Resume

This morning I got my first rejection of the submitted applications.  It was only for a contract administrator role, so not too disappointing.  I assume my experience and salary requirements were too high for it.  More will come though, for jobs I really want.  In my last application process, I was actually relieved when I got a rejection because it was closure regarding a position.  I guesstimate at least 70% of applications garner no response from HR, either negative or positive.  Again, it's nothing personal since every online posting has many, many, many, many responses.

Having so recently gone through the job search (to get back to Chicago from Japan),  I have the luxury of having a resume ready for job search V2.  However I realize that some of you might need some help on getting one ready.  Take this advice with a grain of salt because this resume is tailored toward the legal profession, but here's my short primer on resumes.

To start, put your name on the top of the resume followed by a Gmail address and then your snail mail address.   Using any other address like one from Aol, Hotmail or Yahoo will make you seem like a technological fossil.  A general counsel of a respectable company gave me this advice and I strongly believe it.  Before that I had been using an Aol address from... my junior high days.  Remember those Aol trial service disks attached to issues of PC World!?  I don't think they even publish PC World anymore. 

Gmail is free, so go out and open an e-mail account for your job search if you don't already have a Gmail address.  This goes without saying, don't use/get a hotbunny69@gmail.com, biglawyerstud@gmail.com or any other address for the search that would make you seem unprofessional.  Also, forget all that crap about objectives.  It's a waste of time/space, reviewers scan resumes in like 12 seconds and don't care about it.  Your information should look something like this:

John M. Doe

JohnMDoe12@gmail.com

12 Wheat Center Apt 211

Barrington, Illinois 60010

(847) 123-456

Next, list your work experience starting with most recent in time first.  For each experience entry, start with your company and where it is located.  On the line below put your title and the dates you had the title.  Then below that, list your responsibilities followed by accomplishments in your job.   Since you recently lost your job like me, all of your duties should be in the past tense.  If we hadn't lost our jobs, the duties for our first experience entry would be in the present tense.  Each entry should look like the following:

Happyco (USA) LLC, Chicago, Illinois

Senior Counsel                                                                                      October 2016- March 2017

• Reviewed, drafted, and negotiated service agreements, joint venture documentation, incentives, and statements of work
• Advised business teams on contractual obligations and regulatory requirements
• Liaised with vendor partners on implementation of marketing and sales campaigns
• Accomplishments include:

• Negotiated a master service agreement with a major telecommunications company

After your experience, list your certifications/licensing and then education as follows.  I didn't put my GPA because well, I spent too much time drinking with friends and seeing matinee movies during school.  If you have an impressive GPA, by all means put it in the education section.  Props to you if you did.  If you didn't go to college, no worries.  If that's the case, instead, put a similar section entitled Skills such as Word, Excel, etc. as well as the certifications listed above.

Bar Admission

State of Illinois                                                                                                    November 2011

Education

University Law School, Valparaiso, Indiana               

J.D.                                                                                                                            May 2011

                       

University of State, Urbana, Illinois                                       

B.A. History                                                                                                          December 2006

Please feel free to use the below sample resume as a template for your own resume if you want to.

Sample Resume

As to resume pages, try keeping it to one page, but once you break the eight to ten-year career mark, you can use two or more pages.  If you are a recent grad, you may want to put education first and then experience next since you are freshly out of school.

It's good to have your resume checked by others.  Your college or graduate school's career center will happily do it for free.  I reached out to career services at my law school to look over my resume.  If those resources aren't available to you, there are plenty of friends, family and co-workers that will do it too.  Just ask them.  Believe me, they'll help.

After the initial application blitz, I'm running out of jobs to apply for!  Only two more applied for today.  Another friend recommend a pretty good document review gig for temporary funds on the search.  If the conditions are correct, I might just take it.  This buddy of mine was an intern at the law firm I was at and has been quite a colorful character over our years together.  I feel very lucky to have buddies like him. 

I'll go into good job searching sites tomorrow.  Go get some rest.  You earned it!

Day Five Lessons: 

1. Get a Gmail E-mail Address for Your Resume/Job Search

2. Get Someone to Proofread Your Resume Before You Apply to Jobs

Total Contacts Reached Out To: 26

Total Applications: 22