Agile Recruiting

Have you heard of agile recruiting?

It’s modelled on the agile development method, to streamline the recruiting process—from advertising the vacancy to onboarding your new employee. The goal is to break down the complex hiring process into manageable chunks with clear roles and timelines for those involved.  

A survey by accountancy group MHA of 100 law firms and contacts earlier this year found almost two-thirds (63%) believed recruitment was the biggest obstacle to growth. And more law firms are putting staff retention at the top of their priority list.

Recruiting and keeping the best lawyers starts with the hiring process. Key to attracting the right candidates is an effective and seamless recruitment process. At the heart of that is consultation and feedback.

Agile recruitment focuses on speed, flexibility, and communication. Recruiters and hiring managers can work closely together with an agile recruiting mindset.

This involves regular feedback check-ins, clear timelines and adjusting, when necessary, to stay on track. Short sprints are set for different stages where there may be issues. This might be the recruiter and hiring manager pinning down the job requirements, lining up a shortlist of candidates, scheduling interviews, etc.

The benefit of agile recruiting is it cuts down the time to hire talent. When done well, it also creates a better experience for the candidate, and it helps those involved in the hiring process measure and monitor each stage of their recruitment process.  

Do you use agile methods at your law firm?

Are you a fan?