The document discusses best practices for building a better interview process for hiring e-discovery professionals. It covers deciding when to hire, preparing by crafting job descriptions and deciding who to interview. It also discusses preparing for interviews by planning the interview process and developing questions. The goal is to attract and identify the most qualified talent through a strategic interview approach.

1. Building a Better Interview
Process for Smarter E-
Discovery Hiring!
Wednesday, March 4th 2015

2. !
!
!
Join Today! aceds.org/join
!
Exclusive News and Analysis
Monthly Members-Only Webcasts
Networking with CEDS, Members
On-Demand Training
!
Resources
Jobs Board
bits + bytes Newsletter
Affinity Partner Discounts
!
!“ACEDS provides an excellent, much needed forum… to train, network and stay current
on critical information.”
Kimarie Stratos, General Counsel, Memorial Health Systems, Ft. Lauderdale

4. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Jared Coseglia – TRU Staffing Partners
Jared Michael Coseglia, founder and President of TRU
Staffing Partners, has over twelve years of experience
representing talent in e-Discovery, Litigation Support, and
broadly throughout legal technology staffing. He has
successfully placed over 1700 professionals in full-time and
temporary positions at the AmLaw 200, Fortune 1000, and
within the consultancy and service provider community.
His ability to identify, deliver, and help retain talent has
allowed him the privilege of quickly becoming the globally
recognized “go-to” individual for clients and candidates in
need of staffing solutions or career guidance and
management in eDiscovery. Coseglia’s unique style of
representation, vast network of relationships, and subject
matter expertise has helped earn TRU a host of awards
including Top 3 Best National Legal Recruiter in Best of The
National Law Journal Awards, 2012, 2013 & 2014, as well
as a Top 3 Best Legal & Litigation Support Agency by the
New York Law Journal 2013 & 2014, and #1 Litigation
Support Staffing Agency in Chicago 2014. Mr. Coseglia is an
active member of the Litigation Support community and
frequently writes and speaks about the state of the legal
technology job market with ACEDS, WiE, Peer-to-Peer, LTN,
and other publications and organizations. Visit
www.trustaffingpartners.com.
March 4, 2015 4

5. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Overview:
Deciding to hire
Preparing to hire
Deciding who to interview
Preparing for an interview
The Interview
Follow-up
Making the right hire
5March 4, 2015

6. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Part 1
Deciding to hire
“It all begins with the need for another person to lease their talents to a
team.”
6March 4, 2015

7. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Why am I hiring?
• Someone has left and I need to replace them right away
• Someone has left and this gives me an opportunity to make a
strategic hire
• Someone has been promoted, and we need to backfill the position
• Add to staff, increased client demand requires more resources
• Add to staff, anticipation of increased demand, proactively hiring
• Add to staff, non-billable administrative resource
• Add to staff, business development resources to grow the business
7March 4, 2015

8. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
“Why” defines process, timing and target
talent.
• Someone has left and I need to replace them right away
• Immediately available resource, possibly a temp
• Very specific skill set to “plug and play”
• Needs resumes fast, no time for casual shopping
• May need to pay top dollar to get exactly what you want quickly
!
• Someone has left and this gives me an opportunity to make a
strategic hire
• Role definition might be an organic process, “I’ll know it when I see it.”
• Buy-in from peers and partners on change in human capital strategy
• Requires a passive & patient candidate
• Temp-to-perm option, the “try-and-buy”
8March 4, 2015

9. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
“Why” defines process, timing and target
talent.
• Someone has been promoted, and we need to backfill the
position
• Clearly defined expectations and role definition
• “Replacing your future manager” syndrome , the micromanagement trap
• Compensation limitations, vertical growth limitations
• Wise to hire someone also “stepping up” into the role
!
• Add to staff, increased client demand requires more resources
• What will they inherit that needs service? Fit to client
• Rapid indoctrination of institutional knowledge
• Ready for fast pace, high demand, can “roll with the punches”
9March 4, 2015

10. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
“Why” defines process, timing and target
talent.
• Add to staff, anticipation of increased demand, proactively hiring
• How available is the bench for shadowing?
• Training functionality and formality
• More time to ramp/train, longer to be billable
• Can hire less expensive talent
!
• Add to staff, non-billable administrative resource
• Industry experience required?
• Creating career path or hire to retire
• Brand ambassador or behind the scenes
!
• Add to staff, business development resources to grow the
business
10March 4, 2015

11. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Part Two
Preparing to hire
“Knowing what you want is half the battle.”
11March 4, 2015

12. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Crafting the Perfect Job Description
• Open or close with culture
• Unique differentiator
• Detail, detail, detail
• Include tool specific brands (“Must vs Proficient vs Exposure”)
• Where in EDRM, breadth of service offering
• Role evolution
• Goals, measures of success
12March 4, 2015

13. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Job Description: “Should I…”
• … include salary information?
• … include bonus/commission plan details?
• … include reporting structure?
• … include degree requirements?
• … include overtime expectations?
• … included benefit information?
• … require a cover letter?
• … be broad or go narrow?
13March 4, 2015

14. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Job Boards: To Post or Not to Post
(aka “playing the Field”)
• Exploring the market or looking to fill the role quickly?
• Sole sourcing source or supplemental?
• Who will go through all the applicants?
• Do you want competitors knowing you are hiring for this role?
• Cost saving or time sucking?
• Do you post compensation ranges to attract talent?
• Free marketing or sign of desperation?
• The 72 day rule
14March 4, 2015

15. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
When to Work With External Agencies
• Immediate needs
• Contract hiring
• New role to the organization
• Niche expertise
• No time to self-source
• Volume hiring
• Targeted recruitment
• Inside scoop
15March 4, 2015

16. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Part Three
Deciding who to interview
“Judging a person on paper.”
16March 4, 2015

17. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Interpreting an e-Discovery Resume
• Organizational flow
• Technical Skills, Experience, Education
• Education, Experience, Technical skills
• Milestones, Technical skills, Education, Experience Chronology
• Proficiency vs Expertise
• Tech time vs Client time
• EDRM breadth
• Size and scope
• Technology in context to experience
• Tenure, gaps, promoted
• Sales statistics
• Stigma of “contract attorney”
• Does the resume leave you with more questions than answers?
17March 4, 2015

18. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Due Diligence beyond the resume
• Check LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook
• Professional photo(s)?
• Resume matches online profile, DOE, nothing omitted or added?
• FB on “private”?
• What kinds of tweets are they creating? Retweeting?
• Simple Google search
• Do not call references before first interview
• How well does your recruiter know the candidate?
18March 4, 2015

19. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Personality Testing
• Terrible way to start the process/relationship with a new
applicant
• Terrible way to determine whether or not to interview
someone
• Great way to validate your experience with a candidate at the
end of the process prior to offer
• Great way to gather information about areas of strength and
weakness prior to hire
• Great way to have an employee/employer conversation about
personal performance and perception once hired
19March 4, 2015

20. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Part Four
Preparing for an interview
“The preparation you put into your search will be reflected in the talent you attract.”
20March 4, 2015

21. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Crafting Your Process Before It Starts
• What will the process be?
• How many rounds?
• Value of phone interviews for eDiscovery hires
• Who are the key stakeholders?
• Will you do peer interviews?
• One-on-one vs group interviews?
• Will they need to meet the attorneys?
• Will there be a technical test?
• HR integration and collaboration?
21March 4, 2015

22. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Basic Q&A Tips for Success
• Taking questions out of the hypothetical and into the actual
• Engage in storytelling
• Avoid “right/wrong” or “yes/no” questions on a first interview
• Magic 5 Questions:
• What is motivating you to consider a job move?
• Why are you interested in our organization?
• What is a typical day/main responsibilities in your role?
• What is the most challenging part of your current role?
• What are your milestones of achievement in your current/recent
role(s)?
22March 4, 2015

23. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Nuanced Q&A for e-Discovery Professionals
(the right/wrong questions)
• What is DeNIST?
• What fields typically do you use to generate an email MD5HASH?
• What is an EquiSet?
• What is the file extension of a Summation load file?
• Explain a “parent/child” relationship?
• Are you configuring and maintaining user accounts in Relativity?
• Do you create batches and run search terms?
23March 4, 2015

24. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Nuanced Q&A for e-Discovery Professionals
(the current role questions)
• How much time is computer facing vs client facing?
• How much time is spent on collections, processing, hosting,
review, production, trial support?
• Hosting your data or externally supported?
• How many cases do you support at one time?
• How large are the biggest cases, how small the smallest?
• Average week in terms of OT?
• Do you work from home, login remotely, carry a PDA, length of
commute?
24March 4, 2015

25. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Nuanced Q&A for e-Discovery Professionals
(the situational questions)
• How would you explain Unicode compliance to an attorney?
• What are the unique parameters to consider when working on
international matters that require cross-border collaboration?
• You receive 3rd party data containing single page tiffs, single page
text, and a DII file. How would you go about loading for review into
Relativity?
• What are the core differences between processing data in LAW vs Nuix?
• Why would running the same search terms on the same data set in
Nuix or LAW and Relativity yield different results?
• How do inclusionary and exclusionary forensic culls vary?
• How do you configure analytics indices for document Categorization
and Assisted Review?
25March 4, 2015

26. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Nuanced Q&A for e-Discovery Professionals
(the emotional questions)
• Who has been your favorite manager and why?
• Why was the most difficult client you have worked with so
challenging, and how did you overcome those challenges?
• What kind of work environment do you feel you thrive in?
• Where are the areas you think you can improve upon
professionally?
• Where do you envision your career 3 years from now?
• What is the hardest part of your job?
26March 4, 2015

27. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Part Five
The Interview
“A great interview is like a great stage performance: prepare then leave all the prep in
the wings and try to live in the moment.”
27March 4, 2015

28. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
First Interview, First Date
(a familiar formula)
• Amuse Bouche = pleasantries, small talk, weather, “You live in the
city?”
• Appetizers = candidate work history + company overview
• Main Course = typical day & main responsibilities
• Dessert = culture, character
• The Check = compensation expectations
28March 4, 2015

29. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Always good to…
• Have a copy of the resume already printed
• Offer the candidate water
• Tell the candidate how long you have to spend with them
• Listen with your eyes
• Allow 5 minutes or more for the candidate to ask questions at
end
• Set expectations and timeline for next steps
• Escort the candidate out
29March 4, 2015

30. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Never ever…
!
• Interview while sitting behind your laptop or computer
• Pull out your cell phone to check email during an interview
• Have music playing during an interview
• Chew gum, eat (coffee/tea ok)
• Exit the interview then re-enter
• Go longer than 1 hour or shorter than 20 minutes on a first
interview
30March 4, 2015

31. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Second Interview, Second Date
(Is this someone we want to marry?)
• Deeper technical dive (testing)
• Investigate specific vulnerabilities/weaknesses/strengths
• Check for consistency
• Team fit
• Enthusiasm barometer
• Top-down buy-in
31March 4, 2015

32. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Part Six
Follow-up
“Responsiveness, a sense of urgency, and articulate communication are all requirements
for a successful eDiscovery career…and a successful follow up to any interview.”
32March 4, 2015

33. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Follow up pitfalls
• Thank you emails/letters
• How quickly is the thank you email sent?
• Does the candidate express themselves articulately in writing?
• Can the candidate clearly reiterate key points made during the interview?
• Beware the epic “thank you” email
• Does a hand-written letter carry more value?
• Let your favorites know so
• Be transparent
• Meet expectations you set on timeline for next steps
• Pass on runners-up only when you have an acceptance
• Acceptances official when the candidate arrives for first day of
work
33March 4, 2015

34. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Part Seven
Making the Hire
“Seal the deal, and what to expect after.”
34March 4, 2015

35. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Keys to Closing the Dream Candidate
• Make your best offer first
• Be decisive when you find “the one”
• Busy seasons: March, April, May, September, October, November
• Most available jobs, shortest hiring cycles
• Offer details: bennys, 401K, vaca, contingencies, OT, 35/37.5/40
• Always extend offers verbally first, followed by in writing
• Coaching against a counter offer (the dreaded “80%”)
• Checklist: start date, pre-planned vaca, non-compete, conflicts,
background, signed offer letter, resignation given
35March 4, 2015

36. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Dos and Don’ts of Hiring Sales Talent
• Don’t expect a book of business
• Do expect measureable activity
• Don’t expect revenue for 6-12 months
• Do expect RFPs within 3-6 months
• Don’t expect to hire someone currently selling 5MM+
• Do expect 750K - 1.5MM in year one (or so)
• Do look for consultative professionals looking to transition to sales
• Do not look for seasoned sales reps outside of legal
• Do talk about revenue, quota, base and total comp on 1st interview
• Do not wait until final rounds to put $ discussion on the table
36March 4, 2015

37. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
Finale
Q&A
37
TRU Staffing Partners, Inc
www.trustaffingpartners.com
jared@trustaffingpartners.com
718.685.2092
!
Legal Technology Staffing
eDiscovery
Litigation Support
Forensics
Cyber Security
Information Governance
Managed Review
Sales and Business
Development
Privacy
And more….
!
March 4, 2015

38. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
ACEDS/TRU Affinity Partnership
The CEDS Certification Package includes:
- A one-year individual ACEDS membership
- Access to live and recorded versions of CEDS Online Preparation training
- A 145-page exam study guide
- The CEDS exam (a discounted rate is available for those who need to retake the exam)
In addition, as part of the affinity partnership, individuals who register through
TRU Staffing Partners will have access to exclusive, geographically-localized TRU
study groups and private networking events, and will also receive priority access
to TRU's team of recruiters and career management professionals throughout
the country.
To receive the discounted package, contact your TRU representative, fill out a
TRU application, or email info@trustaffingpartners.com.
For more information on the CEDS Certification Package, visit http://
www.aceds.org/about-ceds/
38March 4, 2015
TRU2015

39. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
TRU Scholarship Program
39March 4, 2015
The application process is now open and will
continue through March 27, 2015, with the
selection process following shortly after that.
The recipients will be notified and announced on
or around April 10th.
http://www.trustaffingpartners.com/site/component/content/article/6-general/223-
scholarship.html

40. Building a Better Interview Process for Smarter e-Discovery
Hiring
THANK YOU!
40
Jared Coseglia
jared@trustaffingpartners.com
March 4, 2015