A candidate moves too often and firms worry that they will leave just as quickly. This is a particular problem for anyone with locum assignments on their CV applying for permanent work. However, we sometimes see the opposite. We recently had a firm query a candidate who had spent ten years with the same employer. This is not the first time this has happened!
Why frequent moves cause concern
Recruiting a lawyer involves more than paying a recruitment fee. You need to be confident they will build a good rapport with clients, and you will spend time and money setting them up, explaining your systems and transferring files. A firm wants a reasonable prospect that this investment will pay off.
A succession of short permanent appointments raises an obvious question: will we be recruiting again in twelve months? Partners may also wonder whether each move reflects an unsuitable role, unrealistic expectations or difficulties that are likely to recur. These are reasonable questions. The important thing is to ask them before deciding that you already know the answers.
Redundancy, relocation, caring responsibilities, an unhealthy working environment or a role that bears little resemblance to the one offered can all explain an early departure. Ask for a brief explanation of the moves that concern you. You do not need a candidate’s entire personal history to understand whether there is a sensible reason.
Locum assignments need a different approach. Five assignments over a summer do not mean someone has walked out of five permanent jobs. Check whether the work was temporary and whether the assignments finished as planned. If they now want a permanent role, ask why, and what they want from it.
Is there a sensible minimum stay?
There is no magic number. As a practical recruitment rule of thumb, a few years in a suitable permanent role usually gives some assurance of commitment. Three to twelve months in more than one permanent role makes employers very nervous. It should prompt a discussion, rather than an automatic rejection.
Ask what the candidate wanted to change. Was it a lack of supervision, a poor quality caseload, a low salary or no route to promotion? Or was the problem more about the field of law and the type of firm? Then ask yourself whether your vacancy will actually resolve it. A salary increase may get someone through the door, but it will not keep them there if the underlying problem remains.
There is little point recruiting a lawyer who wants close supervision into a role where they will be left on their own from day one. Equally, do not promise a route to partnership merely because it sounds good at interview. Candidates tend to remember these things!
Can someone stay too long?
Ten years with one firm can demonstrate loyalty, strong client relationships and considerable value to the business. It is not, by itself, a reason to reject someone.
The question behind the question is often about adaptability. Has the candidate developed during those ten years? Can they work with different partners, systems and expectations? Are they choosing your opportunity positively, or hoping to reproduce their existing job somewhere else?
Look for the changes within that time. Promotions, more complex work, supervision, billing growth, clients introduced and improvements to the way a department operates all tell you more than the date someone joined. A single employer on the CV can conceal several quite different roles.
At interview, ask for examples of learning something new and adapting to a change. Find out why this particular vacancy makes sense now. Ten years of progression is a very different proposition from ten years of simply accepting the status quo.
Our advice
Look at the pattern, ask sensible questions and judge the answers against the role you are offering. Frequent moves can be a warning sign, but completed locum contracts are not failed permanent appointments. Long service can be a strength, provided the candidate can show development and adaptability.
It is also worth looking inwards. If your own firm struggles to keep people for more than a year, the CVs arriving in your inbox may not be the only employment histories worth examining!
If you are recruiting and would like an honest view of a candidate’s experience or suitability, email cv@ten-percent.co.uk.
