Top 3 Surprising Resume Tips (Distilled from 6!)

I’m again distilling many excellent career tips, this time from 6 to 3, for you busy lawyers. (Feel free to review http://www.everyvowel.com/resume-2/post for the science behind the tips.) Three resume tips you must follow:

1. Quantify your achievements. Metrics add color and make your accomplishments stand out. If you closed the year’s biggest deal or were on the team for a trial of the century, say that! If you received an award, explain why you received it and how many employees are recipients. If you are a foreign attorney who got into your country’s top school, explain it has a .01% admit rate.
2. Name drop shamelessly. In your resume, don’t just say you represent clients, or maybe technology clients (still boring). Identify them and explain the outcome of your representation. If you worked on a confidential matter, indicate what space the client is in and if it’s backed by a leading investor.
3. Talk to friends within a company before applying, and ask them to review your resume first. Learn from them what issues, products and services are most important, and adjust your pitch on paper and in person accordingly. Your contacts can also walk your resume in for you.