SEATTLE, Wash. (July 17, 2019)—eDiscovery talent is tough to find. During my career at Lighthouse, I have had many conversations with corporate eDiscovery professionals about how tough it is to find top talent. As the eDiscovery industry continues to expand and develop, the search for new hires continues to become more difficult. In order to ease this process, I have used a few simple guidelines to find the right candidates for Lighthouse.

Below are four qualities I look for when interviewing a potential candidate and some of the questions and ideas that help me reveal those traits:

1. Focus on problem solving. This seems intuitive, but you would be surprised at how many people I speak to in eDiscovery that focus on "can't." When instead, they could be framing the same issue as a positive by asking about the goal, and then suggesting a new way to get to that goal, getting you to a better place. Here are some scenarios that will help you to figure out if a candidate is focused on problem solving:
2. A co-worker asks you to process some data immediately. Your process dictates that they fill out a basic request form in order to get the data through, but they do not have such form. You know it is a terminable offense to violate the process.
3. A lawyer insists that you produce email files in native format, because they have agreed to a native production format in the meet and confer. What do you do?
4. Jack of all trades. Being able to be nimble and a quick learner is essential for an eDiscovery practitioner. I find that the people who have taught themselves SQL in their spare time turn out to be great colleagues. Here are some questions that could help identify a nimble candidate:
5. What was the last thing you mastered?
6. This job requires that you learn [insert tool name here], how will you go about learning said tool?
7. A true team player. In the eDiscovery industry there will always be individual work, but there is a lot of collaboration required among different functions. Top eDiscovery practitioners know how to work and communicate as a team player. Here are some scenarios to ask about:
8. Everybody on the team is flooded with work except your department/function. You are asked to help. Describe your reaction and what steps you would take.
9. Your co-worker made an error on a project and you discover it. How do you react? c. Conduct group interviews and see how they interact with several people on your team.
10. Produces tangible results. In order to support the development of your eDiscovery department and/or your company, you want to select someone who will continue to strive to produce great outcomes. These folks typically want to innovative, create, and continue to drive toward future achievements.
11. Ask them to share specific measurable results from previous efforts.
12. Ask them to explain how they reached their career goals and how they plan to continue to do so.

Recruiting is no easy undertaking, especially when searching for top talent in a specific industry like eDiscovery. However, when you set specific guidelines like the ones above and ask the right questions, you will begin to discover the right folks that are the right fit for your company.

If you would like to continue this discussion or have additional comments, feel free to email us at info@lhediscovery.com. If you are a job seeker looking for a career in eDiscovery, feel free to check out our careers page at https://lighthouseglobal.com/careers/.