Now in my 19th year of working in the recruitment industry I think it’s fair to say I’m a “seasoned” Recruitment Consultant. During this time, I’ve seen a number of “ups” as well as a number of “downs”. There’s been changes in recruitment legislation and processes, as well as innovation and technology that have shaped recruitment needs and I have had to adapt how I go about my role over the years. Recruitment is an ever-shifting landscape.
On a macro level recruitment is heavily influenced by the wider economy and after a very busy period for recruitment post pandemic, we are seeing a slight re-set. Companies and law firms are still recruiting but there isn’t the same rush to recruit that we experienced in 2022, which resulted in record numbers of available roles across broad sectors of the economy including legal, and a real scramble for available talent.
This new recruitment period we’re entering will be in part shaped by the ongoing economic and political concerns and issues we hear and read about daily. As a recruiter working with interim candidates and roles, despite these concerns I believe that there’s room for optimism.
Interim recruitment is agile and in ever-changing markets can support businesses and law firms where and when the needs arise. In high-demand markets such as we’ve just seen, clients were turning to us to support them with interim hires when struggling to recruit on a permanent basis. We saw permanent recruitment processes taking longer due to a high demand for talent, long notice periods being enforced and offers being rejected, often with the best candidates having two or three offers on the table at any one time.
Now with new 2023 budgets and headcounts plus the uncertain economic market there is likely to be a certain degree of apprehension about what’s to come. This could result in some clients pushing the pause button on permanent growth plans. The interim sector is quick to adapt and can offer support in all the traditional ways as well as new. There will always be a need for interim support to cover maternity leave, holiday cover, sickness cover and spikes in workload/busy periods due to new projects or work with tight deadlines.
What we’re also likely to see is, where an increase in permanent headcount isn’t an option, clients will turn to the contractor/interim market to assist them. This offers access to a pool of very capable contractors, able to parachute into a department or team and provide their valuable support, but without the long-term financial obligation required for a permanent hire. Contractors can be engaged either directly on a fixed term contract basis (normally 3 -12 months) or on a weekly “contract for services” short or long term or ongoing basis via Chadwick Nott.
Interims contractors are often very experienced, having built up years of experience in previous permanent and interim roles. They are mostly available with a minimal notice period and offer the flexibility to change your approach if the needs of the business change which is vital in these uncertain and changing times.
As experts in interim recruitment across the legal sector at all levels, Chadwick Nott is here to help employers to successfully hire interim support for their business. If you’re considering an interim hire or alternatively if you’re a contractor looking for a short or medium term role you might also like to read previous blogs including ‘A Great time to be an interim lawyer’ https://www.chadwicknott.co.uk/blogs/a-great-time-to-be-an-interim-lawyer
For a confidential discussion, please contact Chris Goodman at Chadwick Nott.
(t) 0203 096 4546
(m) 0791 765 1039
(e) chrisgoodman@chadwicknott.co.uk
