{"id":605,"date":"2022-12-13T21:58:09","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T21:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/mavericksearchconsulting\/?p=605"},"modified":"2023-01-20T04:14:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T04:14:14","slug":"where-is-all-the-midlevel-law-firm-bd-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/mavericksearchconsulting\/where-is-all-the-midlevel-law-firm-bd-talent\/","title":{"rendered":"Where is all the midlevel law firm BD talent? Observations and recommendations for landing\u2014and keeping\u2014that elusive candidate."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSince pandemic reentry, those of us who specialize in this niche have witnessed increased demand for midlevel business developers\u2014defined here as senior coordinators, analysts, specialists, senior specialists and managers\u2014who support practices and industries, especially for litigation and disputes work,\u201d observes Michele Iacovano, Maverick\u2019s Director of Talent Acquisition. \u201cHowever, in this current market, there\u2019s far less talent than there are open positions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Observations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, we expect to to see the following hiring and retention trends continue into 2023:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Increased offer competitiveness<\/strong> to get people through the door in the form of inflated base salaries and retention bonuses<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>De-prioritization of subject matter expertise<\/strong> in favor of generalists who have the right tactical skillsets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expanded location flexibility <\/strong>to allow for employees based in different cities or non-office locations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expedited interview timelines<\/strong> in which firms attempt to head off competitors by quickly reaching the offer stage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increased counteroffers <\/strong>to attract candidates who may be holding multiple offers or \u201cshopping around\u201d&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Heightened downside risks<\/strong> stemming from:<ul><li>Tough decisions regarding internal pay equity, an issue that\u2019s set to become further exacerbated by new pay disclosure laws in Colorado, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shrm.org\/resourcesandtools\/legal-and-compliance\/state-and-local-updates\/pages\/nyc-pay-transparency-pay-compression.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New York<\/a> and, soon, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/daily-labor-report\/california-employers-to-disclose-pay-ranges-with-newsom-signing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Under-qualified and\/or less professionally mature candidates taking on roles that are beyond their experience level<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Candidate prioritization of non-financial incentives<\/strong> such as:<ul><li>Flex-hybrid work and enhanced benefits<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Professional development and training opportunities, as well as increased focus on the importance of manager relationships, mentorship and clear growth trajectories<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Maintaining comfort levels within a role and eliminating relocation requirements for new opportunities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe 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,\u201d says Alexandra Kapos, Talent Acquisition Manager at Maverick. \u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Recommendations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Benjamin Field, Maverick\u2019s Managing Director of Client Relationships, observes that, \u201cin addition to being able to offer competitive salaries, we\u2019re seeing our clients enjoy success by partnering with their external recruiters in ways that support the overall search and enhance the marketability of roles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some tactics to beat out the competition and hire the best talent:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Conduct exploratory<\/strong><strong> discussions<\/strong> with strong candidates who aren\u2019t currently in the market. Even if the conversation does not lead to formal hiring discussions, you\u2019ll gain insight into what your ideal candidates are looking for.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Allow for closing conversations<\/strong>, 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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Make creative offers <\/strong>via sign-on bonuses for new hires\u2014and retention bonuses for existing star performers\u2014to attract and retain the best talent. Financial incentives can also offset any base salary limitations in the firm\u2019s budget.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Help candidates envision long-term growth <\/strong>by discussing their career trajectories, professional development and training opportunities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Prioritize diversity in recruiting <\/strong>by training hiring managers to consider a diverse<a href=\"#_ftn1\" id=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a> slate of candidates for all hiring decisions. Give particular focus to \u201chigh potential\u201d candidates with less traditional backgrounds and experiences, as well as strong \u201cstep up\u201d candidates who demonstrate professional maturity and growth potential.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Expedite offer-acceptance timetables<\/strong> by asking for definitive responses to offers within narrower timeframes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dovetail offers and benefits discussions with HR-Benefits teams <\/strong>to arm candidates with the perspective necessary to make informed decisions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Differentiate your firm<\/strong> by equipping the recruiter with messaging, information and marketing collateral that will show candidates the unique aspects of your role they won\u2019t see replicated elsewhere.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Working with a dedicated recruiter in whom the firm has invested, who understands the business and its people\u2014because they\u2019ve sat down with the hiring managers to scope the role, walked the halls and embedded with the talent acquisition team\u2014is 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\u2019s seriousness to the market, and reducing the need for multiple agency briefings, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/why-opt-exclusivity-recruiters-kj-green\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">among other benefits<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/mavericksearchconsulting\/operations\/\" style=\"border-radius:0px\">Contact us for more information on retaining talent<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" id=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> We define \u201cDiversity Recruiting\u201d here as a firm\u2019s efforts to increase the percentage of ethnic, racial and LGBTQ+ diversity in the hiring process&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019t 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 &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/mavericksearchconsulting\/where-is-all-the-midlevel-law-firm-bd-talent\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Where is all the midlevel law firm BD talent? Observations and recommendations for landing\u2014and keeping\u2014that elusive candidate.&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v14.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Where is all the midlevel law firm BD talent? Observations and recommendations for landing\u2014and keeping\u2014that elusive candidate. - Maverick Search Consulting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.communify.me\/mavericksearchconsulting\/where-is-all-the-midlevel-law-firm-bd-talent\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Where is all the midlevel law firm BD talent? 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