Candidates

It is the Law Support practice and philosophy to deliver a quality recruitment service to our clients and candidates. At Law Support we value personal relationships, professionalism and honesty. As you will be the face of Law Support when you are on an assignment we encourage you to embrace our values.

In return, you will experience genuine and caring Consultants at Law Support who will always provide regular and honest feedback on your performance and endeavour to provide you with interesting and varied jobs.

Law Support has a good and longstanding name in the market place, and due to this we are in the fortunate position to attract large amounts of direct applications, returning candidates and referrals from our existing candidates and clients.

SELECTION & TESTING PROCEDURE FOR CANDIDATES

Selection Procedure

Candidates go through several stages of screening, starting with an initial detailed telephone conversation to establish experience, requirements and communication skills. Pre-selected candidates are then invited to attend our offices for a formal interview as soon as possible. We regard the interview as probably the most vital stage of the whole process, where parameters are set, requirements confirmed and a course of action agreed between Consultant and Candidate.

The Interview

Applicants are interviewed face to face by an experienced consultant in one of our dedicated interview rooms. This consultant will thereafter be responsible for the ongoing care of that candidate. Our statistics show a high degree of repeat business and loyalty, thus increasing candidate numbers. As a matter of course the candidate will meet other members of the team to ensure that they are all aware of the candidate’s requirements and are also able to act on their behalf.

We insist on interviewing in this way as it optimises the opportunity to build rapport and trust with the candidate. Getting them to talk in-depth about themselves allows us to build a full picture of their requirements and suitability for a role, and thus enables consistent candidate management. It also allows the opportunity to assess a candidate in terms of presentation, communication skills, capability and attitude – assessing their suitability for certain roles and also helping us to manage their different expectations.

After initial introductions are made we explain our interview procedure, which begins by going through the CV. The following is discussed:

• Background;
• Education and employment history, current job content;
• Reasons for leaving;
• Motivation;
• Explanation of any gaps in the CV;
• Explanation of any change in career direction;
• Detailed information about technology skills

The next stage is discussing requirements in the short and long term. We want to discover:

• Strengths;
• Career ambitions;
• Lifestyle requirements – hours, overtime flexibility, location, travel time; 
• Current salary and benefits and salary expectations;
• Other commitments;
• Financial requirements; and any possible negative issues.

In response to requirements we will advise on the current market trends and can begin to manage expectations. We also give advice on CVs and interview techniques and explain the importance of research and interview preparation. We do insist that all candidates write their own CVs as we believe it gives our clients a good insight into their standards of presentation and use of the English language.

Other integral questions include:

• sickness record
• holidays planned
• other interview activity
• notice period
• interview flexibility
• visa status if relevant
• having sight of passports / proof of identity

Towards the end of the interview, we will emphasise the importance of informing us of any other interview activity so that we can manage candidates in relation to our clients’ needs, and vice versa and to avoid any duplication, or missing out due to us not being on the ball.

The interview lasts around an hour in total and the candidate will leave knowing exactly what the next step is, our proposed actions, any action they should be taking and what level of contact they can expect from us. Great emphasis is placed on managing peoples’ expectations.

Testing of Candidates

Relevant tests are conducted at the end of the interview. All candidates are tested using our ProveIt! system which enables tests to be taken either in-house or online. We have devised our own tests to avoid repetition from other agencies and artificially manipulating the results. These are completed at interview. For legal secretaries, our minimum expectations are 65wpm typing with a high degree of accuracy, although clients’ expectations vary and their needs will be taken into account.

We also have the option to develop other tailor-made tests for clients which can include copy typing, audio typing, spelling, proof reading or an in-tray exercise. Applications assessments are also available, including the full Microsoft Suite, WordPerfect and Lotus applications. We have the facility to produce a library of tests for an individual client, incorporating all tests which may be required by you, including your own bespoke tests.

INTERVIEW TIPS FOR CANDIDATES

Preparing for the Interview

It is very important that you prepare well for your interview. The following are our minimum guidelines for creating the right impression.

1. Plan carefully. Do you know where you are going and how to get there? Who are you seeing? 
2. Make sure you know the names of the people who will be interviewing you. Practice saying them if they are difficult to pronounce. 
3. There's no such thing as enough preparation for an interview. Find out everything you can about the company and what it makes or does. Look for current news show you are up to date. 
4. Why does this job exist? What problems will it solve? What are the Key Result Areas? 
5. Remember: employers buy experience. Think about what evidence of achievement you can talk about in the interview; rehearse your success stories. 
6. Work out what is appropriate in terms of everything you present, including yourself. Look the part, and you will feel it. Dress as if you are already doing the job. 
7. Second guess the employer's "shopping list" from the job details - what skills / qualities / experience do you have to match? 
8. Be your own worst interview nightmare. What is the most difficult question you might have to face? Practice the answer. Practice again. 
9. Be upbeat. Employers latch on to negative messages, so don't give them any. 
10. Prepare for rejection. On balance you will be rejected more times than accepted. Even if you don't get the job, you can learn a huge amount about your perceived market value. Remember there's a job out there for you somewhere more people are working in the UK than ever before.

After the Interview

Tell the consultancy how the interview went and get feedback from them.

Negotiation

Everything is negotiable. If the final offer is not what you had hoped for, ask the consultancy to talk to the client. Say that you like the job but the package is not up to your expectations and ask if the company can be at all flexible.

TIMESHEET AND PAYMENT PROCEDURE

Timesheets

You can find a link to our timesheet portal from our candidate sub menu tool bar above.

At the end of each week of an Assignment the Client shall sign the Employment Business’ time sheet or approve the electronic timesheet, whichever is applicable, verifying the number of hours worked by the Temporary Worker during that week.

We ask that all timesheets are emailed to payroll@lawsupport.co.uk and/or payroll@dasolutions.co.uk by 12pm on Monday morning in order to meet our payroll deadline for that week.

Payments

We pay all our temporary staff by BACS and payment should reach your bank account at the latest on the Thursday following the week that you worked. Please note, this may differ depending on your bank. Your pay should go in at this time provided you submitted your timesheets on time. If not, then your pay will go in the following week.