Resumes - General Info

A resume is a brief, organized statement of your skills, abilities and previous experiences as they relate to the employment that you are currently seeking. The focus is on accomplishments, not just activities. It allows you to choose, organize and emphasize the materials to your best advantage. It is not necessarily a listing of all of the work and educational experiences that you have had.

A good resume is often the difference between being a job "applicant" and a job "candidate." Consider these basic elements when writing a resume:

1. Be brief and to the point.
   
   
2. Arrange your resume in a way that is logical and easy to read.
   
   
3. Write your resume with "action" phrases. Focus on results of your activities, not just a list of duties.
   
   
4. Be absolutely certain that your resume is neat and free of errors. Print only on white or off-white paper.
   
   
5. Make sure that you have included all relevant information on your resume that will support your candidacy for the job.
   
   
6. Do not include anything on your resume that will automatically eliminate you from consideration.

Formatting Your Resume

Personal Data

Yes – Name, address, phone, e-mail. Put this at the top of the page. Do not title the document “resume.”
No – Marital status, family, birthday, height, weight, LSAT Scores.

Education

Yes – Start with most recent first. Institution, location, degree name and date. List anticipated year of law school graduation.
No – High school, unless somehow compelling, or institutions from which there was no degree, unless there is a reason.

Grades

Yes – If they are an asset (upper ½), if employer requests, if you want to be up front. 
No – If you don’t wish to. If you do not include ranking, grades are not helpful. No if they are an estimate.

Employment/Experience

Yes – Organization listed first, location, position title, dates, description. Focus on outcomes, accomplishments, responsibility levels, things you can quantify. Use simple past and action verbs. Bullet points are also good.
No – Aspects of the job you never want to do again, no paragraphs of text.

Skills

Yes – Foreign language, specific advanced computer skills.
No – Rudimentary computer skills, elementary foreign language.