Resume

Honing Your Resume (Hint: Don’t Copy a Bad Job Description)

  • On July 26, 2025
You know how job descriptions are often a huge list of bullet points? Unfortunately your resume can’t be as well. So how are you supposed to tailor your resume to the job then? Determine the top skills and requirements of the target job. For example, think about the critical functions of the job and the […]
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Resume

One Page Resume: Yes or No? And Other Resume Rules

  • On July 20, 2025
WSJ says “it’s time to rethink the one-page resume” because AI bots are screening for keywords, and you need to have enough content to pass that screen. Five points to consider: Junior lawyers, fewer than five years out of school, should still stick to one-page resumes. The WSJ article states, “Don’t be the pretentious rookie […]
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Resume

Do Not Do These 2 “Resume Green Flags” per Former Google Exec

  • On December 29, 2024
Let me save you from following the advice of a former Google exec who said to do these two resume green flags to “make you look like an absolute superstar.” (The exec giving the advice was in media operations at Google, which is a very different field from law.) Her advice? Have one-line bullets because they […]
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Resume

Applying General Resume Advice to Legal Resumes

  • On December 1, 2024
You may be wondering what general resume advice applies to in-house legal resumes in the Bay Area. Some rules apply, and others don’t. Let’s go through those listed by a hiring expert in the CNBC article “The resume mistake that will land it in the ‘no pile,’ according to a hiring expert of 30+ years.” […]
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Resume

WSJ’s “New Coveted Resume Line”: What is It?

  • On October 27, 2024
I fell for the WSJ’s article cleverly headlined “The New Coveted Résumé Line: Flipping Burgers.” Apparently fast food experience on your resume is now coveted: “A stint in fast food is a badge of honor for business leaders who want to be viewed as humble and relatable—and proof that they worked to get where they […]
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Resume

 Are Boring Formats OK for Legal Resumes? 

  • On August 25, 2024
Lawyers often ask me about updating their resumes to industry standard. What does that entail? Simple is ok; I’m backed up by recruiters from top companies like Nvidia on what to do. I agree you should do these basics: use the language from the job description, impactful verbs, and metrics to quantify accomplishment. Should you […]
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Resume

The Economist on the Perfect Resume

  • On August 4, 2024
I recently read the Economist’s article on writing the perfect CV/resume, and agree with so many points. It acknowledges “[y]our audience is made up of recruiters and hiring managers,” and confirms we “spend an average of 7.4 seconds skimming a job application.” Valid recommendations to follow: Do not “put the reader off.” The format should […]
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Resume

Don’t Customize Your Resume?!

  • On July 21, 2024
OK I bit. I had to click on the career advice article telling applicants NOT to customize their resume to the job since that is often the FIRST thing I tell people to do. So why does the Nike head of talent acquisition say tailoring the resume is a “waste of time?” He explains job […]
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