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How To Hire Professional Services Staff

How To Hire Professional Services Staff
Post Series: How to Hire

The professional services sector encompasses various roles that often require specific skills, accreditations, and qualifications. Hiring employees of the highest calibre for you company or professional services firm is crucial and covers positions such as contracts manager, graphic designer, paralegal, or solicitor. Hire poorly and you won’t have the appropriate expertise to perform essential tasks or receive the expert advice you need to drive business growth and success.

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However, if you use the appropriate recruitment solutions, you can access a talent pool filled with the top candidates to help your company move in the right direction and achieve greater success. Our Professional Services Staff Hiring Guide will help you deploy an excellent cost effective hiring strategy, following straightforward steps that will ensure you attract and recruit qualified candidates working in the professional services sector.

Our recruiting strategy and hiring guide covers:

  • Preparing To Recruit Professional Services Staff: Your Employer Brand & Company Careers Page
  • Writing A Professional Services Sector Job Description & Job Advert
  • How To Hire All Professional Services Staff
  • Advertising Your Professional Services Positions: Referral Schemes, Social Media, & Job Boards
  • Reducing Recruitment Process Costs And Time: Recruitment Companies & ATS
  • Screening Job Seekers And The Interview Process
  • Presenting A Job Offer & Onboarding Staff In Professional Services Firms

Preparing To Recruit Professional Services Staff: Your Employer Brand & Company Careers Page

How To Recruit Professional Services Staff

Before you start advertising externally for your new employees, you should review all your existing candidate touchpoints to ensure you are promoting a positive employer brand. You will ultimately only secure the best talent if you show that you are a highly desirable employer where a new hire will want to work.

It would help if you considered how you portray your workplace culture, company values, and your business success, along with other elements such as support for further training and career development. In our Guide On How To Hire, we explore deeper the topics of Why Should SMEs Build An Employer Brand and What Should Be On A Company Careers Page.

Writing A Professional Services Sector Job Description & Job Advert

How To Write Employee Job Descriptions

You can only write an accurate employee job description and job advert for your company if you speak to senior executives and key decision makers in the hiring process:

Professional Services Job Descriptions

Writing a job description for employee positions will help your hiring manager or hiring team speed up the recruitment process. The best practice is to have one on file for all company positions, which can be quickly updated and used to create the job posting whenever recruitment needs arise.

Download Job Advert Template

For SEO, it is good practice to integrate relevant keywords and key phrases that solicitors, designers, consultants, and other professionals might search for in a search engine. The job profile should have a clear message to attract the most suitable talent. It also helps to refrain from using excessive punctuation and too much industry jargon.

When writing a role’s description, consider:

  1. Identifying and outlining typical company-wide requirements
  2. Collating today’s minimum skills, knowledge, qualifications, accreditations, and experience
  3. Reviewing what your competitors are saying when they have a job vacancy
  4. What good professional services employees should look like
  5. How you want your brand to be perceived

Our Job Description Templates can help you get started; we appreciate writing this content can be a challenge. You can discover the most popular Professional Services Job Descriptions here.

Further useful resources include How To Define What People Do In Their Jobs, Preparing Job Descriptions, and Key Roles And Responsibilities In Professional Services.

Professional Services Job Adverts

Your employee job descriptions form the basis of your new job ad. There are extra things to add to attract the right talent with appropriate skills and experience, so ensure your job ad includes:

  1. An accurate job title – consultant, lawyer, actuary, contract manager, graphic designer, translator, etc
  2. An opening statement – saying why professionals will want to work for your business
  3. The job’s description
  4. A list of job responsibilities – planning concepts, coaching a team, negotiating deals, etc
  5. Qualifications, personality traits, experience, and required hard and soft skills
  6. Job location – office-based or work from home for remote employees
  7. Salary range and employee benefits – check the average salary here for professional services and project management roles
  8. Next steps – Top talent should email xxx or apply via your careers page

We recommend that a medium or small business use a job advert template to get down the basics and then fill in more detail on the unique aspects of your company, project team, jobs, and ideal candidate profile.

How To Hire All Professional Services Staff

HOW TO HIRE AN INVESTMENT BANKER

To hire an Investment Banker, your job postings should describe your firm, company culture, vision, and objectives. To secure qualified applicants, define your preferred skills and crucial qualifications, such as a bachelor’s or master’s degree in finance.

Responsibilities that will compel investment bankers to apply include providing client support during corporate enterprise expansion, issuing debt and equity, market trend research, and overseeing acquisitions and company mergers.

Investment Banker Job Description Example

Post An Investment Banker Job

HOW TO HIRE A BANKER

To hire a Banker, describe your bank and its values, typical customers, and training and career development opportunities. For senior positions, you may need a candidate that has completed the banking exams or has a relevant degree.

Responsibilities that encourage bankers to apply include building customer relationships, checking the identity of clients, answering questions posed face-to-face or over the phone, accurately entering data and updating customer accounts, and selling the bank’s financial products and services.

Banker Job Description Example

Post A Banker Job

HOW TO HIRE A SOLICITOR

To hire a Solicitor, you should state if you are a legal agency or a corporation. Clarify the area of legal support required and employee benefits to attract appropriate applicants. Solicitors should hold a Bachelor’s in Law and have passed the Solicitors Qualifying Exam or Legal Practice Course.

Your job description should include duties such as conducting legal research, settling legal disputes, legal document preparation, juggling multiple clients or actions, and providing court representation.

Solicitor Job Description Example

Post A Solicitor Job

HOW TO HIRE A PARALEGAL

To hire a Paralegal, briefly relay your company story, staff benefits, and career development opportunities. A candidate profile will help you find a good match and might include someone with a Graduate Diploma in Law or postgraduate degree.

Entice candidates by creating job postings that include duties such as drafting legal documents, attending depositions, readying cases for trial, researching applicable laws, and conducting new customer investigations.

Paralegal Job Description Example

Post A Paralegal Job

HOW TO HIRE A LAWYER

To hire a Lawyer, state if you are a law firm or private company, your business’s focus, and the makeup of the legal team. Collaboration and excellent communication are vital skills. A qualified lawyer should have passed the Solicitors Qualifying Exam or Legal Practice Course and hold a Graduate Diploma in Law.

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Duties that might compel a lawyer to discover more about your role include evidence collation, legislation research, and legal document and contract writing.

Lawyer Job Description Example

Post A Lawyer Job

HOW TO HIRE A PROJECT COORDINATOR

To hire a Project Coordinator, provide details on the projects requiring coordination, the reporting chain, and team makeup. Your applicant requirements may include administration and file management proficiency and a related degree.

Job board advertising should include a summary of the role, including duties like leading meetings with stakeholders, creating project strategies, monitoring work hours and expenses, assessing risks, and directing projects towards a successful outcome.

Project Coordinator Job Description Example

Post A Project Coordinator Job

HOW TO HIRE A CONSULTANT

To hire a Consultant, you will need to write job board ads that expand upon your business’s challenges and objectives. Relevant skills include troubleshooting, creative thinking, proven experience or a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Elements of the job that will encourage consultants to apply include analysing business policies, procedures, and situations, in-depth research, and recommending strategies and changes that will prepare the company for the future.

Consultant Job Description Example

Post A Consultant Job

HOW TO HIRE AN ACTUARY

To hire an Actuary, state if you are a government department or private corporation. Excellent computer and communication skills, along with a mathematics or actuary science degree, should be requested.

To secure applications from top talent, detail all vital responsibilities. Tasks might include assessing risks based on large sets of collected data, calculating the economic effects of various situations, communicating complex statistics, computer modelling, and creating and delivering presentations.

Actuary Job Description Example

Post An Actuary Job

HOW TO HIRE AN ART DIRECTOR

To hire an Art Director, describe your gallery or business and define its goals and values. Qualified candidates should have a marketing or graphic design degree or significant experience. Top skills include time management and motivational leadership.

To entice application form submissions or contact by email, write a job ad text consisting of responsibilities, such as researching trends, leading the creative and marketing team, setting budgets and timelines, applying resources, and adapting an ad campaign’s visual elements.

Art Director Job Description Example

Post An Art Director Job

HOW TO HIRE A CONTRACT MANAGER

To hire a Contract Manager, begin by writing about your company, its values, and the services and products requiring contract management. Contract manager skills include negotiation, inventory planning, and business administration.

Appealing duties include sourcing, researching, and negotiating with vendors, delivery scheduling, assessing prices and quality, and ensuring all contracts align with the business’s policies and industry regulations.

Contract Manager Job Description Example

Post A Contract Manager Job

HOW TO HIRE A CHIEF OF STAFF

To hire a Chief Of Staff, write a company introduction and provide website and social media links where prospects can discover more. A candidate profile will help interested individuals decide if the role is for them and might include industry-specific knowledge, proven leadership experience, and a business management bachelor’s or master’s degree.

Appealing responsibilities of a chief of staff include overseeing the operations team, mediating inter-employee disputes, mentoring staff, approving new policies or policy amendments, and liaising between stakeholders and the company’s CEO.

Chief Of Staff Job Description Example

Post A Chief Of Staff Job

HOW TO HIRE A GRAPHIC DESIGNER

To hire a Graphic Designer, describe your business’s nature and the projects, websites, apps, services, or products requiring design attention. You can include application requirements, such as a degree in graphic design and a shareable portfolio of previous work.

Appealing graphic designer duties include planning concepts, liaising with senior managers or external clients, creating illustrations, and submitting completed projects for approval, feedback, and modification.

Graphic Designer Job Description Example

Post A Graphic Designer Job

Advertising Your Professional Services Positions: Referral Schemes, Social Media, & Job Boards

Advertising For A New Employee Across Multiple Channels

With your job ad in hand, you are ready to find and hire the best talent. Your recruitment strategy might include posting your position:

Internally (Employee Referral Schemes)

A non-incentivised or incentivised employee referral scheme is extremely valuable when you want to hire the best candidates. You will turn your current employees into motivated recruiters, sharing that you are seeking a new hire across their social and professional networks (LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter).

Download Job Advert Template

Employee referral schemes often bring in the best candidates, with your team’s connections including like-minded professionals and industry contacts. To engage this business hiring strategy, share your job ads with your team and reward referrals from employees.

You can discover tips on referral schemes for employees by reading Introducing An Employee Referral Scheme.

On Social Media

Hiring professional services staff for companies or professional services firms through social media is effective, with paid and free advertising options. The best tips for success include ensuring your social media messaging is consistent with your business brand and conveys a positive image. An active social media channel is helpful if you want to build a community of talent just waiting for an opportunity to join your team as your company grows. Recommended activity includes posting news, expert opinions, updates, and industry insights.

Our tips and advice for implementing a successful social media hiring strategy include:

  • Marketing yourself first
  • Joining industry networks and groups
  • Engaging with respondents and nurturing discussions
  • Using advanced search tools and Recruiter Lite on LinkedIn
  • Using Twitter’s advanced search tool and direct messaging
  • Building activity on your company’s Facebook page and encouraging engagement from existing employees, turning them into business advocates

We explore finding good candidates through social media further in our articles Social Media Hiring Strategies For SMEs and Job Advertising On Social Media.

On Job Boards

Whether you are recruiting your first hire or your hundredth, you need a flexible approach that includes advertising on job boards, which is essential if you want to be hire in an acceptable timeframe. You can post a professional services job on one job board, or many using an Applicant Tracking System. Job board resellers help you advertise your Professional Services job across multiple general, niche, and geographical job boards using their integrated ATS software, minimising the hassle and time of developing leads and hiring employees.

Leading General Job Boards:

Niche Professional Services Job Boards:

Aggregator Job Boards:

Geographical Job Sites:

You can advertise your job on these job boards today.

Reducing Recruitment Process Costs And Time: Recruitment Companies & ATS

Reducing Hiring Costs Of Professional Services Executives

Budgets, deadlines, and administration require careful consideration whenever you instigate the recruitment process to find and secure a new hire. To get the best results, you may decide to work with a recruiting firm with a UK wide focus, a global recruitment partner, or a niche recruitment company.

We discuss agency fees and recruiters in these two articles; How To Avoid High Recruitment Agency Fees and The Pros And Cons Of Having A Recruiter On Retainer.

Fixed Cost Recruitment

Fixed-cost recruitment allows you to hire at a flat fee governed by the level of service and functionality you desire.

The success of fixed-cost recruitment depends on the business offering the service, the methodologies they deploy, and their expertise and knowledge of your industry or business sector. You will need to determine which actions you need assistance with to use flat-fee recruitment successfully.

Four steps to leveraging fixed cost recruitment to hire:

  1. Place ads across leading job boards
  2. Search CV databases and social media channels
  3. Headhunt and shortlist new employee candidates with initial screening
  4. Receive an interviewed and qualified applicant pool

Useful resources:

Applicant Tracking Systems

Automatic Tracking Systems can significantly reduce the costs to recruit professional services staff by creating efficiency. Candidate, vacancy, and advert management fall within the software’s parameters.

Team access creates a unified place to work, helping you build a seamless hiring process and applicant experience.

Five steps to centralising recruitment with ATS:

  1. Find professional services staff online
  2. Review applicant scores
  3. Distribute personalised messages to a large applicant pool
  4. Automate responses using the software
  5. Direct candidates to application forms

To explore all the features and benefits of Automatic Tracking Systems, read Centralising Recruitment With ATS.

Screening Job Seekers And The Interview Process

Screening And Interviewing For The Professional Services Sector

Before interviewing commences, you need to shortlist applicants by reviewing their CVs or resumes. Indications that you have qualified candidates worth interviewing include:

  • Quantifiable evidence of past achievements and skills
  • The individual has steady career progression
  • The individual is not job-hopping
  • The CV is free from spelling and grammatical errors
  • The applicant has the relevant business acumen, experience, and the skills to meet the job’s requirements

Business owners and hiring managers need to be prepared to deliver a consistent interview experience. It helps to ask the same interview questions to each candidate, to aid applicant scoring. Ensure anyone who has candidate contact is on the same page and understands the brand’s vision, values, work environment, and opportunities. Interviews should be challenging, supportive, positive, and engaging.

Video interviews are an increasingly popular recruitment solution, saving on resources and speeding up the recruitment process. Video sharing, shortlisting, and feedback from hiring and line managers ultimately generate more successful outcomes. If your firm has not conducted a video interview before, read How To Conduct A Remote Interview.

Our article Defining Your Interview Process, discusses interview questions, avoiding unconscious bias, and interviewing tips.

Presenting A Job Offer & Onboarding Staff In Professional Services Firms

Presenting A Job Offer To Professional Services Staff

When you have finished interviewing candidates and believe you have the right person for your role, you will need to present a job offer and onboard the part or full time employee:

Making A Job Offer

The process of presenting the offer to professionals varies depending on what has occurred before. If you don’t already understand the individual’s current earnings, expectations are better managed over the phone. Phone offers should be confident but be prepared to make changes if the individual’s circumstances have changed. Reaffirm that the candidate is happy with the offer, clarify their acceptance, and proceed to a formal written offer, in the same way you would for any business employee.

A formal offer letter from your firm can be conditional (dependent on a background check, etc) or unconditional and should include:

  • Job title
  • Candidate name
  • Your conditions – i.e., this offer is made subject to…
  • Official start date, time, and location
  • Probationary period
  • Offer terms
  • Candidate actions and acceptance instructions – i.e., signed copy of job offer
  • Terms and conditions of employment (issued within two months of the start date)

You can read further on Presenting A Job Offer here.

Onboarding Professional Service Sector Staff

The onboarding process should support the employee as they begin working with your team.

Actions for onboarding might include:

  • Creating an employer identification number
  • Presenting the individual with an employee handbook
  • An office tour, introducing the person to their team and business leaders
  • Informing the person of the communication methods and the software to use in the new role
  • Presenting clear responsibilities and duties
  • Defining new role expectations, standards, and performance indicators
  • Gathering feedback from new hires

Hiring Process And Job Postings FAQs

Here we answer your hiring questions.

What are the recruiting steps?

The recruiting steps include reviewing your employer brand, creating a job posting, screening and interviewing job seekers, and making a job offer.

What do hiring managers need?

To recruit for any position, you ideally need access to ATS software to streamline the process, advertise on multiple job boards, and manage candidates.

How To Hire Staff In Different Sectors

Find our recruitment guides for different sectors below:

All Professional Services Job Descriptions

Post All Professional Services Jobs

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