People often discuss the challenges of securing Partnership in the City but what happens when, after years of training, you find yourself amongst the elite of the City’s Associates only to discover this isn’t quite what you thought it would be? Here is our ten point guide to what to do

1. Don’t panic – we speak to hundreds of people every year who have drawn the same conclusions and who go on to have hugely rewarding and successful careers.
2. Make sure the problem is endemic – it has taken years to get to this point so guard against making a rash judgement based on a bad few weeks.
3. Identify and Isolate exactly what you do and don’t like about the job. This is invaluable in deciding what you do next. Think about the work, the culture, size of team, salary, prospects.
4. Get some advice. Speak to good specialist recruiters and to trusted contacts who have made similar moves.
5. Consider all of the options. Every law firm is different and there are plenty of ways to make a big change without walking away from your career. Think also about international options, in-house roles, PSL/KM roles.
6. Target the move most able to keep the good points and reduce the bad aspects of your current role. Forget about status, make your decision based on job satisfaction, career prospects, and earning requirements, not on what your contemporaries will think.
7. Agree a strategy with your recruitment consultant. Make sure you are comfortable with the process and that you are not at risk of your CV being scattered all over the market.
8. Be patient. Don’t quit your current job and do your best to maintain the status quo. Career changing moves can take time and you are far better placed to do it if in a current role.
9. Prepare carefully for interviews. They may well be different to your previous experiences and you will need a strong repertoire of answers as to why you are making a change of direction. You may need to counter covert questions aimed at finding out whether you ‘just can’t hack it’ in a City firm.
10. Consider offers carefully before jumping. Make sure that the attraction of the new role is strong and that you are not just being influenced by a desperate desire to jump ship.

Remember there are lots of alternatives and you don’t have to end up in legal recruitment! For a more detailed take on this topic please contact Jason Horobin at j[email protected] to request a copy of the full article.