<i>Career Journal</i>: The Hunt for Marketing Talent

Choose Your Priorities

If you have ten bullet points on your job description, prioritize the most important. If you want someone who will do proposals and events along with PR and database management, you need a less specialized person. Look for someone who has experience with 50% of the required responsibilities (those that you have identified as 'key') and who is smart, then train that person to do the rest. In this competitive market, it's going to be extremely hard to find someone who possesses everything on your wish list. Carol Crawford, Director of Human Resources at McKenna Long & Aldridge, says, 'We have learned that it is difficult to find someone who meets all the requirements, so we identify those who have the inherent qualities that we're seeking and then we are flexible on other things. It would be great if we could put a job description out there and get 20 to 30 qualified people, but it just doesn't work that way.' We have found success with filling practice group positions with people who are very knowledgeable about the particular industry so they can bring competitive intelligence to the group ' you could have your very own industry expert sitting daily with the lawyers!

Using an Agency

At Wisnik, we've been most successful when firms draft their own job descriptions, as they tend to incorporate unique qualities about the firm as opposed to template job postings. In order to make your posting stand out, it's important to meet with your recruiter, describe your firm culture, and tell the recruiter about your department and what makes it unique. Also, describe your lawyers and let your recruiter know what they will respond best to. Drafting a firm-specific description is time consuming, but in the end, it benefits everyone involved because it gives the recruiter a 'real vision' of what the ideal candidates should look like in regard to credentials and personality.

Alyssa Davner, Marketing Manager at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, who oversees a department of 20, says, 'We've been most successful in working with recruiters who have taken the time to get to know our firm and department culture as well as the personalities of key individuals.'

Jennifer Manton, CMO at Loeb & Loeb LLP, seconds Alyssa's remark. 'Because [my agency] knew my firm's goals and objectives and my personal management style, it made finding new talent a lot easier. Having a recruiter who knows the personality of the firm, the marketing department and its leader, is invaluable.'

Where to Find the Talent

Assistants

These are mostly new college grads who have had great internships in office settings combined with a good GPA and some leadership experience in college.

Coordinators

Ideally, you should seek someone who has been an assistant at a firm for two years (there's a shortage of those now but, in the next year or so, there will be more because firms have hired many people at this level in the last year). Alternatively, we find that professionals who have been paralegals for two years make a good transition, as do people from other fast-paced corporate professional services environments. One interesting approach to finding talent at this level that other firms may be able to adopt is found at Foley & Lardner. Kyle Heath, CMO of the firm, says, 'We hire recent grads to work in our marketing call center. We then use that as a candidate pool for filling Coordinator positions.' There are also a couple of firms that have an undergrad summer internship program they use to source entry-level candidates.

Mid-level

This is where the most demand is for previous legal marketing experience. Here is where it may be a good idea to think outside the box and fill practice group-focused positions with people from that particular industry who could come in the door with potential introductions for new business! Otherwise, the most likely successful transfer will be from other professional services such as consulting or financial. Keep in mind that marketers from financial services are the most difficult to 'land' because their bonuses are far beyond what law firms typically offer.

Senior

This is where there are actually a good amount of choices given that the industry is starting to mature ' those who started as junior people ten years ago are now poised to take on leadership roles. Again, many people from the accounting and consulting industries are interested in making the move in to law firms and we have seen several people make this transition.

NOTE: Consider marketing your firm to marketing people (that is, after all, what they are trained to respond to!). The more your firm (especially if you're up and coming) gains brand recognition with legal marketers, the better chance you'll have to get quality talent long-term. For example, we saw a law firm sponsor a conference focused on law firm marketing and we heard a lot of people talking about that particular firm.

Candidates

Using a Recruiter and Tips for Interview Success

A recruiter can be helpful, neutral or even potentially harmful to your candidacy. The biggest complaint we have heard from candidates is that their recruiter submits them for positions without their prior permission, or does not prepare them for what to expect in an interview.

Candidates should expect their recruiter to have a strong relationship with Human Resources, but recruiters should also have a good relationship with marketing departments, as most often those are the people who are making the ultimate hiring decisions. Candidates should receive detailed information about the firm, its culture, who they would be reporting to and why the position is open.

Laurie Goldstein, Employment Manager at Skadden Arps, says, 'The candidates who are most successful are those who (obviously) come prepared knowing information about the firm but, more importantly, provide specific examples of achievements in their previous positions and the steps they used to reach those goals. We want to hear evidence that the candidate can come in and hit the ground running.'

Carol Crawford adds, 'Candidates should engage their listening skills to ensure they understand the position and what the firm is looking for. It should be a two-way dialogue that includes talking and listening on both parties' behalf. Candidates who are overzealous in touting their accomplishments and showing off their portfolios often miss the opportunity to uniquely differentiate themselves in the interview process.'

Conclusion

The good news is that marketing has definitely caught on in law firms and departments are expanding rapidly. The bad news is that there is a talent shortage. You need to be strategic to ensure that you have the skills and experience in your firm to achieve the goals you and your firm's management have identified as key.

Eva Wisnik, President of Wisnik Career Enterprises, and Jennifer Johnson, Director of Recruitment and a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, specialize in collaborating with law firms nationwide to identify top-quality professionals to lead their marketing, business development and public relations departments. They are looking forward to sharing their market knowledge with you through this column. Please e-mail any topic ideas, thoughts, or questions to [email protected].

When we are hired to begin a new search, the very first thing we hear from our clients' mouths is 'Ideally, we would like someone with X years in law firm marketing.' If you analyze the AmLaw 100 law firms, which combined have more than 2000 marketing professionals, coupled with the fact that at any moment there are more than 100 open positions nationwide, there are more jobs than qualified professionals to meet these needs. So, how do employers find the 'right' talent for their firm in this competitive environment? How do the people with law firm marketing experience find the 'right' firm, since they are in high demand by every firm? Below we have outlined some tips for those who are hiring and those looking to be hired.

Know Your Competition

The first thing we tell our clients is to know who they are up against for talent. If you are an out-of-town firm in a large market such as Chicago, Los Angeles or New York, it is going to be harder for you to attract talent than it would for a large, top-ten, home-based firm. This absolutely does not mean that you should have to settle for less than your expectations; it just means that you may have to step up your process and work a little harder than the home-based firms. We recommend that smaller and out-of-town firms commit to moving a little faster to make decisions ' you don't have the home court advantage, so you have to figure out what you can do to stand out. Recently, we had a candidate who interviewed for comparable positions at the home office of a firm and at a branch office of an out-of-state firm. The smaller firm moved very slowly and took too long to get people from the home office to interview her (i.e,. two or more weeks after her first interview, she hadn't yet received a date for her next round). While this was not the ultimate reason for her decision to join the home-office firm, it certainly made the decision a lot easier.

Choose Your Priorities

If you have ten bullet points on your job description, prioritize the most important. If you want someone who will do proposals and events along with PR and database management, you need a less specialized person. Look for someone who has experience with 50% of the required responsibilities (those that you have identified as 'key') and who is smart, then train that person to do the rest. In this competitive market, it's going to be extremely hard to find someone who possesses everything on your wish list. Carol Crawford, Director of Human Resources at McKenna Long & Aldridge, says, 'We have learned that it is difficult to find someone who meets all the requirements, so we identify those who have the inherent qualities that we're seeking and then we are flexible on other things. It would be great if we could put a job description out there and get 20 to 30 qualified people, but it just doesn't work that way.' We have found success with filling practice group positions with people who are very knowledgeable about the particular industry so they can bring competitive intelligence to the group ' you could have your very own industry expert sitting daily with the lawyers!

Using an Agency

At Wisnik, we've been most successful when firms draft their own job descriptions, as they tend to incorporate unique qualities about the firm as opposed to template job postings. In order to make your posting stand out, it's important to meet with your recruiter, describe your firm culture, and tell the recruiter about your department and what makes it unique. Also, describe your lawyers and let your recruiter know what they will respond best to. Drafting a firm-specific description is time consuming, but in the end, it benefits everyone involved because it gives the recruiter a 'real vision' of what the ideal candidates should look like in regard to credentials and personality.

Alyssa Davner, Marketing Manager at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, who oversees a department of 20, says, 'We've been most successful in working with recruiters who have taken the time to get to know our firm and department culture as well as the personalities of key individuals.'

Jennifer Manton, CMO at Loeb & Loeb LLP, seconds Alyssa's remark. 'Because [my agency] knew my firm's goals and objectives and my personal management style, it made finding new talent a lot easier. Having a recruiter who knows the personality of the firm, the marketing department and its leader, is invaluable.'

Where to Find the Talent

Assistants

These are mostly new college grads who have had great internships in office settings combined with a good GPA and some leadership experience in college.

Coordinators

Ideally, you should seek someone who has been an assistant at a firm for two years (there's a shortage of those now but, in the next year or so, there will be more because firms have hired many people at this level in the last year). Alternatively, we find that professionals who have been paralegals for two years make a good transition, as do people from other fast-paced corporate professional services environments. One interesting approach to finding talent at this level that other firms may be able to adopt is found at Foley & Lardner. Kyle Heath, CMO of the firm, says, 'We hire recent grads to work in our marketing call center. We then use that as a candidate pool for filling Coordinator positions.' There are also a couple of firms that have an undergrad summer internship program they use to source entry-level candidates.

Mid-level

This is where the most demand is for previous legal marketing experience. Here is where it may be a good idea to think outside the box and fill practice group-focused positions with people from that particular industry who could come in the door with potential introductions for new business! Otherwise, the most likely successful transfer will be from other professional services such as consulting or financial. Keep in mind that marketers from financial services are the most difficult to 'land' because their bonuses are far beyond what law firms typically offer.

Senior

This is where there are actually a good amount of choices given that the industry is starting to mature ' those who started as junior people ten years ago are now poised to take on leadership roles. Again, many people from the accounting and consulting industries are interested in making the move in to law firms and we have seen several people make this transition.

NOTE: Consider marketing your firm to marketing people (that is, after all, what they are trained to respond to!). The more your firm (especially if you're up and coming) gains brand recognition with legal marketers, the better chance you'll have to get quality talent long-term. For example, we saw a law firm sponsor a conference focused on law firm marketing and we heard a lot of people talking about that particular firm.

Candidates

Using a Recruiter and Tips for Interview Success

A recruiter can be helpful, neutral or even potentially harmful to your candidacy. The biggest complaint we have heard from candidates is that their recruiter submits them for positions without their prior permission, or does not prepare them for what to expect in an interview.

Candidates should expect their recruiter to have a strong relationship with Human Resources, but recruiters should also have a good relationship with marketing departments, as most often those are the people who are making the ultimate hiring decisions. Candidates should receive detailed information about the firm, its culture, who they would be reporting to and why the position is open.

Laurie Goldstein, Employment Manager at Skadden Arps, says, 'The candidates who are most successful are those who (obviously) come prepared knowing information about the firm but, more importantly, provide specific examples of achievements in their previous positions and the steps they used to reach those goals. We want to hear evidence that the candidate can come in and hit the ground running.'

Carol Crawford adds, 'Candidates should engage their listening skills to ensure they understand the position and what the firm is looking for. It should be a two-way dialogue that includes talking and listening on both parties' behalf. Candidates who are overzealous in touting their accomplishments and showing off their portfolios often miss the opportunity to uniquely differentiate themselves in the interview process.'

Conclusion

The good news is that marketing has definitely caught on in law firms and departments are expanding rapidly. The bad news is that there is a talent shortage. You need to be strategic to ensure that you have the skills and experience in your firm to achieve the goals you and your firm's management have identified as key.

Eva Wisnik, President of Wisnik Career Enterprises, and Jennifer Johnson, Director of Recruitment and a member of this newsletter's Board of Editors, specialize in collaborating with law firms nationwide to identify top-quality professionals to lead their marketing, business development and public relations departments. They are looking forward to sharing their market knowledge with you through this column. Please e-mail any topic ideas, thoughts, or questions to [email protected].