I just read this post featuring a recruiter at Deloitte who says the thing she looks for on a resume that “will give you ‘the edge’” is an interesting factoid about yourself. She says you should “put the nugget at the top of the resume,” presumably to inject personality into the document.

No. Do not do this. In-house lawyers have a ton of responsibilities, and it’s hard enough to keep relevant experience onto 1-2 pages. By adding a line at the top about how you love to travel or read books is displacing the space for your key accomplishments. The top of the resume is prime real estate because readers skim resumes and one of the few areas they read for sure is the top. So including colorful information about yourself up there in lieu of cold hard evidence that you are right for the job is super risky.

One caveat is if you have done something truly impressive like competed in the Olympics or received a Rhodes Scholarship. And only then would I mention it briefly, like “Privacy counsel for Fortune 100 companies and [former Olympian] [Rhodes Scholar].” You can include a little more at the bottom of the resume under “Interests.”  (For resume advice to follow see https://www.susantiensearch.com/category/resume/. And for more advice NOT to follow, see here and here.)