comes to volume recruitment. Allowing efficiency and a high rate of placements. They prioritise speed, however this may be at the cost of lack of depth in certain industries. Yet in a high turnover organisation, such as a call centre, speed is essential.

Frequently engaging with candidates over longer periods of time, specialised recruiters can align them with highly specific roles. Likewise, specialist recruiters will prioritise building long-term relationships with hiring firms. These placements can take a long time, as their aim is to ensure that the perfect match is made for the long-term. Ultimately, saving recruitment costs of having to re-hire again in the short-term. Time is spent on building relationships with both candidates and firms. In the legal and financial services sectors, this often means understanding not only the technical requirements, but also the cultural nuances of the firm. Understanding goals/preferences, ensuring alignment with specific job and personal requirements, and company cultures, make these placements long lasting.

Key Characteristics of Volume Recruitment:
Key Characteristics of Specialist Recruitment:

  1. High Volume of Roles: Designed to fill many positions at once.

  2. Standardised Processes: Recruitment often follows a uniform process, including automated systems with less detail for speed, and shorter assessments and interview processes.
  3. Quick Turnaround: Prioritises speed to ensure roles are filled promptly, often due to high turnover rates or seasonal demand.
  4. General Skills: Focuses on candidates with broad, transferable skills rather than niche expertise.
Best For:
  • Entry-level positions.
  • Temporary or seasonal roles.
  • Organisations with large-scale recruitment needs.
  1. Niche Expertise: Recruitment agencies often have in-depth knowledge of the industry or sector they specialise in.
  2. Bespoke Processes: Tailored search and selection processes to identify candidates with the exact skills and experience needed.
  3. Longer Timelines: Recruitment may take more time to find the perfect candidate for the role, due to more detailed search processes to find the right professionals.
  4. High-Quality Talent: Emphasis on sourcing top-tier candidates with specialised skills, qualifications, and experience.
Best For:
  • Senior or executive positions.
  • Roles requiring rare or highly technical / niche skills.
  • Companies looking to build strategic, long-term teams.

Here’s a comparison of the pros and cons of volume recruitment and specialist recruitment to help you weigh your options:

Volume Recruitment
Specialist Recruitment
Pros:
  1. Efficient for High Number of Vacancies: Ideal for businesses needing to hire a large number of employees quickly in same or similar roles, such as during seasonal peaks or expansions.
  2. Cost-Effective: Economies of scale make volume recruitment more affordable per hire, often using automated systems to save time and money.
  3. Streamlined Processes: Standardised hiring procedures enable quicker turnaround times and simplified workflows.
  4. Broad Talent Pool: Casts a wide net, increasing the chances of quickly filling vacancies with generalists.
  5. Flexibility: Suited to hiring for entry-level, temporary, or high-turnover roles.
Cons:
  1. Limited Customisation: By focusing on quantity can result in less tailored recruitment processes, which may overlook individual strengths and overall suitability to role.
  2. Quality: High-volume hiring can prioritise speed over finding the best candidate, leading to potentially hiring the wrong person and increasing the possibility of having to re-hire. Lack depth in certain industries.
  3. Retention Issues: Quick hiring for high-turnover roles may lead to challenges in retaining employees.
  4. Lack of Specialised Skills: This approach may not be suitable for roles requiring unique expertise or advanced qualifications.
Pros:
  1. Expertise in Niche Markets: Specialist recruiters understand the complexities of specific industries and roles, making them skilled at sourcing top talent.
  2. Tailored Approach: Recruitment processes are tailored to ensure candidates fit the precise skills, qualifications, and cultural needs of the organisation. Specialist recruitment consultants invest considerable time in each placement, building relationships with candidates, understanding their goals/preferences, and ensuring alignment with specific job requirements, person requirements company cultures etc…
  3. High-Quality Hires: Focuses on finding the most qualified and suitable candidates, often resulting in stronger long-term hires.
  4. Strategic Value: Suitable for critical roles or positions where the right hire can significantly impact the business.
  5. Industry Insights: Specialist recruiters often have access to exclusive networks and deep market knowledge.
Cons:
  1. Time-Intensive: The tailored and precision of specialist recruitment can mean longer lead times to fill roles.
  2. Higher Costs: Premium services and niche expertise often come with a higher price tag.
  3. Smaller Talent Pool: A focus on specific qualifications and experience may narrow the pool of available candidates. However, this is expected for highly qualified or technical roles.
  4. Not Ideal for Bulk Hiring: Due to timescales, specialist recruitment is less suited to high-volume hiring needs, making it impractical for businesses seeking rapid scaling.

Conclusion

Both volume and specialist recruitment play important roles, depending on the hiring company’s needs. Choosing the right approach depends on your industry, organisation’s goals, the nature of the roles, and your long-term business strategy.

The Eventus Recruitment Group

At The Eventus Recruitment Group, we specialise in legal, legal finance, and financial services recruitment. Taking a unique approach to recruitment, we put our clients and candidates at the forefront of everything we do. In order to create long lasting, working partnerships, we will only match a candidate to a company if it is 100% right for both sides. Acting as an extension of a HR function, not only do we match placements, but also advice on recruitment and retention strategies, succession planning, employee benefits, and how to ensure all employees feel valued in the workplace. Whilst our recruitment processes are longer than that of a volume recruiter, we offer deep and thorough insights, which result in long-term hires aligned with your values and goals, be that for an individual or a firm.

If you require help with your recruitment process or job search, please don’t hesitate to contact us here.

Further Reading

Creating a recruitment strategy that facilitates business growth. Read here.

Why your recruitment and retention strategies should be aligned. Read here.

Marketing in recruitment. Why marketing is important for hiring. Read here.

02Dec

Confidence in job market is high and less people satisfied with their work-life balance

New research has found that confidence in the job market is high, with more people job searching due to being dissatisfied with their work-life balance and support / progression opportunities offered by their employers.

Eventus Recruitment’s annual survey of over 750 professionals within the professional services sectors explores trends regarding employers, employees’ preferences, employee benefits, work-life balance, career progression and emerging themes in the job market.

Confidence is high in the job market

A key finding is that confidence has increased in the job market in the last 12 months. Over 70% professionals are either actively or passively job searching. In addition, 50% can’t see themselves working for their current employer longer than 12 months, an increase of 18% from the last survey. Although, it’s good news for companies that are expanding, it’s bad news for retention strategies. The survey found that only 40% of people are fully engaged in their work, a decrease of 15% from last year. This could partly be due to less people working their ideal working pattern and an increase in people feeling unsupported in their job and with their career goals. On top of this, ineffective support / management, poor work-life balance and lack of progression opportunities were voted as the main motivators for job searching.

Decline in people satisfied with their work-life balance

Another key finding is that only 40% are satisfied with their work-life balance, a decline of 9% from last year. In addition, 62% said their employer could do more to support their work-life balance.

Furthermore, there’s an increase in people wanting some hybrid working. An increase in hybrid working was voted as the main improvement that employers could make to improve work-life balance. Today, only 7% would like to work in the office full-time, a decrease of 5% from 12 months ago. This comes at a time when more firms are wanting employees back in the office. Currently, 70% of people can work from home at least one day a week. The most common hybrid pattern is working 2 days a week from home, with just under 25% of respondents working this pattern. In addition, only 35% said their employer implements a home working policy fairly across all teams.

Employee Benefits

The top 5 benefits ranked most important in a benefits package are salary / bonus, flexibility over working hours, holiday allowance, flexibility over working location, and pension contributions. 56% of people are satisfied with their current pay, which has increased from last year. However, only 43% have had salary reviews in the last 12 months, a decrease of 11%. Also, when it comes to holidays, only 10% of companies within professional services are offering statutory holidays. The most common holiday pattern is 25 days holidays. Interestingly, 62% of people who can’t buy and sell holidays would like to be able to. As a result, if companies don’t offer the option to buy and sell holidays, it could be a great additional benefit, offering flexibility to both employees and the company.

Four day working week

The employment and work trends survey also asked about a four-day working week, which is still being trialled internationally. Overwhelmingly, 69% of people said that they would benefit from working a four-day working week and that they feel they would be able to work a four-day working week in their role. Interestingly no-one who works a shorter week voted that they don’t see any benefits. This suggests that everyone who works a shorter week benefits in some way from it.

Progression

In addition, when it comes to progression 49% feel the need to move companies for their career goals. 43% of people said they would like to progress into a higher position and a further 24% said they would like to change positions or enter a new sector. From the research, it is clear there is a lack of communication about progression opportunities which is causing confusion among professionals. With 44% feeling there’s no progression opportunities within their current firm and a further 25% unsure, it’s important that employers are open and clear about progression and promotion opportunities within their firm. However, this year there’s less people wanting to progress – 31% said they are happy at their current level or position. This could be because people are valuing job security, salary, flexibility and a work-life balance more than in previous years. As a result, employer’s focus needs to be on retaining these individuals and implementing ways to support them day-to-day within their role.

Recruitment and Retention

Amy Watson, Director of the Eventus Recruitment Group, said: “People’s confidence in their sector and the jobs market has increased and they are not being deterred from progressing with their career goals or seeking a rewarding work environment. The survey found that 70% are either actively or passively job searching at present, an increase of 12% from last year. As a result, in order to retain your top employees, it is vital to have regular conversation with employees about well-being at work, work-life balance and progression, make use of Employee Development Plans for those wanting to progress, and have annual reviews of salaries and benefits packages. By listening, rewarding and creating environments where people are satisfied will enable your recruitment and retention strategies to succeed.”

Full Work Trends and Employment Attitudes Survey findings

To read the full report, Eventus Recruitment’s recommendations and what the survey findings mean for your recruitment and retention strategies, download the report below.

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Further Reading

Practical insights into flexible working from an expert. Read here.

Why your recruitment and retention strategies should be aligned. Read here.

Get support with your recruitment and retention strategies

If you are hiring in the legal or financial services sectors in England, Wales or Ireland we have a team of dedicated and professional consultants to support your recruitment strategy. We take time to always fully understand our clients’ culture and offerings. So, that we genuinely feel like an extension of their firm when approaching candidates they’d like to meet. 

Contact Us
27Nov
Job search

How to find the right recruiter to support your job search

How to find your perfect recruiter to support your job search

Navigating any market in today’s times can be challenging, due to ever changing demands and regulations. At Eventus Recruitment, we are specialists in legal, legal finance, and financial services recruitment. We help countless professionals  with their job search and find roles that align not only with their skills but with their broader career ambitions. Here’s why partnering with a specialist recruiter could be the key to unlocking your next opportunity.

1. Recruiter's Expertise and Personal Insight

Developing an area of expertise, recruitment consultants are able to gain a comprehensive understanding of the market landscape, key players, and local trends. Recruiters that specialise in a specific area are able to access unique insights into companies hiring plans and their company culture. This enables the recruiter to support your job search and match you completely to a job role.

2. A Personalised Approach to Your Career

By building long lasting relationships with you, it ensures that your recruitment consultant can work closely with you to gain an understanding of not only your professional qualifications, but also your career aspirations. Strong recruiters will take the lead in your job search and spend the time getting to know you properly. This means they learn more about you than just what you want out of your next role. It is important for recruiters to take the time to tailor career opportunities to your goal. A good recruiter ensures the roles presented to you align with where you want to go in your career.

At Eventus Recruitment, we pride ourselves on establishing these long-term partnerships and take time to get to know you completely. Thus, we can be thorough in helping with your job search.

3. Open and Honest Communication from Recruiters

In the competitive sectors, transparency is essential. Your recruitment consultant needs to be committed to giving you clear, honest feedback throughout the process. Whether it’s preparing for interviews or managing negotiations, you always need a clear understanding of where you stand. This ensures that, together, you and your consultant make informed decisions at every step of your journey.

Transparency is one of our core values at Eventus Recruitment, being open in everything we do. Upfront about the way we work, we are a reliable service to those on their job search.

4. Exclusive Opportunities You Won't Find Elsewhere

Top recruitment consultants are able to develop extensive networks within your region. These networks include relationships with local firms and hiring managers. Thus, opening access to opportunities before they’re advertised, and jobs that might not always be advertised. By building strong relationships with local firms, your recruitment consultant can spot roles perfectly matched to your skills and aspirations. Additionally, your recruiter will be able to get you in ahead of your competition who lack these networks.

5. A Focus on Long-Term Cultural Fit

It’s not just about finding a job; it’s about finding the right firm where you can thrive. Placing strong emphasis on understanding your preferred working culture and matching your values is essential for finding your perfect role. Firm culture can vary widely, so it’s important for your recruiter to take the time to find a fit that works both professionally and personally. Good recruiters will have long-standing relationships with firms in your region. Consequently, they will thoroughly understand their company culture, values and team structure. As a result, these recruitment consultants will be able to advise which firms would be right for you once they’ve got to know you and your career aspirations.

6. Focused and Personalised Representation from Recruitment Consultants

Rather than having multiple consultants flood the market with your CV, a much more measured approach is required in a successful job search. By choosing a recruitment consultant who works closely with firms, your profile is presented with care and consideration, giving you the best chance to secure the perfect role. Resultantly, this strategy protects your professional reputation and avoids the negatives of overexposure to employers. However, we suggest that you don’t work with too many recruiters at the same time. So, that you avoid your CV being sent to the same companies and making you look desperate.

Keep track of where recruiters send your CV

It’s important that you know which firms your recruiter sends your CV to, in order to avoid repetition. A good recruiter will always discuss the firms with you first and ask your permission before sending your CV. If a recruitment consultant sends your CV to a firm without your permission, this a red flag.

Here, at Eventus Recruitment, we always have a discussion and ask for your written permission before we send your CV to firms.

7. Strategic Market Insights Tailored to You

This is much more than providing just job leads. Demonstrating commercial awareness and offering insights into what’s currently happening in your industry and area is key from recruitment consultants. From salary expectations to firm growth trends, recruiter’s advice should be grounded in local market knowledge, to excel your job search. This helps to prepare you for interviews, going into them with total knowledge about the market. Also, it positions you to make informed decisions that suit your long-term career objectives.

8. Recruiters Offer Vital Support Throughout Your Job Search

Recruiters should be taking the lead in your job search and essentially take away the hard work for you. At Eventus Recruitment, we can help with CV writing, tailored career advice, interview preparation, managing negotiations with firms such as salaries, benefits, and start dates. By having a recruiter do this for you, it saves you time. Your recruitment consultant can represent you to firms to a high standard, putting you above other candidates. It’s important that you get a good recruiter who will put 100% into your job search and is in it for the long haul, instead of just wanting a quick placement.

9. Your Career Is Our Priority

Passion for helping professionals progress and succeed is the key for you finding the right recruiter. Guarantee success in your job search by ensuring your recruitment consultant is in it for the long term as much as you are. Every step of your journey, they should be there to support you – from the initial conversation to negotiating the final offer and beyond. This is exactly how we support you at the Eventus Recruitment Group. Our goal is to ensure that the move you make is the right one for you, both now and in the future.

Conclusion

Choosing the right recruitment consultant can make all the difference in your job search and securing your next role. With a personalised, thoughtful approach and in-depth local knowledge, Eventus Recruitment are here to ensure your next career move is the right one. Whether you’re actively seeking a new role or just exploring your options, having a recruiter who understands your aspirations and the regional market is invaluable. Feel free to contact us here, and we are more than happy to discuss your options, offer you advice, or whatever else you may need.

Written by Nikki Phillips, Senior Recruitment Consultant at The Eventus Recruitment Group.

Further Reading

How to Prepare for a Job Interview

How to Choose a Company to Work For

How to Show Commercial Awareness when Applying for Jobs and Attending Job Interviews

"Amy has been helpful from the very beginning - she initially contacted me a few months ago for an opportunity and kept in contact with me since. She managed to help me secure a job recently and was extremely helpful and honest throughout the entire process. I cannot stress how friendly and helpful she has been, and I have since recommended Eventus Recruitment because of Amy's service."
testimonial image
Fatima, Placed Legal candidate
19Nov

Choosing the Right Recruitment Consultant

Choosing the Right Recruitment Consultant - A Guide for Success

In today’s competitive landscape, firms often find themselves approached by multiple recruitment consultants eager to assist with filling a vacancy. With so many options available, how can firms determine which consultant will truly add value to their recruitment process? How can firms be sure that they are choosing the right recruitment consultant for them? Guiding firms, here are some key considerations to make the best choice. Simultaneously, these will ensure a strong partnership is established for future hiring needs.

1. Evaluate Industry Knowledge and Expertise

When choosing the right recruitment consultant, firms should prioritise those with a deep understanding of the sector, and the geographic. Consultants with specific expertise will have vital insights into market trends, candidate qualifications, and the unique demands of various roles.

At The Eventus Recruitment Group, we pride ourselves on our specialised knowledge in the legal, legal finance, and financial services sectors. Ensuring we provide our clients with candidates who both meet the technical requirements and fit within the firm’s culture.

2. Assess Track Record and Success Stories

Look for a recruitment consultant who can demonstrate a proven track record of successful placements within your hiring sector. Ask for case studies or testimonials from previous clients to gauge their effectiveness. Sharing success stories, particularly within similar firms/roles, proves the necessary experience to navigate your specific hiring challenges. This way, you can ensure you are choosing the right recruitment consultant in regards to your hiring sector needs.

3. Consider Communication and Relationship Building

Effective communication is paramount in recruitment. Consultants who actively listen to your needs, maintain transparency throughout the process, and provide regular updates elevate the recruitment experience. Building a strong relationship with your consultant fosters trust and ensures they have a genuine understanding of your firm’s ethos and requirements.

Emphasising open communication, at Eventus Recruitment Group, we take the time to truly understand our clients’ needs and check-in regularly. Therefore, we are ensuring a tailored approach that reflects the firm’s values.

4. Evaluate the Consultant's Network and Resources

A well-connected recruitment consultant can significantly broaden the talent pool available to your firm. Evaluate the strength of their network and the tools they employ to source candidates. Consultants who utilise innovative sourcing methods open up a whole new realm of candidates. Social media or industry events can uncover hidden talent that may not be actively seeking new opportunities.

5. Prioritise Cultural Fit

Beyond skills and experience, it’s crucial to consider how potential candidates will fit within your firm’s culture. Taking the time to understand your firm’s values and work environment is crucial. Choosing the right recruitment consultants who do this will be better positioned to identify candidates who will thrive in your specific setting.

Always, Eventus Recruitment place a strong emphasis on cultural alignment. Hence, ensuring that the candidates we present not only meet the technical requirements but share the firm’s values and vision.

6. Understand the Risks of Multiple Consultants

Choosing the right recruitment consultant ideally means choosing only one. While it may be tempting to engage several recruitment consultants simultaneously, doing so can lead to confusion and frustration. When multiple consultants approach the same candidates, it can create a perception of desperation, making your firm appear less attractive to top talent. Instead, focus on building a solid relationship with a select few consultants who truly understand your firm and its needs. This targeted approach enhances your firm’s reputation and fosters a more streamlined recruitment process.

7. Looking for Strategic Insight and Guidance

The recruitment process should be a strategic partnership rather than a transactional interaction. A valuable consultant will provide insights and guidance on market conditions, salary benchmarks, and candidate expectations. This strategic approach can aid firms in making informed decisions and streamline the hiring process.

8. Trust Your Instincts

Finally, trust your instincts. If a consultant demonstrates a genuine passion for your firm and the recruitment process, it translates into better results. A positive rapport can make a significant difference in navigating the complexities of recruitment.

Conclusion

Choosing the right recruitment consultant is a critical decision that can impact the success of your hiring efforts. By prioritising industry knowledge, communication, cultural fit, and strategic insight, firms can ensure they select a partner who will add real value.

At Eventus Recruitment Group, we are dedicated to supporting firms in law and financial services in finding the right talent that aligns with their goals. We believe in fostering strong relationships and delivering tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients. In addition, all our recruitment consultants are sector and geographic recruitment specialists. If you are a hiring manager looking for your next top talent, or a professional on the job search, contact us here.

Written by Nikki Phillips, Senior Recruitment Consultant at the Eventus Recruitment Group.

The team at Eventus Legal always take time to fully understand the needs of the business and each role they are involved with, putting forward only those candidates who closely match our requirements. Feedback from successful candidates sourced by Eventus Legal has been excellent and they offer full support throughout the whole process from initial stages to job offer.
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Marsden Rawsthorn Solicitors
31Oct

Siobhan Courtney escapes jail and raises over £1,100 for St John’s Hospice

Thanks to your donations the Eventus Recruitment Group’s Managing Director Siobhan Courtney was freed from Lancaster prison on Wednesday 30th October 2024 at 3pm.

Siobhan’s arrest
At 10 am on the 30th October 2024, Siobhan was “arrested” by Lancaster Police having been reported by her colleagues for her excessive chatter and was escorted to Lancaster Castle with 31 other workplace criminals and locked up in HMP Lancaster Castle. For her successful bail, we had to raise £999 for St John’s Hospice by the end of the day.
Siobhan’s release

It was touch and go as to whether she would be released due to Siobhan being late back to the line-up after visiting time and being caught wearing extra layers of clothing in which she may or may not have used to smuggle contraband into the prison. However, thanks to the donations of our wonderful clients, family, friends, colleagues and local law firms the bail money was raised for Siobhan’s release. In total your donations exceeded the bail amount and raised a whooping £1,133 for St John’s Hospice. A charity that is vital within our community and is close to the hearts of everyone in Lancaster and the surrounding areas.

After formerly working as a Prison Officer, Siobhan enjoyed her return to Prison – perhaps a little too much, as when on her release the Prison Officer told her to “behave herself”, she responded “NO”. 

Thank you for your donations to St John’s Hospice

We would like to express a huge thank you to everyone who donated and to St John’s Hospice for arranging such a fantastic fundraising event. Although the Eventus team were grateful for day of peace and quiet in the office, they are thankful to have Siobhan back with them and with new prison stories to tell.

Before her release, Siobhan recorded a video of thanks from her cell and explains how valuable your donations are. Watch the video below.

22Oct

Employment Trends Report Available Now

Confidence in the job market has increased, whereas satisfaction with employers has decreased

The Eventus Recruitment Employment Attitudes and Work Trends 2024 survey report is now available to download, and we are excited to share our findings and insights with you. We carry out this survey annually to assess how work trends differ year on year. From this, we provide you with unique insights into the preferences of your employees / future employees and recommendations to enhance your recruitment and retention strategies. This year, the Employment Trends survey has revealed that confidence in the job market has increased from 12 months ago.

Our survey was sent out to professionals and shared on our social media channels, reaching employees from a range of sectors such as legal, finance, financial services, and more. It delved into topics such as working environments and preferences, employee benefits, work-life balance, career motivators, and progression. Furthermore, we also asked about emerging trends over the last 12 months, like the 4-day working week.

Download Employment Trends Report

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Employment Trends Report: Key Findings

As our survey covered a range of topics, there’s many key findings within the report. However, here’s a snippet of some of the findings:

  • 70% of people are actively and passively job searching, with confidence increasing in the job market.
  • The majority of people would prefer some hybrid working.
  • 89% of people take into account employee benefits when job searching.
  • Only 11% don’t consider employee benefits when deciding on which jobs to apply for.
  • Recruiters remain the go-to resource when a person comes to job search.

Employment Trends Report: Key Takeaways

So, what do these findings all mean? Whilst it’s great to see differences in work trends year on year, they are no use if you don’t act by them. Utilising these findings to tweak and better your recruitment and retention strategies is a great way to showcase that you are listening to what your employees and potential employees want. Let’s discuss the key findings in further detail and see what they mean for your business.

Firstly, 70% of people are actively and passively job searching. This highlights that it is absolutely essential to have a strong retention strategy in place. This will ensure your own top talent does not become part of this figure. Some ways to improve your retention strategy are:

  • Give your employees a voice and bring in initiatives that they ask for
  • Regularly meet with your employees and review not only their salary but their goals as well
  • Ensure you have a competitive benefits package and support flexible working

Furthermore, this statistic is great if you are looking to expand. It implies you should have a thorough recruitment plan in place. If you would like help with your recruitment or retention strategies, then please contact us here.

Secondly, the majority of people would like some hybrid work. Hybrid working has become ever so popular particularly since the pandemic, as it allows for a good work-life balance and more flexibility.

To read more, download the full Employment Trends Report below.

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14Oct

Building an employer brand for hiring

Building a strong employer brand can often be overlooked. However, it is crucial for a top recruitment and retention strategy to develop robust employer branding that will set you apart from your competitors. An employer brand is the way an organisation can differentiate themselves in the jobs market. It enables them to attract, hire, retain and engage the right people (CIPD).

Why does having a good employer brand matter?

Building a strong employer brand matters as it:

  • Establishes a strong reputation which positively impacts hiring
  • Leverages competitive advantage as you differentiate yourself to competitors
  • Increases interest from candidates when hiring
  • Increases loyalty and engagement, as well as retention from employees
  • Improves brand credibility
  • Reduced costs such as recruitment and turnover costs
  • Displays consistency

How can you build a strong employer brand?

There’re many ways to build a strong employer brand, including:

  • Increasing your social media presence
  • Entering business awards
  • Acquiring testimonials
  • Attending networking events
  • Maximising on PR Opportunities
  • Utilising job boards / review sites
  • Participating in CSR activities
  • Reviewing your employee benefits
  • Enhancing your website

Entering awards

Entering business awards allow you to showcase your business and receive the positive recognition it deserves. They highlight all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes, as well as successes. This can increase your brand awareness, recognition and visibility. When it comes to hiring, more candidates will be attracted to your firm as they have seen the business be represented well in a well-respected setting such as an award ceremony. Not to mention, who doesn’t want to work for an award-winning company? Winning awards, or even being finalists, gets you ahead of competitors, which will do wonders when it comes to your recruitment strategy.

Social media presence

Using social media consistently is key to building a strong employer brand. There is no point in posting the odd thing here or there. Consistency on social media can promote your company positively when used correctly. When it comes to hiring, social media is one of the first things a potential candidate goes to, to research about your firm. Do you post consistently? Do you have a theme? Is your content engaging and relevant? If the answer is no to these questions, then a potential candidate will struggle to be engaged with your company based on lack of presence.

Consult with your marketing team and develop a content a content strategy. Also, involve all your employees, incentivise them to be active and post on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is so important as many professionals are on the social media platform and job board. Employers can list one free job on LinkedIn, also.

Stand out employee benefits

Having employee benefits that differentiate from competitors sets you miles ahead when it comes to hiring. Job seekers will associate the best benefits with your brand as you establish your firm as one that sets themselves apart when it comes to employee treatment and benefits. In our annual Employment Trends Survey 2024, we found that 89% of people collectively consider employee benefits when applying for jobs. From this, it’s clear that being open about employee benefits and having them stand out from competitors makes your employee brand more transparent. Therefore, potential candidates are attracted to your firm from the get-go.

Testimonials

Testimonials from both clients, customers and employees build credibility.

There’re many ways you can collect feedback from clients or customers, including:

  • Feedback survey – create a survey that can be emailed or physically completed at the end of your survey.
  • Google reviews – send them a direct link to your Google profile to leave a review for your company on Google. A review link can be generated from your Google My Business account.

Also, you incentivise people to leave a review through prize drawers and competitions.

Job Boards / Review sites

Be active on job boards and review sites by responding to reviews and taking ownership of your company profile. Make sure you have an active company profile on all the review sites that your customers, clients and employees use. Furthermore, complete the company profile section on the job boards that you use to advertise your job vacancies. Many job boards and review sites will allow you to upload your company logo and add a company bio. Some review sites that customers / clients will use to review your services include Google Reviews and Trustpilot. In addition, there’s review sites for workers to review you as an employer, which include Glassdoor and job boards like Indeed.

Your website – add an Work for Us / Careers section

This is a key part of employer branding that businesses often miss, and is one of the most important parts of attracting people to work for you. When people are preparing for job interviews viewing the company’s website is often one of the first things that they will do. Also, if you are well-known in your geographic or are focussing on building your brand reputation, people are likely to research your company to see if there’s any job vacancies. As a result, it’s important to have an engaging and attractive careers section on your website.

There’re many elements that you can add to a careers section on your website, including:

  • An overview of your company, company culture, values, and what it is like working at the firm.
  • Information on the benefits of working at the firm and the benefits package you offer.
  • Latest job vacancies.
  • Employee testimonials.
  • Photos / videos of your premises, teams and working environment, especially if you have a modern or unique office / working environment.

In addition, having a modern, easy to navigate website with a meet the team page will be beneficial for when you are hiring. Furthermore, it will help you stand out to customers and help sell your services.

Networking

Attending networking events are beneficial to building an employer brand, as they are an opportunity to connect with professionals who you might like to employ in future. Search for both local business and wider sector specify networking events to attend. Networking events are great for increasing your brand’s visibility, building a positive reputation and building working connections in the business community.

Furthermore, if you have a large or quirky office space you could host your own networking events. Alternatively, you could offer the space to your local Chamber of Commerce or business networking groups for their networking events.

CSR Activities

Aside from giving back, conducting charitable and CSR activities will enhance your company’s reputation and position your firm as a caring employer. Your employees’ values are more likely to align with your company if the firm’s culture is based on more than just making a profit. Also, teams within the firm can get involved in charitable and CSR activities, which will boost team morale and teamwork.

PR Opportunities to enhance your employer brand

Maximising on PR opportunities will enhance your brand reputation and raise awareness of your company in your local geographic and sector. Getting published in the press will enhance your employer brand and it isn’t as difficult as you may think, as long as you have a newsworthy angle. It could be that you are hiring due to expansion or that you are hoping to raise £10,000 for a local charity, for example. The key is to ensure that it is newsworthy, and your content isn’t just an advert selling your services.

If you have a company blog giving advice away, these blogs can be turned into articles, then sent to the media. For business-to-business (B2B) firms, utilise your Chamber of Commerce, Business Networks and business news publications.

Advice on building an employer brand for hiring

If you would like to discuss building an employer brand in more detail or would like tailored advice on your recruitment plans please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re dedicated recruitment specialists with over 100 years of combined experience in Law, Finance and Financial Services.

“I have used Eventus, and Amy Watson in particular, for a number of years and have always found them to be friendly, helpful and professional. They really take the time to understand the firm, and the roles that we are looking to fill, so that only candidates that fit our requirements are put forward. I would have no reservations in recommending Amy and Eventus.”
testimonial image
Adrienne
Mewies Solicitors

Further Reading

Marketing in recruitment – Why is it important for hiring? Click here to read.

Creating a recruitment strategy that facilitates business growth. Click here to read.

Do businesses need core values? Click here to read.

10Sep

From Paralegal to Trainee Solicitor – Ross Simmons’ journey to a training contract

Recently we sat down with Ross Simmons to ask him about his recent transition from Paralegal to Trainee Solicitor and to find out about his career-to-date in litigation. Our recruitment expert Nikki Phillips placed Ross as a Paralegal at Oglethorpe Sturton & Gillibrand LLP (OSG) in Lancaster, where he is now completing his training contract. Here, Ross tells his legal story and gives his advice for those aspiring to a training contract.

What are the main day-to-day duties in your role?

I’m front of house and deal with new enquiries. So, I take the initial interview with new clients, getting all their documents in place and finding out what the issues are. I do the onboarding, the anti-money laundering compliance. In addition, I review the documentation and help prepare the written advice. I have similar duties to my superiors, and I am given a lot of autonomy in my role. I have had the opportunity to conduct advocacy independently before the County Court. 

The duties I’m given definitely put my skills to use. I think the worry when you start a Paralegal job is that you will be doing photocopying and compliance. However, my time with OSG has been interesting and intellectually challenging.

How did you find the transition from Paralegal to Trainee Solicitor?

When I joined I felt my abilities were recognised and I was given the responsibility to manage my own caseload. So, there hasn’t been much of a change in my role. There are various items of paperwork to complete for the regulator on a training contract. As a result, the focus for me now is on continuing professional development and reflective practice. Overall I feel the responsibilities I received during my time as a Paralegal was on par with my role now as a Trainee Solicitor. The transition may not be as straightforward for everyone and some firms may take a traditional approach to progression. However, if you say yes to opportunities and demonstrate your ability early on, you can give yourself more time to practice your skills before coming qualified.

What tips / advice do you have for others looking for a training contract role?

The best advice I can give is that you shouldn’t be disheartened if you don’t get a training contract straight away. The average qualifying age for solicitors is around 30 according to the Law Society. I was 26 when I joined OSG and I will likely be qualifying around that age. I think when you leave your studies there’s an expectation that you go straight into a training contract. However, that’s simply not the reality. 

Secondly, you shouldn’t overlook the good that working in a Citizens Advice, Law Centre or even a claims firm, can do for your career prospects. Especially the Citizens Advice, where I and two other colleagues at OSG have previously volunteered. There are so many areas of law. So, make the most of your post-graduate years to explore the sectors and learn more about which areas of work interest you. Make the most of these years before you drop your anchor.

What’s the most challenging part of your role?

The job requires you to be detail-oriented and in litigation specifically you’ve got to be able to work at pace. I think also, being a Solicitor comes with a duty. Despite negative media connotations about the legal profession, actually we are also charged with protecting a number of human rights. For example, the right to a fair trial and the right to no punishment without law. Front line workers, such as paramedics and police officers, govern a number of our fundamental human rights. Solicitors are officer of the Courts and are governed by regulation requiring them to upholding the rule of law and the proper administration of justice. 

There are a number of hazards to the job which can be a difficult burden to carry. When you’re acting for a client, you have to naturally be able to guard their best interests. As if you get things wrong the consequences can potentially be drastic. It can often be very difficult to switch off from worrying about your clients and I think that is a problem that most of us share in the profession. So, it is really important to have a supportive and approachable employer like OSG. Colleagues and heads of department have an open-door policy and work collaboratively to resolve difficult issues.

What’s your favourite part of your role?

It’s seeing the transformative process a client goes through. From when they initially come to you about something that’s really bothering them to then seeing them come out of the other side with an outcome they can live with. It brings me good feelings to stand up for someone who might be struggling to do this by themselves. Litigation can be quite a stressful process for people, and I enjoy being able to take the worry away from people and support them through the issues they are facing.

Other than that, I think it’s also nice to have a job where every day is different. In litigation you’re dealing with a variety of areas of law. You feel stimulated when you come to work, and you encounter a number of legal puzzles requiring solving. As a department we are also often an extension of the services already being provided within the firm. So, it is a good area of law if you enjoy working collaboratively and interdepartmentally.

What do you like the most about your employer?

OSG has a very supportive and collaborative culture, and you don’t feel lonely here. I have found that some firms can be discouraging of any form of dependence on colleagues for help. However, I think that can be a very dangerous approach in this line of work. OSG regularly organise social events like the summer BBQ or an evening of bowling. Also, we do a lot of fundraising for local charities, such as St John’s Hospice. We make a number of social events out of our fundraising activities. I also like OSG because it really cares about its professional ethics and its regulatory obligations and has robust procedures to protect staff, clients and the wider public. 

We’re very thoughtful about professional independence and we are really honest with our clients about any concerns we have. So, that we can address those issues early on. It is a great place to train as it is a firm which has been practicing law successfully for over 150 years.

Why did you choose to specialise in litigation? Was it difficult making a choice over your specialism?

I found myself working in contentious roles since I graduated, and I’ve stuck with it because of the impact it can have. I think it’s a really rewarding area of work and jobs are in demand in this field. The sector doesn’t attract enough people because it can seem daunting. However, if you have a good team around you then you can really make a positive difference to people’s lives. It’s often a huge relief to people to have their conflicts resolved so they are often very grateful for your work. 

Litigation is fast paced. So, you’re processing a lot of information and you’re touching on quite a lot of different areas of law. You learn quite a lot over a short amount of time. I think also it’s the variety of work you get involved in which makes for an interesting career. I’ve always worked in contentious roles and it’s just something I find myself really enjoying. It’s nice seeing the impact that it can have on clients when you help them to get a good outcome.

What advice would you have for others wanting to specialise in litigation?

Think about the job specification and the personal qualities required for the job. You’ll need to enjoy working at pace, be able to organise your work and meet deadlines. You need an objective mindset because ultimately you need to think about how a Judge might deal with the legal and factual issues.

You’re regularly under scrutiny by the other side. So, you need to be detail oriented and identify all the bases that need covering. They will often try to pick away at your arguments and you need to be able to take a step back and take in the bigger picture. Sometimes it’s a case of keeping the faith in your client’s position and marching on. Or it’s a case of having honest conversations with your client about the strengths and weaknesses in their case and formulating strategies to overcome the issues that lie ahead. It’s not always about putting your client’s instructions forward but about being dynamic, responding as the case develops and identifying possible ways that the case could be settled.

Litigation can also be a very stressful and intrusive process for clients. So, you need to be emotionally responsive and able to support your clients through what can be a very challenging and difficult time. I think that it also helps if you find you are good at resolving conflicts in your personal life. Also, it helps if you have a diplomatic personality type such as the ‘mediator’, ‘protagonist’, ‘advocate’ or ‘campaigner’ personality type.

How have you grown professionally since joining OSG?

I think I have become a more resilient person, able to think and articulate quickly and that does help you to build good relationships with your clients. I am also a lot more attentive to detail and I have better foresight of problems that could arise as the case progresses, which I think is mostly where we add value in our work as lawyers. The autonomy I am given in my work has made me take great pride in what we do here for people. 

My communication skills have improved, and my written work is much more thoughtful and diplomatic. OSG has around 150 years of experience and they’ve built up really good practices. We put a great deal of care in our correspondence which ensures our clients cases are put across well to the other side and to the Courts. I’ve also learnt a lot more about the agricultural sector and how important the green belt is to our local economy.

What is your aspiration for your career as a whole?

Since joining OSG, the firm has supported me to become a trustee of a local Citizens Advice where I enjoy applying my legal knowledge to the management and governance of the charity. I’m really interested in the legal aspects of running companies and navigating constitutions and directors’ duties. I’ve also really enjoyed providing advocacy at Court and I would like to look at developing my skills in that area too. I’ve not started any new seats yet, so I am keeping an open mind. However, I am hoping for a seat in our corporate and private client departments to build on the skills I am developing as a trustee.

Why should someone take up a career in Law?

It’s not just about money or status, it’s a very serious and challenging job where clients can be at risk of an injustice. Solicitors have important duties to their clients and the wider public. There are fundamental human rights which they protect and with that comes a sense of purpose in the work you do. Legal advice can really make a difference to people’s lives. If you’re doing a job where you truly believe it is making a difference to someone, somewhere, then in my view it is worth doing. 

It is also a career where it is very unlikely that you’ll become disinterested because the law is always evolving and changing. Your clients and cases can change from one week to the next. I think that if you enjoy learning something new every day, you enjoy being faced with solving complex and challenging problems and you enjoy developing relationships with people then it is definitely a career for you.

How would you summarise your experience of working with Eventus to secure your job at OSG?

Nikki was friendly and personable and took the time to get to know me in order to find the right role for me. Nikki matched me with firms where I was already thinking about applying to, which showed that she really took the time to understand my aspirations. She gave me an honest appraisal of my skills set and identified areas of my CV which could be improved. The most helpful part of the process is that you don’t often get feedback for the job you were unsuccessful in applying for. Whereas because Nikki has established relationships with local firms, she is able to follow up with the employer to obtain that feedback for you and this is so helpful. The rejection can knock your confidence in the next interview and the feedback really makes a difference to your chances of success.

Nikki would also do a brief and de-brief with me around the interviews. She provided me with preparatory reading material, and pointed out some of the key characteristics of the firms from where I could direct my research. Nikki is an established recruiter who knows the sector very well. I think that finding work after a second interview speaks volumes of the great work that Eventus do. I am really thankful to Nikki, and all at Eventus Recruitment Group, for helping me to find a role in a firm where I feel settled, happy and able to thrive.

Legal Career Insights

We hope you have enjoyed this interview. The interview is part of our series of legal career insights with professionals specialising in Law at all levels. View the other interviews in the further reading section below.

If you would like tailored career advice don’t hesitate to contact us. We are legal recruitment and job search specialists, who offer support at every stage of the job search process. Combined we have over 100 years’ experience in recruitment and we’ve built strong relationships with the top law firms.

Contact Us

Further Reading

Insight into Helen Milburn’s career and journey to Partner and Head of Private Client, Wills, Trusts and Probate at Jacksons Law firm. Click here to read.

Sarah Jane Lenihan’s career journey to Partner and award-winning Family Lawyer at Dawson Cornwell. Click here to read.

Insights into Legal Apprenticeships with Solicitor Apprentice Ellie Phillips. Click here to read.

Solicitor Apprentice Ellie Phillips’ personal experience of a Solicitor Apprenticeship. Click here to read.

19Aug

Sarah Jane Lenihan’s career journey to Partner and award-winning Lawyer at Dawson Cornwell

Recently we sat down for a conversation with Sarah Jane Lenihan – an award-winning Family Lawyer and Partner at the internationally renowned Family Law Firm, Dawson Cornwell. During the interview Sarah Jane discussed her career, achieving Partnership at a young age and her advice for those wanting to start a career in Law.

Would you be able to start off by telling me a little bit about your career history and your progression to becoming a Partner?

I started as a trainee at a small High Street firm in Kent. It was a multi service High Street firm that specialised predominantly in family law but also offered private client services such as wills and probate, conveyancing, crime and employment law. It had a legal aid franchise when I first joined but decided to move solely to private work as the cuts came in and it became non-profitable. I undertook my two years training there and qualified in 2010. Following that I spent three years working in Kent at a couple of different firms, which included a little time in-house in the Children’s team at the Local Authority. At the time I felt I wanted to ‘save all the children’ from harm, but it wasn’t for me. It was an extremely stressful experience being faced with the worst treatment of children on a daily basis.

Following this, I decided that I wanted to specialise more in finance work, and I made that my focus. Then, after three years in Kent I decided that I wanted to try and move to London. So, I moved to a Kent practice that were keen to set up a London office, and I set up a family practice there. I began working between both Kent and London. Then Siobhan from Eventus Recruitment helped me secure a role as an Associate in 2016 in London. In 2017 I was made Senior Associate, and Partner in 2019. Resultantly, I’ve spent the last eight years working in London and my career has massively progressed.

I have moved a little bit, but each role has been for career progression, therefore always with a view of something greater. For example, looking for a firm that was interested in opening a London office, and then moving to London, and then moving to a more senior position. Now, I have been at Dawson Cornwell for the last two and a half years based in Central London. I hope to spend the rest of my career here.

Are there differences between working in London to working outside of London?

There’s more international work and varied work in London. Now, I work with lots of clients internationally. They don’t always live here or there’s some international element involved, whether it’s assets abroad or spouses abroad. So, there’s more variation and to be honest certainly more wealth. The cases I was dealing with in Kent compared to the cases that I’m dealing with now have a significant difference in terms of wealth.

Why did you choose to specialise in family law?

I’d always wanted to do a job that was helping people. That came from my family. They have always been quite philanthropic and always done charity work alongside their work. So, from a young age I’ve always been involved in helping people and found that quite rewarding. At first, I thought I wanted to do criminal law. So, I did quite a bit of work experience. Some of that included working and spending time in a prison, which I didn’t enjoy. There are a couple of instances and things that happened that really put me off, and I thought I don’t have the nerve for criminal law.

So, I had the opportunity to do some voluntary work for the National Centre of Domestic Abuse and found a real passion in helping victims of abuse. Then, when I was then looking for my training contract, I was keen on something that was primarily family law and really enjoyed it. I’ve always enjoyed being a part of people’s lives, being part of their stories of improving their lives. So, I think that’s been a big part of it.

Was it difficult making that choice?

Yes, as with most areas of law you are generally helping people or companies. But in family law you get to be more personable. You really get to know people’s stories, which motivates you to help get them through to the other side. So, I think for me it was just something that clicked. The work experience was really key in that. I did some work experience with some barristers doing road traffic accidents, trust law, environmental law and spent time at an immigration appeal court. Consequently, I think that’s one of my key tips. Get as much experience as possible because on paper something can look like it would be the right fit for you but in practice it is not what you expect. For me with Criminal law I’d enjoyed it on paper and did very well in it in my exams, yet in practice it wasn’t the right fit for me. Whereas family law was just something that I took to.

What motivates you in your working life and what aspects of your role do you particularly enjoy?

I’m motivated by making a difference to people’s lives. Seeing the growth in my clients from the moment they walk through my door and helping them on their journey to getting out the other end to a happier, better place is rewarding. Working with victims of domestic abuse has become my niche specialism. So, I help victims not only in finance work but also children matters, injunctions or non-molestation orders / occupation orders.

It’s rewarding when you’re closing your file and you see them in a completely different position to where they started – smiling, excited for the future with confidence and stability and you’ve been a part of that journey.  Recently, I did a final video call with a client (as she lives abroad), and the client was so grateful in terms of the impact both myself and the team have made in gaining her divorce and achieving the financial settlement. Particularly as this was done without a need for a Final Hearing, which she was very keen to avoid. As she was not coping with the litigation and having to constantly be in correspondence with her husband (via Solicitors) due to the emotional abuse she had endured during the marriage. For her it was an extension of this so be able to close this chapter for her was a massive relief. 

Knowing that I can be a part of an individual’s / sometimes family’s story in making their lives better, is what keeps me motivated to work hard and do everything I can to help them.

What's the most challenging part of your role as a Family Solicitor?

For me it’s having boundaries with clients. It’s quite easy to be constantly available because there’s so much emotion involved. Also, clients become quite dependent upon you. So, it’s important that there are boundaries in place because otherwise I would work 24/7. And I think as a Solicitor who really enjoys helping people and who wants to make a difference, if someone needs me, I feel like I need to be available. Therefore, I make sure that clients are aware that yes, I’m available in emergency situations out of hours, but not available 24/7. For my own sanity it’s important that I have time away and allow myself to refresh for the next day. In any job it’s important that you have that time and space to yourself as well.

How did you find the transition from a junior to a senior role within a law firm?

It was quite natural because as the years go on you gain more experience. Also, I think you go from wanting to do everything yourself to gain the experience, to being happy to delegate tasks that the more junior people can do. So, I think it was quite a natural progression. When I was junior, it was good to have experience of different individuals above me that were mentoring me, and learning from them to enable me to become the best Solicitor that I could be. Now, being in a position where I’m mentoring or supervising juniors, it’s quite nice to be able to give back in that way.

What tips and advice do you have for others looking to specialise in family law?

Work experience is so key as being a family lawyer isn’t something that’s easy. You need to have a passion for it because without that passion it makes it more difficult to do the job. Also, clients are looking for that. You need a connection with clients and be able to empathise with them. Without that passion, it makes it harder. Work experience is key for this and will allow you to find what your niche is.

Also, now I conduct training contract interviews. When interviewing I’m looking for trainees that have experience, because for me it shows that they’re not just coming to us and saying that they want to do family law because we are a family law firm. I want to see those who can actually show solid experience in what they’ve done and the reasons why. As I want to find other Solicitors similar to me who have that passion. Ultimately, I find they make the best trainees, the best Solicitors and will connect with clients easier.

What do you like the most about working for Dawson Cornwell?

I like that it’s a niche family law firm and really is shaping family law. I believe we have the most amount of reported cases of any family law firm. We are changing the law regularly and it’s exciting to be a part of that and I am proud to be a part of that team too.

We have a separate specialist children team and a specialist finance team and we’re quite split in the work that we do. This means a client gets an expert for the advice they need. For example, if I’m assisting a client with a financial settlement and one of the children are abducted in my case, I can hand it over to somebody that really knows what they’re doing and doing this work regularly. Therefore, we can provide the best service to clients.

How have you grown professionally since becoming a Partner?

Professionally, both learning to delegate and learning to share your work. Generally, lawyers like to be in control of everything. So, I found letting go of work quite challenging at first. It’s allowing your juniors to learn and accepting that it doesn’t necessarily need to be done exactly how you would do it. Learning that other Solicitors will have different styles and allowing your juniors to develop their own style. Supervising has been something that I’ve enjoyed more than I thought I would and I have got much better at delegating!

I also enjoy seeing the juniors achieve great things, or prepare a great statement, or win awards, more than my own achievements now. Seeing other people doing really well whose careers I’ve been apart of is the most enjoyable.



How have you found managing and mentoring people as well as keeping on top of your caseloads?

I’m the sort of person that will make time for anyone at any time. So, even if I’m really busy, I will always take time out of my day to help juniors, which means I have more people coming to me because they know that I offer that.

It’s something that’s important as other people did it for me and that’s something that I really appreciated. It could be something that would take me as a senior a couple of minutes, but a junior could spend all week or the weekend worrying about it. So, by taking a few minutes to help them with something, that to me is minor, actually means an awful lot to them. Also, I mentor students from my old university as part of their programme. And again, people say to me, how did you find the time to do it? But, you know, it’s something that’s important to me because somebody did it for me. So, I just somehow find the time to answer the question.

What's been your biggest achievement in your career so far?

Winning Citywealth Future Leaders Family Lawyer Partner of the Year last year. That was massive for my firm to put me forward for this and then for me to go on to win was amazing. The key areas of my work that I was congratulated for were my mentoring, helping victims of abuse and my EDI work which I undertake for the London Resolution committee.

Did you have to give a speech?

No. Luckily, they didn’t ask for a speech because, somebody said to me, “have you written your speech?” and I was like “very funny”. And then all of a sudden when I won, I had this panic. But luckily, they weren’t doing speeches.

What's been the biggest challenge in your career to date and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge is dealing with unpleasant opponents. Whether it’s a Solicitor or somebody that’s self-representing on the other side of the case. Sometimes they can be particularly unpleasant and quite difficult.

As I’ve become more senior I’ve been able to rise to that less. Beforehand, it used to really get under my skin, and I would write more aggressive emails back. However, now my biggest thing is ‘kill them with kindness’, and if anything I’m more nice to them. As I find when someone receives a really nice response it makes it much harder for them to be aggressive or unpleasant back. I’m not saying that that always works, but I think it helps me. Whereas when I was more junior, I think I could get more caught up in the kind of tit for tat. So, they send something aggressive, and I’d send something aggressive back. It’s very unpleasant for the client because the client has to read it all at the end of the day as well.

As a result, now I’m more likely to pick up the phone to the client saying that I’ve had a horrible e-mail, I’m not going to send it to you, but this is how I’m proposing that I deal with it. Just to try and diffuse it and sometimes that works. Also, often I will pick up the phone and try and have a conversation with the Solicitor on the other side to bring the heat out of the situation because family loss shouldn’t be done in an aggressive and unpleasant way. It doesn’t need to be. The people that suffer are the clients or the children. You are then put in the middle of this contentious relationship between their parents, which is really sad. So, I’ll try and do everything I can to diffuse that situation.

How do you manage to juggle personal commitments with being successful and an award-winning legal professional?

It’s difficult and I think it’s vital to have a good support network around you. So, for me, that’s my husband and my Mum, who are really supportive in terms of helping with my children because sometimes work needs to be done out of hours. There are things going on that you can’t just leave, that can’t just wait until tomorrow. For example, there might be an emergency situation. So, having a good support network in place is crucial and sometimes you have to cancel dinner with friends and things that you had planned.

However, I think it’s making sure that for me it’s questioning myself. Is it really urgent? Does it really need to be done now? And if the answer is yes, then for me then I will get it done. If the answer is no, then it’s just managing the client’s expectations in terms of that. Because quite often for a client, everything is urgent. However, in reality it doesn’t necessarily need to be done that day. For example, it can be done the next day or week or you can find somebody else to assist.

How do you switch off after a day working on complex and emotional cases?

Switching off after work has definitely got easier. At the beginning it affected me a lot more particularly working with victims of abuse than it does now. I’m not saying that there aren’t still cases that I do think about at the weekend or in my own personal time.

However, for me exercise has been key. So, my advice is to make sure that you carve out that time for exercising and even if the minimum you can do is walk in the fresh air, it’s still something. For example, I quite often get off at the station before to increase my walk by another half an hour back home. So, that I can decompress after a long day before walking in the door at home. Also, I do the same before work quite often, I’ll get off at the station that’s a bit further away, to have a nice walk into the office. It gives me a refreshed feeling before I start. I feel that that makes a real difference.

Throughout the day, I’m good at telling people to step away from their desk but not necessarily good at doing it myself. However, a lot of people say taking that time away is good, because sometimes actually going for a walk around the block and coming back can make you deal with the task a lot quicker than you would being tired stuck at your desk. Ensuring you take breaks is very important.

You're featured in the press a lot. How did you develop that relationship with the media?

It started from social media. I used to provide a lot of commentary on social media on family law issues that were taking place. Back then journalists were looking through searching for somebody key. Then if somebody’s already commenting or writing about that, they were likely to get in touch with you. In addition, I would always make myself available. So, if a journalist called me and said, look, “can you do a call in 10 minutes?”, I’d be like, “yeah, fine”. “Can you go on the radio tonight?” “Yeah, fine.” And so being available for that, meant that they kept me as a contact knowing that I was willing and available. Now they contact me to comment on more family issues directly.

What is your aspiration for your career as a whole?

I suppose my kind of career / life motto is to leave this world having given more than I’ve taken. So, for me, that drives me to continue helping people, which I hope to do throughout my career.

Why should someone take up a career in law?

I think it’s highly rewarding if you find that passion and the right specialism for you. I thoroughly enjoy my job and everyone who knows people who specialise in the area of law they’re passionate about will say that too. So, I think if you can find that area of law that you really are passionate about that you can enjoy, it makes it enjoyable and therefore it doesn’t make it difficult. Often people say “find a job that you love and you won’t work a day in your life”. Personally, I don’t believe that because you’ve got to work hard. However, I think if you enjoy your work, it does make it easier, definitely.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to begin a career in law?

Work experience is just so key. Also, alongside work experience, taking a year out to be a Paralegal is so beneficial. Sometimes people feel like they’ve got to come out of university, go to law school and then get a training contract and it needs to be like bang, bang, bang, bang. However, having a year behind you as a Paralegal makes your CV more interesting for interviews and applications. In addition, it’s an opportunity to see inside a law firm and potentially trial different areas of law, which will help you decide on your specialism. Also, when you have Paralegal experience, it will help to hit the ground running when you start your training contract. You will be ahead of your peers.

What could someone do to make them stand out to you on top of the work experience? Is there anything you've seen before?

I’d say do something different to make your CV interesting. For example, have you had a different experience, something that’s a talking point. It doesn’t have to be a legal experience. Such as something that you’ve done that makes you a more interesting individual. As when I’m undertaking interviews, I want to meet people that are interesting, passionate, and have a good life experience as well. It’s imperative for family law that you have that.

Obviously when you start, you’re very junior. However, if you have some life experience, whatever it is, it will make you stand out. For example, maybe you’ve worked for a charity / helpline or volunteered in a third world country or something else that’s a bit different. As doing so will make you more interesting to us because 99% of those applying to us have outstanding grades.

So, having something interesting to talk about on your CV plus the work experience, are the two key areas that I’m certainly looking for when I’m interviewing.

Have you come across any unique ways to get work experience, aside from Citizens Advice or in a law firm?

Voluntary work is a great way to acquire experience. I volunteered at the National Centre of Domestic Abuse. Also, there’s Citizens Advice, Support Through Court. Now there’s legal advice centres where you can volunteer your time. Lots of voluntary sectors are desperate for people to help and would be grateful for assistance. There are lots of domestic abuse charities and other voluntary places that you can make contact with who would probably snap your hand off. Again, you might not be on the phone line advising a victim of domestic abuse, but if you’re doing something within the organisation, you will get exposure into that area.

Also, it can be about opportunities as well. So, you might go into something that might not be too relevant. For example, you might be part of the fundraising team for a domestic abuse charity. But then, you meet somebody and something else progresses from there. So, I think just getting involved with as much as possible is key.

How would you summarise your experience of working with Eventus?

It’s been very positive. Siobhan was the person I worked with. She gave me great confidence to move to London permanently, having qualified outside of London. I was worried that I wouldn’t secure a role in London and she really encouraged me and believed in me. She made me feel I was definitely right for London and that it was the place where I could progress. So, she gave me a real boost and the confidence for the interviews I had. 

Siobhan got me a job in London and then helped me secure my plan for my second role here as well. Prior to meeting Siobhan I had had a couple of knock backs on the basis I did not have London experience and I did start to wonder if London was right for me. Siobhan was of course right and it has been wonderful.

Since I have been in London, Siobhan has helped me recruit amazing juniors for my team. Undoubtedly, she just has a real feel for the London market.

She really gets to know both the candidates and those who are recruiting really well. So, she can really make sure that there’s a good personality match, which is so important. Now I’ve got a team, to bring someone in who you know ends up not being a good fit, could completely disrupt the whole team. She just gets how important that is and is not just interested in getting a placement.  She is super responsive, very lovely and fun to work with which makes the whole process more enjoyable.

Legal Career Insights

We hope you have enjoyed this interview. The interview is part of our series of legal career insights with professionals specialising in Law at all levels. 

If you would like tailored career advice don’t hesitate to contact us. We are legal recruitment and job search specialists, who offer support at every stage of the job search process.

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Further Reading

Insight into Helen Milburn’s career and journey to Partner and Head of Private Client, Wills, Trusts and Probate at Jacksons Law firm. Click here to read.

Trainee Solicitor Ross Simmons’ experience of securing a training contract after working as a Paralegal. Click here to read.

Insights into Legal Apprenticeships with Solicitor Apprentice Ellie Phillips. Click here to read.

Solicitor Apprentice Ellie Phillips’ personal experience of a Solicitor Apprenticeship. Click here to read.

13Aug

Eventus Recruitment continues expansion in Lancashire

Exciting times for the Eventus Recruitment Group as they look to expand their legal division

The Eventus Recruitment Group are delighted to be expanding their legal recruitment services and are now searching for two recruitment consultants to join their team in Lancaster.

So far, 2024 has been strong for the recruitment company. They’ve seen an increase in demand for their bespoke and tailored recruitment services. As a result, they are now looking for two recruitment consultants to join their legal division in their Lancaster office with hybrid working available.

Law firms value the unique service offered by Eventus Recruitment, as Eventus offers advice / support at each stage of the recruitment process and thoroughly gets to know both the hiring firm and candidates to facilitate the right match for the job vacancy. Also, they have a large database of professionals, having over the years built strong relationships with legal professionals looking to progress in their careers. As a result of this high level of service, their legal recruitment division has expanded across England, Wales and Ireland.

Siobhan Courtney, Managing Director of the Eventus Recruitment Group, said: “We’re delighted to be in this position of growth and there’s some exciting times ahead for the Eventus Recruitment Group. Ideally, we’re looking for two recruitment consultants to join our head office in Lancaster with the option of hybrid working. We would love to hear from people with either recruitment or sales experience, who would like a rewarding career in legal recruitment. All necessary training will be provided in-house from our experienced Managers and Directors.”

Also, this year Eventus Recruitment has successfully expanded their recruitment services into the Financial Services sector. Experienced Recruitment Consultant Duncan McIlroy joined the firm back in January as Head of Financial Services.

If you are interested in or know of anybody interested in joining Eventus Recruitment’s friendly and supportive team in Lancaster, please contact Siobhan Courtney at siobhan.courtney@eventuslegal.com or call 07970 252 772.

View full job details
"I love what I do. Talking to people comes easily to me and is by far the best part of my role. When that turns into a new job for someone who's looking or I've helped a law firm hire in a particularly difficult discipline it gives me a real boost. I also like the fact that no day is ever the same and I'm always learning, be that from my colleague, clients or candidates. Pay day is quite nice too - especially when I've had a very successful quarter!"
Nikki Phillips
Senior Recruitment Consultant
08Aug

How to best prepare for your early career after graduating and advice for early careers

This year’s university graduation season has just passed. Daunting to any student, what comes next? A gap year? Travelling? Or going into a graduate scheme or full-time job? From personal experience, it’s definitely not easy deciding what to do with your future. The world is your oyster. However, there are so many resources in place, and things students / graduates can do, to set them up to help them reach their best potential when they leave education. Research published by Prospects Illuminate (October 2023) found that 59.6% of graduates were in full-time work 15 months after graduating, and 10.4% were in part-time employment. Let’s explore some advice for preparing for your early career.

Preparing for early careers

Work Experience

Internships, part-time jobs, volunteering, and industrial placements are examples of work experience. Work experience can be so beneficial to anyone, whether that’s industry-specific to what you want to do, or just making new connections and learning new skills. Getting work experience in early can make you stand out on your CV, and give you practical experience dealing with customers, being in a physical workplace, and handling problems to name a few. Also, you can see if it is a career route you would be interested in pursuing in the future. Learning valuable skills such as teamwork, communication, and problem solving early on from your work experience will only make your CV stronger.

Additionally, a lot of university courses now offer a year in industry, or a placement module, to give you an opportunity to get that experience. Employers love to see that you have taken an interest in your career earlier on, so it sets you up well. Personally, I was lucky enough to join the Eventus Recruitment Group for 10 weeks on an unpaid, flexible placement scheme in the marketing department. This was my first time being in a ‘real’ workplace, that wasn’t a part time job doing the likes of waitressing/bar work. I have learnt so many new skills here that I can take with me wherever the future takes me. Luckily, I was offered paid part time hours when I returned to my final year at university. This is another example of the many benefits work experience holds. If you make a good impression, you may be offered more work than just the initial work experience, and new doors will open.

Make the most of opportunities offered by your university

Over the last decade in particular, universities have started to create more opportunities for their students to gain practical work experience whilst studying. As within many sectors, employers value practical experience as well as qualifications. For example, some universities have Law Clinics to allow Law students to work on real-life legal cases. Also, some universities offer modules that give students the opportunities to work with real businesses on projects. So, we would advise you to make the most of these opportunities and speak to their careers team to see if there’s any additional opportunities to gain practical experience.

Utilise work experience to find out what you would like to do

After graduating if you are unsure of what you would like to do, contact companies to see if they would offer you some work experience. This could also open doors to jobs. Recently we interviewed Helen Milburn who told us how she completed a work experience placement at Jacksons Law Firm, and from there she was offered a job. Since then, she’s worked herself up and she is now a Partner and the Head of their Private Client department.

Work experience after graduating

For example, if you are interested in marketing and know of a business start-up you could offer to do their branding, set up a business profile / social media pages for them. Giving you vital experience to put on your CV.

In the legal sector, gaining work experience within a law firm can be challenging and competitive. So, if this is the case, volunteer at charities like Citizens Advice to give you valuable work experience that will help you stand out to law firms.

Be proactive

Demonstrating proactiveness to potential employers will only make you stand out in a positive way. For example, have you gone out of your way to learn more than the basics about the sector you want to go into to? Or, even if a certain company isn’t necessarily hiring that you want to work for, make yourself known to them. Introduce yourself to them and hand over your CV. Hopefully, they will like the proactiveness and find an opportunity for you. Alternatively, they will keep you in mind for the next time they hire. Proactiveness demonstrates enthusiasm, motivation, and a good work ethic. All of these are qualities that employers value.

Transferable skills

Transferable skills are vital in today’s dynamic working environment. Examples include problem solving, communication, teamwork, time management, and dependability. These can help you adapt to a new environment efficiently and allow you to be flexible in your career. Demonstrating these to potential employers showcases readiness to excel in your career.

It is quite easy to pick up transferrable skills. For example, having a part-time job in a shop whilst studying gives you essential time management skills. Also, there’s plenty of ways of gaining transferrable skills after you graduate. For example, volunteering for charities, fundraising for causes or working / volunteering abroad whilst travelling on a gap year.

University graduate jobs

Universities often offer jobs within various departments to their graduates. This is a great way to acquire practical and transferrable skills as soon as you graduate, if you are living near to your university. Also, this could present the opportunity to try something different to your degree if you aren’t sure what you want to do.

Additionally, universities often partner with external businesses to offer graduate opportunities. So, it’s definitely worth booking an appointment with their careers team or looking on their careers page to see what’s available.

Consider apprenticeships

Today more and more companies are offering apprenticeships. They are no longer just for school leavers. Now within some sectors there’s graduate apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are a great way to get your foot into a company whilst being trained to do a job at a higher level. Consequently, opening many career opportunities for you in future.

The Legal sector is currently introducing and increasing the number of legal apprenticeships they have to offer. We sat down with legal apprentice, Ellie Phillips, who gave us an insight into her experience as an apprentice at BHP Law. Some benefits of an apprenticeship rather than a traditional university route include:

  • Degree expenses are covered
  • Practical experience
  • Head start in your legal career
  • Earning a salary
  • Develop transferable skills earlier on in your career
Prepare your CV

Often your CV is the first impression an employer sees of you. So, make it count. Ensure it is structured well, grammatically correct, and tailored to the job you are applying for. Highlight your education, relevant experience, skills, achievements, and anything that will make you stand out from the crowd. There are lots of resources online, or at your school/university, that can help you structure and write your CV. Click here for our best tips on writing your CV.

Contact firms directly

This is an efficient way to show proactiveness, it shows initiative and genuine interest in the company. Tailoring your experience to showcase how you can gel within their firm makes you stand out. Even if the firm aren’t actively hiring, you might pleasantly surprise them by your enthusiasm and if they feel you would fit an opportunity can open sooner than you think. Contacting them directly can make you stand out from a sea of applications, especially within a competitive market. Only strong impressions can be made by contacting firms directly.

Advice when starting your career

Start at a lower level or junior role

When you join the world of work, you will be motivated to start as high as possible with the best salary and benefits you can get. However, to get that perfect role, it might be worth starting at a more junior level. From this, you can work your way up and become established within your firm. Embrace this opportunity as a junior to learn as much as you can, as a full-time career is a lot different to theory in the classroom. Opening more hiring opportunities by going for a more entry level position, employers are more likely to want you.

Stay in your first role for at least two years

Consistency is key. Staying in your first role for at least two years can reap benefits for your early career path. Allowing you to develop a true understanding for job responsibilities, as well as building up experience and key transferable skills, can help you further down the line. Attributes such as commitment can stand out to future employers as you have demonstrated that you can be a valued member of a team and trusted with more responsibilities. Additionally, by staying in your first role for longer, you open opportunities for more challenging projects as you become a trusted employee. Not only this, but you establish strong connections in the professional world which opens future opportunities. The stability that staying in your first role offers makes your resume more attractive to future employers.

Be eager to learn

Make the most of every opportunity offered to you in your first graduate job. If you are offered training courses take them and take time to understand how all departments work. As you may decide you want to work in another area further down the line. Just don’t take on too much that you suffer burn out.

Conclusion

As you set out on your exciting journey into the professional world, remember that preparation is key. By building the relevant skills, networking as much as possible, and being proactive, you will only benefit your future self. Remember to embrace every opportunity that comes your way, to learn and grow as a professional. Whilst every professional faces their own challenges, the more you prepare yourself for the ‘real’ world, the easier you will overcome them. Celebrate the little wins as they are the stepping stones to a successful career, and good luck.

Written by Ellie Pomfret, Marketing Assistant at the Eventus Recruitment Group

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