Articles From the Team
For the sake of your career, don't believe everything you hear
We were having a discussion in the Birmingham office the other day (politics related!) and what struck me most was how influenced people are by the opinions of friends, family and colleagues. It got me thinking about how this translates to our lives in general. Would you make an important life decision based purely on what other people have told you? For example, would you choose your next holiday destination solely based on the fact your best friend has just returned from somewhere and told you it was amazing? Probably not. If you’re like me, you’d do a bit more digging: check out online reviews, look at various websites in order to make an informed decision as to whether it was right for you etc.
With this in mind, I find it pretty staggering that on a regular basis, I talk to legal professionals who refuse to consider a new opportunity purely on the basis they’ve “heard bad things about that firm” or “they knew someone who used to work there and didn’t like it.”
Granted, the legal community is extremely close-knit and notorious for being a rumour mill (whoever came up with the rollonfriday website has made a living out of this!) but whatever happened to making an informed and independent decision? It’s part of a solicitor’s day job to be informed and gather all the facts before advising a client. Why do things differently when it comes to your career? After all, this is your career; not your friends, not your colleagues… and what wasn’t right for them might be perfect for you.
A good legal recruitment agency is at hand to discuss all your options. At BCL Legal, we have a pretty unique process. By taking the time at the outset – to fully understand your situation – we’re able to clearly and accurately identify what you’re looking for in your next role. We then present you with an array of options that offer you what you’re looking for i.e. the solution to your problem. In return, we recommend you explore all those options, do your own research, go to an interview and meet the people you could be working with. Don’t dismiss an opportunity because the chap you used to sit next to you once told you he’d heard the firm in question had really high chargeable hour targets!
For a confidential and hopefully informative chat about your situation, please feel free to call me on 0121 230 1027 or email me at kellyannewillis@bcllegal.com.