Category Archives: Resume

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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

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 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.

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
Comments: 1 Comment |
January 7, 2010

What’s Your Style?

You must know or figure out very quickly, how you learn. How do you work most effectively and efficiently? Knowing those things can make you productive in one environment and stagnant in another. Your work environment and the way you interact with the space and the people around you will effect how you learn, produce and work. Take all of those factors into account when job searching, soul-searching or just deciding where to put the supply closet in your new office. Know your learning style and make sure it is in line with your professional, resume, and personal style.

January 4, 2010

Things you don’t know: Reading can make you smarter

Since this is my first post on this blog and I’ve included my first post from my other blog, EventsbyJES, about this blog here on this blog….well, you can see how easily repetition gets confusing, annoying and unnecessary. Just using the same word in the same experience entry can be tiresome. Are there exceptions? Of course. What I suggest to my clients and what I always do myself is, read the resume out loud. Things sound different out loud than they do in your head. Don’t kid yourself and pretend to read it out loud but really not open your mouth or move your lips. Go somewhere, read it out loud. At your desk at work, might not be the smartest place…unless you want them to know you’re looking or potentially looking. While we’re talking about the office using the office printer to print your resume, also, not the smartest move. When reading your resume make a note of what sounds off, clumsy and unclear. It is likely it will sound the same to whomever receives it at your dream job location. You may not see, managed, managed, managed, manager, loves to manage, but you will definitely hear it. You will also see typos when you are reading out loud that you may not have noticed glancing at the paper not engaged. So, avoid repetition by reading your resume out loud and really listening to the language.

With that said, welcome to Attorney’s Counsel, we’re happy to have you. Here’s that blog blog blog post I posted on my other blog. You know, because I’m a blogger…

Now LAUNCHING! No, not a new line from some designer + Target or + H&M….did I mention I took severance? In the past year we’ve all heard so many new ways to say, lost my job, was let go, took severance, etc …While there’s no reason to be blunt or rude, we all know what you mean. We ALL know someone who has been effected: single, married, pregnant, men, women, new moms, anyone, everyone. With that in mind + my experience reviewing 1000s of resumes and interviewing countless candidates I’ve started Attorney’s Counsel: Does Your Resume Rise to the Bar? Attorney’s Counsel will do it all: write your resume, edit your already existing resume from top to bottom, tailor your resume for a specific position, and review your resume to suggest changes you should make on your own when you are ready. Our goal is simple. We will help you get the interview! Your resume alone, however, will not get you the job. You need to interview effectively. Attorney’s Counsel will work with you to generate answers to relevant questions, confirm that your presentation is professional, and give you the confidence to tell a potential employer why you are the best candidate for the job. We will also draft your professional biography should you need one for publication. Feel free to let me know what you think! I’m happy to be back and I look forward to working with you!