First Year Associates hired outside articling student program?

[newbie99]

As a Toronto native that summered and will be articling in a city far away from home and hoping to return back to Toronto... I was browsing the NALP website and noticed under the recruitment & hiring section, it seems as though many firms had the "How many additional first year associates did you hire outside of your articling student program?" checked. How did these people get a job at these firms? Is there another "recruit"? Are you supposed to have coffee chats with the student program director? How do you apply for these firm year associate positions and when? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Dinsdale]

There is no set answer to any of those questions. There is no formal recruit in place. The rules for identifying and applying for a job opening in "real life" apply.  Most firms will have all the first years they need from their own hireback class.  But exceptions do occur.  This can be because a practice area gets busier than expected, no one in the articling class is particularly strong or interested in a niche area, etc.  The best way to get these jobs is to network, network, network.  Some will be advertised but not necessarily.  Making yourself known to the associate director / student director is obviously a good idea.