You might be feeling pretty special after a long summer break with batteries recharged and ready to see the year out!
Or you might be feeling a bit routine plodding along doing the same old same old.
This month: Are you a unicorn? You just might be!
In the recruitment industry there are a few terms which get banded about and ‘unicorn’ is one of them. ‘We are looking for someone a bit special, a bit of a unicorn’. Not an uncommon phrase in talking to law firms!
However, increasingly I am starting to think of everyone as a bit of a unicorn! It might well be that you are more special than you realise.
Law is a small world, and increasingly the fields of law are more specialist than ever. It used to be very common to find a general litigation role, now there are probably more property litigation roles and specialist insolvency roles than generalist ones!
Where a firm is looking for that specialist the number of eligible individuals are reduced again just to find someone who can fit the bill for the role. Never mind someone who is looking!
PQE is another factor where firms can be quite prescriptive. Generally NQ to 2 means that they have capacity to train someone up in the role; 2-5 PQE means they need someone with the bulk of the learning done and the ability to handle a lot from day one; 5+ PQE means we need to be able to throw work at you and just know that you can handle it! Higher than that, 8+ or 10+ PQE, there will be management, leadership or other business responsibilities which come hand in hand with the role.
But, when you look at the number of people in your location and your PQE you might be surprised. This is definitely what we have seen in the regions more and more. A simple private client role in Suffolk, looking across at the whole county at NQ-2 PQE and there less than a handful of solicitors even in the pot for consideration. Never mind if they are happy, about to go on maternity leave/ move house/ get married/ looking for a job or open to opportunities. That starting pot could be so small that everyone is a unicorn before I even begin reaching out to them!
A law firm or in house legal department looking for their next hire might not be aware that the numbers are so low, and you in your area of law, your PQE, and your location might not feel so special – after all every firm has a private client solicitor right? – But you might already be that unicorn for someone!
I guess like anything if you don’t look around or ask the questions you will never know, you might just be the very unicorn that someone else is seeking!
If the Autumn and the ‘back to school’ has you thinking about what else might be out there, then get in touch. I’m always happy to talk through the market and see what opportunities might be perfect for someone as unique as you are!
