Articles From the Team

It’s the most wonderful time of the year

I love Christmas! I’m one of those annoying people full of cheer, I’m constantly upbeat and really excitable. To be honest I’m like this for most of the year (ask my colleagues, I’m like the worst kind of Duracell bunny) but it gets kicked up a notch at Christmas.

As a child it was the thrill and excitement of presents brought to us by Santa and his reindeer, as a teenager it was the prospect of Mum and Dad letting me have more than one glass of wine with dinner, and as an adult I’m simply excited by being able to spend some time with my family. I certainly don’t enjoy the prospect of Christmas shopping and I am distinctly aware that I have done little to none so far. But that’s mostly because, like many of you reading this blog, I will be working right up to Christmas eve. As a legal recruiter specialising in commercial property this time of year is no less busy than any other time of year. However, time constraints which include Christmas shopping and numerous Christmas parties/lunches/dinners etc and of course general daily work means that we’re finding it difficult to match the interviewer’s availability with that of the candidate. There was an assumption by some that the market would become somewhat quieter around Christmas, but I haven’t found that to be the case this year. There are an abundance of opportunities for both budding and experienced commercial property lawyers in Birmingham, as there has been throughout the year and we predict that there will be even more in 2015.

This time of year causes many of us to reflect on the past 12 months. Some of the more common questions:

• What have I achieved? • Where is my career going? • Am I really happy in this job? • Did I stick to any of my new year resolutions?

So on and so forth…

Come January 7th I will have completed a year as a legal recruiter with BCL. Without a doubt this has been the best career move I have made since leaving university some five years ago and I plan on being here for the foreseeable future. Even though I am fairly certain I failed in my first interview with James Brewster and I made the monumental error of ordering a Goats Cheese Salad at my first lunch with the Birmingham team I am truly happy with the way my career is shaping up.

Going back to the questions above, over the years we have found that January is our busiest month in terms of candidate registrations. Interviews go well, rapports are struck and you’re happy to take that next step in your career, but sometimes a few months down the line you may find that expectations are not being met, which is truly unfortunate. Think about the questions above and ask yourself, can I fix it? The simple answer is yes. If you are unhappy it is likely that at some point your employer will also be unhappy which can lead to unnecessary tension in the work place. Your comfort in your environment, with the people around and enjoying your work are key factors to success and stability. We endeavour to always match our candidates with the right roles for the mutual benefit of employer and employee, regardless of whether you’re an NQ, associate, partner or director.

Have a think about it over the festive break. Let the mulled wine calm your nerves somewhat and once all the crackers are pulled, Her Majesty has delivered her speech and the last pig in his blanket is eaten give us a call. At the very least we can give you some useful advice on the best way to mould your career for 2015 and beyond.

For more information, please contact Gishan Abeyratne or visit the BCL Legal webiste or call 0845 241 0933.