You on Paper

Okay, paper may be out, but ensure your resume, cover letter and LinkedIn profile portray the version of you that employers will find most attractive. And you must have both a resume and a LinkedIn page.

As for resumes, it must be perfectly written with no mistakes. One typo is usually enough for disqualification. Use active verbs to describe your experiences and that all bullet points start with an active verb. We've seen people lose jobs simply because their bullet points start with different parts of speech. Your resume should focus on work experience, anything you've done creatively, and anything you've done to make your community a better place. The resume must also give the reader some idea of who you are outside of being a lawyer. What interests do you have? What hobbies to you have? Remember you are applying for a job to work side-by-side with these people. You'll spend more time at work than outside of it, so showing that you are fun and interesting are important, but you still need to remind potential employers know you are serious, too. It's a balance, so pay attention to it.

Cover letters are where you can “let your hair down a little” and show personality. It's also an opportunity to show what kind of emailer you will be and how clear you communicate. Your cover letters must be tailored to the particular employer instead of recycling the same verbiage for each role. Why are you a good fit for this position? We have noticed that fewer cover letters are getting passed along internally at companies, so make sure your resume stands on its own just in case.

Consider paying a few bucks to have a professional designer take your content and make it pop. When one is reviewing tens to hundreds of resumes, it really stands out having a resume that just looks different than the boring standard format. We've seen folks have great luck with designers on 99designs.com. If you don't want to pay, that's cool, too. Try out Canva.com, which has some really nice templates and it's free.

Specifically to LinkedIn, don't be the 85% of people applying who crop some selfie they took standing next to their dog or significant other in front of some outdoor scene. Do not wear sunglasses. Get a friend to take your phone and take your picture. Put on some casual, yet professional clothes and look directly into the camera. Your goal is to show an employer that you are nice, smart, and don't have four heads and two horns. Smile as you like or show a little grin—whatever feels natural to you. Or, think about smiling while listening. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Take this seriously.