Strong Resume, Stronger Candidate

I love reviewing resumes!  I know it’s weird. Whatevs, but I like seeing the interesting experiences people have and it’s neat to see how they present themselves in this format.   I’ve mostly seen resumes from student interns and new attorneys applying for fellowships, but even in that limited capacity there have been some amazing resumes… and some real duds.

Don’t be a dud!

If you’re not doing these four things you’re not presenting yourself as the strongest candidate!

1. Convert into a PDF.  Sounds simple, but I have had too many word docs that open up with the track changes still visible.  Ack!  That’s so horrible! I always feel bad when this mistake happens because 1) it’s easily avoidable and 2) I feel like I’m peering into someone’s secret.  I can see how many people edited it, what original mistakes you had–it’s just takes away the magic of a pristine resume.  Please convert to PDF.

2. Show your results.  Use active voice when you list your duties, and the duties should highlight the skills that the position you’re vying for is requesting.  You need to show what you accomplished during your stints so the employer knows that you’re capable of meeting their qualifications.  Many people just list what they did, but don’t tie it to the job description. Not every skill will match the description, but try to have at least one skill per past job match something the position requires.

3. Show quality over quantity.  Too many times someone’s resume is filled with all their positions since the beginning of time, but none of the duties seem to align with the qualities needed.  I see this all the time with rising 2Ls and new attorneys trying to show that they have experience.  I love that you were a summer school teacher three years ago, but I mean, like Ludacris kind of said: I know you got a {job} but what’s your {job} got to do with me?  What I mean is, determine if you can relate the skills and responsibilities back to the position at hand.   If you can’t relate the position and it’s not a recent or current experience, consider whether you really need on your resume.

4. Customize for each position.   Ugh.  I know.  It’s a lot of effort, but when you’re starting out showing that you have any relevant experience in your area is better than none.  You want to be as strong of a candidate as possible!   The best way to show that you are capable of doing what the job requests is by showing that you’ve done it in the past in some capacity.  You should customize your resume for each application so that you can be as specific to the job description as possible, rather than just giving out general info on your past experience.

I think number 4 is vital and helps show you’re serious about the job.  When I was applying for jobs, I had three different resumes: one for work in women’s rights, criminal defense, and immigration.  I edited duties and accomplishments so as to fit the position’s description. For example, I interned at the governor’s office reviewing clemency petitions.  Instead of just writing: reviewed clemency petitions involving various areas of the law; I would be area specific.  For immigration applications I would write: reviewed clemency petitions involving the INA.  Or, reviewed clemency petitions involving battered women’s syndrome (for resumes sent to job openings working on women’s rights). When I customized,  interviewers tended to zone in on the experience and ask me follow-up questions at the interview.  It created an opening to really talk about myself and highlight my past work, which is, like, one of the goals of submitting a resume.

It’s tedious, but if you put in the work upfront it will really polish your resume and make you a stronger candidate.  

What are your best resume tips?