There is no question the coronavirus has changed our day-to-day work routines. The vast majority of attorneys are working from home. This worldwide pandemic has increased workload for some practice areas while others may be struggling. The latter group may find themselves with a more down-time than usual, which is a perfect time to update your resume.
When it comes to updating your resume there are three keys things to keep in mind:
Keep it easy to read;
Don’t shy away from providing detail; and
Focus on what is important for the desired position.
First, a resume should be “user friendly.” Law firms and companies often receive hundreds of resumes for an open position. The initial “browse” is typically done by someone in human resources or a recruiting specialist who neither wants nor has the time to spend reading long paragraphs stuffed into a single page. Make it easy to read by using appropriate spacing and font.
Second, “user friendly” doesn’t mean leaving out details that could be critical to getting an interview. The idea of keeping your resume to one page was best left with the college career services advisor. There is no way an attorney who has practiced more than a few years could effectively market their skills and experience in just one page. So long as it is conveyed in a clear, concise manner (think section headers with bullet points underneath), listing detailed experience such as M&A deals or representative litigation on multiple pages can be very effective in highlighting keys skills and attributes. This can often be accomplished with a general resume supplemented by a detailed practice addendum.
Finally, your resume should focus on what is important for a particular position. Admittedly this is a challenge when you are attempting a complete shift in expertise, but for many attorneys their experience overlaps on a number of practices areas. If your practice includes commercial litigation, general business and real estate, be sure to lead with the area that addresses the primary need in the position – even if that is not the majority of your practice. For example, if you are applying for a transactional real estate position, focus on real estate first, general business next (given the inherent overlap) and then any real estate related litigation. That is not to say you should fabricate or otherwise overstate certain skills, it’s just a matter of focusing on what’s important.
Clearly, we would all like to put the coronavirus behind us as quickly as possible, but for those who now have extra time on their hands it is a perfect time to update or hone or an ineffective resume.