Blog on the legal job market, how to best use an attorney recruiter to assist in your search for a new opportunity and musings on the job search process.
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Attorney Resume Tips
You went to a law school that isn’t causing the employers to beat down your door. Or maybe you have an ominous gap in your resume. Or maybe you have some other blemish on your resume. My advice for you is to please stop beating yourself up about the “blemishes” on your resume
A fantastic article was in this week’s Minnesota Lawyer written by Brian Melendez (“Apostrophe’s abound (make that apostrophes)”). The topic was the poor use of apostrophes (and grammar in general) displayed by lawyers. Brian is a friend and an authority on the subject (he is, after all, an editor of Black’s Law Dictionary). The takeaway from the article is that so many people misuse grammatical mistakes that they have become commonplace and accepted (and Brian suggests that continued use of erroneous syntax could be tomorrow’s canon).
You may not realize it but you have a network. This could be colleagues, friends, former law school classmates, etc. Whether you choose to utilize that network is up to you.
Going into an interview there are some things you can control and others you cannot. You cannot control how much or what type of experience you have. You cannot control your prior educational background or work history.
We are hearing from a lot recent law school graduates lately and although the market has improved, jobs are still scarce for the majority of these folks. Creating a compelling resume can be a challenge when you do not have practical legal experience.
I recently received a cover letter from a candidate that reminded me of one of my daughter’s favorite characters from Winnie the Pooh – Eeyore. After a few pleasantries, the letter proceeded to state that the candidate had a “very poor” first year of law school and that his GPA was “less than desirable”. I could almost hear the sad trombone sounds in the background as I read the letter.
Tendering your resignation is awkward at best and can get downright ugly in some situations. Whether you are leaving for money, career advancement or personality differences – offering a polite, professional resignation is always the best course of action.
In the job search context, bad news can come in many forms. While news that may seem bad is often just a statement of reality, it still can sting. The key is to understand how it will be perceived by the audience so the delivery can tempered appropriately.
In addition to being the Boy Scout motto, being prepared is incredibly important to any attorney who may, unknowingly, find themselves in the job market. Even if you are not looking for a job, having an updated resume is incredibly important.
When applying for a legal job, undoubtedly there will be a lot of other attorneys who are also applying for the same position. There are several ways to stand out.
This was a post from several years ago, but in reviewing the old posts, the exact same thing holds true – that I’ve received only four messages of thanks from people who I have met with or helped.
The vast majority of resumes we see are consistent with the way most of us were taught to write a resume – provide a chronological summary of your employment history and education. There is nothing incorrect about this format but is it really your best tool for marketing yourself to a potential employer?
Every law firm or company has aspects that are less than desirable for some people. In fact, this may be the reason that someone is considering a move. However, it is never a good to dwell on this too much in an interview.
Do you have an upcoming interview? If so, make sure take a common sense approach to making a good impression by utilizing three essential P’s: preparedness, positive attitude and professionalism. There won’t be much you can add to your skills and experience prior to the interview but you can control how prepared you are coming into the interview, the attitude you convey, and your appearance and demeanor.
While finding a firm or company that fits well with your actual legal practice is no doubt important, it is no more important than cultural fit or management style. In fact, the majority of attorneys that contact us are not interested in leaving their current job due to the actual work. Most often, it is the interaction with others, long-term direction, or decision-making of the firm or company that has people considering other options.
Attorneys are generally conservative by nature when it comes describing their practice. Whether it is the idea of promoting your skills and abilities or the potential value of your practice, most attorneys will take a modest approach. Yes, managing expectations is important but being too conservative can really be to your detriment.
Spring is in the air – at least in some parts of the country. It is a good time to clean the house, replace the batteries in the smoke detectors, and update your resume.
We are hearing from a lot recent law school graduates lately and although the market has improved, jobs are still scarce for the majority of these folks. Creating a compelling resume can be a challenge when you do not have practical legal experience. While a law firm clerkship or interning for a judge can help, the truth is many hiring attorneys or recruiting directors do not give this much weight. So what can you do when your experience is not a big selling point? Try to make your resume stand out in other ways.
While hopefully the old school, heavy stock, colored resume paper is not coming back; you can still use some tasteful graphics to make your resume stand out. Perhaps some color headings, shading a separate column for achievements, or simply adding links to work-related social media sites would help.
A creative resume may not get you the job per se, but it may draw enough attention to move it to the top of others with similar experience so why not spend an extra few minutes and make it stand out.
Okay, so you have decided to test the market to see if there is a better job option for you. Maybe you can’t tolerate your boss or coworkers; or perhaps you have reached your professional limit at your current job and need a new platform to grow. Whatever your reason, since you have committed to exploring other jobs, why not make the most of it by considering multiple opportunities.
Is there an interview on your horizon? If so, make sure take a common sense approach to making a good impression by utilizing three essential P’s: preparedness, positive attitude and professionalism. There won’t be much you can add to your skills and experience prior to the interview but you can control how prepared you are coming into the interview, the attitude you convey, and your appearance and demeanor.
