Natalie Atherall
Consultant
Queens Court, 24 Queen Street, Manchester, M2 5HX
- Specialism: Legal
- Sector: Public Sector
- Roles: Locum, fixed-term and permanent
- Location: North Wales, Cheshire and The Wirral
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Insight in Legal
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How to secure a locum during a telephone interview: top tips from one of our top legal locum candidates
Legal locums are highly sought after, and clients are having to act fast to win the best talent. As a result, telephone interviews are fast becoming the norm to speed up the process. But what can organisations do to ensure they impress legal locums? We spoke to one of our top locum candidates to find out. As the legal locum jobs market becomes increasingly competitive, the need to act fast is increasing, so more and more businesses are opting for telephone or video interviews instead of the more traditional face-to-face approach. In this Q&A, Senior Consultant Sara Robinson gets some top tips from a successful legal locum candidate on how to tackle a telephone interview and what she looks for in a locum position. What is more challenging about taking part in a telephone interview? I think this comes down to personal preference. I personally prefer going in and meeting with people face-to-face, as I think it gives you the chance to build up more of a rapport with the interviewer. Speaking with someone in person usually makes me feel less nervous and you can gauge someone’s reactions better from their expressions rather than simply speaking on the phone. One positive aspect of telephone interviews is the time they take. Usually a telephone interview can drastically reduce the time it takes to recruit, which makes the process easier to manage. This is especially useful if the client’s needs are urgent or for candidates that live further away. Personally, I have only accepted locum roles at organisations I could commute to, but I can understand that for those who do travel for work that being able to do a telephone interview makes a huge difference. What are your thoughts on Skype or video interviews? I wouldn’t mind doing a Skype interview, especially if the client really wanted to do a face-to-face interview. It saves time and has a similar impact. However for me, if the client wanted to see me face-to-face then I would rather go into their office than do an interview over Skype. What are the most common questions you expect to be asked in an interview? The most common questions that I usually get asked are about my past experience, specifically when and where I have worked previously and the sort of work I have undertaken. Clients also want to know how long have I been a locum for and I usually get asked to give examples of when I have picked up a type of work or asked to explain how I would deal with a certain scenario. Another common thing I get asked is to describe my strengths and weaknesses; something I would advise everyone to prepare an answer for in advance. What are the most important things you want the client to talk about? I like to get a good overview of what the role will involve as this gives me an indication of whether the role and company is a match to my skillset. I like it when the client can give me a synopsis of the position so I have a good idea of what they want. This also helps me to understand if the role is suited to me and whether I am interested in taking the role. I always want to know about the team environment and how I would fit into that role. Many locum assignment can end up being more long-term than the initial three months, so being part of a team that I am comfortable with is important. I also usually try and find out as much information about the client as possible and what type of working relationship we will have. This can have a big impact on how you actually do your work and how smoothly things run! What would put you off in an interview? I would be really put off if someone was just reeling off a list of set questions and ticking boxes, rather than building up a rapport and having a conversation with me. Whilst locum roles are all about coming in and getting the job done, you still want the client to show an interest. I think a lack of communication in an interview can also give you a bad feeling about how the assignments may go. Locums want to know that the person managing them is someone they can communicate with if there are any problems. Another thing that would put me off is if the client was talking negatively about the organisation and role. Teams and organisations often have problems and it can involve a lot of hard work and isn’t always an easy environment to slip into, however this doesn’t have to be sold as a negative thing. What are the most important things you look for in a role? I would put flexibility as the thing that is most important to me, followed by team culture and then admin support. Interviews are a two way process, and this Q&A has highlighted the importance of interviewers impressing a candidate while finding out if they are the right fit. It is therefore interesting to find out more about what legal locums look for in their interview, and their motivations for finding the perfect role. If you would like some additional help finding your next locum, or your next legal job you can give myself, or a member of our expert legal recruitment team a call and we would be more than happy to help. Alternatively, check out more resources that will help you recruit the best talent in our employer resources section.
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Telephone interview tips for legal locums
Legal locums are highly sought after during the summer months, as permanent employees take their annual holiday and the demand for temporary cover increases. As a result, many of our clients look for highly skilled locums that can come into their business and hit the ground running. Laura Smith, Manager and specialist legal recruiter at Sellick Partnership, gives her advice on how to impress during a telephone interview to give you the best chance of securing your next legal locum role. Working as a professional legal locum provides a lot of benefits – flexibility over the location of your work, more control over your rate, and the chance to build your skillset across a variety of sectors and businesses. Because locums often work away from home and are needed quickly, telephone interviews are a popular method of assessing the right locum for the role, and many legal candidates will be invited to start an assignment after a telephone interview and the vetting of successful references. Here are some key pieces of advice for participating in a telephone interview to ensure you can successfully secure your next legal locum job: Make sure you are in a quiet place. It sounds obvious, but if you are out and about, go and sit in your car or find a quiet spot because it is easy to be distracted whilst on the phone. Train stations, supermarkets and shopping malls are noisy and will be a challenging experience for you and the interviewer. If you are at home and there are others around you, find a quiet space where you will not be interrupted. If you are unable to be at home, why not choose a quiet corner of a coffee shop; that way you can still conduct the interview without being distracted. Ensure you have got enough signal and battery charge. Make sure you have sufficient signal on your mobile phone. If you can avoid using it, even better! Have the call on a landline phone where it is far less likely that there will be issues with the connection. Also, ensure your landline phone and/or mobile have adequate battery power; landlines are often wireless and will need charging. Keep cool under pressure. Time is limited but resist the temptation to talk too quickly. Be succinct and if you want to go into more detail, ask the interviewer if this is appropriate. If you have not fully understood a question, check with the interviewer to increase your understanding. This will give you more time to prepare an answer and prevent long silences over the phone. Allow adequate time. Ensure that you set aside sufficient time for the interview. We have had experienced candidates who have needed to end calls prematurely due to other commitments, which does not give the best impression. Allow 45 minutes to an hour for the call to be on the safe side. Dress professionally and smile. More and more interviewers are choosing to do telephone interviews via Skype or FaceTime, so dressing professionally is a must. That does not mean you have to wear a suit and tie, but make sure you look well-presented and are in a clean area of your house/office. However, even if an interviewer cannot see you, by smiling and wearing professional clothes, you will feel much more confident and this will come across to the interviewer. It is important to have good posture to assist with your sound quality, and some people find standing up helps them significantly. Keep your CV in front of you. An obvious benefit of telephone interviews is the ability to review your CV whilst speaking to the interviewer. Consider keeping your CV by the phone so you are able to quickly switch into interview mode, ease into the call and help you provide relevant examples to the interview questions. This will also help to ensure that you can demonstrate your experience, and that you can confidently explain your job history and any gaps in your career. Prepare your own questions. At the end of the interview, consider asking one or two questions that have not been brought up, or that you want clarification on. Think about these points beforehand and, if necessary, write them down. You should have researched the organisation prior to the call and be able to demonstrate your knowledge of both the company and the interviewer. Bring a notepad and pen to write down any points you want to come back to later, and always ask questions if you are unsure of anything they have asked you throughout the interview. For more advice on how you can become a successful legal locum, or advice and news from our legal recruitment team, head over to the insights section of our website. Alternatively, you can get in touch with me or a member of the legal recruitment team to discuss your needs, or view our latest legal jobs here.
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UK’s LGBT-friendly Legal Firms
Are you a legal professional looking for your next career move? There are a lot of elements to consider when searching for a new job within the legal sector, and company culture, including policies on diversity and inclusivity, is usually high on that list. To help you determine which job opportunities to go for, our Legal recruitment team has compiled the top LGBT-friendly companies in the UK. So, whether you are looking for a position as a lawyer or solicitor, typist or manager, you can start your job hunt today without having to compromise on your priorities. To stand out to job seekers, many law firms are now committed to demonstrating their policies on supporting inclusivity and diversity among their employees. This is particularly important in recent years, as increasing numbers of legal professionals are actively seeking out LGBT-friendly organisations when considering their next career move. Helpfully for job seekers, at the start of 2019, campaign and advocacy charity Stonewall released its annual report detailing the top 100 most LGBT inclusive employers in the UK, of which 16 companies are from the legal sector. Ruth Hunt, Chief Executive of Stonewall, said: “Changing things for the better needs us all to work together – across workplaces, across sectors, across communities – and using tools like the Workplace Equality Index helps systematically achieve sustainable change. Collectively, we can, and will, build a world where all LGBT people are accepted without exception.” Each law firm on the list was assessed on ten key areas including community engagement, policies and benefits, procurement and the employee lifecycle. Read on to discover more about the top ten law firms and their policies. 1. Pinsent Masons #1 on the Top 100 After securing the number two spot in 2017 and 2018, Pinsent Masons finally reached number one in 2019. Last year, it played a pivotal role in setting up an employers’ group, ‘Businesses for Love Equality’ in Northern Ireland, which released a statement in September 2018 in support of the extension of equal marriage. Richard Foley, Senior Partner at Pinsent Masons, said: "It isn’t about reaching the top spot; it’s about what the Stonewall Workplace Equality Index stands for and what everyone engaged in it is working so hard to accomplish. Pinsent Masons has created an inclusive workplace that enables everyone to be themselves; from our recruitment processes through to our engagement with clients. You can find out more about the firm’s LGBT policies here. 2. Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner #2 on the Top 100 Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner (BCLP) is an international law firm with 25 offices around the world. Headquartered in St. Louis, it holds three offices in the UK, located in Manchester, London and Southampton. Segun Osuntokun, Managing Partner of BCLP’s London office, said: “As the first global law firm with two female co-chairs, we are deeply committed to taking a strong, visible and authentic stance on equality and inclusion. We have seen first-hand that supporting and promoting an environment of inclusivity and respect on the ground, every day, has a direct positive impact on our workforce, clients and our wider communities.” Discover more about BCLP's commitment to diversity by following this link. 3. Baker McKenzie #10 on the Top 100 Operating in 46 countries with over 1,500 partners, Baker McKenzie has a bold inclusion policy that focuses on ethnic and cultural diversity, gender diversity as well as LGBT diversity. Commenting on its top ten placement on the Stonewall report, Paul Rawlinson, Global Chair of Baker McKenzie, said: “Through our Global LGBT+ Business Resource Group, engaged Senior LGBT+ Champions and a growing network of in-country LGBT+ and Ally Chapters, we are making strides in creating an inclusive environment for all, where everyone feels free to be who they are, wherever they are.” Read more about Baker McKenzie’s diversity and inclusion policies. 4. Dentons UK and Middle East LLP #15 on the Top 100 The world’s largest law firm, Dentons UK and Middle East LLP (Dentons), offers services within a range of sectors, including energy, transport and infrastructure, financial institutions and funds, technology, and real estate. In 2018, some of its initiatives included a 'LGBT and Faith' panel event, mentoring other law firms on how to be more LGBT+ inclusive, and the launch of Dentons' global Pride Day. Nick Mott, UK Diversity and Inclusion Partner at Dentons, said, "We are delighted to have earned our highest ever ranking in this national index highlighting Dentons' commitment to LGBT+ inclusivity and visibility, both in the workplace and the wider community. We strongly believe that Dentons' dedication to diversity and inclusion contributes to the success of our business, and this ranking is a testament to the hard work of so many people across our firm." If you are interested in a career at Dentons, find out about its diversity and inclusion policies here. 5. Travers Smith #25 on the Top 100 London’s Travers Smith was established in 1851 and specialises in 17 practice areas including finance, employment, corporate finance, pensions and real estate. In 2018, as part of its LGBT policies, it introduced a Pride-themed Travers Smith web logo, a first for a City law firm, and created a ‘rainbow staircase’ in its office building. Daniel Gerring, Head of Pensions and Chair of the Travers Smith LGBT+ network, said: “Our inclusion this year in the top 25 is a reflection of our commitment to playing a leadership role, not only in the business world but also within wider society. I am especially proud of what we achieved this year in supporting not only our own LGBT+ people and their allies, but also other LGBT+ communities across the UK and beyond.” Read up on Travers Smith’s commitment to inclusion. 6. Norton Rose Fulbright LLP #32 on the Top 100 With over 4,000 lawyers and staff in countries around the world, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP is a full-service business law firm for corporations and financial institutions. In addition to placing 32 overall, Stonewall also awarded the firm’s Pride network the Highly Commended Network Group for the third consecutive year. Farmida Bi, Chair of Europe, Middle East and Asia at Norton Rose Fulbright, said: “We are extremely proud to be included in this list for the sixth consecutive year. The ranking continues to be a testament to the firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.” Find out more about Norton Rose Fulbright’s commitment to diversity and inclusion here. 7. Hogan Lovells International LLP #34 on the Top 100 International firm Hogan Lovells International LLP (Hogan Lovells) is the ninth largest law firm in the world by global revenue, and advises 50 of the Fortune 100 and 34 of the FTSE 100. In 2018, it launched its Gender Transitioning in the Workplace Policy for the UK, which set out guidelines for transitioning employees and their colleagues. Ruth Grant, Partner and Chair of Hogan Lovells Global Diversity & Inclusion Committee, said: "To receive industry recognition for our efforts is hugely encouraging and is incredibly rewarding for our UK Pride network and our new global Pride+ network. As a global law firm, our goal is to reflect in our culture the diversity of our communities and our clients. This is key to the growth and success of our people and our business.” You can discover more about the organisation’s diversity and inclusion policies here. 8. Allen & Overy Joint #37 on the Top 100 With 5,500 employees, Allen & Overy has 44 offices in over 30 countries around the world. A&Out is the firm’s global network for its LGBT+ community, with over 100 members and 700 allies across the world. Wim Dejonghe, Senior Partner of Allen & Overy, said: "LGBT+ inclusion has been a focus of ours for some time and our ranking this year is testament to the dedication of our people in keeping it at the top of the agenda and maintaining progress. In the last year this has included a focus on trans matters in particular, in addition to our existing LGBT+ initiatives, working to reinforce our supportive and inclusive environment for all our trans and non-binary colleagues." You can discover more about the organisation’s diversity and inclusion policies. =8. Taylor Wessing Joint #37 on the Top 100 Full-service international law firm Taylor Wessing ran several diversity and inclusion initiatives in 2018 in order to earn its place on the Stonewall top 100. These included promoting its Transitioning at Work policy and reviewing its parental policies to ensure they are LGBT friendly. Managing Partner, Shane Gleghorn, said: "We are committed to ensuring that our working environment is a place where people can be themselves and allows talent to flourish. Making the Stonewall Top 100 Employers list, and rising 14 places this year, is a credit to every one of our people whose individualism and hard work shows how inclusive our firm really is." You can discover more about the organisation’s diversity and inclusion policies. =8. Clifford Chance Joint #37 on the Top 100 In February 2018, Clifford Chance became an early adopter of the UN’s new business standards aimed at supporting fair and equal treatment of LGBT+ people across the world. The firm also runs an LGBT+ diversity network, Arcus, that hosts Pride exhibitions in cities as widespread as London, New York, Paris and Tokyo. Visit the firm’s website to discover more about its diversity and inclusion policies. Get in touch With in-depth sector knowledge and an extensive network of clients, Sellick Partnership is ideally placed to help you find the right organisation for your next career move. If you are ready to discover your next Legal role, visit our dedicated jobs page or contact us today.
