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Bargain Lawyers

11.12.06 Bargain Candidates
Some firms seem very pleased at times when a candidate accepts an offer that is considerably below the market rate, but we think this is a false economy. I can think of two firms in recent times who have been aware of a candidate's limited geographical search area, or perhaps their requirement for supervision for various reasons, and have seized upon the option of offering a significantly lower salary than they ought reasonably to have done. Salaries that would possibly enable the person to afford Housing Association rent, and then perhaps to live a little bit if they took a second job in a fast food joint! When speaking to the partners, they have been really pleased with this, and we have actually been thanked for finding such a good candidate! This is a very short sighted policy, and we usually let the firm know this.
Firstly, the candidate is going to start looking almost immediately for an alternative post, secondly they are not exactly going to be very motivated to do a lot of work, and finally they may start to develop an interest in using up as much sick leave and annual leave as they can in a short period of time. They may also start to show signs of stress etc.. as they worry about their finances. There can be a whole host of reasons for accepting a low salary, and this can include the need to be near a spouse, or if there are difficulties with the Law Society imposing supervisory conditions etc..
If you are thinking of offering a low salary, we usually recommend thinking about incentives to go with it - eg; giving the lawyer the chance to receive bonus payments based on performance, or offering perks to go with the base salary.
If you think you have a bargain, think again! It probably wont be long before you are back on the market again...
www.ten-percent.co.uk - Legal Recruitment Consultants on the Web

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