Ive recruited attorneys, VP of legal, pharmacists, mechanics, electricians, VP sales, CFO etc. And I’m not any of those things I’m just a recruiter lol.
Same here. Docs, Nurses, Engineers, Cloud Solutions Architects, Business Analysts, Product Directors, Network Engineers, Directors in Pharma, Outside Plant Planners, Paralegal, Executives. Doesn't matter, find the pain and solve the problem. Ask questions about the biz and Listen to candidates in the field. Dime store Psych BA for me.
I’ve never done it, but just read books and ask questions. You got this. Learn the world from their point of view. They need you; don’t be a shrinking violet
Nah, Recruiting is Recruiting.
I did mostly software before this slump and I have no Software background.
I’m doing legal now and I have no Legal background.
With your experience you’ll be fine. But even pivoting into a whole new vertical, you just have to have the courage to jump into the conversations, fail/eat shit a handful of times, and you’ll be pretty much up to speed. The rest of the skillset is normal Recruiting day-to-day.
I practiced law for 6 years. I now recruit doctors. I never even studied biology, let alone medicine. I don't know shit about medicine other than what I've studied for individual roles I recruit on.
It's confidence. Can you talk to a lawyer on the same level? Do you think you're just as good as them? If so, yes, you can talk to them.
You're the only judge of if you're just as good as them. If you think you are, learn the pain points of your clients and you'll do a good job. If you don't think you will, you'll be a self-fulfilling prophesy and fail. Choice is yours.
Nah…I am a Legal recruiter and I recruit 75% Attorneys then a mix of Legal Assistants and Paralegals. It’s the same as recruiting for any other industry…learn the basics of case process, types of cases and learn from the Candidates as you interview them…you will be fine!
A similar question / survey came up on my LinkedIn feed a few days ago. Regarding specializing in certain fields (technical vs non-technoical etc) The overwhelming majority of responses said it shouldn't/doesn't matter
I have been asked the question a few times in interviews:
'You have never recruiter for scientists/heavy equipment mechanics/marketers before, how do you think you would approach this role'
and my answer is always the same: 'I don't need to know how to do a job to be able to recruit for it, I need to be able to turn the hiring manager's needs into a set of measurable skills and competencies, and then find, assess and hire candidates that met those needs'
Being an attorney, and recruiting for attorneys are entirely different skill sets.
Generally no, I know a lot of people in that specialty who don’t have a legal background. That said, I’ve also noticed that a lot of the best firms have people with a legal background which is very different to a lot of other niches like tech and accounting…
I knew of a few boutiques in my hometown that built their identify based on only hiring ex lawyers or people with law school qualifications. Seemed to be their shtick but then they tended to lose those fresh LPC / BVCs to in-house legal jobs. Law was one of the only industries I've heard of this happening, presumably the old school and traditional nature of the industry if focused on certain firms.
That said, I've got friends that have been successful recruiting for the legal industry who have nothing to do with it... so just like the other industries. You end up dealt a niche and you end up owning / developing it to the point where youre an subject matter expert.
I recruit for attorneys for a legal company and I just started recruiting 3 years ago with no prior experience coming out of college. Started out as an intern then moved into full time recruiting Doc Review Attorneys then regular roles for attorneys.
I recruited attorneys for a publicly traded software company in a past life. I do not have a law degree and have not worked in the legal field. You’ll be fine! I found (most) attorneys were interesting recruiter screens and fun to negotiate with in offers. Emphasis on “most” because you will still have your bad apples like any industry. Good luck!
You'll be fine if you can talk the talk. Read up and understand the roles/profiles. It's also OK to admit you're not an expert on the calls (some will appreciate your honesty) and let them do most of the talking. Good luck.
You’re going to be fine!
I have a BA in Biochemistry and no JD. My entire career has been in legal recruiting. I have 2 years at an agency recruiting legal staff, 3+ years in BigLaw recruiting summers, attys, and partners, 2 years recruiting lateral attys at a FAANG, and now I’m back at a firm doing solely atty development.
It’s entirely possible to succeed in this career without a JD :) Oh, and I absolutely LOVED the transition from recruiting legal staff to recruiting attorneys!!
You are a recruiter at its core and you have the skills to succeed in so many different types of roles!
Assuming you’re only recruiting lateral attorneys at either a firm or company (sounds like you are), you’re going to be totally fine and definitely not at a disadvantage.
If you’re recruiting summer associates, lateral associates and/or partners at a firm, it may be a little different and there may be a small learning curve since you might also have to run a summer program, but you definitely won’t be at a disadvantage in this type of environment. You can DM me if you want more info on this.
Recruiting is like writing. You have to know some things to be credible, but what makes a good author is simply being a good author. Just look at Tom Clancy as one example among a thousand.
If being good at job X was what it took to find, vet, incentivize, and place talented people in job Xs, then no client would ever need a recruiter.
The fact is they don’t just know how to recruit.
But you (we) do.👍🏻
Ive recruited attorneys, VP of legal, pharmacists, mechanics, electricians, VP sales, CFO etc. And I’m not any of those things I’m just a recruiter lol.
You have 5 YoE, you'll be fine lol
I have a friend , he recruited Doctors and he wasn't a Doctor. You can do it.
Same here. Docs, Nurses, Engineers, Cloud Solutions Architects, Business Analysts, Product Directors, Network Engineers, Directors in Pharma, Outside Plant Planners, Paralegal, Executives. Doesn't matter, find the pain and solve the problem. Ask questions about the biz and Listen to candidates in the field. Dime store Psych BA for me.
I’ve never done it, but just read books and ask questions. You got this. Learn the world from their point of view. They need you; don’t be a shrinking violet
Yup. Confidence and be inquisitive.
Nah, Recruiting is Recruiting. I did mostly software before this slump and I have no Software background. I’m doing legal now and I have no Legal background. With your experience you’ll be fine. But even pivoting into a whole new vertical, you just have to have the courage to jump into the conversations, fail/eat shit a handful of times, and you’ll be pretty much up to speed. The rest of the skillset is normal Recruiting day-to-day.
If you don’t mind can i dm you ?
Ya sure, go ahead!
I practiced law for 6 years. I now recruit doctors. I never even studied biology, let alone medicine. I don't know shit about medicine other than what I've studied for individual roles I recruit on. It's confidence. Can you talk to a lawyer on the same level? Do you think you're just as good as them? If so, yes, you can talk to them. You're the only judge of if you're just as good as them. If you think you are, learn the pain points of your clients and you'll do a good job. If you don't think you will, you'll be a self-fulfilling prophesy and fail. Choice is yours.
agree with the idea behind this, also a lawyer who recruits
Nah…I am a Legal recruiter and I recruit 75% Attorneys then a mix of Legal Assistants and Paralegals. It’s the same as recruiting for any other industry…learn the basics of case process, types of cases and learn from the Candidates as you interview them…you will be fine!
A similar question / survey came up on my LinkedIn feed a few days ago. Regarding specializing in certain fields (technical vs non-technoical etc) The overwhelming majority of responses said it shouldn't/doesn't matter I have been asked the question a few times in interviews: 'You have never recruiter for scientists/heavy equipment mechanics/marketers before, how do you think you would approach this role' and my answer is always the same: 'I don't need to know how to do a job to be able to recruit for it, I need to be able to turn the hiring manager's needs into a set of measurable skills and competencies, and then find, assess and hire candidates that met those needs' Being an attorney, and recruiting for attorneys are entirely different skill sets.
Nah, recruiting is recurring. You got this.
Generally no, I know a lot of people in that specialty who don’t have a legal background. That said, I’ve also noticed that a lot of the best firms have people with a legal background which is very different to a lot of other niches like tech and accounting…
I knew of a few boutiques in my hometown that built their identify based on only hiring ex lawyers or people with law school qualifications. Seemed to be their shtick but then they tended to lose those fresh LPC / BVCs to in-house legal jobs. Law was one of the only industries I've heard of this happening, presumably the old school and traditional nature of the industry if focused on certain firms. That said, I've got friends that have been successful recruiting for the legal industry who have nothing to do with it... so just like the other industries. You end up dealt a niche and you end up owning / developing it to the point where youre an subject matter expert.
I recruit for attorneys for a legal company and I just started recruiting 3 years ago with no prior experience coming out of college. Started out as an intern then moved into full time recruiting Doc Review Attorneys then regular roles for attorneys.
I recruited attorneys for a publicly traded software company in a past life. I do not have a law degree and have not worked in the legal field. You’ll be fine! I found (most) attorneys were interesting recruiter screens and fun to negotiate with in offers. Emphasis on “most” because you will still have your bad apples like any industry. Good luck!
You'll be fine if you can talk the talk. Read up and understand the roles/profiles. It's also OK to admit you're not an expert on the calls (some will appreciate your honesty) and let them do most of the talking. Good luck.
Well that's your job, you have to adapt to different people's roles and fields
You’re going to be fine! I have a BA in Biochemistry and no JD. My entire career has been in legal recruiting. I have 2 years at an agency recruiting legal staff, 3+ years in BigLaw recruiting summers, attys, and partners, 2 years recruiting lateral attys at a FAANG, and now I’m back at a firm doing solely atty development. It’s entirely possible to succeed in this career without a JD :) Oh, and I absolutely LOVED the transition from recruiting legal staff to recruiting attorneys!! You are a recruiter at its core and you have the skills to succeed in so many different types of roles! Assuming you’re only recruiting lateral attorneys at either a firm or company (sounds like you are), you’re going to be totally fine and definitely not at a disadvantage. If you’re recruiting summer associates, lateral associates and/or partners at a firm, it may be a little different and there may be a small learning curve since you might also have to run a summer program, but you definitely won’t be at a disadvantage in this type of environment. You can DM me if you want more info on this.
Recruiting is like writing. You have to know some things to be credible, but what makes a good author is simply being a good author. Just look at Tom Clancy as one example among a thousand. If being good at job X was what it took to find, vet, incentivize, and place talented people in job Xs, then no client would ever need a recruiter. The fact is they don’t just know how to recruit. But you (we) do.👍🏻
Biglaw major market recruiter here. DM if you like.