Resumes Your resume is the first impression you present to a potential employer. You have control over both the content and the appearance, so consider it a marketing piece. As the first step in the job search process, your resume will not get you the job, but a good resume can be the first step in a successful job search. Below are suggestions for writing and designing an effective resume. Keep in mind that these are only guidelines. Ultimately your resume should reflect a bit of your own personality and you should feel comfortable that it accurately conveys who you are and what you have accomplished. Getting your Information Organized Start by collecting the information you will need including degrees, dates, activities, job information, references and so on. Keep your resume short. Studies show that people reading resumes usually don't want to read more than one page. Consider your resume a document that highlights your accomplishments, not a tome that lists everything you've ever done. Proofread carefully and run a spell check. Misspellings and typographical errors on your resume reflect poorly on you and Santa Clara University School of Law. Proofread carefully and run a spell check again. Then have someone else a friend, family member, colleague or LCS counselor read over it. Spell check will not find words used incorrectly, only words spelled incorrectly. Use a laser printer to print your resume to provide a more professional image. Consider the quality of paper you use. Print your resume on neutral color bond or 100% cotton paper, preferably white or cream. Update your resume periodically even if you are not job hunting. Then, when you begin the process again, you won't have as much work to do to get ready. Putting your Information on Paper Start with your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address at the top of the resume. If you will be sending out resumes over the winter break or summer, include an additional address and telephone number where you can be reached. Limit your resume to three or four general headings such as Education, Experience, Honors & Activities and Interests. List education in reverse chronological order. Begin with law school, then graduate and undergraduate schools. You should refer to your current degree program as Santa Clara University School of Law and J.D. expected May (or July or December) 20xx. Page 1 of 6
Do not list your LSAT score on your resume once you have entered law school. The LSAT is an admissions requirement, not necessarily an indicator of your potential success as an attorney. Decide whether or not to include grades, including those from undergraduate, graduate and law school. Many employers make their initial decisions to interview a student based on academic performance. It is not mandatory, however, to include your law school GPA on your resume. If you do, make sure you do so in a meaningful way so the numbers make sense to an employer, such as listing it as 3.5/4.0 or 3.8/4.33 or including your class rank. Follow your educational credentials with employment experience, listing your current or most recent position followed by other positions according to the dates of employment in reverse chronological order. You should not mention why you left previous jobs or what your previous salaries were. Do not list LEXIS and Westlaw as special skills since most law students around the country have also acquired these skills. Include computer skills only if applicable. List only those activities, hobbies and interests in which you are actively engaged. Do not say that references and writing samples are available upon request. A potential employer will assume that you have both and may ask for these regardless of whether or not this statement appears. So be sure to have references and writing samples ready! Omit such items as date of birth, marital status, number of children and physical attributes as these may be considered illegal or discriminatory. Omit career objectives and personal summaries on your resume. These are more appropriate for a cover letter. Do not include high school information except to establish geographic ties or highlight outstanding or unique accomplishments. If possible, include the date you prepared your resume (Date Prepared: 8/1/99) in small type in the lower left-hand corner. This is helpful to you, potential employers and Law Career Services so we know we are looking at the most recent version of your resume. Be truthful. Remember that anything included on a resume is fair game to a potential employer. Design Details Put your name, address and telephone number in a larger font, center it, separate it from the rest of the resume with a horizontal line or use some other method to draw the eye to it quickly. Be consistent with your language, style and punctuation. Use white space to separate sections that are important. When you enter text in all capital letters, try using a font smaller than the remaining text. That will let you put emphasis on the text without it appearing too overwhelming. Try using different fonts but keep in mind that most legal employers will be looking for a fairly conservative and traditional resume. Santa Clara University Law Career Services Page 2 of 6
Using the Right Words As you write your resume, refer to the following list of sample action verbs. Note the words that help describe your qualifications and experience and incorporate them into your resume. Always use action verbs when you can and omit such passive words and phrases as "Duties Included" or "Responsible For." accomplished achieved administered affected analyzed applied appraised approved arranged assessed assisted attained awarded built calculated catalogued clarified coached communicated compared compiled composed conceived conducted constructed contracted controlled convinced correlated created decided defended defined delegated demonstrated designed detailed developed devised devoted directed disseminated distributed drafted earned edited effected encouraged enforced enlarged established estimated equipped evaluated examined executed exercised expanded experimented facilitated filed formed formulated founded generated governed grouped guided handled illustrated implemented improved increased influenced initiated innovated inspired installed instituted integrated interviewed introduced invented investigated launched maintained managed mediated motivated negotiated observed obtained organized originated perceived performed persuaded pioneered planned prepared presented prevented produced programmed promoted proposed proved provided pursued recorded recruited rectified reorganized represented researched resolved reviewed revised saved scheduled searched secured selected served simplified sold solved sponsored stimulated strengthened structured studied succeeded summarized supervised supported synthesized systematized tailored taught trained transformed translated united validated verified won wrote Santa Clara University Law Career Services Page 3 of 6
References Some employers may ask for a list of references along with your resume and cover letter, so you should have these ready. Generally you will want to use academic and professional references for your job search. Provide a list of at least three individuals you would like the employer to contact, along with address, telephone and e-mail information. For consistency, type this list in the same font and format as your resume. As a courtesy, let these individuals know that you have listed them as a reference. Contact them before listing them as a reference, or send them a letter with a current resume to update them of your job search situation. Written letters of reference are helpful but not generally necessary, as they often become outdated very quickly or are too vague and broad to be of help to a potential employer. Resume Too Long? Try eliminating some information that may not be quite as important as other information. Try combining information on several lines into one line. Try adjusting the margins. Try changing the font or font size, but not below 10pt. Try changing the space between tabs. Resume Too Short? Try adding white space by increasing the margins or adding more space between sections. Try changing the font or font size. Try reformatting from paragraph form to a bulleted list. LCS Library Resources Best Resumes for Attorneys Guerilla Tactics for Getting the Legal Job of Your Dreams The Perfect Legal Resume Santa Clara University Law Career Services Page 4 of 6
ETHEL Q. MERTZ 607 Cowper Street San Jose, CA 95004 (408) 555-9904 emertz@yahoo.com EDUCATION SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW, Santa Clara, CA J.D. expected, May 2003 GPA: 3.11 (Top 40%) Activities: Member, Criminal Law Society UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME, Notre Dame, IN B.A. American Studies, May 1998 Minor: Business Administration Honors and Activities: Dean's List, Spring 1995-96; W.R. Grace Debate Champion, 1997 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE CICCONE & PENN, Los Angeles, CA Law Clerk Summer 2001 Researched legal issues for insurance defense firm in tort actions; wrote Memorandum of Points and Authorities; assisted attorney with deposition and settlement conference preparation. WILSON, JOHNSON, STEVENSON & BRANSON, Los Angeles, CA February 1999 Legal Assistant - July 2000 Member of litigation team working on the Jefferson Savings and Loan civil case; analyzed a variety of legal and accounting documents; performed detailed computer searches; distributed depositions and exhibits nationwide and assisted in the daily preparation for trial. REALBIG, INC., Manhattan Beach, CA June 1998 Principal - February 1999 Assisted in the product development, market research and the acquisition of financing for a start-up "captive audience" media company targeting the retail sporting goods and resort markets; worked on the project until company was capitalized; presently, full system on line in one resort (Blackcomb, B.C.) and in four retail outlets (Sports Chalet) in Los Angeles. M.I.B. COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SERVICES CO., Long Beach, CA Summer 1997 Leasing Agent Specialized in the leasing of industrial and industrial office space; marketed property through cold-calling and advertising; negotiated and drafted commercial leases; limited amount of space-planning and property management. SKILLS AND INTERESTS Speak fluent Spanish and basic German; enjoy filmmaking and guitar; volunteer for Notre Dame Homeless Coalition. Date Prepared: August 3, 2001 Santa Clara University Law Career Services Page 5 of 6
FRED W. MERTZ Current Address: 48 E. Rincon Ave #B Campbell, CA 95008 408-555-5760 fwmertz@scu.edu Permanent Address: 24498 E. Eastgate Drive Diamond Bar, CA 91765 909-555-5122 fred.mertz@hotmail.com EDUCATION Santa Clara University School of Law, Santa Clara, CA JD expected, May 2003 (Part-Time Program) Honors: Recipient, Emery Scholarship Activities: Member, Black Law Student Association; Member, Public Interest Coalition University of California, Berkeley, CA BA, May 1993 Major: Sociology Minor: African-American Studies LEGAL EXPERIENCE Law Offices of Lucille B. McGillicuddy, Santa Clara, CA Law Clerk Researched legal issues, drafted motions and performed client intake for a criminal defense attorney. Involved in all aspects of pre-trial preparation, including crime scene investigation, subpoena service, witness interviews and photography. Set up and organized case file depository for attorney file review. (Summer 2001) World Systems, Sunnyvale, CA Law Clerk Researched and drafted memoranda in areas including patent and trademark infringement for a software development and systems integration company. Drafted and edited license agreements and commercial lease agreements. (Fall 2000) PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE INTERESTS Pottery & Barrel, Palo Alto, CA Store Manager Oversee day-to-day operation of a specialty housewares and furniture store. Schedule and supervise assistant managers, cashiers and stock assistants. Manage inventory, budgets and payroll for a staff of 20. Selected Manager of the Year in 1994, 1995 and 1997. (1993 - present) HTML programming and web site development Working knowledge of conversational Arabic Enjoy hiking, NFL football, old movies and gourmet cooking Date Prepared: 8/24/01 Santa Clara University Law Career Services Page 6 of 6