Category Archives: Style

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April 22, 2010

Just Rolling Along – Transitions and Networks

There is an application on Facebook that I wish I invented called the “Friend Wheel.” It allows you to see all of your friends and their connections, or spokes in this case, to each other. It is amazing who knows who and how and from what time in their lives. Your wheel ends up looking like a web, a network of friendships and connections that can serve you in your life, in your job search and during any type of transition.

With the advent of social media, it is amazing to me that people still think it is acceptable to walk up to someone and hand them a business card. It’s odd and off-putting and often stalls a conversation before it starts. Not only may you not want to know them (which is a bad attitude), but if they are looking for business (which they probably are) or help from you (which usually means they want your business) then politely asking is better than shoving information in your face. Better to get to know you first. No, not like the Big Bad Wolf in Grama’s clothing…the better to see you with, my dear; it is best to simply start slowly. You are building a relationship.

More often than not when you meet someone you will have something in common to discuss, you’re both in the same place at the same time, and you are both hot, cold, hungry, energized, tall, short, lawyers, women, mothers, wearing shoes. Whatever it is, find it, see if the conversation is worth continuing and then decide if they are worth adding to your professional friend wheel. It may take a few meetings to determine this person’s, this spoke’s, connection to others or it may be instantly obvious. It may be that this person, or someone they know, will work with you through your next transition.

Everything in life is about transitions: the day you leave for college, the day you graduate, the day you start graduate school, and those days are not only school and career related. The day you get married, the day you bring home your first child, and the day you move into your first house, are all life events that generally happen at the same time as they happen to your friends. Yes, you will see the occasional birth or wedding announcement 10 years before you in your alumni magazine, but usually you and your friends are all going through the same life events within in the same 3 to 5 years. Take comfort in this. Transitions do not have to be nervous and scary times. “What is going to happen?” can be exciting.

Being a part of a group, for me, is a comfort; bringing people together, recognizing a commonality, is fun. However, I have a friend who never wants all of her groups of friends together at once, her birthday was always fun because she loved parties, but she was stressed because so many different parts of her life came together. I, however, love seeing everyone together and literally watching the connections and venn diagrams of people move around the room. It is those human venn diagrams that can help you through different transitions at different times.
Until then, make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other’s gold. I was a Brownie in 1st grade.

April 1, 2010

Two Things Too Obvious To Include on Your Resume

One - Do not include an objective on your resume. Your objective is to get the job; that is why you are sending the resume. Save the space! (Note: There are some resume professionals who recommend an objective. However, in the legal industry they are not generally approved of)

Two – Do not include “references available upon request” on your resume.  If a potential employer wants references they will request them and you will provide them.  This is simply unnecessary. Save the space!

Also, while I have you here, WATCH OUT for:

  • two v too  v to, and
  • their v they’re, although you should not be using contractions (shouldn’t and don’t) in your professional writing, and
  • its and it’s, and
  • our v are v hour (yes I know that last one is not officially a homophone, but with some accents….and some misspellings)
February 25, 2010

Want to Get Lucky?

That’s easy…just be in the right place at the right time. Simple, right? The problem is that you don’t know that you have been in the right place until you can look back at the situation and realize the right thing happened from you being there.

How to fix the problem without a flux capacitor? Create situations. Meet people, network, share information, think about what you have done in the past that has worked, and ask people what they have done that has worked for them. It is easy for someone to say they got lucky. But was it really luck or did they apply for a job for which they were under-qualified, get a lower status job and work their way up to their dream job? Maybe they had a job in school and their boss knew someone and made a call and they met more of the right people and got their next dream job.

Maybe, or maybe they were just lucky.

February 25, 2010

Hey you, with the big Scarlet A on your shirt! Want a job?

Think The Scarlet Letter doesn’t apply in today’s modern society?

THINK AGAIN!

The Internet makes public branding and humiliation easier, faster and more global in scope.

There is a law that requires the “Oklahoma Department of Health to publish data online on all abortion patients — including the woman’s race, marital status, financial circumstances, years of education, number of previous pregnancies, and her reason for seeking the abortion. Doctors who fail to provide such information will be criminally penalized and stripped of their medical licenses.” http://tiny.cc/AttysCounsel178

This public punishment is also known as a Scarlet Letter Law. Even someone who only read the Cliffs Notes knows the humiliating public punishment Hester Prynne was forced to endure. Unfortunately, Hawthorne’s novel is as relevant today as it ever was.

When celebrities commit “indiscretions” their sins are made public by nature of their personas.  Those moments of carelessness stay with them, not only because of who they are, but also because the internet allows information to be recalled immediately and perpetually. Hester is able to rehabilitate herself in the eyes of her community, but when she finally removes her label, her scarlet letter, her daughter does not recognize her.  People become what they have done.  If you do something now and you are not famous and do not live in Puritan Massachusetts do you have anything to worry about?  YES!

Start acting like the person you want to be with the job you want to have.

The internet enables your community to brand you based on the information you provide them.  DO NOT GIVE YOUR COMMUNITY AN EXCUSE TO BRAND YOU!

Hester was burned by the “red-hot brand” of her punishment, but your personal brand, the one that you have worked hard to create (you should start doing that now…add it to your list), can be altered and damaged by others.

You must take control of your brand, of the you you want to become.  Review everything you put online. Set up privacy settings on your website, your blog, your Facebook page. Employers will search and use anything they find to continue their evaluation of you. They will not only use your resume, cover letter, interview and references to make hiring decisions.

If you create those professional marketing tools and then have even one thing online that is not professional or that can in any way damage the image you hope to portray you are doing yourself and your career a disservice.

February 22, 2010

Resume Time Limits

People look at your resume for about 10-20 seconds, if that, so while you must intrigue them with your accomplishments and brilliance, if you want them to turn the page, and they might, your resume must be legible…some call it readability.

You may be thinking, “wait, I thought my resume should only be one page.” There are always exceptions. Regardless, unique and brilliant accomplishments must be clear and easy to read and easy to spot.

Not only must your resume be legible, but it must also be current. The resume time limit applies to the length of time someone will review it, but it also applies to the sell-by date of the document.

Your resume can get stale. Every month you should review and update your resume. Can’t manage every month? Do it quarterly, put it on your calendar. Keep a running list of tasks you do at work…save your emails and refer back to them to recall what you were asked to do and the results of those tasks. That list is also helpful at the end of the year during your review, you will be able to highlight your accomplishments.

Not at work, don’t have anyone asking you to do anything? Keep your skills and memberships sections current as well.

February 11, 2010

Rule v. Standard – Always be YOU

There are plenty of style books out there. See the list to the right on this blog. Yes, In Style and the MLA Style Handbook both have a place on this list.  While most people do well in a LBD (Little Black Dress) or grey pin-stripe suit there are those people who do better, feel more themselves, in a red dress or a seersucker suit (one friend’s husband from Atlanta comes to mind).

Please, just as on your resume, you should be you at all times. Be authentically you, not the you you think they want you to be.

Be you, but know that there are rules and there are standards. My 1st class 1st year of law school was Legal Process. Our take-home exam (thank god) was all about rules versus standards. What was the purpose of the rule? Was it just an accepted standard?

No vehicles in the park. Discuss for the 1st grade of your legal career…

Turns out that in the exam question hypothetical the “vehicle” was a recumbent, hand-pedaled bike. Is that a vehicle? If so does it fall within the purpose of the rule? Is the purpose of the rule to keep the park safe or to avoid crowding the streets? Does a “vehicle” have to have a motor? As you can imagine, “IT DEPENDS.” and boy was I glad there was no time limit!

The same applies to resumes. The “it depends” part, there is definitely a time limit on resumes but that’s another topic for another post

RULE: You must include your name.

STANDARD: Reverse chronological order is preferred to a skills based resume.

RULE: Keep your font consistent throughout the document.

STANDARD: Avoid an objective at the top of your resume.

P.S. Did I mention my professor clerked for the Supreme Court? Yeah, he mentioned it about 100 times every class. Be proud of yourself and your accomplishments. Never be bashful when telling others about your success, but do not be conceited.

February 4, 2010

Freebie – Don’t be a Resume or Cover Letter or Thank You Note Don’t

Keep your contact information heading consistent across all of your documents, including your cover letter,  resume, thank you notes and references. Consider it your stationary stationery.

February 4, 2010

It Depends

Anyone who has attended law school has heard that “IT DEPENDS” is the typical answer attorneys should give to any question. Does it allow you to avoid accountability? To stall? To open the question up to additional analysis? Yes, yes and yes. It does all of those things.

After I drafted this post I attended the Brooklyn Law School annual alumni lunch (yes I drafted it quite a while ago, one can never be too prepared). One of the honorees, a well respected, world renowned international treaty expert recalled a story from his time at Brooklyn Law. Leon Charney reminisced about a professor, who told him that at a cocktail party when he is asked a legal question he should say “it depends.” It is the fact that he chose this story to tell, about this typical answer, that speaks volumes.

Not only is it safe, it is true. It does sometimes depend on many factors. Everyone, even thrill seekers, wants safe and true sometimes.

While it is important to differentiate yourself on your resume, it is still a professional document that should remain, on its face and at all times, true.

Can you be creative and still safe on your resume? It depends! Can you be creative and make up a job you didn’t have? No, it is not true.

Talk to a professional, before proceeding, to determine which questions will be met with “it depends” and which will garner a simple “yes” or “no.” There is personal style but there are also do’s and don’ts. Don’t be a resume don’t.

January 21, 2010

Freebie – Don’t be a Resume Don’t

Two for the price of one.

1. If you include a “skills” section, or more specifically, a “computer skills” section on your resume you do not need to include Microsoft Word on your list of skills.  Chances are you used Word to type your resume and the fact that you typed your resume indicates your obvious ability to use one of the most widely used word processing softwares.

2. Do not include “hard worker” or “responsible for…” on your resume. Anyone can say that. Prove it. Explain why you were given your responsibilities.

Catagories: Do's and Don'ts Resume Resume
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January 15, 2010

Wondering Why You Don’t Hear Back from Employers? Check these things off your list!

Check your phone number – Is it correct?

Check your email address – Is it professional? If so, is it spelled correctly?

If people cannot get in touch with you, you will not get the job.

Even if they can get in touch with you, you have more work to do.

Check your voicemail message – Is it professional? If not people will not bother to leave you a message, even if they think your resume made it worth the call.

While you are busy checking those things, Google yourself. Make sure that you are OK with a potential employer finding whatever you see when you search for the name on your resume. If your name is Joe Smith another Joe Smith might have done things and posted pictures of his escapades that a potential employer may not like. The employer will not take the time to find out that the photo, or blog post, or comment was not yours. So, Joe Quincy Smith, use your middle initial!