Career Advice

It’s official – employers have zero patience when it comes to CV grammar and spelling. When asked, ‘What is the biggest turn-off for you to see on a candidate’s CV?’ the top answer employers gave was poor grammar and spelling mistakes, according to a recent survey. Recruitment consultancy Nicoll Curtin asked 550 companies, and a massive 65 percent pointed to CV errors as their ultimate bugbear.

Shoddy spellchecking and proofreading aren’t exactly a ringing endorsement of your knowledge of basic office technology or attention to detail, are they? For enthusiastic, well-trained legal secretaries and PAs, it’s vitally important to demonstrate these basic skills.

Do you have a need for flexitime? It’s an issue for people working across all industries – particularly women with families – and here at Douglas Scott Legal Recruitment we believe that the introduction of flexitime could improve staff attraction and retention in law firms. Earlier this year, when extended family-related leave came into force in the UK, Douglas Scott carried out a study which revealed that almost half of legal employees would like flexitime.

A lack of self-confidence is often the underlying cause of a lack of job offers. So what can you do to pump up your feelings of self-worth and personal positivity before an interview?

Career experts are increasingly advising job candidates to work on issues of self-awareness as part of their job interview preparation. The more confident you feel on the day of an interview, the easier it will be to cope with stress and to respond well to interview questions. The aim, then, is to arrive for an interview with the mindset: “Yes, I really do have what it takes to do this job. I would be an asset to this company, and here’s my chance to show how.”

Here are five ways to help you get to that stage:

Conduct research

The role of a Legal Secretary in the United Kingdom is viewed as a specialist niche area within the legal profession. Law firms rely heavily on Secretaries due to their expertise in administration and technology and their knowledge of law and legal procedures. Based on that theory, Legal Secretaries are beneficial not just to law firms. Anyone who has achieved the Legal Secretary Diploma from The Institute of Legal Secretaries and PAs can be sought after in many business sectors. 

Banking and Finance 

As we become more technology savvy across all industries, there has been an impact on the recruitment process. In the past, a straightforward printed CV, sent in the post with a covering letter, would be the standard procedure of application; however, times have changed. Video CVs, online CVs, online automatic applications, all mean that there are a number of ways that jobs can now be targeted. The application process is more varied, but if you tackle it with professionalism and tenacity, this simply means there are more opportunities for you.

In a law jobs market as competitive as today’s, it is likely that an active jobseeker will have to face up to many rejections. Letters, phone calls and emails bringing the news that you have not been selected for the Legal Secretary job you set your sights on are painful to receive. There may be times when you feel like giving up, especially if you are experiencing several rejections in succession.

But now is the time to tap into your inner strength. To keep on track until the right job for you is in the bag, it’s vital to stay focused and positive.

Professional-level job adverts used to state that candidates were required to be ‘computer literate’. As I remember, people used to interpret this nebulous phrase to mean anything from ‘can type’ to ‘knows how to program’ – and, of course, everything in between.

By the end of the 1990s the interpretation had standardised on ‘proficient in MS Word and Outlook’ or, if your skills were rather more enhanced, ‘can use the whole MS Office suite’. This remains the bread and butter of anyone’s computer skills, and having MS Office on your CV is more of a comfort factor for the reader these days.

The current economic climate means some law firms are tightening their belts, so, as always, it is vitally important to stand out from the crowd if you want to fulfil your career potential. Over the next few issues of ILSPA’s Legal Secretary Journal, I’ll be offering advice on how you can both stand out and stay true to the career path of your choice.

I’ve been a recruitment consultant with Douglas Scott for the past two years, placing legal business support staff all over the UK. Prior to this I worked at the Co-operative Bank in a human resources role, and I’ve also provided a business support role. So I am delighted to help Legal Secretaries further their careers.

Why do you need rapport?

Competition is incredibly tough in the law profession today. Having a good interview technique will be crucial if you are to land a traineeship or job. Rapport is the connection between two people – the spoken and unspoken words that say ‘We are on the same page’. It is the art of making someone feel comfortable and accepted. To create rapport, we need to know how to connect with others, regardless of their age, gender, ethnic background, or mood, or the situation.

A career within the field of law is not all about Judges, Juries and dramatic cases fought in the courtroom.  In fact, a large proportion of legal work goes on behind the scenes in the office and is done by support staff such as Legal Secretaries.  Legal Secretaries ensure the smooth running of a legal department by providing essential administrative and managerial support.  Legal Secretaries are expected to carry out administrative duties such as producing legal documents and compiling official correspondence as well as more specific work such as conducting legal research.  Apart from office work, Legal Secretaries can also be required to attend court hearings or visit police stations from time to time.