Job Search, LinkedIn, Resume

6 Job Search Tips that Do Not Apply to Lawyers 

  • On September 17, 2023
Working in-house is a specialized space, so general advice for job seekers may not work for lawyers. Here are 6 pieces of advice I’ve seen that do NOT work for getting a legal job: Always message the hiring manager and CEO when applying for a job? No. This is not a good use of your time. If […]
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Resume

Resume Refresh Part III: Tailoring Your Resume

  • On August 27, 2023
You may see this career tip all the time, that you should “tailor your resume” to the job. How exactly do you do that? It means highlighting relevant experience and reframing the other work you’ve done to match the target profile the company wants. Here are 5 ways to tailor your resume to the job: […]
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Resume

Resume Refresh Part II: Make Your Resume Easy to Skim!

  • On August 20, 2023
Last week I discussed which resume words to use and which words to avoid. This week I wanted to cover another very important feature of your resume, readability! Here is the bright line test on whether your resume is effective: in a 5 second skim of your resume, can the reader figure out the top […]
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Inhouse, Resume

Resume Refresh Part 1: Resume Words to Avoid vs Words to Use 

  • On August 13, 2023
I read with interest this post on CNBC by a career coach on the two words to avoid on your resume “at all costs.” What are they? “Responsible for.” OK those words are not ideal, but worse in my book are “handled,” “participated,” or “involved.” (Talk about vague and weak!) The point is you should […]
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Change, Job Search, Resume

Laid Off? What to Do with Your Resume

  • On November 20, 2022
I appreciated this timely LinkedIn article on crafting your resume post-layoff. These points directly apply to lawyers: Think about what job you want next. Take a little time “to reassess your career and determine what direction you’d like to go in.” Also, process any bitterness so there is no trace of it when you start interviewing. (Employers […]
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Resume

Is This True: 5 Things that Should Never Be on Your Resume?

  • On July 24, 2022
I take giving legal professionals good career advice very seriously. So I am reading clickbait like “I’ve helped people land jobs at Google and Facebook—here are 5 things I never want to see on your resume” so you don’t have to. Let’s go through the list and see if the advice holds true in the […]
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Resume

NYT’s Resume Tips: Are They Any Good?

  • On June 20, 2021
I read with interest the New York Times’ resume tips. What applies to lawyers, and what doesn’t? Yes, tailor your resume to the job. My March 7 post  covers ways to do that for lawyers. Yes, use the same keywords in the job post. And yes use the most relevant keywords in the jobs at the top. If you […]
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Resume

7 Things Executive Resumes Do (& Your Resume Should Too!)

  • On May 14, 2021
Professional executive resume writer Adrienne Tom’s “7 Secrets of Executive Resumes” apply directly to lawyers! Sometimes resume experts don’t understand the legal field and offer up inapplicable advice, like always list an objective or include all your technical skills/languages for a robot to parse. Instead, these seven tips are all high-level and high-impact, which is […]
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Career Tips, LinkedIn, Resume

3 Basic Things to Do For Your Career

  • On March 29, 2021
You may be happy at your job and not looking to change. But here are the three minimum things you should always do for your career. LinkedIn presence. Put up a picture, describe your job, and list your key skills. Even if you are not on the job market, you should have a digital presence. […]
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