Career Advice

Lay-offs happen. Executives leave companies and can’t take their admins. Companies reorganise.

All these situations may sound like nightmares to an admin. But they don’t have to be career killers. If you’re in between jobs, companies or even careers, these five things can help you stay relevant to the admin profession.

1. Temp

One of the best things you can do if you’re out of work is to go to a temporary staffing agency. Temping helps you keep your skills active and develop new ones, too. Think of it as a paid job interview – the people you’re working with get to see what your skills are and you get to try out the company to see if it’s a good fit.

2. Take classes

Chances are you know a workaholic. You might even be one yourself. You know the type. They’re the first one in the office each day and the last one to leave each night. It’s not surprising to see them working from home over the weekend or cutting their holiday short to get back to the daily grind – if they allow themselves to go on holiday at all, that is.

Working hard isn’t a bad thing, but there’s a thin line between “hard worker” and “workaholic”. When you cross that line and fail to rest and recharge, you’re putting yourself at risk.

Temporary work offers you an alternative to committing to a role on a permanent basis whilst still allowing you to gain new skills and develop your career. Candidates temp for a variety of reasons, and whether this is to assist with a career change or to fill a gap in employment, there are many benefits which we discuss below in this article. Do also take a look at our blog, which looks at questions to ask to suss out if a temp position is right for you.

1. Enjoy flexibility

Whether you want to be a Legal Secretary, a Paralegal or a Lawyer, the law industry can be very competitive. Because of this, it’s crucial that you do everything in your power to boost your CV. 

This is particularly important in the legal industry because lots of law graduates and professionals will have similar qualifications. Therefore, you need to work that bit harder to stand out from the crowd.

By demonstrating your passion for the industry, as well as the role you’re applying for, you could give yourself a competitive edge over other candidates. But how do you go about doing this?

Well, our partner Simply Law have put together a few suggestions for ways in which you can show employers how passionate you are about law. 

There are various drivers forcing law firms to embrace a more diverse workforce and to attract, promote and retain talent from all backgrounds, regardless of gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, age and socio-economic class (to name but a few).

Not only is the pressure on to have employees who reflect the society in which we live, but there is an increasing recognition that diversity leads to better decision making and increased profitability.

What are companies doing?

Some clients now require law firms to attest to their Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) policies and progress in pitches.

Everybody knows that one of the first things you need to do when you are looking for work is to write a professional, accurate and impressive CV. However, a CV is only half of the application. It does not matter how good your CV is if you do not include an equally impressive covering letter. The role of the covering letter is to entice the recruiter to go on and read your CV. In situations where recruiters are inundated with applications, a bad covering letter – or worse yet, no covering letter at all – could very well be the reason why your CV ends up in the rejected pile.

The March 2021 edition of our journal included the exciting announcement that our partner, Simply Law, was undergoing the biggest transformation in its 18-year history. It is with great pleasure that we can now tell you the next phase of this relaunch is live. As well as having a brand-new look, the site is jam-packed with new and exciting features as well as old favourites that have been updated or revamped – all perfectly designed to make your job search a whole lot easier. 

Since the Covid-19 lockdowns, many employees across the UK have become accustomed to remote working – one of the most popular forms of flexible working arrangements offered by employers. However, with offices and workplaces beginning to open back up, flexible working arrangements will not necessarily remain in place in the long term. This could create some problems down the line, with employees being dissatisfied at losing the flexibility they once had and employers having to deal with unhappy staff members.

In this blog, we will provide all the advice and information you need if you are thinking of making a request for a flexible working arrangement, and explain to you your legal rights if you decide to go down this route.

What do we mean by “flexible working”?

For those seeking employment in the legal sector, there are few destinations more prestigious than the “Magic Circle” and “Silver Circle” law firms. These organisations are famous around the world, with hard-earned reputations for excellence.

This select group of legal firms have become widely known for their commitment to the very highest standards of performance and success. As such, obtaining a role with these companies can be seen as a real marker of accomplishment for the UK’s most skilled legal professionals.

Here, we explore the firms that comprise the Magic Circle and Silver Circle, looking at what differentiates these organisations and what is expected of those chosen to represent these firms.

What is the Magic Circle?

Working on the business support offering at Interlink Recruitment has exposed me to many curriculum vitae (CVs) from Legal Secretaries and Legal Personal Assistants (PAs). In this article, I will be exploring what makes a fantastic CV for a Legal Secretary or Legal PA and what in particular makes a candidate stand out to me when sourcing for roles.