Category Archives: Do’s and Don’ts

← Back to Feed
December 29, 2011

Is it OK for my resume to be 2 pages long?

Resume Length

Photo from www.pictureofsuccess.com/blog/

This month I answered the questions I am most often asked regarding resumes.

Week #1: Resume Gaps

Week #2: Graduation Dates

Week #3: Resume Format

Week #4: Graduate School

This week I answer the question most often by lawyers at every stage of their career. What is appropriate resume length? Can it be 2 pages?

The Answer: Sometimes, with exceptions.

 You must have enough years of experience to warrant two pages.

You must have at least 1/2 page of relevant and substantive information on the second page.

In some industries, having a resume addendum is more appropriate than a second page. A Curriculum Vitae, a CV, is a document that is generally longer than 2 pages and is significantly more inclusive than a resume. A CV is used regularly in academia, medicine and publishing as well as most places outside the U.S. People in the U.S. incorrectly use the words interchangeably.

**HAPPY NEW YEAR**

I am here to help your job search resolutions come true.

 

Catagories: Do's and Don'ts Job Search Resume
Comments: No Comments |
December 27, 2011

How should I make clear that I started but didn’t finish graduate school?

FAQ - Resume Advice

Photo by www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/

Carefully!

If you did not graduate from school, you did not complete the degree program and may not claim to have done so. You can not call yourself a Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant, or Social Worker without specific certifications and degrees. A potential client was curious why she wasn’t getting hired to do accounting work when she was an accountant. I asked if she had her CPA. No, she didn’t, BUT, she’d done “tons of bookkeeping work and worked with lots of accountants.” That did not make her an accountant. She truly believed that because she she had the same skills as an accountant that she could call herself one.

There are always exceptions. However, when a job requires a degree, saying you have the degree when you do not, regardless of how strongly you feel that you deserve it, could have received it, or took some classes towards it, is a lie. Your potential inability to understand the difference is what is preventing you from getting hired.

I have no doubt you could do the job as well as, if not better than, many people who have their diploma stuck on a piece of wood in their office. You should indicate that you’ve taken classes towards your degree, which clearly shows an interest in the subject matter. If you intend to complete your degree you should indicate your anticipated graduation date and be ready to explain why there is a gap in your education. This only applies to job seekers who started a a degree and didn’t finish or started years ago and are planning to complete their degree now.

NOTE: It is illegal to act like a lawyer or doctor without proper degrees, licenses, certifications, and experience.

There are many professional degrees, act like a professional and no one will fault you for not having one.

Catagories: Do's and Don'ts Job Search Resume
Comments: No Comments |
December 20, 2011

What is the best format for my resume?

Best Resume Format

Photo by www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/

Chronological or Hybrid.

Reverse Chronological is the most well recognized – HR professionals and recruiters prefer this format and it is an option for almost all applicants.

Hybrid is Chronological + Skills-Based and enables you to highlight skills that might not be immediately obvious based on your experience. This is a good option for applicants changing careers or practice areas.

Always include where and when and who:

Where did you work? That includes the company name and location.

When did you work there?

Who were you when you were there; what was your title?

Know which answers are more valued in your industry. For example, if your title is more important than where you worked highlight that.

See Vault.com for more information on resume formats, including  paragraph v. bullet formats and infographic resumes.

Catagories: Do's and Don'ts Job Search Resume
Comments: No Comments |
December 13, 2011

Should I include dates of graduation on my resume?

FAQ Dates of Graduation

Photo from www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/

It depends.

If you recently obtained a new degree include the date to show that it is current but then be consistent and include dates for each degree.

Ageism will happen. It is unavoidable. People will judge you based on your years of experience, what you look like, and even potentially your email address. It is illegal but almost impossible to prove.

There will come a point in your career when your experience will outweigh your education. When that point comes you can consider removing your graduation dates.

Catagories: Do's and Don'ts Job Search Resume
Comments: No Comments |
December 6, 2011

How to handle gaps on your resume?

FAQ - Resume Gaps

Photo from www.planetofsuccess.com/blog/

Honestly.

Highlight your relevant skills and consider using subheadings to more specifically show your expertise. For example, my resume includes “Legal Recruiting Experience” and “Legal Experience” subheadings so that potential employers will see exactly what I wanted them to see and what was most relevant to them will be, literally, front and center on my resume.

Do not use a Functional Resume to “hide” gaps. This only invites the reader to find them.

If you anticipate having a gap on your resume soon, consider all of your options. Can you volunteer in your area of interest? Can you attend classes to keep up with the changes in your industry? Can you write a blog and comment on LinkedIn discussions to stay current and to keep your name in front of potential clients and hiring managers? Include relevant volunteer experience and CLE classes to show your dedication to your practice area or your interest in a new one.

Catagories: Do's and Don'ts Job Search Resume
Comments: No Comments |
September 21, 2011

Teach Me Law Radio Interview

Radio Interview Job Search

Image from Teach Me Law Radio

I was recently interviewed by Tara Kachaturoff of Teach Me Law Radio, a blogtalk radio station “with one objective in mind, to learn about the law and it’s impact on our lives.”

Tara and I spoke about my business, Attorney’s Counsel, as well as other topics related to my work as Chair of the Law Student Perspectives Committee at the NYCBar, including, law school and it’s continued viability, legal job searches, alternative legal jobs, tips for recent law school graduates and common resume mistakes I see in my practice.

I have included the audio from our interview here. There are many other topics that Tara and other expert interviewees have covered so please take a look and pass along the link if appropriate.

Next week, each day, I will highlight one topic from my interview since Tara and I were only able to touch on each one briefly.

I am looking forward to answering your questions as well.

July 29, 2011

5 FREE Resources to Find Whom You Already Know at Your Dream Job

Last week I wrote that resumes submitted through a person at the firm or organization will be reviewed first. Now, how do you find the people to whom you should send your resume?

The following are 5 free and simple things to do, some you may already be doing, to find people you already know at your dream job.

    1. LinkedIn – You are already on LinkedIn and updating your status regularly, now join groups, answer questions and “Follow Companies.” Find people who work at your dream job. How closely connected are you? Find people who have recently started (now might not be the best time for them to hand off your resume, let them get settled in, but now’s a great time to reconnect) and who have recently left (they still have friends there and can tell you recent news, hopefully without any bias or conflicts)
    2. Career Center – Career counselors at your law school know which firms are looking to hire alumni from your law school. They know which firms might not currently be looking but are more likely to hire alumni. They know how to update your resume and do mock interviews. Most schools have a specific counselor whose job it is to focus on alumni.
    3. College and Law School Alumni – Read recent news and join your alumni organizations. Attend alumni events when you can. I know I am always happy to help a current student at my alma mater (Brandeis University and Brooklyn Law School). Networking with alumni is easier. You know you already have something in common to discuss.
    4. Twitter – Follow the official tweets of the firm you are targeting, follow the people who have the job you want, people who work at the firm you want, and people who are connected to those people. Now engage them in a conversation, ask them what they think of a recent and relevant news article, find out what they like and don’t like and once you have an online relationship consider taking it off-line. There are many success stories of lawyers and law students using Twitter to engage people whom they might not have met otherwise.
    5. Mass email – You do not want to send your resume out as a mass email. However, writing to friends and former colleagues is a great way to tell people what you are looking for. Ask if they know anyone at your target firms and organizations. Be flexible. Everyone knows someone and that someone might be the one you’re looking for. Then offer to help them.
May 24, 2011

5 Cover Letter Errors to AVOID

Cover-Letter-Lawyer-Do's-and-Don'ts-Attorney's-Counsel

  1. Not including a cover letter – This is your opportunity to tell your target employer exactly why you are the perfect candidate and how your work experience exactly matches their current needs and will make their life better. Make them want to read your resume. If a job application has a section to upload your cover letter, do it! If you are emailing your resume see #4.
  2. Not matching the tone and formality of your resume and other job search documents – Be consistent. Your cover letter is your introduction to an organization and might be the only thing they see if it isn’t perfect and compelling, meaning that they won’t even see the resume you spent all the time drafting. Your header, if you mail it (see #4), should match your resume header and any other documents that are requested, writing sample, deal sheet, etc.
  3. Not including how your past accomplishments will benefit your potential new employer and save them energy, money and time – Highlight items from your resume and clearly link them to how you can help the employer and potentially solve a current problem. I know I want to hire people who so perfectly fit my needs I can go home early and trust that my business will get done as well as I … never mind, just make sure you clearly and relevantly explain why YOU, and not anyone else, will accomplish things with and for them. You’re not saving lives, unless you are, but remember to tell them how you can be an EMT, and save them Energy, Money and Time.
  4. Attaching your cover letter to your email instead of putting the letter in the body of the email, or worse, including the letter in the same attached document as your resume – Do not give the person receiving your documents more work to do, or attachments to open. 98% of cover letters are emailed now (I made up that statistic but I’m guessing there must be about 2% of people who still mail things or are required to) so yes, it is OK. Note: When I say “[put] the letter in the body of the email” I mean start at Dear ___: . . . and end at Sincerely, Your New EMT. Do not include the date and letter head. Have you ever seen an email that looks like a letter? If you include your cover letter in the same document as your resume there is no reason for a recruiter or hiring decision maker to scroll past page 1 and they may not see your resume. True Story: I’ve thrown out coverletterresumes. The cover letter, is a COVER letter.
  5. Your cover letter is too long or not long enough – 1 page maximum and 3-4 paragraphs is the norm. Be concise but inclusive. I don’t like to give strict rules on this but as a former recruiter and after speaking to many people in career services and placement, this is the norm. Job seekers always ask for rules, it makes just one part of the process easier. You’re welcome.

Here’s a freebie – Spell check and eliminate typos!

If you have any questions please get in touch.

May 17, 2011

5 Resume DOs and DON’Ts

Legal-Resume-Law-Student-Job-Search-Attorney's-Counsel Resume Do’s and Don’ts apply to everyone. But, like the law, there are rules and standards and consequences. For example, if you skip to the bottom of this post to find the link to the 5 Do’s and Don’ts you’ll miss a few additional rules. You wouldn’t skip the instructions on your exam would you!? Is this you: OH NO, I didn’t know it was open book!!!!! Keep reading…

PS. Yes, I have no apostrophe in the DOs in the title of the post because the “s” in that case makes the word plural. There are multiple, 5 actually, DOs. However, in the text of the post an apostrophe is necessary otherwise Do’s becomes the Spanish word for two, Dos, and we’ve already talked about the fact that there are FIVE Do’s (disgree with my potentially made-up grammer? Comment away!). As my dos-year-old would say, Get it? Got it? Good! Wonder where she heard that….

Wanted to point that out because it is something I would have noticed and it probably would have cost a candidate an interview. Hopefully, if you follow these do’s and don’ts (see, that word already comes with an apostrophe) you will have every interview opportunity, at which time you can explain all of your own made-up grammar rules.

Moving on, the rules and standards of resume review can be found easily online.  Legal resumes follow the standards of most other industries but most law students and recent law graduates have specific types of experience to include and information potential employers need to know. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Did you have legal experience prior to law school?
  • Did you have a career before entering law school?
  • Did you participate in any clinics during your 3-4 years of law school?
  • Are you admitted to the Bar or is admission pending?

The rules law students and recent graduates must follow are fairly basic:

  • NO typos,
  • NO color,
  • NO objective, and
  • Only put class rank or GPA if you graduated within the past year and have over 3.5GPA or were ranked in the top 10% of your class, otherwise you are a member of a much larger pool and it is not a distinguishing factor.

The consequences of not following the rules are not prison time or a lengthy trial. However, a job search can certainly feel like both.

Read these 5 Resume Do’s and Don’ts and let me know which you think are rules and which are standards.

March 15, 2011

Really? No one noticed? Or…

…did you not get the irony?

Who can tell me where in my Trailblazer post there is an intended typo?

Wait, hmm, how would you know if it was intentional? Fair enough.

1st commenter to tell me where the typo is gets a free 1/2 dozen Fretzels by Jill sent to their home or office.

1st tweet, from a different reader, gets the same.