1L Tuesdays: Resumes1L Tuesdays: Resumes

Guiding Principle: Focus on what your resume is supposed to do

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• Address my needs and priorities, not your wishes and aspirations

• Don’t tax my patience

• Don’t tax my credulity

• Give me the information I want, and only the information I want, in a sequence that lets me make a snap judgment about you.

Sections

Heading

Education

Experience

Additional Information

Brain Dump

Qualities of an ideal lawyer:

Energy (hard work)Follow-throughAbility to juggle multiple tasks and prioritizeAbility to pick up new information quicklyAbility to deal with time pressures and tight deadlinesTeam playerInitiativeMotivationCreativity/imagination/inventivenessSelf-confidenceFlexibilityIntelligencePersuasivenessPersistenceAttention to detailWillingness to accept responsibilityAbility to handle stressGoal-orientationEnthusiasm

Skills of an ideal lawyer:

Problem solvingLegal analysis and reasoningLegal researchFactual investigationCommunication (written and verbal)CounselingNegotiationOrganization and management of legal work

FormatFormat

Length: one page only Make it easy to read Font: Just one. Arial, Times, Garamond

Margins: Ideally an inch around, no less than .7 on the sides and .5 on the top and bottom

Headings should stand out Use white space, underlining, bold, capital letters,

italics and font size thoughtfully Font size preferred: 10.5-12 pt Use consistent formatting

Avoid visual distraction – no colors

HeadingHeading

Name – a little larger font & bold Contact info: One mailing address unless

geographically relevant Email address/voicemail

EducationEducation

Reverse chronology You attend: Loyola University Chicago School of Law Juris Doctor NOT Juris Doctorate! Only your expected graduation date, no date ranges Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, May 2009 Dean’s List is possessive GPA: 3.141 (3 digits to the right of decimal)ADDITIONAL LEGAL EDUCATION

“Contemporary Issues for Trust Fiduciaries,” Continuing Legal Education Program, October 2, 2012, offered by Loyola University Chicago School of Law

ExperienceExperience

Reverse chronology Paid, unpaid, full-time, part-time, volunteer work Employer’s name, city, state, dates of employment, title and job

responsibilities Use bullet points and begin with active verbs Lead with most impressive skills, responsibilities What is relevant to the employer? Skills, passion, interest Read job description and gear to job posting Include all legal-oriented transferable skills Differentiate between current and former jobs Use active language

Additional InformationAdditional Information

Volunteer/Community Services Languages

Know your fluency level Personal Interests Licenses and Associations

AvoidAvoid

Objective Section High school info Computer skills, Lexis/Westlaw References Available Upon Request LSAT score Personal data Abbreviations, acronyms, terms of art Using a form Etc.