Trainee data goes on-line

M4 firm Morgan Cole has put its entire trainee recruitment programme on-line.

The service allows wannabe lawyers to apply for a training contract through the firm's Web site.

Applicants fill out a detailed form, taking around 45 minutes, and submit the application through a secure server.

The system is geared to automatic and objective screening, assessment, rating and ranking of applicants, and facilitates applicant management and tracking.

Clifford Chance was the first firm to put its trainee recruitment process on-line.

Morgan Cole's human resources manager Herma Prinsen said: 'In the training contract marketplace, it is vital for us to be able to respond to strong candidates quickly.'

By putting the process on-line, she said, costs were cut and the applications were processed much faster.

'We also felt that by introducing a more objective recruitment service, we could better evaluate applicants' skills and motivations.'

More than 350 applications were received in the first week of the on-line scheme.

Victoria MacCallum