Summary: There are six things you need to remove from your resume when applying for jobs at law firms if you want to be taken seriously as a competitive candidate.
Read 6 Things Attorneys and Law Students Need to Remove from Their Resumes ASAP IF They Want to Get Jobs with the Most Prestigious Law Firms to learn more about all six things.
Your resume is the first impression a law firm will receive from you. You want this impression to be a good one so make sure your resume is leaving information about you that is screaming “hire me!” Face it, anyway of increasing your odds of being hired are good. Fix these common resume mistakes immediately before submitting your resume to even one more law firm.
Legal employers assume you want to come work for them, fit in with the team, and work lots of hours so don’t waste time stating those things. Focus on the things the law firm needs to learn about you that set you apart from the other applicants. These factors will be things such as the fact that you are the most ready and most capable not that you have needs and demands. Law firms want lawyers that don’t try to stand out from the crowd. They need soldiers that can do the work.
Here are three of the six areas of your resume that you need to fix:
- Giving too many personal details is not a good thing
The law firm does not need to know your interests and hobbies. They also don’t need to know your political, religious, racial, or other affiliations. Leave off any connections to your race, religion, socialist leanings, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or pro-feminist leanings. There may be people in charge of hiring at the firm you are applying to that are more conservative in their viewpoints than you. Why put something on your resume that will immediately set you apart and alienate you? There are many reasons as to why a law firm may avoid someone with certain personal details on their resume some of which may be discrimination but some is just preferences of the law firm’s based on previous experience.
- Unrelated work experience and education
The fact that you have another business where you make surfboards is not something that needs to be on your resume. The fact that you left a job at a law firm to start a business, which has since failed is also something to leave off. Continuing your education is a good thing if it is in something related to being an attorney such as an LL.M. degree. The fact that you took classes and received a certificate in IT is not good. Previous jobs you held in high school do not need to be on your resume because there is very little chance that it will be relevant for the position you are applying to.
- Being negative towards a previous employer, coworker, or law firm
Never be negative about a former boss in your resume or during an interview. Using hostile language or negative statements only tells the law firm you applying to that you are immature and will criticize them as well. Be the bigger person and keep your personal anger towards your employer to yourself.
Do you think less is more when it comes to resumes or should candidates bear all? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
To learn more about being a top candidate, read these articles:
- Top Law Firms Consider These 8 Categories When Hiring
- Top Ten Ways Attorneys Can Move to a Better Law Firm and Get a Better Attorney Job
- Top 12 Considerations for Law Students Interested in Pursuing New York Law Firm Opportunities
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