Now that summer is drawing to a close, our industry is gearing up for the coming holiday season. I have always felt that in our industry many companies, even some of the biggest, are run in an old-fashioned manner. This can be good or bad. It all depends on the company. But I think we can all benifit from some good business ideas. So, I will begin posting items which I find of interest. I hope you will read them, learn something you can use and impliment them for your benifit. Please add your thoughts and suggestions.
What follows can be adapted to our industry. The writer is Michael Flint. He has been in the business of marketing Law offices for many years. I have in the past hired him to give my company marketing advice. Should you wish to read more the site address is…..http://lawmarketingsuccess.com/
Better Hiring Brings Better Results
Whether you need to hire an attorney or a support staff member, most lawyers make the same hiring mistake. They hire based on the resume and the interview, then they try to see if the new hire is actually a good fit.
In the last 20 years, I have helped my clients make better hiring decisions and cut their losses early when the wrong applicant was hired.
Before you advertise to fill your next opening, take the time to outline the new hire’s first 30 days on the job. Specifically, What do you want to know that he/she is willing to do in the week one, week two, etc.
Let’s say that you want to hire a support staff member to assist in legal work and administration of your firm. As an example, you need a paralegal who will also make calls to clients who are behind in replenishing their retainers. In your outline of duties and responsibilities for week one, you have them on the phone, making those AR calls.
When you show an applicant a plan for their first 30 days with you, you will see one of only two responses. They will either say nice things and you will never see them again (saving you the hassle of hiring a person who assures you he could do the job but never does) or they will actually get excited about having a map to being successful in the job. Hire the excited one!
Further, If the new hire does not make calls in week one, you can have a brief meeting with him reaffirming the importance of this duty. If in week two, he still does not do it, let him go and hire someone else.
Avoid keeping the wrong people on payroll. My clients have successfully used this process to make better hiring decisions, which allows them to spend more time practicing law and less time dealing with (wrong) personnel issues. And the best part is that it even works when hiring attorneys.
Try It!
