Articles From the Team

Misconceptions about the recruitment industry

If someone had told me ten years ago that I would be working in recruitment I would have laughed out loud. I will be the first to admit that along with estate agents, recruitment agents were not at the top of my Christmas card list! So how is it I find myself here today working as a consultant at BCL legal?

Having been in the enviable position of qualifying as a solicitor pre-recession at a great City firm I always felt that looking for a new role would be quite straight forward. So why did I always find dealing with recruitment agents so difficult? I guess I always felt that they were never really that interested in me and what I was looking for. It felt very much that they were just trying to fill a job and move on. I regularly received calls and emails (and still do!) about roles that I wasn’t even qualified for, in completely different areas of law. To say I found the whole experience frustrating would be an understatement!

Then I spoke to BCL. From my initial chat with Joanne Lack (now my colleague in Birmingham!) and subsequent conversations with Mark Levine (which led to a job for me) I found the experience completely different. Both Jo and Mark talked to me about my current situation, all the reasons why I was looking for a new role, what that role needed to look like to be right for me, taking account of a range of factors such as location, title, salary, who else my decision effected etc. It was a much more consultative approach and I never once felt that I was being sold to. I

When I took the decision I wanted to leave my career in law I decided to approach BCL and discuss my options. I was nervous that I didn’t have the correct experience/background to work in recruitment but I felt that from my previous encounters with BCL, that it was a company that I would enjoy working for. Together with my legal background and desire to work in a consultative role I feel that it could be a good fit. This was totally affirmed for me during the interview process. I met with the Managing Director, and two other senior members of staff. It was imminently clear that BCL invest heavily in their own recruitment and are very clear about the type of people who will fit in and who share the BCL values.

I guess the lesson I have learned from all of this is that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Yes there are bad recruiters out there, who fail to understand, listen or talk to their clients and candidates. Thankfully BCL Legal works in a completely different way. The consultative approach we adopt sets us apart from others in the industry and it is why I chose to join BCL.

For more inofrmation, please contact BCL Legal.