The Blockbuster Resume for 2012: Top-Grossing at the Box Office

by Nancy M. Glazer,Manager, Legal Launch, LLCwww.LegalLaunch.net Nancy@LegalLaunch.net

I. Before the Movie Starts: Setting the SceneA. Before You Even Start to Think About

Your Resume, Know the 2012 Legal Market

•The legal climate, 2008 – present;•The recession, technically over;•Job growth in the legal profession is

happening slowly.

B. “A New Normal”

“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore”

-Judy Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, 1939

Things we know:

•You’re all overachievers. •You’re all smart•Studying law, as you have discovered, is

quite different; not passive•Thinking like a lawyer doesn’t happen

overnight•New blinders on as you go forward

“I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I’m going to take a stand. I’m going to defend it. Right or wrong, I’m going to defend it.”

Ferris (Matthew Broderick) in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986

C. A Real World Education

•This is active, very personal work … there’s no hiding—

•It involves:▫You on paper – putting on one piece of

paper the capsules of your professional life and flaunting what you know how to do.

▫You in action -- as a way of life. You have to put yourself out there – talking with people. It’s not about the grade this time.

“My Mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on.”

-Forrest (Tom Hanks) in Forrest Gump, 1994

II. Your Resume, Your ScriptA. Encapsulating Who You Are and What

You Can Do

Sole goal of the resume = getting an interview!

“You had me at hello.” v Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger) in Jerry Maguire, 1996

B. What’s the Impression You Want to Make? How do you get me at “hello?”

First impressions:▫ Getting your resume to its destination ▫ No pink paper; no perfume▫ The feel of nice paper does send a subconscious message. ▫ Make it visually attractive:

Balanced Sharp, readable font -- Make it easy to read, no cursive

Arial, Century Gothic, Century, Tahoma, etc … Size 12 is great, 11 is okay 10 pt- try to avoid it

▫ Clean lines. Organized. Clear bullets. ▫ Action verbs: Past-tense and present- tense

“These Are A Few of My Favorite Things.”-Maria (Julie Andrews) in The Sound of

Music, 1965

III. Resume Soundtrack – What Stays In the Script …

•What can you give? •What can you do to help a potential

employer sleep better? •Showcase yourself.•Show your value and accomplishments.•Can you meet the employer’s needs?

Start with an Inventory of Assets

Take a legal pad…•Write down all your experiences --

scholastic, extracurricular, employment, civic, scholarly, social and military

•Make it broad; don’t cut •Later, edit, condense, categorize. Others

who are more objective can help you cut, where needed

• 1. Name, address, telephone, email address• 2. Education (more on this later)• 3. Employment (more on this later, too)• 4. Licenses or certifications • 5. Publications • 6. Optional (languages, publications, professional licensure,

bar association memberships, community service)

Staying in the Script

IV. Resume Soundtrack: Scenes Better Left on the Cutting Room Floor

Lawyers like seeing their “favorite things” in a resume.

Lawyers don’t “give a damn” about these things:1. A personal section 2. A career objective – Generally not needed. However, a Career Summary

or a Profile of Accomplishments may be okaydepending on your experience and your specific goals with each application

3. References – a separate sheet4. A photograph 5. Your computer skills—assumed

6. Self-puffery7. Exaggerating your GPA8. Observing trials or depositions while clerking

for a judge or working at a firm 9. Future events— In general, leave these off your

resume. Exceptions: When you expect to receive a degree, or license

or certification Accepted positions: This is okay: “Summer

Intern, offer accepted for Summer 2012” Once you have registered for an activity in the

future, you can say “ABC Moot Court, scheduled to participate Spring, 2012.”

Publication in the future: “XYZ, scheduled to be published by ABC, Spring, 2012.”

10. Salary requirements 11. The reasons for leaving another

employer12. Personal pronouns, abbreviations or

acronyms13. Nicknames 14. Exceeding one page15. Legal-sized paper. 16. Sending your resume without a cover

letter17. Politics, if possible18. Typoz (oops!)

SEPARATING YOURSELF FROM THE CROWD...•Going forward, think about these next

things as you start building your experiences in law

•What makes your resume different from others?

V. Soundtrack Mechanics Aside: Tell Me About Your Character & Skills

Aside from what’s in, what’s out, think about depth and value.

A. The truth  •Correct information -- accurate dates

titles, and descriptions•Never estimate grades/class rank•The Character and Fitness Committee

 “Son, if you really want something in this life, you have to work for it. Now quiet! They’re about to announce the lottery numbers!” -Homer Simpson, The Simpsons,

timeless …

B. Add value

1. Adding Value Generally •Cutting edge/quantify your achievements

• Showing your value shows how you can be a resource instead of a person begging for a job –what a difference!!!

“Researched coverage issues on behalf of firm client.” 

• It’s got a past-tense action verb; I know you researched coverage issues, but I don’t know: -- specific issues you researched

-- if conflicts in the law between state circuit courts or a split of authority between states -- if your efforts were successful

 • KEY: Did you add value to your client’s position?

Showing value on your resume:

•A Spider’s Web- worth unraveling to consider if you made someone look good at your old firm…

The person sitting on the other side of the desk will pick up on this immediately.

They’re thinking, “What can this candidate do

for me?”

“Show me the money!”  •Concrete, in dollars and cents•Quantifiable value

2. Adding financial value

“Researched coverage issues on behalf of firm client.” becomes:

“Prevailed on summary judgment motion on behalf of widower client; researched Illinois law and drafted motion and brief arguing that insurer was liable for covering medical expenses totaling over $500,000.”

 “Researched and drafted successful motions in limine, striking 3 of 4 of plaintiff’s proposed jury instructions in a construction litigation matter worth nearly $4 million.”

Or, try something like this:

•Leave ‘em begging!•Guess what? You’ll probably get an

interview!

GIVING INFO: Enough, but not too much

3. Adding Value to Your Firm’s Administration_________________________________

•Did you add value to your former firm’s systems or processes?

•Majored in computer science?•Did you developed an IT system for

calendaring or inputting work product, taking a firm where you clerked away from a paper-based system?

•Can you quantify how much money you saved a former employer in this way?

•Many have found legal employment through this side door

•You may think nothing of it, but someone older values this know-how. Addressing computer needs, as an example, especially in a smaller firm, can win you an interview!

•HIRING YOU = SAVING $$$ = HIRING ONE LESS PERSON

4. Adding Value by Simply Keeping Clients Happy and Coming Back

•See a need•Provide exceptional customer service

5. The Value of Sales Experience

•Keep sales experience in a resume. Why? •Close calls – you get the interview!

“That's it, baby, when you've got it, flaunt it, flaunt it!”

-Max Bialystock (Nathan Lane) in The Producers, 2005

 

C. Selling yourself: A starring roleThis is where the hard work comes in: It’s

like untangling a spider’s web.

Articulating what you did in your resume:

•Did you win??? What did you win?•Was it your research, your argument, your

writing that proved successful???•Was your boss, your client happy?

Don’t undersell yourself!!! It’s so common!

How to sell yourself in your resume:

•Motions/briefs•Motions in limine•New system at a firm or other office saving $ •Did you keep an existing client happy?

•Describe your experiences to show that you can

hit the ground running.•Distinguish yourself from the crowd.•KEY: provide a decision-maker with the tools

she needs to go to bat for you in the hiring meeting.

There’s A One-Page Requirement!

As you build on your legal successes, it will be hard to make it all fit. (Depending on facts and circumstances, two pages may be appropriate …)

•If you need to cut, take out activities that won’t get you a job in law: diving/frat activities

• Instead, explain how hiring you, with your skills, will make your interviewer’s life better

D. Be clear, proof your resume

• Content• Typos

-Read each line from right to left; it helps find errors! -Make sure that your resume makes sense!• Ask others to read your resume – friends, family, OCS counselor.

• Avoid confusion of different roles at the same firm/company.

See Cynthia Gordon’s resume, attached. You need to

show your promotions clearly with dates and the different titles you’ve held. Show how you were well-thought of.

• With every item on your resume, ask: will this help get me invited in?

• If you have to explain something, save it for your interview!!!!

E. Stealing good resume ideas is perfectly okay.

“I’ll have what she’s having…” -Restaurant patron (Estelle Reiner, Rob

Reiner’s mother) in When Harry Met Sally … 1989

F. Resume gaps: What the critics will be saying …•Don’t explain work history gaps in your

resume. •There are great ways to respond to these

questions in an interview•(I started a business, raised children,

volunteered, saved the planet …)

G. Your attitude – The MPAA Ratings

Stay positive …

If you can, try to enjoy parts of the process of articulating your skills and experience

H. Your references – The supporting cast •List 3 people who know you in a

professional capacity; those you trust to discuss your skills and accomplishments when asked.

•Ask your references permission prior to giving out their names

•Keep your references in the loop•Be equally concerned about them and

their lives

“I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen.”

-Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) in Say Anything, 1989

I. Results: Sometimes you give it your all, but the Oscars aren’t ready for you…

•Lower your expectations •You may have taken someone out to

lunch, and after this effort, your guest’s contact didn’t even answer your emails or return your call!

Your job search, landing where you want to be, may be frustrating at times. It’s not at all impossible.

VI. Learning the Market; Knowing the Genres•Despite market contraction in many

areas, there are areas of law where demand is high.

•Do your homework and stay current. Read Crain’s, American Lawyer, Chicago Lawyer, CBA Record, ISBA Newsletters, Law Practice, ABA Newsletters, etc. (All have free feeds online; also available in the OCS)

What’s in demand in 2012?• Technology, intellectual property, energy, financial

services, employee benefits, all kinds of compliance and regulatory work, all kinds of corporate work, labor and employment, healthcare, workouts, asset management, banking (compliance with use of TARP funds), class actions and white collar crime

• Bankruptcy law and mergers go up and down. The federal government is a huge employer now- spending TARP funds. Temporary work: document reviews.

Parting words:•1. Revise your resume to showcase your skills•2. Research areas of law that are recession-proof

▫Read and stay current▫Set up some informational interviews with alumni

from your law school and your undergrad (Don’t ask for a job)

•3. Avoid sending your resume into cyber space▫Make connections and use them all the time▫It is a lot of work, but it’s also working smart – with

results.

Parting words (continued)•4. COVER LETTERS– make them a slam

dunk for every position▫Match up the required job functions for each

position you go after to your skills like two puzzle pieces fitting together

•5. Always send thank you notes•6. Create and practice your elevator

speech- why’d you go to law school? •7. Keep your references in the loop! They’re

on your team and want to see you succeed!

“If you've ever seen the look on somebody's face the day they finally get a job, I've had some experience with this, they look like they could fly…You don't really know how much you can do until you, stand up and decide to try.”

-Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) in Dave, 1993