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Leave Divisive Traits Out Of Your Job Search If You Want to Work in a Large Law Firm
While sex orientation, religion, politics, and social activism are vital parts of what makes us distinctive identities, they are also divisive traits that can alienate you from others and profoundly hinder your job search.
Many would argue that we live in a ‘ brave new world’ where you shouldn’t be ashamed to specify your political beliefs, sexual orientation or religion in your resume. Moreover, you are encouraged by modern society to diversify and stand out. Sure, it’s great to be able to say who you are and what you believe in. But the truth is, it will most definitely get in the way of you getting hired in a big law firm.
Working in a large law firm means you’ll constantly meet people with different beliefs and you’ll often be put in a position to contradict yourself and what you stand for as a person. But that’s the job of an attorney. It’s the job of an attorney to put the needs of clients and employers first. It’s always about them and never about you.
Large law firms want to bring in huge clients. When they are hiring, they look for likable people who will identify will these huge clients and bring new ones as well. They look for hardworking people who will bill tons of hours to these clients. People who are pleasant to be around, personable, flexible and self-regulated. Most of all, they want to hire smart and talented people. That’s it. Anything else you bring into the equation of how they evaluate you will harm you. They are not interested.
Keep your political views out of your job search and office
Engaging in political discussions is often a messy affair, especially in the office. Your political persuasion should not be a part of your resume, your job interview or your career. Whether you identify as Democrat, Republican, Socialist or even a Communist, leave that out of your professional life. You are going to alienate half of your colleagues at work, more than half of your potential clients—and you are also going to be wasting a lot of time and effort on stuff that has nothing to do with your job. You don’t know the political persuasions of the person who is interviewing you or the owners of the company that might be interested in hiring you.
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Leave Religion out of Your Job Search and Career
You may be a religious person and identify yourself as a proud Christian, Jewish or Muslim—and there is nothing wrong with that. But, the question is should you opt for emphasizing your religion in your resume or discretion. Discretion would be the smart choice. Sadly, the world is a complicated place, and even though, we as a human race should rise above this issue once for all, blatant religious bias and stereotypes still exist in our society.
According to a study published in the Times, employers in the American South are less likely to hire job applicants with an overt religious identity— unless the applicants happened to be Jewish.
If you are seeking a position in a major law firm in New York City, highlighting that you are a conservative Christian will not help—although it might in the South.
Every time you put your religious beliefs on your resume, you are going to alienate some people. You just do not want to make your religion an issue. Why risk it?
Leave Sexual Orientation out of Your Job Search and Career
In recent years our society has made incredible strides in accepting sexual orientation in the workplace. However, is it imperative that you write “I’m queer – get used to it” next to a drawing of a rainbow on the top of your resume? -Probably not. Many in the LGBTQ community believe it is important that law firms are fully aware of their sexuality—whether it is based on how they talk or dress or advertised on their resume. You are free to do all of this, as long as you are aware of the risks. Problems often arise when people of diverse sexuality make this an issue in their job searches and careers.
Leave Social Activism out of Your Job Search and Career
While social activism is often a noble and unselfish thing to do, it’s not a good idea to advertise it in your resume. You are entitled to have feelings about social justice and other issues, but advertising these things is more likely to disqualify you from getting a job—or keeping one—than ever helping you. You can fight these battles on your own time.
Society emphasizes diversity, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean your difference—or finding a reason to be diverse because of your sexual orientation, race, and so forth—is something that will help you advance.
People still value talent. The world ultimately rewards your talent and contributions, not where you went to school. There are many Ivy League graduates who got into these schools because of athletic skills or other connections that never do much with their careers.
