Articles From the Team

Why Use a Recruitment Agent if you can Apply Directly or Know Someone at the Firm?! – Part 2

So, you've applied directly or through a friend for your dream job and, against the odds, you have managed to secure and attend an interview. Having now had your interview for your dream job, you are desperate to hear their feedback.

What are your chances? How many people have they interviewed? What timescale are they working to? If you remembered to ask these questions at interview, well done, but time is dragging now and you are desperate for good news and really want an update, but how often can you call the firm without becoming a nuisance and, on a practical note, how many times can you dive into a quiet meeting room to make a private phone call? On the other hand, your recruitment consultant will know exactly what's going on - if there was a last minute application putting things back a week, an interview needing to be rearranged, a delay caused by a Partner’s illness, etc - and of course all the inconvenience of finding that quiet moment to call is taken away - your recruitment consultant will do all the leg work for you and discreetly update you so that no-one suspects a thing.

However say against all the odds, you reach the final stages through your direct application or friend and the firm are minded to make you an offer. How do you feel about negotiating your own salary?! What if you oversell yourself and price yourself out of the market and lose your potential job offer? What if you undersell yourself and spend the next few years trying to get that elusive salary increase in your annual review to get you back up on track with your peers? Your recruitment consultant will know the exact budget for the position, they will negotiate you the best deal possible whilst safeguarding your job offer and you will never have to have that awkward conversation regarding money directly with your future employer.

Although it is common knowledge that a recruitment agency does charge an introduction fee, by making an application directly or via your friend you have saved your future employer a few pounds (mind you, maybe not if via your friend, as some firms now offer a referral fee to employees), so surely that has to go in your favour? Not necessarily. That firm was expecting to pay an agency fee anyway, otherwise they wouldn't have instructed an agency on the role so, as you must want to give yourself the best chance of securing your dream job, why not put yourself first and use an agency in the first place? It is all academic that you have saved your prospective employer a few pounds if you fail to get the job because your CV was lost, overlooked, you were unprepared at interview, your competition knew the interview questions thanks to their agent, you priced yourself out of the role, etc etc - I think you get the picture….

So if you want to eliminate the risk in securing your dream job, give yourself a fighting chance and apply through a recruitment agent, as your competition will be doing so!

Therefore why not give BCL Legal, a call in strict confidence to see what is really happening at that firm you have always wanted to work at? I place solicitors and legal executives at all levels into private practice across the South Midlands, Home Counties and Thames Valley areas (Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Surrey, Wiltshire and Hampshire) in a wide range of disciplines to include commercial property, corporate, employment, commercial litigation, property litigation, construction, private client and family law. I look forward to hearing from you shortly and together we can secure you your dream job.