ATTORNEY RESUME BLOG:
Attorney Resume Writing Service – Your First Step to a Successful Legal Career!
What is an Attorney Resume Writing Service? In today’s market the resume has become on the most quintessential job tools. Sure, it never helps to have a parent or family relative who is a partner at an AMLAW 100 firm, or a best friend who works at a firm and has the inside track about new position. But, unless you graduated in the top 10% of a top 10 law school, in this market, you will be fighting amongst the masses for one of the limited positions available in today’s market.
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The Importance of Social Networking for Your Career in Today’s Career Market
As the job market continues to change, you have to change with it. In today’s modern society, that includes registering with several different various different social network sites. At the time we author this article in July, 2011, the main two sites are Facebook and LinkedIN. I am sure if you checked back with us in 1 year, these two names might be entirely different – but for now, these are it. Here are a few pointers to help you with this process:
- What is a Social Profile: A social profile is a condensed version of the resume. Unlike the resume, the social profile is a shorter, punchier version that you can post on various different websites. And, depending on the different website, you may use some or all of the profile depending on what the site requests. In order to create your social profile, the first thing you must do is make sure your resume is in top fighting condition. This is because you will use the resume to create the social profile. After reviewing the resume, you will create a new social profile with different subsections, such as: Profile, Core Competencies, Experience, Education, etc. Then you will paste each section of the resume into the corresponding section of the social profile. Remember, you only use a portion of the resume within the social profile so you must be SURE to use the most important sections of the resume, and leave out the fluff.
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Attorney Interviews – What do Hiring Partners Look For in an Applicant and the Legal Resume
Whether you just graduated from Law School or an LLM program, or have been practicing law for more than 20 years, there are certain key things that are important for you to keep in mind when searching for a new job. Here are a few tips to help you land and ace your next legal interview:
a. Submit a Stellar Resume: Until the Hiring Partner or Interviewer has had a chance to meet you and be dazzled by your incredible personality, they have to want to interview you. Unless you have been referred as a candidate, presumably the resume will precede your grand entrance. Therefore, make sure the resume is perfect. That includes reviewing the content, performing spell and grammar checks, double-checking the format, and then check it again. If one portion of the resume is justified, then make sure any similar sections are also justified. This will make the resume present well, and will show your attention to detail. Finally, and I cannot stress this enough – make sure you have a professional email. While there are ways to win over the hiring partner with some witty responses to interview questions, using an unprofessional “funny” email address is not one of them.
b. Wear a Great Suit: People like to hire people who present well. That does not mean that you have to wear a $2000 suit, but it does mean the suit you are wearing needs to be pressed and clean. The shirt should be crisp and the tie should match the suit. Beyond the suit, it is important that you are well-groomed. This means shave or trim your beard, keep your hair short, pop a breath mint before you enter, and shine your shoes. Also, I ALWAYS recommend wearing a nice watch (studies have shown that it has the underlying effect of showing you value being on time) .
c. Practice your interview responses: Sure, you don’t want to sound like a robot, but you don’t want to sound like an idiot either. Practice your answers to general questions in front of the mirror. This way, you can flush out your responses, and you will be able to determine whether the statement you have practiced in your head sounds as good when you use it in response to a specific question.
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Career Help for the Legal Industry – Attorneys and Paralegals Listen Up!
Becoming a legal professional will be the greatest career move you ever made! The Legal Industry can be difficult and stressful, but if you were to speak with the majority of attorneys, paralegals, legal secretaries, and case managers, they wouldn’t change their decision to work in the law field for the world. To be successful in the legal industry you have to be strong-minded, dedicated, responsible, and organized – I cannot stress the importance of organization in the high-pressured, competitive legal world. Here are a few ideas and suggestions to assist you in developing and expanding your legal career:
1. DEVELOP A CAREER PATH: If you can dream it, you can do it! Whether this means becoming a top trial attorney, established corporate attorney, litigation paralegal, or legal secretary to a senior partner, it all starts with the BELIEF that you can do it. Do some research and ascertain what education you will need, whether or not the school requires an entrance exam (LSAT, GRE, GMAT), and what materials you will need to complete your application. Most schools will require transcripts, letters of recommendation, and usually 1 or more standardized test scores.
2. RESEARCH DIFFERENT JOB DESCRIPTIONS: I always tell my clients that there is a difference between the position you want and the position you dream about is KNOWING what the job does. I recommend searching monster, careerbuilder, or ladders. Think of the different job titles you are interested in and review and research the job descriptions to see if it fits you. If your dream is to be a trial attorney, than working as an in-house corporate counsel if probably not for you -just as being a paralegal is probably not the ideal position for someone who wants to be out of the office to meet with clients and conduct site-visits.
3. BE PROACTIVE: There are only so many job positions available online. Unfortunately, many of the positions you find on the career websites are not current, stale, and no longer available. Networking with other peers in your industry is the time proven way to locate a new job. If you are new to a field, or seeing entrance into the field, take some time to research different various organizations you can join, and make your presence known. 95% of job positions are NOT advertised- they are secured through word of mouth.
4. MAKE SURE YOUR RESUME IS PERFECT: A complete, accurate and streamlined resume is essential for you when applying for your next legal job. If you are not experienced preparing a resume, then consider securing a certified professional attorney resume writer.
GOOD LUCK!
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What to Look for in a Professional Resume Writer – Certified Resume Writing Service– Resume Help and Tips
Do you need help with your resume? If so, your best option will be to hire a nationally certified professional resume writer (CPRW) to assist you. By retaining a CPRW, you will be putting yourself in a great position to come that much closer to landing your next great job. Unfortunately, finding a resume company is harder than you may think. Many of these online resume companies are faceless domain names that are here today, and gone tomorrow. Therefore, in order to protect yourself, here are some important tips to help you move forward in selecting your new resume writer.
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Resume Writing Help for Attorneys – Resume Tips to Avoid for Attorneys when Resume Writing
You sit at your computer, taking deep breaths and preying to the heavens above. You ask for forgiveness for all the bad things you’ve done as you scan the state bar pass list, hoping your name is on it….There it is – YOU PASSED!!!!
After you wake up the next morning nursing a well-deserved hangover, you think – Now what? As the market continues its downward spiral (do not let the numbers fool you, most of the “1,000,000 new jobs” you optimistically read about or heard about on NPR are actually just temporary contract positions) you sit at your desk, confused. You made it through law school and passed the bar – how hard can writing a 1-2 page resume really be? Unfortunately for you, it is MUCH HARDER than you think.
The problem is twofold: First, as attorneys we are less than humble most of the time. Most of us cannot comprehend the fact that we cannot – or should not – write the resume ourselves. Second, as attorneys we are also intelligent enough to know that maybe we should throw up the reins and pass the baton to someone who does this professionally. Whether you cannot let go of the control, or if financial pressures are a concern, I will provide you a list of 5 things to remember in your quest to draft your own legal resume.
For reference, I am an attorney and Certified Professional Resume Writer who has have worked with thousands of applicants in the last 7 years, both in and out of the legal field and these issues are the most common and easiest to avoid:
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1. Outline: Just like any other document you would or will prepare as an attorney, a well-thought out plan of attack is your best bet. Outline each section of the resume. This will help you both organize your thoughts as well as jar your memory of past accomplishments, awards, and achievements.
2. Prepare a first draft as if you’re writing it for someone else: Even the most narcissistic attorneys have trouble writing about themselves. Once you have your outline, prepare a first draft of the resume. Remember, this is NOT and essay and not a PERSUASIVE document. It is a CAREER TOOL designed to get you the interview.
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3. Be Confident, Not Cocky: We all have strengths and weaknesses, that is a fact of life. But, with that said, you do not want to turn a potential employer off as someone who can’t work in a team environment. (Translation: “Authored and submitted a successful motion for summary judgment which was summarily granted” is good, versus “Authored the best brief in the history of the world, as told to me by my peers and everyone in earshot of my oral argument” is not good.) Before you laugh, trust me – you’d be amazed at what has come across my desk.
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4. A Resume is Not a Substitute for an Interview – For attorneys, this is the KEY problem. Look, even if you hate interviews, cannot sleep the night before, get nauseas moments before the introduction, it is inevitable that you WILL have to interview for the position. In other words, there is no getting around the interview process. As such, trying to cram potential interview responses into a resume will not work. It will make you look verbose and rambling instead of streamlined and succinct.
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5. Hire an Attorney Certified Resume Writer: Leave your resume to the experts. By hiring a certified professional resume writer who is also an attorney, they will have the industry knowledge, experience, and ability to draft an effective resume for you. You spend hundreds of thousands of dollars for your legal education, do not blow it!
Good Luck!!!!!
Writing a Resume for Attorneys is nothing like writing a resume for many other fields
Sure, on a first glance the resumes are similar in appearance – Profile, Education, Achievements, & Activities, but this is where the similarities end. Unlike most other professions (excluding Doctors and CPAs) becoming a lawyer is a feat in and of itself. It requires several years of studying, not to mention 2-3 days of taking the Bar Exam. As a successful attorney and nationally certified resume writer, I can help. While I always recommend that you hire a CPRW that is also an Attorney to prepare the resume for you, I understand that times are tough. Therefore, if you adamant to try to attempt this on your own, here are some important tips!
Stay Tuned for Tomorrow’s First and Second Tip…
1. OBJECTIVE – NO! When you draft a motion, do you repeat the caption title in the body of the P’s and As’? Not unless you want a verbal lashing from the judge. If you are submitting your resume for a job posting, or even blindly to a company, then your OBJECTIVE is to GET the JOB.
2. PROFILE/INTRODUCTION: This is a very important and too often overlooked portion of the resume. It is the introduction. It tells the reader – Is your writing clear, concise, and to the point. Example of an introduction Profile: “Proven success in litigating a diverse range of complex business litigation matters f, with several defense verdicts on high-exposure matters.”
Stay tuned for more tips from our TOP Certified Writers!!!…
3. CORE COMPETENCIES: When it comes to resume content/layout, think concise. You will be lucky if the potential employer takes 15 seconds to scan the resume. Why not highlight your strengths? Core Competencies are “keywords” that help your resume pass the first level of review, especially since employers are currently inundated with hundreds of resumes for each open position. If you would like us to remove the Core Competencies section, please confirm.
4. EDUCATION: If you graduated in the first 5 years, put this near the top, otherwise, it should be the final section of the resume. I have seen several attorneys who are afraid to list their education proudly, either because they did not do well in school, or did not go to Harvard. Think of it this way, if you’re going bald, do you wear a comb over — I hope not. Say it proud. What’s the old adage: A-students become teachers, B-Students become judges, C-students make MONEY. Always, and I mean ALWAYS be confident in yourself – even on paper it will come through.
5. PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Show them what you’re made of, BUT remember confident not cocky! If you facilitated a large merger, or defended a multi-million dollar case, let them know. Caution: Be sure your achievement is an achievement (translation: just because you do your job really well, that is not an accomplishment). You would be amazed at what I see listed as an accomplishments (e.g. well spoken, good with clients, etc.)
6. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Unlike the rest of the resume, this is the portion of the resume that most employers care about. Do NOT spend too much time on semantics – lawyers are intelligent people. Be confident in your writing, but make sure it accurately reflects what you are do. There are several different types of resume style, font and substance, but you can NEVER go wrong if you keep it in chronological order.
Stay tuned for even more tips from our TOP Certified Writers!!!…
OUTSOURCING (Part 1 of 5)
Can you recall the last time you contacted your credit card company, asked to speak to a Customer Service Representative, and was placed in touch with someone who spoke English as a first language? Me neither. This is a perfect example of how outsourcing affects you. As the market continues to flounder and resources become more and more scarce, the need for outsourcing strengthens. Why pay someone in the United States $10 per hour when you can send the work overseas and for a small administrative fee, hire employees at $5 per hour to perform the same work? It’s a no-brainer, or is it?
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OUTSOURCING (Part 2 of 5)
Outsourcing may best be defined as a company that contracts with another company to provide services that might otherwise be performed by in-house employees. Initially, outsourcing began with large companies such as Ford and other industrial organizations with the primary source of income being physical labor. But in recent years, many companies who otherwise never outsource their work have begun to do so. Some of these companies include Bank of America, Cisco Industries, Citigroup and CNA.
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OUTSOURCING (Part 3 of 5)
Unfortunately for the consumer, outsourcing provides a diverse range of benefits for the companies who use it. Consider this: A worldwide company such as Bank of America has to employ thousands of customer service representatives every year. If for example, Bank of America has to employ 10,000 Customer Service Representatives at $10 per hour, which means they have to pay a total of $100,000 per hour for their team of Customer Service Representatives. Instead, if the employer can hire employees overseas to conduct the same work at $5 per hour, that would amount to only $50,000 per hour for their team of Customer Service Representatives. Now multiply the $50,000 per hour x 8 hours per day x 365 days a year – the savings is obvious and impossible to ignore.
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OUTSOURCING (Part 4 of 5)
Just as there are benefits to outsourcing, there are also negatives as well. First, imagine the number of jobs that are Americans lose each and every day. Moreover, if less Americans are employed, that means Americans have less money to spend. If they have less money to spend, then they have less money to put back into the economy; there is a causal relationship between the economy and outsourcing and it’s the workers who suffer.
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OUTSOURCING ( Part 5 OF 5)
It’s unfair to take away jobs from Americans and send them overseas, thereby contributing to other countries’ economies while taking away from our country. Moreover, there is an additional loss that America is suffering as a result of outsourcing – atrophy of skills. With less and less Americans employed, that is less Americans able to improve and enhance their skills. This is most evident in such industries as consumer electronics, small appliances, toys, and others. In fact, China and India graduate ten times more engineers than the United States. And, most US engineering school graduates are foreigners who don’t stay here. Whether for good or bad, outsourcing is here to stay. The best thing we can do as a nation is learn to embrace outsourcing, while finding a way to streamline and optimize its operations. While the future of business depends on outsourcing, the strength of our nation depends on its workers.
Thank you!
Can Age Discrimination Affect You?
As a matter of law, individuals over the age of 40 makeup a “protected class.” Basically the government has created laws to protect older people from being discriminated against based on age. While a person cannot be discriminated against because they are too young, the federal government has instituted safeguards to prevent people over 40 from being discriminated against based on the age. Nevertheless, it happens all the time.
Due to layoffs and terminations, the applicant pool is rising quicker than usual as the market continues to wane. And, with the competition for the few available positions becoming fierce, employers have their choice of the litter when deciding whether to hire a new employee. Many people over the age of 40 with 10, 15, and 20+ years of experience are finding that they are being terminated, and that these same companies are recruiting employees half their age at a severely reduced salary. In short, employees over the age of 40 are losing their jobs at an alarming rate due to companies closing their doors or just downsizing.
It is as if older employees are being relegated to early retirement just because the market is flailing – nothing can be more unfair. As a result, many MBA and senior level managers, sales representatives, doctors, lawyers, etc. are taking positions well-below their skill-level just to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. These “seniors” are left to look for jobs that are being filled by people in early to mid-20’s Very few companies want to hire a person age 50-65, no matter how much experience they have or how low of a wage they are willing to accept. As one key recruiter provided: “The most important job tool an older applicant must have is a solid resume.”
Free Resources:
– Are you interested in joining the Navy?
The United States Navy (USN) is the sea branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy has about 330,00- personnel on active duty and 124,000 in the Navy Reserve. It operates 284 ships in active service and more than 3,700 aircraft. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world and also has the world’s largest carrier fleet, with 11 in service and one under construction. The 21st century United States Navy maintains a sizable global presence, deploying in such areas as East Asia, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. It is a blue water navy with the ability to project force onto the littoral regions of the world, engage in forward areas during peacetime, and rapidly respond to regional crises, making it an active player in American foreign and defense policy.
The Navy is actively recruiting entry-level, mid-level and senior-level applicants! To Learn More, please visit http://jobs.navair.navy.mil/resume.aspx
– THE ART OF A RESUME
If you want a job, you need a resume. It’s that simple. Even if your best friend’s mom is the CEO of Viacom, you still need one. More specifically, you need a Professional Resume. Sound easy? It’s not. Unfortunately, by the time the majority of people realize they should seek the assistance of a professional resume service, it seems like it’s almost too late. By then, they’ve already combed the Craigslist, Monster and Dice job listings and sent their defective resume to tens, if not hundreds of potential employers. Fast-forward to several weeks later and unsurprisingly – still no interviews. But it’s never too late! At this point, there are two options: Take the time to learn how to properly prepare this superior career tool or just hire a professional resume service to do it for you. Look, this is your career we’re talking about. One spelling or grammatical error will drop your resume into the circular filing cabinet (a.k.a. trashcan). In fact, if you don’t include the key search terms employers continuously use for popular online job search engines, then they won’t even have a chance to SEE your resume! You can’t hit a homerun if you don’t get to step up to the plate! While we strongly recommend contacting a professional resume service, we know some of you are adamant about doing it yourselves and we are here to help. Read on for a few important tips. Also, please review our sample resumes to get a more detailed idea of what your resume should look like.
OBJECTIVE
Keep it to one sentence, spanning no more than two to three lines, basically informing your future employer of your career goals. Be specific about your skills. And this is NOT the time to be humble. If you have strong communication skills, state it; if you’re an accomplished leader, state it. When it comes to the job title, be careful not to be too specific unless you are absolutely sure you know exactly what you want to do. Or you can tailor the job title to each position you are applying for (but be VERY careful not to mix and match the job titles and potential employers!!!)
PROFILE
This is one of the most integral yet overlooked sections of the resume. If an Objective is your tag line, the Profile is your introduction. It tells the employer what you feel are your strongest qualities, and what to have to offer to the company. We have found it to be most effective for a resume to contain anywhere from three to six bullet points under Profile.
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
If you’ve got it, flaunt it! If you were an integral member behind a large merger, it should be in the resume. If you’ve achieved or exceeded your sales quota, this is where it should be. But let us caution you: Do NOT confuse professional achievements with job duties. You were required to perform your job duties; even though YOU may think those duties were extra important, it may not be considered an achievement.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
This is the most important section of any resume. While there are variations of style, font and substance, generally, it should be in chronological order. It should contain the employer name (unless it’s confidential), the years of employment, job title, and job descriptions. Not only is this section the most important, BUT it is the portion of the resume that most do-it-yourselfers get WRONG. It is NOT a report, it is NOT a summary, and it is NOT a paragraph; it is a DESCRIPTION. The best advice we can give you is to review as many samples as you can. (Feel free to take a look at some of our samples!)
EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
If you’ve authored 50 different articles or publications, you should put them on a separate sheet which is NOT attached to your resume. On your resume itself, indicate “Additional articles or publications available upon request.” If you have more achievements then you can count on both hands and feet, the same rule applies. Depending on the extent of your education and professional training, these can usually be grouped together. If you’ve taken a zillion ongoing education and management or sales training courses, you do not have to list all of them. You may include a statement such as “Select List” or similar verbiage.
PAGE LENGTH
Ask any two professional resume writers, and they will tell you two different things. With that said, trust us: one page max. Your interviewer wants to have one page in front of her or him and one sheet only. (Think of it this way – if a potential employer loses the second page of your resume or it becomes detached for some reason, do you think he or she will take the time to call you and ask for another copy? Or if the potential employer has 20 resumes to go through and it’s 5pm on a Friday. When he or she comes to your 2-page resume with 8 pt. font and .25” margins, do you think your potential employer will be happy? Exactly.
Corporate Attorney Jobs – Finding Legal Jobs as a General Counsel, In-House Counsel or other General Corporate Whether you are a litigator, trial attorney, or recent graduate for many attorneys, they find the most satisfying role is that of a corporate attorney. Unlike working in a law firm, working for a company comes with a whole range of challenges. Working for a company instead of a law firm is a trade-off. Instead of grinding out billable hours, you will be developing and executing strategies to support organizational goals and objectives. Here is a list of different types of legal corporate positions in today’s business world:
Positions at Corporations and Businesses
- General Counsel: A GC is a very important role to any company or corporation . By definition, a General Counsel is an attorney who works in a corporate or governmental legal department. The job of a general counsel lawyer is varied, depending on the employer. In a corporate setting, this chief legal officer often reports to the chief executive officer. Instead of reporting to the senior partner attorneys, you will be working in general counsel government jobs usually report directly to the head of the agency for which they work.
- Corporate Counsel: As a CC, you will be responsible for staying abreast of new, revised and updated laws that affect the corporation or entity and advises upon what action might be necessary, drafts contracts and participates in contract negotiations and acts as a liaison with any outside legal counsel retained to handle specific legal affairs. In addition, you will be responsible for managing leasing agreements, due diligence of acquisitions and mergers, legal compliance matters, status reports on cases, projects and legal requests and other duties as assigned.
- In House Counsel: An IHC is a lawyer with responsibility for working within a corporation, instead of within a law firm. As an In House Counsel, you will be responsible for handling the legal needs of the company for whom they work, addressing issues such as ensuring that employer discrimination laws are complied with and fair labor rules are obeyed. Your duties will vary based on the specific industry you are in.
- You need a great resume. In this market, a resume is your MOST IMPORTANT Career tool. Most of the time, it is your only method for getting your foot in the door. If it has spelling or grammatical errors, it will be discarded. In this difficult market, it is also important to include essential search terms, as many employers use OCR software to scan your resume. By hiring a Certified Professional Attorney Resume Writer, you can guarantee that you will have a legal professional help you achieve your career goals.
Writing a Resume for Attorneys is nothing like writing a resume for many other fields. Sure, on a first glance the resumes are similar in appearance – Profile, Education, Achievements, & Activities, but this is where the similarities end. Unlike most other professions (excluding Doctors and CPAs) becoming a lawyer is a feat in and of itself. It requires several years of studying, not to mention 2-3 days of taking the Bar Exam. As a successful attorney and nationally certified resume writer, I can help. While I always recommend that you hire a CPRW that is also an Attorney to prepare the resume for you, I understand that times are tough. Therefore, if you adamant to try to attempt this on your own, here are some important tips!
1. OBJECTIVE – NO! When you draft a motion, do you repeat the caption title in the body of the P’s and As’? Not unless you want a verbal lashing from the judge. If you are submitting your resume for a job posting, or even blindly to a company, then your OBJECTIVE is to GET the JOB.
2. PROFILE/INTRODUCTION: This is a very important and too often overlooked portion of the resume. It is the introduction. It tells the reader – Is your writing clear, concise, and to the point. Example of an introduction Profile: “Proven success in litigating a diverse range of complex business litigation matters, with several defense verdicts on high-exposure matters.
3. CORE COMPETENCIES: When it comes to resume content/layout, think concise. You will be lucky if the potential employer takes 15 seconds to scan the resume. Why not highlight your strengths? Core Competencies are “keywords” that help your resume pass the first level of review, especially since employers are currently inundated with hundreds of resumes for each open position. If you would like us to remove the Core Competencies section, please confirm.
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