Marketing When You Are the Product ''The greatest thing to be achieved in advertising, in my opinion, is believability, and nothing is more believable than the product itself.'' — Leo Burnett, advertising pioneer (298 views)
Dear Petunia Partner: Practical Advice for the Everyday Lawyer - Part II I am pleased to introduce you to Petunia Partner, a lovely figment of my imagination and my homage to all of the wonderful advice columnists of the world. In this second installment, Petunia continues to offer up her very special brand of practical advice for the everyday lawyer. I hope Ms. Partner's lighthearted column will help you to avoid some of the common pitfalls... (11 views)
The Dos and Don'ts of Tightening and Toning Your Resume There were two inspirations for this week's resume article. One was Britney Spears's less-than-stone-toned body in her awkward and sloppy comeback performance at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) show, and the other was an atrocious resume that arrived in my email inbox last week. Both brought horror to my face, but more importantly, both needed a lot of ''tightening... (112 views)
The Top Three Mistakes Attorneys Make on Their Resumes We all make mistakes, but as you know, resume mistakes are rarely forgivable. Read on to find out what the top three resume mistakes are - straight from the experienced resume writers at legal resume-writing service Attorney Resume. (315 views)
Tips on how to make that cutting edge Resume to impress interviewers Crafting a resume that showcases a tantalizing variety of relevant jobs and skills is ideal, right? Define ''relevant.'' These days, many job seekers seem to be forgetting a simple rule of thumb when writing their resumes: only include pieces of information that will qualify you for the job. No, your talent as a guitarist and singer in a band from the 1990s does not... (196 views)
Free Employment Clinic: How to Fix the Boo-Boos in Your History Remember how, when you were a child, your mommy taught you how to put a Band-Aid on your knee after your most recent fall? Sometimes a scar was inevitable, yet she always knew how to make you feel better. But what can you do about the boo-boos in your employment history? (7 views)
The Lifestyles of Lawyers We've all heard different versions of the Ecclesiastical statement ''There is a time for everything.'' In fact, the adage was immortalized in The Byrds' song ''Turn, Turn, Turn'' decades ago—so much so that other musicians, such as Wilson Phillips and Dolly Parton, have covered the song in their own unique styles. (139 views)
Resume Tailoring In my line of work, ''resume tailoring'' refers specifically to clients who would like extended periods of time to work on their resumes and cover letters with me so that we can adjust their documents as their position descriptions and employment desires shift. However, the broader definition of ''tailoring'' with regard to resumes, I think, now reflects more than ever its... (23 views)
Making Pro Bono Worth Reading About Every legal professional seeks to find ways to make his or her resume stand out from the rest. Sometimes it can feel a lot like applying for college all over again. You may ask yourself, ''Do I have enough volunteer work? Do I show knowledge and experience in a variety of areas? But do I still look focused and dedicated to my line of work? Most of all, does what I have... (11 views)
Tips on how to avoid procrastrination I hate to say it, but life is all about the here and now. The longer we wait to do things, the less likely it is that we will ever do them. In fact, motivation has been known to dwindle exponentially with the passage of time. (13 views)
Calling All Psychic Employers There are millions of possible ways for any candidate to phrase descriptions of past positions, and most of them are perfectly acceptable when taken at face value. Unfortunately, sensible grammar and solid phrasings do not always equal a strong sense of cognitive understanding on the other end. As I have said before, everything in your resume and cover letter should be... (8 views)
Employment Patriotism For years, applicants have been utilizing objectives at the tops of their resumes or cover letters in attempts to grab organizations' attention and create appeal. Unfortunately, with advances in the hiring process and the large growth of the population in general, those doing the hiring have a lot more applicants to pick from, and an objective for career growth just will... (7 views)
Nothing about you can be kept hidden from your employers For some reason, there is this crazy idea floating around that portraying yourself in the best possible light also means saying whatever you need to say to get the job. I would like to submit that this idea could not be further from the truth. (7 views)
Make a proper appearance of your Resume Resumes and cover letters are the documents potential employers are going to look at and either be intrigued enough to file away for the future or be unimpressed enough to place in cylindrical files for homeless men on street corners to use as insulation on cold winter nights. Unfortunately, most employment-seeking documents are just lackluster or laborious enough to get... (16 views)
Show Me the Money...or How You Will Make Me Money This week, I spoke with Rick Gillis, who, over a short number of years, has developed quite an impressive career as an employment expert, public speaker, author, and radio show host. As founder of The Really Useful Job Company, Gillis has built the formula of fundamentals that will get job candidates hired. (40 views)
Using Psychology to Get Your Resume Noticed This week, I spoke with Paul Endress, a nationally recognized expert in the application of psychology to business in the areas of communication, hiring, and retention. Over the past 25 years, he has started nine companies, which means he knows a thing or two about hiring and what to look for in cover letters and resumes. (75 views)
The Art of Creating the Perfect Business Letter for Better Coverage In the heat of the moment, many job applicants ignorantly toss together messy and ineffective cover letters, hoping to beat out the rest of the eager crowd. When applying for jobs, you should craft each cover letter as if it were an individual work of art. Taking the time to sit down and outline each cover letter properly will make better use of your time and energy—and... (148 views)
The Online Resume: A Window into One's Soul? I have said it once, and I am going to say it again: technology has given many of today's job seekers the misconception that a good old-fashioned hard copy resume is way too old school. As a result, many candidates are sending employers links to their personal webpages, which happen to showcase their resumes, revealing perhaps too much information, if you catch my drift. (48 views)
The ill effects of lying about facts and information in Resume When most law students graduate, they face an oh-so-daunting Catch-22: many entry-level jobs require previous experience, which many law graduates obviously do not have. They may also be encouraged to lie about which schools they attended, since consideration of the school a candidate graduated from is often a make-or-break factor in getting hired by a top firm. This leads... (457 views)
Daring Resumes: Are They Worth the Risk? As we look around at the 12-year-olds blabbing on their BlackBerry devices and jamming to thousands of songs on their microscopic iPod shuffles, there is no debate as to whether our society has become overwhelmingly technologically savvy, but is that necessarily something that should be reflected on our resumes? With many of today's businesses looking for more streamlined... (69 views)
Preparing Curricula Vitae for the International Market These days, with our global economy expanding at such a rapid rate, many young American law school graduates and professionals are broadening their horizons and applying to foreign firms, companies, and organizations. When applying for a job with a foreign employer, the application process has a few considerable differences that must be addressed, as our American practice... (39 views)
Employers' Biggest Resume and Cover Letter Pet Peeves Whether they are right out of college or 20 years into their careers, many people cannot seem to overcome the alarmingly noticeable resume and cover letter flaws and missteps that many employers describe as their biggest pet peeves. Do yourself a favor and pay attention because in this business—as in any business—there are no second chances when it comes to committing... (342 views)
Broadening Your Resume When Job Experience is Scarce Many law students spend their entire college careers focusing on their studies and overall academic performances, which leaves them no time to hold down full-time jobs. Although this sacrifice pays off when students end up with records of high scholastic achievement upon graduation, full-time law students can find it difficult to put together resumes demonstrating strong,... (3073 views)
The importance of soft skills in Email Etiquettes In our contemporary, technology-savvy workplace, it is almost impossible to avoid emailing cover letters and resumes to potential employers; in fact, email is usually the initial means of communication between employers and their job candidates. A series of questions may cross a person's mind when he or she is about to send a submission via email. Because email is still... (223 views)
The Power of Words in Your Resume and Cover Letter When composing resumes and cover letters, many people underestimate the power of words. Whether it be a resume, cover letter, essay, or email, the entire meaning of a work can be altered by word choice. Evaluating the connotations of words used in your resume and cover letter and making necessary adjustments can both streamline the flow of your documents and allow you to... (813 views)
How to draft the best resume and covering letter to get the job When preparing cover letters and resumes for a job search mailing, you should never consider submitting two of the same cover letter—or even two of the same resume, for that matter. It is invaluable to know as much as possible about the jobs you are applying for, so that your letter and resume can be focused and concise. Each letter and resume must speak directly to each... (278 views)
How to eliminate unwanted things off your Resume While lawyers concerned about the best possible presentation on their resumes (as we all should be!) may agonize over formatting and fonts, the key to creating a powerful resume is simplicity. Often, a resume that leaves the best impression is one that's been edited to remove extraneous content, leaving the most relevant parts for the potential employer's review. Being... (181 views)
How Long Should My Resume Be? and Other Questions and Answers This week, Mother Resume would like to take some time to answer some of your most pressing resume questions. As you all probably know, the only dumb question is the one you don't ask, and this is especially true when it comes to resume writing. Your resume is what gets you noticed and gets you in for the interview. Therefore, it is the single most important document in... (23 views)
Resume writing tips While Barbara Chalsma is gone, other resume experts will be filling in for her. This week, Stephen E. Seckler, a recruiter with BCG Attorney Search, gives his resume writing tips. (32 views)
The nitty gritty's of drafting a proper Resume and advice on how to avoid the 5 dangerous mistakes When it comes to crafting their resumes, there are five main mistakes people make on a regular basis that keep them from landing the interviews that lead to the dream jobs. In hopes of saving you from these resume blunders, I'm going to let you in on exactly what the infamous mistakes are and give you some tips on how to avoid making them. (184 views)