Miami Legal Recruiter: Jonathan Broder
TYPES OF LEGAL RECRUTING FIRMS
There are large, national recruiting firms with offices all over the nation, “boutique” recruiting firms that focus on the local or regional market, and firms that purport to work in Florida although they really have no or limited local presence.
Boutique, Local Recruiting Firms
There are a number of legal recruiting firms in Florida, including myself, that focus solely or primarily on legal recruiting. These “boutique” firms are just as good, if not better than the “large, national” legal recruiting firms. The reason for this is simple:
First, the people like me who own and work at boutique firms have spent years developing, maintaining, and strengthening our relationships with the right people at firms and corporations.
Second, it comes down to dollars and cents. Boutique firms are sometimes more flexible with the fees and terms they give their clients. As a result, the boutique firms may have a wider range of clients that may be more appropriate for you based on your interests, goals, and objectives.
Third, hiring managers like the personalized attention boutique firms deliver. We don’t have the high turnover that larger firms often experience by virtue of their business model and focus on volume.
Fourth, firms and companies like doing business with companies that are locally owned, active in the community, or that may be minority owned.
Large, National Recruiting Firms
First of all, there aren’t that many large, national legal recruiting firms in the first place. There are, however, the “Usual Suspects” which generally tend to hire young kids, sometimes right out of college, to work the phones and grind out 60 calls a day to potential clients. They may have a reputation for being a “resume mill” and only working with you if you fit the exact specifications of the position(s) they currently have open. At the same time, these firms also may have some very experienced recruiters who are entrenched in the community, have spent years developing relationships, and are very well known and respected. Overall, I have a lot of respect for their business model, but too often their methods, motivations, and approach don’t have the client’s or job seeker’s best interest at heart.
Non-Florida “Local” Firms
There are a number of legal recruiting firms that do some limited legal recruiting in Florida, despite the fact that they are not located in Florida and don’t have anyone actually “on the ground” here in Florida. These legal recruiting firms essentially do tele-sales and rarely meet directly with either the client or candidate in person. You may find success with these legal recruiting firms, but frankly I would advise you to work with a local recruiter, who is physically in the market, and has been in the business for several years.
The Verdict
Simply put, boutique recruiting firms that serve the local market are just as effective, if not more effective as the large, national recruiting firms.
The most important thing to remember about all of the legal recruiting firms, regardless of size or where they’re located, is that the firm is only as good as the recruiters that work there and their relationships. Are they attorneys? Are their contacts Partners or HR folks, or both? Will they actively market your Profile, or simply put your resume in a file?
When deciding which recruiting firm to work with, trust your gut. Talk with and try to meet with the recruiter so you can develop a comfort level and start to establish a relationship.
Remember, working with a recruiter to find a job is rarely a quick and easy process. It is important to have a long term perspective, understand it is a process, and realize that meeting with a recruiter and building that relationship is part of your responsibility to actively manage your career whether you are looking today or “just curious.” The right recruiter will work strategically with you to help you accomplish your long-term career goals.
