By Debra L. Bruce
Best Practices to Avoid Hiring Mistakes
D
o you dread the hiring process because it is so difficult to find the right people? Perhaps new hires have repeatedly disappointed you. They turn out not to have the skills or experience you expected or that they claimed to have. Perhaps co-worker drama seems to ferment around your new hire or communication breakdowns negatively affect work product and deadlines. Most law firms can tell tales of hiring mistakes that cost the firm time, money, and office harmony. This article provides tips on how law firms and law departments can make better hiring decisions. 1. Define in detail the skills and behaviors required for the role. Do not let yourself off easy with a broad description like “litigation associate with 5 to 7 years of experience.” Invest time in identifying your expectations of what the new hire will be able to handle competently on Day 1 and what other talents and skills will be crucial to the new hire’s success at the firm. Also, do not shy away from posting the aspects of the job that you would personally find boring or tedious if it is an essential aspect of the job. By way of example, which of these capabilities will the candidate need?
• Manage all aspects of a case from start to finish • Conduct the same routine depositions and motions in case after case without losing focus and engagement • Envision the timeline of a case and plot deadlines and critical phases • Recognize early on when clients might be misrepresenting or “forgetting” significant facts • Sufficient expertise to discredit the testimony of an expert witness or the procedural acumen to disqualify the expert • Grasp how to pierce the corporate veil to reach the deep pockets of a parent company or wealthy sole shareholder • Sufficient confidence, patience, and empathy to calm worried and stressed out clients • Equanimity in a hearing to swiftly counter unexpected or bullying arguments by opposing counsel • Requisite attention to detail to present pristine documents to a general counsel with high quality standards • Acumen to negotiate settlements strategically, differentiating between what is essential to the client and what can be traded away • Collaborate effectively in a team environment • Comfortable working hour after hour in isolation These roles call for different experience and talents, some of which may tend to be mutually exclusive. Until you break the job down into its parts, you will not be able to discern the most important traits of your ideal candidate. 2. Draw on your network to find qualified candidates. Once you articulate the qualities of the candidate you want to hire, how do you find the candidate who possesses them? Some lawyers jump to posting on job boards, because it does not take much time. However, time invested up front in
