Strategic Recruitment Solutions

August 7, 2023 by Amy Shanks

THREE IT HIRING TRENDS: SHAPING THE FUTURE

Attracting top IT talent has become a critical challenge for organizations across various industries.

In today’s competitive job market, finding and attracting top IT talent has become a critical challenge for organizations across various industries. At Strategic Recruitment Solutions (SRS), we specialize in IT and legal recruitment and have some insights to share regarding this growing demand. Here are what we believe are the IT hiring trends:

1. IT Hiring from Various Backgrounds and Industries

To access fresh perspectives and diverse skill sets, organizations are increasingly open to hiring IT professionals from non-traditional backgrounds and industries. By casting a wider net, SRS helps organizations find innovative talent that can drive business growth. We recognize the value of a diverse talent pool and actively seek candidates with unique experiences and transferable skills.

2. Towards A Holistic Candidate Evaluation

Beyond technical skills, organizations are increasingly emphasizing assessing candidates’ soft skills. SRS knows the importance of a comprehensive evaluation process. Therefore, we help organizations create candidate profiles that consider qualities such as adaptability, problem-solving, and communication. By evaluating candidates holistically, SRS ensures a better match between candidates and organizational culture.

3. Focusing on Diversity and Inclusion

The focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in hiring and retainment has emerged as a promising trend. SRS recognizes the importance of building diverse IT teams and actively promotes inclusivity. By seeking candidates from different backgrounds, genders, and cultures, organizations can create a more inclusive work environment that fosters innovation.

As companies strive to remain competitive in the digital era, Strategic Recruitment Solutions will continue to play a crucial role in helping them navigate the ever-changing landscape of IT. At Strategic Recruitment Solutions, we have matched top companies with top IT talent in the Gulf Region for over a decade. Moreover, we focus on building long-term relationships with the companies we assist. If you want to hire the top IT talent in the field or if you are an IT professional looking for your dream job, call us today at 888-366-6508.

November 1, 2022 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

CONTINUING EDUCATION WILL HELP YOU SECURE YOUR NEXT LEGAL OR IT JOB

Continuing Legal Education is a chess move in your favor.

To remain at the top of your field as a paralegal or IT team member, you must keep your skills current. In addition to keeping up with any changes in statutes and case law, paralegals should stay on top of changes that will affect their ability to do their jobs efficiently. Both paralegals and IT employees should remain tech-savvy and current with document management improvements, trial techniques, and court rules.

As a paralegal or IT professional, taking continuing education courses is an excellent way to stay on top of changes in the law and advances in the legal field.

Here are the top 3 benefits of continued education:

Increased value to the firm. Increasing your knowledge, building additional skills, and strengthening your current skills will make you invaluable to your law firm. In the long run, staying on top of your game may also lead to a raise or promotion.
Better performance. As you gain confidence by learning how better to perform your job, you will be able to handle more tasks. Your new techniques and skills will make you more productive and efficient.
Advanced communication skills. Paralegals often are the “go-between” for all parties involved in a case (attorneys, clients, courts, experts, witnesses). IT personnel are usually solving multiple problems at once under highly stressful situations. Successful law firms are built on great communicators!

Paralegals and IT team members who regularly attend continuing education courses are more marketable and have more opportunities for career growth. Not only does learning more help you to be an asset to your law firm, but it will also open the door for your career growth. Remember to update your resumes annually with your completed continuing education credits.

Top IT Skills

In February of this year, Team BRYTER wrote that in-house legal technology budgets will grow 200% by 2025. As these departments become increasingly dependent on technology to keep up the pace, IT specialists and tech-savvy legal professionals will most likely skyrocket.

One specialty predicted to continue in high demand is e-discovery/litigation. As document formatting changes due to improvements in software, professionals who are well-acquainted with the latest in e-discovery and knowledgeable about file compatibility across different platforms will have a leg up against other candidates. A paralegal with a background in predictive coding and further analysis software might cut document review by hours and make for a highly valued prospect.

What Recruiters are Looking For

Workflow, in general, will continue to embrace both automation and digitization, and having tech-friendly skills at hand will only help your chances on the market. Updating your skill set in these areas will raise your chances of success in the face of future tech innovations and a changing work environment.

Recruiters look for candidates with experience using legal research products such as Westlaw and LexisNexis. Potential employers may also expect proficiency in client software suites such as Google Workspace and Office 365. In addition, if you know law practice management software such as Clio and PracticePanther, you may gain an edge over your competition.

At Strategic Recruitment Solutions, we have matched top companies with top talent in the Gulf Region for over a decade. Our focus is on building long-term relationships with the companies we assist. Call us today at 888-366-6508. We can help you find the best candidate to join your legal or IT team or aid job seekers in finding the most appropriate position for their talents.

April 6, 2022 by Amy Shanks

NOW IS THE BEST TIME TO MAKE YOUR LEGAL CAREER MOVE

If you are looking for a job change, now is the best time!

As the saying goes, “timing is everything”. While there may be a lot of competition, the volume of interest on the employer side has consistently been higher than the number of people looking for work. Translated, that means right now, it is a great time to make your legal career move.

Why The Best Time to Seek Employment is Early January to April?

Twice as much hiring goes on at law firms and corporate counsel departments from January to April than at any other time of the year due to:

January’s new hiring budgets
In December, hiring and firing decisions are finalized.
For lawyers and partners who considered a career move last year waiting for their end-of-year bonuses before searching

The Second-Best Time for a Career Move

August to October is also a great time to make a career move, as staff members have completed their fall vacations, and the summer internships have ended.

Here are a few things to give you the competitive edge:

Stay Current

Stay up to date with what’s happening in your industry so you will be ready when a new position is available. Consider how a particular practice area may be affected by current events. For example, when if there is a oil spil or class action against a major corporation (big pharma), the firms that land the case, will be looking for experienced litigators.

Economic Growth

Another driving force within a given geographic area is how well the economy performs. Some practice areas, such as real estate, experienced rapid economic growth in the past 2 to 3 years.

There Are No Lack of Jobs in the Legal Industry

The 2021 Leopard State of the Industry Report reveals that the legal industry is hyper-competitive and shows no signs of slowing down in 2022. Firms have pulled out all the stops to attract the top-level talent they need. From raising salaries to offering signing bonuses to paying off law school loans to allowing lawyers to work remotely for the first time and hiring lawyers to work in cities where they did not have offices, firms were forced to step outside of their comfort zones to meet their hiring needs.

Remember that finding the right job for you may take some time. Not every job you apply for will be right for you. If you receive a job offer and are unsure, carefully consider your next move. The career that fits you is waiting for you.

Good Legal Recruiters Place Candidates Full-time, All Year Long

Timing and qualifications trump time of year for talented attorneys seeking a career change. Several other market forces also influence hiring if you’re a potential employer. Good legal recruiters grasp these trends and work as advisors whenever career advancement openings become available. Local recruiters have insider information, networking contacts, and candidate-vetting capabilities to serve the interests of all parties involved better.

At Strategic Recruitment Solutions, your success is our success. Our reputation for superior client satisfaction results from a tireless commitment to exceeding our clients’ objectives. We are the recruiting firm for top employers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and the Gulf Region. Our focus is on building a long-term relationship with companies that employ the highest-quality professionals. Call us today at 888-366-6508. We can help you find the best fit to join a legal or IT team.

March 15, 2022 by Amy Shanks

HOW EMPLOYERS CAN NAVIGATE AROUND “THE GREAT RESIGNATION”

It’s a job candidate’s market, as employees request higher pay, flexibility and work-life balance.

For employers, the pandemic’s economic crisis caused plenty of revisions in employment policies and procedures. Most organizations found innovative ways to retain talent while keeping their employees safe and productive. However, not every employer successfully kept the economic fallout at bay. Many had to face impactful changes to their workforce. As of January, an estimated 4.5 million Americans quit their positions and sought employment in a new role or another industry.

The Achievers Workforce Institute reported in 2021, 52 percent of employees did not intend to stay in their current roles and were seeking new employment. In addition, 64 percent of employees polled thought about leaving. And a shocking 77 percent of those employed in their current position for less than a year said they were open to seeking employment elsewhere.

Recruiting and Retaining Talent In Law Firms

Employers lost workers and had trouble replacing them as other companies offered more incentives. As employees continue to request higher pay, flexibility, and work-life balance, it is undoubtedly a candidates’ market.

In its 2021 State of the Legal Industry Report, Thomson Reuters Institute and the Center for Ethics and the Legal Profession at Georgetown University stated law firms could lose up to 25 percent of their legal talent annually.

According to the report, here are some of the actions employers can take to improve a firm’s position for retention or recruiting:

provide resources for lawyer and professional staff support through wellness and mental health programs;
take a flexible approach to remote work, part-time work, and flextime arrangements; and
develop policies and procedures to assure equity and fairness in an assignment, evaluation, compensation, and promotion decisions;
make appropriate investments in technology to keep the firm on the cutting edge of technology; and
find additional ways to foster social engagement and camaraderie within the firm.

Finally, it is time for law firms to think beyond financial incentives. To effectively recruit and retain law firm talent today, you must continue to elevate the employee experience.

What Can Employers Do?

Listening to direct input from employees is one of the simplest ways to retain talent. If an action plan develops with employee concerns in mind, its success is more likely. Showing appreciation to a demoralized workforce is crucial. Seventy-nine percent of people leaving their jobs say they feel unappreciated.

The truth is the solution to keeping your best talent is not scientific. Employers willing to offer growth and opportunity within a high-performance work culture will incentivize employees to stay.

The solution is to bolster retention while ramping up your recruiting efforts immediately. Does your firm have recruiting marketing strategy? If not, now is the best time to create one.

Harvard Business Research suggests that employers take note of the following when retaining and recruiting employees:

The Best Employers Elevate Their Employee’s Purpose

Prove to employees that there’s more to your organization by defining your purpose. Don’t just talk about purpose. Use it to shape what you do and how you do it.

Provide Opportunities for Advancement

Give employees new opportunities to advance. Employees want to stay if you give them a reason to stay. Most importantly, each time you provide a chance for advancement, you provide incentives to the other team members to do their best work.

Prioritize culture and connection

Take the time to connect and build relationships. Research revealed that the social connections within an organization during the pandemic positively impacted productivity.

Our recruiters will partner with you in searching for highly talented legal, management and technology hires. Furthermore, our recruiters will lend their industry knowledge, experience, tools, and technology to enhance your recruiting strategy. We have been matching top companies with top talent in the Gulf Region for over a decade. Call us today at 888-366-6508. We can help you find the best candidate to join your legal or IT team.

October 28, 2021 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

SRS – RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION – 5 THINGS EMPLOYEES WANT MORE THAN A RAISE

Employee retention will increase your bottom line. Read these five tips to increase employee retention.

An estimated 41 million employees voluntarily quit their jobs in 2019, according to the Work Institute. By the end of 2020, the firm predicted that 47 million, or roughly 1 in 3 workers, will leave their employment. According to the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, businesses lose up to a trillion dollars annually due to voluntary turnover.

When you consider that cost of replacing an employee is one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary, it makes sense to work on retention. For example, for a 100-person firm with an average annual salary per employee of $50,000, turnover and replacement costs may be $660,000 to $2.6 million per year.

Employee retention is when managers know how to put employees in the right roles and give them suitable projects to keep them engaged, productive, and want to work for the company and the manager.

The benefits of employee retention are:

Increased employee satisfaction
Better employee morale
Increased performance and productivity
Improved work quality
Increased return on your investment (ROI)

Conversely, the price of replacing an employee includes recruitment costs, training, lower productivity, and a lower level of customer satisfaction.

In their book, Love ‘Em or Lose’ Em, authors Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans asked over 18,000 employees why they stayed with their organizations. The result was a bestselling employee retention guide that provides valuable insight into employees’ top non-financial reasons for
staying.

In a Gallup survey, over 50 percent of exiting employees said that in the three months before they left, neither their manager nor any other leader spoke with them about their job satisfaction or future with the organization.

Most employees agree that what they want is exciting, challenging, or meaningful work. Although we all can’t have jobs as exciting as being an astronaut, here are five ways to improve your employee recruiting practices and increase the retention of employees in your business.

1. Form teams.

While in teams, workers learn more, have more variety in their work, and perform much better with follow-up tasks. Teams are great for keeping active engagements and encouraging more accountability. It is a win-win for everyone.

2. Challenge Employees with New Assignments.

New responsibilities can help your employees feel valued. Show your employees you trust them by giving them responsibilities that allow them
to grow.

3. Seek Employee Feedback.

Employees want more than an annual review. Furthermore, employees want to know about their performance, and if you provide them with continual feedback, their work will improve considerably.

4. Recognize Quality Work.

The rewards you give your employees should speak to their emotional needs and should go beyond their monetary compensation. Recognition contributes to the positive culture of the company and can be a great morale builder.

5. Provide Your Employees with Learning Opportunities.

German law provides a Bildungsurlaub, five days off annually to participate in an approved training course. Although not many countries have a law like this, the idea of enriching a job via a learning experience will keep your employees educated and interested.

Finally, communication is key to a great workplace. When your employees feel that they can come to you with ideas, questions, and concerns, this leads to a positive environment.

At Strategic Recruitment Solutions, your success is our success. Our reputation for superior client satisfaction results from a tireless commitment to exceeding our clients’ objectives. Furthermore, we are the recruiting firm for top employers in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and the Gulf Region. Our
recruiters will partner with you in your search for highly talented legal, management and technology hires. They will lend their industry knowledge, experience, tools, and technology to enhance your recruiting strategy.

We have been matching top companies with top talent in the Gulf Region for more than a decade. Our focus is on building a long-term relationship with your company. Call us today at 888-366-6508. We can help you find the best candidate to join your legal or IT team.