Category: Thought Leadership

This guest blog post was contributed by former Maverick candidate Bobby Codjoe, Esq. Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Morrison Cohen LLP.

The need for improved Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts within the legal industry is evident to most legal professionals, but what remains unclear for many is the most effective approach to meet that need.

In the wake of the tragic murder of George Floyd in 2020, law firms nationwide committed to redefining themselves and fostering greater inclusivity, equity and representation at all levels of their firms. Some firms responded by creating advisory groups or committees made up of employee volunteers. Some conducted cultural assessments and various DEI trainings.

While these efforts are certainly commendable, they are not the best way to address the comprehensive and multifaceted challenge of effective DEI in the law firm space. Moreover, they may not create measurable and enduring change.

The best approach—and the one all top law firms should be considering —is to hire a dedicated DEI professional to lead the charge.

I have been fortunate to experience the value of this approach firsthand. In March of this year I joined Morrison Cohen as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (after a talent search spearheaded by Maverick). In this role, I collaborate closely with firm leadership and engage with every facet of the organization to foster a supportive and inclusive environment, regardless of an individual’s background. I’m also responsible for administrating our mentorship program to expand our leadership pipeline, navigating our Mansfield certification process and pursuing potential strategic partnerships.

In short, this role allows me to focus all my knowledge and expertise towards the creation of a positive and inclusive workplace that raises our profile in the DEI landscape. Here are a few more reasons why DEI should be given its own space, time and attention in your firm:

• You are bringing in the necessary Subject Matter Expertise. Tasking an employee with additional DEI responsibilities won’t transform them into a DEI expert. Individuals need time to learn the language, identify practical objectives and curate bespoke strategies to apply to your firm. You’ll get more intentional (and faster) results when you bring in an experienced DEI leader who has demonstrated experience with identifying growth areas, naming a solution and executing a plan.
• You’re showing that DEI is a Firmwide priority. You’re clearly signaling that DEI is not just a box-checking exercise, but a true firmwide priority essential to your organization’s identity. A dedicated DEI professional can look at the organization as a whole and align efforts across multiple departments. One-off training sessions are great at starting the conversation, but they don’t guarantee the momentum will continue within your firm. Additionally, distributing DEI duties among other team members could result in DEI tasks being deprioritized as other work comes up. Having a dedicated DEI professional working with leadership guarantees that your DEI efforts are holistic and a permanent component of your organization.
• Meeting client and talent expectations. A dedicated DEI professional not only cultivates a more inclusive internal environment but also aligns with the rising expectations of clients and prospective talent. Clients are increasingly discerning in their choice of legal services, favoring firms with a strong commitment to DEI as a proxy for a richer perspective in decision-making and cultural competency. This enables the firm to understand and serve clients from diverse backgrounds more effectively. Likewise, top-tier talent is drawn to firms with robust DEI offerings. Firms that employ a DEI professional to lead these critical efforts maintain a competitive edge in the global legal marketplace.
• You have true accountability. Having someone who is responsible for the work means you have someone who is responsible for the results. If efforts succeed, you know who steered the ship. If efforts are unsuccessful, you know who can lead the formation of a new strategy and its execution. Such system adjustments are more difficult if there is no true DEI leader to take ownership of the firm’s efforts.
• You can measure results. Because DEI experts are familiar with the components of inclusive workplaces, they can identify measurable variables and set milestones when shaping your strategy. They can then track those data points, giving you specific data to gauge your strategy’s effectiveness and to identify areas of improvement.

In closing, DEI experts can help improve your culture from the inside out. They can help you transform your DEI objectives from spoken values to a living, actionable system. As the global legal market continues to evolve, embracing DEI as a firmwide priority is not just a choice but a necessity for long-term success.

 “I’ll do it myself.” 

As a hiring manager, how many times have you said this when you should really be asking for help? 

As professionals, we have a natural tendency to take on challenges alone to control the outcome. But that one-person-show attitude is not only ineffective, it’s also impractical. 

Would you excuse your dentist from performing a root canal because you think you’ve got it under control? Of course not. You trust the experts to do their jobs, and the same should be true for hiring. 

Instead of taking on the task of hiring all by yourself, consult a trusted search firm. 

The sooner, the better: starting from the moment you realize you need to find a new employee. Or, ideally, even earlier, when you’re thinking about the optimal resourcing and structure of your team. Whether you’re backfilling a vacancy or creating a new role, asking for help immediately instead of initiating the search yourself will set you up for better results—no matter what. 

Here are just a few reasons: 

1. Internal recruiters are at capacity. Professional services in-house talent acquisition teams often are stretched and lack the scale to efficiently source for all their firms’ business staffing needs. Additionally, unless your firm has a dedicated team of recruiters with agency backgrounds and networks, you could be missing out on the best talent. Hence, internal recruiters will often turn to a tried and tested external partner to augment their recruiting capability. And the successful firms invite their search partner to embed as an extension of their talent team, bringing them into hiring manager conversations and looking to them for market intelligence and data to make informed strategic hiring decisions. 
2. You can focus on your business. Your regular operations and business staff still need the bulk of your attention—perhaps more than ever when you’re down a team member. Crafting a job description, running an effective search, and scheduling interviews takes time, so letting your talent team collaborate with your search firm to manage the process allows you to keep business running smoothly. 
3. You won’t always know where to look for talent. If your first instinct is to scour LinkedIn or Indeed , you’re not alone. These are the channels every leader, who is rolling up their sleeves for the hunt, will start with, which means they’re all reviewing the same candidates. No matter how many people cast their lines into the same stream, there will only ever be a finite number of fish, and they won’t always be the best catch. Finding the right team member often is about leveraging personal networks, and external recruiters have much deeper talent networks broader reaches than the average hiring manager. Sometimes, all it takes is making the right phone call and asking the right questions, but that starts with knowing where the big fish are swimming. 

4. You won’t miss out on top-level candidates. The best talent is often on the market for a brief window—or not actively in the market at all—and your search firm is adept at getting these people into a conversation. 
5. You won’t end up hiring the wrong person. Sometimes, we’re so eager to fill an empty seat that we take on talent that doesn’t really match the needs of the role. The best-case scenario is that these candidates rise to the challenge, adapt, and excel. The worst-case scenario is that your new hire becomes a liability, sets you back even further, and makes you restart the search-and-hiring process all over again. You don’t have time to gamble on outcomes. Most likely, you don’t have the resources, either. You need to hire the right person the first time, and having a trusted search firm handle the vetting process will give you a much stronger impression of how a candidate will perform within your organization. 
6. You have time to ensure a smoother transition for your new hire. If you’re conducting a search on your own, you likely won’t have the opportunity to organize an onboarding plan. You might even create a bottleneck in the tasks your new hire will be expected to perform. No one wants to enter a workplace where a backlog of work means there’s not only an overwhelming pile of urgent tasks, but no one with the time to offer necessary onboarding support or training. You don’t want to find a perfect candidate, only for them to walk right back out the door because they think you have a hectic culture. While your search firm pursues that top candidate, you can ensure your new hire will be walking into an environment that is already running smoothly.

If you’re reading this and have been thinking about conducting a search alone—or have already started doing so—send us a message right now. There’s no time like the present for giving your entire team their greatest shot at success. 

 Follow these tips for making a strong first impression during online conversations. 

A few years ago, you probably never thought you’d be tasked with turning your bedroom into a boardroom before a job interview. And if you did, it’s probably time to start buying lottery tickets or offering palm readings. 

For those of us without a crystal ball, adjusting to professional changes caused by the pandemic can still be surprising and challenging, and one such trend that isn’t going anywhere is virtual interviewing. 

Nearly all firms use virtual formats for early round interviews, meaning candidates are tasked with making strong first impressions without ever meeting their interviewer in person. It might seem like a breeze to nail an interview when you’re in your own space and controlling your own environment. But the reality is that it’s just easier to make a connection in-person—by shaking someone’s hand, holding eye contact, or uplifting the energy of the room. 

With virtual interviews, all these bond-forming habits must be replicated or replaced if you really want to stand out from the digital herd. Seemingly small details can dramatically affect how a potential employer perceives your candidacy, for better or worse. 

Thankfully, making a strong and genuine impression in a virtual conversation isn’t impossible. With practice and sound strategy, you can make interviewers feel like you’re right there in the room with them. Maintain your Maverick Mindset the next time you’re being interviewed virtually by remembering these tips: 

• DO turn your camera on. Hold on, can I get a, “DUH?” Is being invisible an option during in-person interviews? No—so it shouldn’t be an option for virtual interviews, either. It seems obvious, but an interviewer can’t assess your level of engagement if they can’t see you. You don’t want to leave a potential employer wondering if your camera is off because you’re distracted, on the move, unprepared, or even uninterested. Let your interviewer see that you understand the value of their time (and the opportunity) 
• DO pay attention to lighting. You want your interviewer to be able to read your energy and body language. And what’s critical for reading? Light. Sitting in low lighting or in front of a window can make it hard for interviewers to see you. In addition, poor lighting can lead to a reduced video frame rate, meaning you might appear delayed or in slow motion on the interviewer’s screen. Video interviews work best when they simulate in-person conversations as much as possible, and a lagging screen can result in confusion and frustration. Have a direct source of light in front of or above you so your video will be clear and smooth. Better yet, invest in an LED panel light or ring light to illuminate your background. 
• DO come in with research-based questions. Oprah didn’t become Oprah by not doing her research. Asking informed, powerful questions—even when you’re the one being interviewed—shows a level of commitment and authority that interviewers will appreciate. Ask questions about the organization’s specific initiatives, recent achievements, and specific information that other candidates might not know. Not only does this give you an opportunity to determine whether the firm is a good fit for you, but it will also show the interviewer that you aren’t running through a pre-determined script you bring into every conversation. 
• DO bring energy and excitement. You don’t have to log on for your virtual interview with pom poms and a confetti canon. But a lack of participation and energy during a virtual interview will result in an unmemorable (and potentially awkward) conversation. Remember that the impression you deliver during your interview is what the employer will imagine you’ll bring to business meetings. Move around your space and listen to music that lifts your spirits a few minutes before the interview, or if you prefer to get into the right headspace, sit and meditate. Your passion and presence will linger with the interviewer as much as the information you convey—and it will likely excite them, too. 

• DON’T show a messy background. Don’t let that laundry pile you’ve been neglecting for two weeks cost you an opportunity. If your real setting is untidy or distracting, use a digital or blurred background. Even if it seems like organized chaos to you, it’s likely that your interviewer will only see the chaos. You don’t want a potential manager or colleague seeing a disorganized setting and assuming it translates to your performance at work.
• DON’T sit out of frame. Would the Mona Lisa be as captivating if she were only half visible? Apply principles of photographic composition to your interviews by making sure the most important subject (you) is centered and in the foreground. You don’t want the books on your shelf or the view outside your window to draw more attention than you. You’re demonstrating why you’re the best person for the job, and sitting in the center of the frame will ensure you’re being seen and heard before anything else. 
• DON’T multitask. Have you ever been in a virtual meeting with someone who’s clearly working on other projects or writing emails during the discussion? This might be an acceptable practice between colleagues during internal meetings, but multitasking—such as answering an email or IM—during a virtual interview is akin to texting during an in-person interview. It implies that, despite the importance of the conversation, you think something else is more important and more urgent. Your interviewer wants to be heard as much as you do, so give them your full attention even if you’re an expert multitasker. 

Be sure to bookmark this post and review our suggestions before your next virtual interview. These easy steps can be the make-or-break between you getting that opportunity or getting passed over. 

You know you’re a Maverick—so make sure your interviewer knows it, too. 

For more updates on how to score that perfect job, sign up for our newsletter here. 

Predicted by the Industry Experts of Maverick Search Consulting

December 20, 2022 [New York, New York] – With corporations across sectors bracing for an economic downturn in 2023, the team at Maverick Search Consulting, a top business staffing consultancy for law firms, is closely tracking shifts in how firms are hiring, deploying staff talent, and retaining employees. Having successfully placed hundreds of professionals, the experts at Maverick are witnessing firsthand the changing ways in which candidates are evaluating their careers and new opportunities. Today, Maverick is pleased to release its predictions for the top business of law trends in 2023.

“Looking ahead to the new year, the talent marketplace remains tight and competitive, and the demand for specialized business staff to support and amplify the work of attorneys is very high,” said Ren Tucker, CEO. “As we partner with firms to understand their primary business challenges, we expect these five trends to emerge.“

1. The Breaking down of barriers between the lawyer and nonlawyer populations:
   Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) initiatives are a critical component that continue to be top of mind for firms that want to keep up a productive and positive workplace culture – this will continue in 2023. Maverick predicts that firms that recognize the critical contributions of business staff will thrive in the coming year.
   
   Pro Tip: Ensure business staff members are included in more client-facing activities and treated as equal members of the population.
   
   
2. Office spaces of the future:
   Since March of 2020, law firms have found themselves at the vanguard of the search for alternative workplace models and solutions to serve the post-pandemic working population. Maverick predicts that firms will continue to retool inefficient office space to reflect the flex hybrid work culture with more hoteling. As a result, we expect to see an uptick in the hiring of workplace experience professionals to ensure the return to office is as attractive and seamless an experience as possible in 2023. Additionally, leveraging technology to provide data-backed insights into the most efficient use of space will remain a top priority for firms going into the new year.
   
   
3. Downsizing after pandemic hiring sprees:
   We saw a downsizing of administrative ranks during the early days of the pandemic with firms reorganizing outmoded roles, such as secretarial staff, in response to demand dropping for in-office support as the world went virtual. Additionally, many U.S. law firms went on a hiring spree towards the tail end of 2021 to keep pace with record-breaking global M&A activity that topped $5.9 trillion in deals. However, now that transactional work has slowed in 2022, and the demand for legal services has dropped overall , Maverick predicts more downsizing of attorneys, paralegals, and business staff by firms that over-hired during the pandemic.
   
   “Unfortunately, when the macroeconomic environment sours, firms tend to cut payroll spends first from the business staff ranks, before they turn to attorneys,” observes Benjamin Field, Managing Director of Business Development & Client Relationships. “While this reflects an economic reality, it also reflects a certain perspective—that the business staff population still is regarded as not having a direct contribution to a firm’s success.”
   
   
4. Pay transparency and salary alignment:
   Maverick predicts that more firms will continue to embrace job posts for hires in states with pay transparency laws, which will result in increased equity after an initial period of pay compression. “Prospective employees will have greater access to salary information and, over time, historical data, which will empower them in salary negotiations. Information certainly is power in this instance,” Tucker said.
   
   
5. Wholesale business staff team moves to remain rare:
   While there was industry chatter around the potential for an uptick in wholesale team departures following a marketing and business development team’s move from Cooley to Fried Frank in 2022, we see this as unlikely to develop into a trend in 2023. The ingredients necessary for this to occur—among other things, an established staff team who enjoys working together and a charismatic leader who engenders such loyalty—are rare.
   
   Pro Tip: To help mitigate the unlikely event of a full team move, a critical piece in the “belonging” equation involves continuing to find ways to engage and develop business staff leadership across key departments, including HR, finance, pricing, technology, marketing and business development.

To learn more about Maverick Search Consulting visit www.mavericksearchsontulting.com.

About Maverick Search Consulting

Maverick specializes in helping leading law and professional services firms build, optimize, and retain world-class business staff teams. For 14 years Maverick has successfully placed hundreds of professionals across administration, business development, finance, marketing, and technology. With a dedicated team of search consultants and former in-house law firm professionals, extensive legal industry knowledge, and a vast network, the team at Maverick delivers talent that makes a difference.

LinkedIn

The Great Resignation has produced unprecedented upheaval across industries, with candidates hopping roles, shopping for better pay and work-life balance, and quietly quitting in instances where they don’t feel as though they want to go the extra mile. The net result has been a shift in the supply-and-demand economics in favor of candidates. This has been especially pronounced with respect to law firm business professional staff roles.

Big Law hiring managers and talent acquisition teams have been scratching their heads for months in search of one elusive kind of talent: the midlevel business development and marketing professional.

“Since pandemic reentry, those of us who specialize in this niche have witnessed increased demand for midlevel business developers—defined here as senior coordinators, analysts, specialists, senior specialists and managers—who support practices and industries, especially for litigation and disputes work,” observes Michele Iacovano, Maverick’s Director of Talent Acquisition. “However, in this current market, there’s far less talent than there are open positions.”

Observations

As a result, we expect to to see the following hiring and retention trends continue into 2023:

• Increased offer competitiveness to get people through the door in the form of inflated base salaries and retention bonuses
• De-prioritization of subject matter expertise in favor of generalists who have the right tactical skillsets
• Expanded location flexibility to allow for employees based in different cities or non-office locations
• Expedited interview timelines in which firms attempt to head off competitors by quickly reaching the offer stage
• Increased counteroffers to attract candidates who may be holding multiple offers or “shopping around” 
• Heightened downside risks stemming from:
  • Tough decisions regarding internal pay equity, an issue that’s set to become further exacerbated by new pay disclosure laws in Colorado, New York and, soon, California
  • Under-qualified and/or less professionally mature candidates taking on roles that are beyond their experience level
• Candidate prioritization of non-financial incentives such as:
  • Flex-hybrid work and enhanced benefits
  • Professional development and training opportunities, as well as increased focus on the importance of manager relationships, mentorship and clear growth trajectories
  • Maintaining comfort levels within a role and eliminating relocation requirements for new opportunities

“We are also noticing that savvy candidates at this level are increasingly placing a premium on non-financial incentives like flex-hybrid work, superior benefits, and professional development opportunities,” says Alexandra Kapos, Talent Acquisition Manager at Maverick. “In addition, some candidates are expressing an overall reluctance to make a move post-pandemic, particularly those who already made a career change within the last two years.”

Recommendations

Benjamin Field, Maverick’s Managing Director of Client Relationships, observes that, “in addition to being able to offer competitive salaries, we’re seeing our clients enjoy success by partnering with their external recruiters in ways that support the overall search and enhance the marketability of roles.”

Here are some tactics to beat out the competition and hire the best talent:

• Conduct exploratory discussions with strong candidates who aren’t currently in the market. Even if the conversation does not lead to formal hiring discussions, you’ll gain insight into what your ideal candidates are looking for.
• Allow for closing conversations, in which finalists or candidates under offer can meet their future colleagues and/or internal clients (partners). This will foster connections before offer-acceptance and could give your company culture a competitive edge should the candidate consider counteroffers.
• Make creative offers via sign-on bonuses for new hires—and retention bonuses for existing star performers—to attract and retain the best talent. Financial incentives can also offset any base salary limitations in the firm’s budget.
• Help candidates envision long-term growth by discussing their career trajectories, professional development and training opportunities.
• Prioritize diversity in recruiting by training hiring managers to consider a diverse[1] slate of candidates for all hiring decisions. Give particular focus to “high potential” candidates with less traditional backgrounds and experiences, as well as strong “step up” candidates who demonstrate professional maturity and growth potential.
• Expedite offer-acceptance timetables by asking for definitive responses to offers within narrower timeframes.
• Dovetail offers and benefits discussions with HR-Benefits teams to arm candidates with the perspective necessary to make informed decisions.
• Differentiate your firm by equipping the recruiter with messaging, information and marketing collateral that will show candidates the unique aspects of your role they won’t see replicated elsewhere.

Working with a dedicated recruiter in whom the firm has invested, who understands the business and its people—because they’ve sat down with the hiring managers to scope the role, walked the halls and embedded with the talent acquisition team—is also one of the biggest investments clients can make. These recruiters align their objectives with those of the firm and serve as a true extension of the talent acquisition team out in the marketplace, thereby increasing the quality of candidates, signaling a firm’s seriousness to the market, and reducing the need for multiple agency briefings, among other benefits.

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[1] We define “Diversity Recruiting” here as a firm’s efforts to increase the percentage of ethnic, racial and LGBTQ+ diversity in the hiring process 

Weighing whether to switch jobs in the current climate isn’t easy. Some considerations for law firm business professionals.

Uncertainty is the watchword of the day. When we look back at the first years of the new decade, we’ll reflect on how little we knew and were prepared for. For law firm business professionals there continues to be a whole lot of uncertainty. There have been furloughs, pay cuts, and job losses in our industry. Business professionals who previously felt insulated from redundancies, including those in Big Law, now find themselves in uncharted waters. 

In speaking with our candidates and clients, everyone is reevaluating priorities and doing a little soul searching. Perceptions are shifting. Some see their layoff as a blessing — more time to spend at home with the family, reassess values, weigh next steps. For a select few, new job opportunities have presented, and the conversation has turned to assessing whether to switch jobs during an precedented time of market turbulence. 

“Will I be the last one in, and the first one out?” is the common refrain among our candidates as they attempt to critically evaluate whether to accept an offer and, in so doing, leave behind the stability of their current role / firm without ever having shaken hands with their future colleagues or the lawyers they’ll be supporting.

For those business professionals contemplating a job switch, here are a few considerations:

Remote onboarding & working: Consider the practical implications of being unable to simply walk into a partner’s office to ask a question, or being unable to sit down face-to-face in your manager’s office to strategize. Are you comfortable forging relationships with your colleagues via a screen and attending back-to-back Zoom meetings as you learn the ropes? By now, most of us are used to telecommuting, but be sure you feel confident that you’ll be able to navigate a remote onboarding and soon after start doing your job—while simultaneously building your brand and goodwill—during those first critical months. Inquire with your recruiter whether your intended firm has in place a robust remote onboarding, as well as to connect you with other new joiners who’ve recently completed the process. It’s also worth asking what the firm’s leadership has been doing to boost morale and ensure everyone feels connected from afar. 

Safe working: When you consider that commercial office space has sat idle for months now, law firm leaders are having to make critical decisions—operating on limited information—about when to reintroduce their workforce back into the office, how to do this safely and what a longer term remote work strategy looks like. Will your intended firm reintroduce its business professionals in phases, with skeleton crews at first followed by fuller sections of the firm population returning incrementally? What was your intended firm’s policy towards telecommuting for its business professionals pre-lockdown? For previously resistant firms, have entrenched attitudes shifted as leadership and partners have witnessed how successful this model can be the last few months? Only time will tell how firms meet this challenge, but any insights you can obtain into what your intended firm is planning in terms of pandemic reentry is likely to be a critical piece in the decision-making process.

Cost-cutting & fiscal prudence: While our key clients continued to hire for critical roles in Q2, it’s no surprise that hiring is down considerably since the start of the pandemic. Be sure to assess your intended firm’s approach to cost cutting measures. Did the firm furlough or cut business professionals, trim salaries and freeze partner draws? Did it take out a PPP loan? If the pain continues into 2021, those firms that preferred to have their equity partners assume most of the financial burden in the early days, may be more favorably disposed to their non fee earning population and less inclined to axe business professionals, especially those recently hired. Our sense is that those firms that continue to forge ahead with business professional hires in critical areas such as business development, lateral recruitment and integration, are more likely to be gearing up to make lateral partner acquisitions, launch new practices and offices, and thus be in need of business professional support. Additionally, most law firms are notoriously cash poor with little reserves on their balance sheets. Look into your intended firm’s cash reserves. Does it retain some of its earnings or distribute all of its profits to equity partners at year-end? Those firms that are well capitalized and hold “firm-specific capital” will be in a better position to weather economically constrained times and, if needs be, renegotiate credit lines with lenders.        

Countercyclical practices: For business development practice, industry and market roles, assess how robust your intended firm’s legal service offerings are, especially those you’ll be supporting. Does the firm have robust countercyclical practices, such as bankruptcy and restructuring, litigation, cybersecurity/privacy and employment? Most full service firms will tout their strength in these areas, but it’s important to dig a little deeper. Has your intended firm hired lateral partners or lost them to competitors during this first wave? From April onwards, any firm that’s made a successful push to hire rainmakers to bolster existing practices is better-positioned to win business than a firm that’s lost talent. Those firms that rely heavily on transactional practices, such as M&A that do well in boom times, but didn’t make significant investments in their countercyclical practices, likely won’t have done enough to recession-proof themselves for any coming second or third wave. Has your intended firm revised its strategic plans to factor in the mid- to long term effects of the pandemic on business development and revenue generation?   

Pay, benefits & work-life integration: It seems obvious, but be sure to compare overall compensation packages and determine whether you’re gaining or losing out in a move. If you’re growing your family, what’s your intended firm’s approach to parental leave? Compare 401K plans. Does your intended firm offer profit sharing? While you may receive a higher base salary in your new role, what’s the firm’s approach to annual pay increases and year-end bonuses for business professionals? In the last few months in response to the pandemic, many firms have frozen and / or cut business professional pay and bonuses above certain earning thresholds. And with more belt tightening likely ahead, many senior-level folks are likely to see their gross pay remain flat or reduce. Consider work-life integration. While you may earn a pay bump in a move, are the extra responsibility and hours worth the trade off at home? Consider your life values and what’s most important for your overall work-life satisfaction.

Recruiters: During economically constrained times the inclination might be to take a scattergun approach to getting hired and blast out your resume to multiple firms and several recruiters in the hope that something good will shake out. This approach dilutes your brand, aggravates hiring teams, and rarely results in a job. Find a recruiter who’ll advocate for you, deliver advice with honesty and integrity and build a relationship for the long term. Believe it or not, there are search firms out there who aren’t in it just to make their fee on your placement. There are a select few who take pride in serving as your brand ambassador and derive enjoyment from getting to know you over the long term. Because, after all, today’s candidate is tomorrow’s client.