Junior lawyers have been urged to be proactive for them to stand out

The Australian legal market is increasingly becoming competitive every day. Hence, junior lawyers should be ready to stand out from the crowd in order to attract prospective employers.

“Lawyers should think of things that will make law firms want to hire them. Things that prove they can add value to businesses across all industries. Nowadays, employers are more mindful when recruiting law graduates because they are in search of the most useful person to join their team,” said Nick Deligiannis, managing director of Hays, with offices in New Zealand and Australia.

This year, many law firms have indicated that they plan to expand their legal team. However, this doesn’t mean that it will be easy to land new jobs. It is recommendable that you sharpen your skills first before you apply for a new job.

As a job seeker, you should ensure that you arm yourself with the right cultural fit along with necessary soft and technical skills. Hence, this clearly sends a message to all junior lawyers that employers won’t tolerate candidates who fail to meet the required criteria.

Once employers spot the right candidate, they go ahead and offer them relevant job posts. Whether it’s a permanent or temporary position, employers often move quickly to secure the right person.

Honesty and loyalty is another important factor that many firms consider before they recruit an employee. In fact, legal professionals should consider embracing honesty for them to stand out from other prospective legal experts.

In addition, you must match 100 per cent of a job’s requirements for prospective employers to hire you. Mr Deligiannis added that lawyers ask themselves whether they are equipped with experience and relevant skills that match those in a job’s requirements.

Better still, you can nourish your skills by joining programs that offer productive opportunities. You will be surprised to discover how employers move swiftly once they spot suitable and highly skilled candidates.

It is advisable that new lawyers should regularly update their online profiles and CV. This process gives them the chance to identify an accurate representation of the value you offer. You can easily monitor the progression of your successes, responsibilities and skills by regularly updating your CV.

This way, graduates will always be ready to apply for their dream jobs if there are relevant job vacancies.

Make it a priority to convince legal project managers that you are the right fit for the given position and that you are capable of producing positive results. You should consider adding quantifiable results and achievements when updating your CV.

New graduates should also have a unique selling proposition (USP) that puts them in a strategic position for employers to find them easily.

Mr Deligiannis called upon all new law graduates to polish their personal value, experience, skills, and strengths before they approach an employer.