Articles From the Team

Because you’re worth it

When we speak to candidates, 90% of the time when we ask why they are looking to move, their first answer is money. I agree this is a really important factor for many, given the past few years have seen a really tough market with higher living costs for longer hours, so we have to manage the candidates expectations on what they should be asking for.

Obviously we cannot comment on each individual case, but as a guide we usually see between 10-20% rise. However, given law firms have had to stream line and become a lot tighter on budgets, as a candidate, you need to make sure that you demonstrate you are worth this increase. The interview process is a great forum to highlight your skills and relative worth.

It is very important during the process you make clear about what you can bring to the role and hence add value to the firm. More recently we have seen clients ask candidates about their business development experience which is the opportunity to talk about yout exposure to clients and any development ideas or business initiatives you have been involved in. More and more we are finding that it is not just pure technical ability that a team is trying to add but also the value that you can add to the team elsewhere.

Finally, when it comes to offer stage if you do need to negotiate, have good solid reasons as to why you are commanding a higher salary than has initially been offered. It is often hard to argue against a well reasoned and considered approach to salary and those that do are perhaps being unreasonable themselves! Think about what you can add and how that translates to value and if you do it well your stock will increase. We can help with that and give you guidance on what to expect and how you can approach things in interview. We can recognise your worth but it is also your part to play in conveying the same to your (soon to be) new employee!

For more information please contact Joanna Marklove or visit our wesbite BCL Legal.