Do You Have a Weird Resume?

A resume is a representation of yourself. Make sure it isn’t weird! Do the following to maximize job success:

1. Choose only one font, and a font with serifs. Studies have shown content in Times New Roman is perceived as most credible. Now is not the time to show creativity and individuality through your font choice.
2. Put things where they are expected, like bar admission at the bottom (including USPTO membership). If you have information where people don’t expect it, it won’t be seen and won’t register.
3. Choose your top points and highlight them. Make sure they can be digested quickly. The reader is skimming your resume in 5 seconds (or less!) so don’t hide the ball.
4. Have a topic sentence for your various jobs so that the reader can be oriented quickly, e.g., “Lead associate representing [startup to Fortune 500] clients in [industries/technologies] on [areas of law].”
5. Use the same words from the job description so you don’t get filtered out (e.g., if the job description says “antitrust”, don’t use the word “competition”). If you are changing industries, list translatable skills.