AI can be very useful for writing legal job adverts. Give it the basic facts about a vacancy and, within seconds, you can have a reasonably polished advert ready to work on. The important words here are “work on”.
We are starting to see more legal job adverts that have quite clearly been written by AI and then posted without anyone giving them much thought. They tend to be long, rather grandiose and packed with phrases that no solicitor has ever used when talking about their next job. Used properly, AI can save a considerable amount of time. Used badly, it can make your firm sound exactly the same as everyone else.
Here are 10 things we recommend you don’t do when using AI to write a legal job advert.
1. Don’t post the first draft – treat the first version as exactly that: a first draft. Read it, edit it and make sure it sounds like your firm rather than something generated by a robot for any law firm anywhere in the country. A good way of keeping AI on track is to build yourself a briefing sheet which outlines who your firm is, your style, preferences for content, factual information about the practice, and your preferences for any advertisement creation – eg colours and fonts.
2. Don’t let it invent benefits – if you don’t offer private healthcare, bonuses, free parking or four days working from home, make sure they don’t somehow appear in the advert. Check every factual statement. Again, if you create job adverts regularly, create a cheat sheet for AI to use for a base when creating your ad.
3. Don’t use vague descriptions – “Exciting opportunity”, “dynamic team” and “fast-paced environment” tell candidates very little. Tell them what the solicitor will actually be doing. This isn’t just AI, so many employers do this and it really doesn’t help anyone. I have never quite worked out if a dynamic team is actually code for a group of lawyers who drink too much coffee and shout a lot!
4. Don’t forget the salary – one of the most useful pieces of information in a job advert is also one of the most frequently omitted. If at all possible, include a salary range. You are never restricted to this. Give us a ring for advice if wanted – always happy to help if we can.
5. Don’t hide the location or conditions – candidates want to know where they will be working. Give the town or city and explain the firm’s home working arrangements clearly. Remember – remote working is the future as far as candidates are concerned.
6. Don’t make the firm sound wonderful – not every firm is “award-winning”, “forward-thinking” or “prestigious”. Candidates will usually respond much better to a straightforward description of the practice without any accolades being presented.
7. Don’t produce an enormous list of requirements – AI is very good at creating lengthy person specifications. Unfortunately, these can put perfectly suitable candidates off applying. Separate genuine requirements from things that would simply be useful. Ask yourself what is essential really rather than desirable.
8. Don’t add legal experience that isn’t necessary Think carefully before specifying very narrow experience or a particular PQE level. If you would actually consider somebody outside those parameters, say so.
9. Don’t forget who you are writing for A commercial property solicitor with 10 years’ experience will be looking for different information from a newly qualified family solicitor. Write for the person you actually want to recruit.
10. Don’t forget the human review This is the most important point. AI doesn’t know your firm, your department or the personalities involved. Someone who does should always read the advert before it goes live.
Our view
AI is an excellent time-saving tool for writing job adverts. It can help turn a collection of notes into a structured advert and suggest points you may have overlooked. However the best job adverts tell it like it is. What the job is, where it is, what it pays, what experience you need and why somebody might enjoy working for you. If yours sounds so generic it could apply to any job anywhere then change it and learn how to use AI effectively.
