Recruitment has evolved tremendously in the last couple of years. With corporations cutting costs and the ever shrinking budgets, recruiters have had to rethink their strategies on attracting a wider selection of applicants to find individuals with multiple and relevant skill sets. Recruitment for Legal Process Outsourcing (LPO) providers is no different. With an already “not-so-positive” perception combined with lack of knowledge regarding opportunities towards a career in LPO, recruiters are thinking of innovative ways to find the best fit individuals.

Social Media with its reach and acceptability has emerged as one tool that is being used by LPOs to attract recruits. From posts on linkedin groups (much like the example below) to actively searching for job prospects to even using twitter, LPOs are finding it easier to advertise for job openings.
 

Facebook is another avenue that is being actively explored to connect with a wider audience across cities in India to strengthen the pool of talent to choose from. The fan page below offers prospective candidates a chance to learn about the company and at times, the position they are applying for.
 
 
The service providers that we have been speaking with also indicated that college recruitment has picked up steam. LPOs have started frequenting colleges to pre-select candidates with specific domain knowledge for interviews to fill open positions. Earlier trends suggest that most college recruits interviewed by the LPOs were hired irrespective of the type of college degree they possessed for work that did not need lawyers. Successful candidates were then accordingly trained.

Post-recession and owing to slashed budgets, LPOs are paying far greater attention to expertise and domain knowledge that graduates can bring to the table, eliminating the need for strenuous training programmes. With law colleges having improved their course strength, LPO’s are paying additional attention to these graduates as training them is easier. These fresh graduates are given the opportunity to work on a global platform, usually not available in a law firm or in-house counsel work environment. The selling point LPO’s use to attract freshers is the prospect of client interactions coupled with on-site client visits. Financial security so quickly after university also appeals to graduates.

One of the most commonly offered employee incentives advertised during the interview process is the flexible working hours; this is partly based on client needs, urgency of the work and the time zone. Team activities outside of office are encouraged so they can translate into better working conditions within the office. Exceptional on-the-job performances are rewarded. Some LPOs even allow the option of working from home.
Fewer vacancies and higher retention rates are proof that these approaches are working. However, LPOs need to increase their reach by visiting more colleges in more cities. This will provide them with the opportunity to select applicants from a larger talent pool. It will also spread awareness among students about considering LPO as a viable option. To extend their reach with social media, LPOs can also use online forums. These forums can help in correspondence with prospective candidates, answering questions and educating them about the company before the interview process.

While most of these innovative methods are currently targeting those that will eventually qualify for the entry level positions, the current position of the LPO industry will soon require similar innovative efforts for the middle and senior management positions. LPOs need to start thinking about their approach right away as the people needed to fill these roles are of a different caliber and require experience and domain expertise.