4 Ways You are Making a First Impression Without Knowing It

Yes, you know your online profile needs to look professional, but did you know you are making impressions in other ways?

1. Your email account. Most people know not to assign a ridiculous name to their email account they use for professional connections. But if you have a Gmail account and I enter you into my system, your personal photo attached to the account pops up. I can say from experience that most people’s Gmail photos are quite different from their LinkedIn photos.
2. The file name of your resume does appear to employers if you upload it to the system. Pick a straightforward name like First Last Resume Date.
3. Your resume font and layout make an impression. Lawyers are smart enough not to go with Comic Sans, but they also should not use Arial/Helvetica. That’s a super dated format with a lot of wasted space. Studies have shown that fonts with serifs (like Times New Roman) lend the substance more credibility so go with that. Don’t do a two column layout (with Experience as one column and the substance in the second column). See here for resume tips and sample.
4. Take into account East Coast vs. West Coast culture. I grew up in New England and went to school on the East Coast so I get why folks there are fast talkers/to the point. But if you are an East Coaster and want to come out to the West Coast, understand that a soft approach works best. West Coasters, while prizing the ability to get things done, also make an effort to be personable. Even lawyers let their personalities shine, essential to build rapport with clients. So if a job seeker is brusque with me, I will take that into account when I match lawyers with my clients, top companies headquartered in California who want their in-house counsel to have great relationships with internal teams.