Upgrading Your Resume for On-Campus Interviews (OCI)

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Upgrading Your Resume for On-Campus Interviews
(OCI)

• And Other Documents for an Application Packet

Presented by The Placement Office Elmer
Ignacio, Esq., Director eignacio_at_law.fsu.edu Beck
y Marsey, Assistant Director rmarsey_at_law.fsu.edu
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Why Do I Need to Upgrade My Resume?

• Your resume tells employers what you have learned
  and the type of experiences you have gained
• Todays job market is very competitive
• You will be competing with classmates and
  students from other schools that are credentialed
  and have varying backgrounds and levels of
  experience
• The better your resume, the better your chances
  of succeeding in the employment search, not just
  during OCI

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Why are resumes so important?

• Your resume is your first impression with that
  employer
• Most legal recruiters will spend less than 30
  seconds reviewing your resume
• You want to make sure that you are portraying
  yourself in a manner that is positive, organized,
  concise, and persuasive
• Your resume should be your absolute best work
  product

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Characteristics of a good resume

• Concise and brief
• One page
• Arranged so that the high points can be absorbed
  in literally 20 seconds
• Does not contain first person pronouns (i.e.
  I)
• Free of grammatical, typographical, and spelling
  errors
• All information provided is correct, including
  dates and titles

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Resume Suggestions

• Stick to standard Margins .7 to 1 inch
• Use standard font sizes 10 to 12 point
• List only one phone number
• Be consistent with formatting
• Do not overuse bold and italics
• Include any and ALL legal / law related
  experience
• List most recent education and work experiences
  first and work backward

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Basic Format of the 2L / 3L Resume

• The education section will be first
• Under the appropriate educational institution
  highlight outstanding activities and academic
  achievements
• The Experience / Employment section should follow
• Using Experience instead of Employment allows you
  to include clinical work, internships, and / or
  volunteer work

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Education Section

• List your law degree as Juris Doctor Candidate,
  May 200_ or Juris Doctor, expected May 200_
• Do NOT estimate G.P.A. or Class Rank
• Use 100-point scale for reporting G.P.A.
• Include undergraduate academic achievements
• Include any activities and organizations under
  the appropriate school
• Transfer students should include the previous law
  school

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Should I include my G.P.A. or other grade
information?

• If grades are an important hiring criterion to a
  particular employer and you do not have top
  grades, they will likely not select you for an
  interview with or without them being listed.
• Generally, you want to include information that
  works to your advantage.
• Some employers will assume the worst if no grade
  information is provided.
• If your grades have shown consistent improvement,
  you may want to highlight that by breaking them
  down by academic year.
• If you have significant work experience or other
  qualifications to set you apart from others, then
  an employer may very well select you for an
  interview without any grade information.

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Listing G.P.A.

• Use only your G.P.A. received from the Law School
  Registrars Office.
• Do NOT calculate your own GPA.
• Report your G.P.A. in the 100-point scale
• Do NOT report G.P.A. using the 4.0-scale used by
  main campus
• When obtaining transcripts for OCI purposes, use
  only the unofficial transcripts obtained from the
  Law School Registrars Office. Do NOT use
  transcripts obtained through Blackboard.
• To obtain your official G.P.A. and an unofficial
  transcript, submit a records request

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Class Rank and G.P.A.

• 2L Information
• You will only have Class Rank and GPA

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Class Rank and G.P.A.

• 3L Information

3Ls (non-transfers) Have Both Sets 3Ls (non-transfers) Have Both Sets
Class Rank GPA Upper Level Rank Upper-Level GPA
Includes your first year grades. DOES NOT INCLUDE your first year grades.
DOES NOT INCLUDE transfer students INCLUDES transfer students
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Class Rank and G.P.A.

• 3L Information
• Listing Credentials on Resumes and
• Job Applications
• OPTION 1
• List only Class Rank GPA

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Class Rank and G.P.A.

• 3L Information
• Listing Credentials on Resumes and
• Job Applications
• OPTION 2
• Include your Upper-Level Rank and Upper-Level
  GPA.
• If you choose this option, you MUST also indicate
  your Class Rank and GPA

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Class Rank and G.P.A.

• Transfer Student Information
• Indicate your rank and GPA from your previous law
  school under that law school on your resume.
• Any subsequent rank and GPA you receive from
  Florida State University College of Law should be
  indicated as your Upper-Level Rank and
  Upper-Level GPA under FSU Law on your resume

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Experience Section

• Include ALL legal experience
• Include non-legal experience
• List your most recent position / experience first

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Tips for Including Non-Legal Jobs

• When listing non-legal positions, highlight your
  transferable skills
• Key transferable skills include
• Writing
• Research
• Leadership
• Communication / Client Contact

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Action Words

• When writing your descriptions for internships,
  externships, volunteer positions, or previous
  employment, try to use action words
• Vary your usage
• Use a thesaurus
• Do not Research and write everything!
• Analyze
• Formulate
• Develop
• Prepare

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A Sample of Action Verbs

• Achieved
• Analyzed
• Authored
• Chaired
• Clarified
• Communicated
• Coordinated
• Counseled
• Demonstrated
• Delegated
• Developed
• Established

• Evaluated
• Examined
• Formulated
• Implemented
• Managed
• Mediated
• Negotiated
• Operated
• Organized
• Performed
• Planned
• Presented

• Prioritized
• Provided
• Reduced
• Researched
• Revised
• Scheduled
• Solved
• Supervised
• Trained
• Translated
• Verified
• Wrote

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Sample Resumes
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Example of how to list previous law school if you
are a transfer student.
If you did well in your undergraduate degree, it
may be to your advantage to showcase this.
In this example, the student separated legal
experience from previous work experience. This
is not necessary, but may be advantageous if your
legal experience gets lost among other work
experience.
Adding community involvement and / or interests
can be advantageous by providing a source of
additional topics of conversation. Hobbies
should be interesting, and not weird.
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Great grades in only certain classes. Listed
these on the resume.
This student was published prior to law school.
Any publications are great to include on a
resume.
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Example of how to list GPA and Class Rank
information.
Book Award listed.
Example of how to list two degrees.
Student has foreign language skills. This is
important to include. Be sure not to overstate
your abilities. Typical levels listed include
Native, fluent, proficient, conversational. Be
prepared to speak in the language if asked!
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Unsure if you should include it?

• Avoid activities that might portray you as a
  "party animal" or non-academic type.
• If you were the social chairman for an
  organization, you might want to use a different
  term
• That does not mean that you should always leave
  off things like membership in a fraternity or
  sorority.
• Carefully consider what value including your
  activities might add.
• If you had a leadership position within your
  fraternity or sorority, this might demonstrate
  leadership skills, commitment, etc.
• Consider when and when not to include political
  allegiances or membership in politically
  sensitive organizations.
• You have no idea of the personal likes and
  dislikes of the readers of your resume.

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Writing Sample

• The four types of legal writing
• Application Analysis. This includes memos,
  briefs, judicial opinions, and law school exams.
• Critical Analysis. Includes seminar papers and
  law review articles and case notes.
• Legal Drafting. Includes contracts,
  interrogatories, and pleadings.
• Legal Correspondence. Includes letters to
  clients and other attorneys.
• Most employers expect to see an application
  analysis, as this is what the attorney or law
  student is going to be asked to do in his or her
  job.
• Items produced during your first-year legal
  writing courses are excellent examples of
  self-edited work.

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Writing Sample cont.

• Employers expect about 5-10 pages of your best
  work.
• Legal employers would rather see legal analysis
  something like a memo or brief is preferred over
  a research paper, and something on a legal topic
  is preferable to a non-legal paper.
• If you use an excerpt, indicate it is an excerpt.
• Make certain you use a cover sheet or other
  method to indicate that it is your writing
  sample.
• Obtain approval before using materials from a
  previous employer!

TIP You do not need to submit a writing sample
to an employer unless it has been requested.
However, you should bring copies of your writing
sample to all interviews.
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Cover Letter

• For OCI, you will only submit a cover letter if
  requested by the employer.
• Keep the letter to one page.
• During a regular job search, a personal,
  well-crafted cover letter should accompany each
  resume you send to an employer. Unless it is not
  requested.
• A cover letter offers you an opportunity to make
  a positive first impression on the firm or
  organization. It should be error free!
• Mention any pertinent information about yourself
  not available in your resume.

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Cover Letter cont.

• Always address the cover letter to a specific
  personnever send a letter to whom it may
  concern.
• For OCI purposes, you may address the cover
  letter to the contact listed in Symplicity.
• Do not use passive voice
• Do not waste time with puffery about the firm's
  overall strength, prestige, or size.
• The letter should establish logical reasons for
  sending your resume to a particular employer
  (your experience, geographical considerations,
  personal contact, etc.) and state your interest
  in and qualifications for the particular type of
  work.

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Cover Letter The Breakdown

• First Paragraph
• Introduce yourself.
• Tell why you are writing, name the position for
  which you are applying, and tell how you heard of
  this opening.
• Many OCI employers will want to know why you are
  interested in a particular location. The first
  paragraph can be a great place to demonstrate any
  ties or particular interest for a specific area.
• Examples
• "Having been raised in Seattle, I intend to
  return to the Northwest to practice law after I
  graduate."
• "I spent four years as an undergraduate at
  Georgetown, and I intend to practice law in
  Washington, D.C. ,following my graduation."
• Having visited Atlanta numerous times, I am
  attracted to both the professional and personal
  opportunities that your city offers.

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Cover Letter The Breakdown

• Second and Third Paragraphs
• State your skills and establish your value.
  Answer What can you do for the employer?
• Supplement, not replicate, the information on
  your resume.
• Establish traits which an employer expects from
  an employable law student
• Excellent legal writing and research skills.
• Mention skills that you dont have on your
  resume. (i.e. ability to work under deadline
  pressure outgoing ambitious).
• Explain how your non-legal skills translate into
  the legal profession.
• For example, if you have worked in retail, you
  might say that your "customer service experience
  has prepared you for the challenge of dealing
  with attorneys and clients with diverse
  backgrounds and goals.
• Unique qualifications may come from work
  experience, an academic experience as an
  undergraduate, or in another graduate school or
  from an extracurricular activity.

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Cover Letter The Breakdown

• Final Paragraph
• Assert your method of follow up.
• Have an appropriate closing to pave the way for
  the interview by giving your telephone number or
  by offering some similar suggestion for an
  immediate and favorable reply.
• Let the employer know if you will be in that area
  or that you will call to arrange for an interview
  and that your resume is enclosed.
• Thank the employer for their time.

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References

• Use the header and format from your resume
• Have 3-4 listed
• For OCI purposes, submit only when requested
• References may include professors, previous
  employers, current employers, contacts from
  volunteer positions that can speak to your work
  ethic and ability
• As a courtesy, ask and notify anyone you list as
  a reference.
• Have available at your interview

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References An Example
Sample Reference List and Resume. Notice the
student used the same header for both.
Make sure to list complete contact information
for each reference.
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Commonly Asked Questions

• Should I include information about my high school
  or activities I did in high school?
• Generally you should remove high school
  experiences from your resume.
• Should I include my LSAT scores on my resume?
• No, you should not include LSAT scores. At this
  stage, your academic achievements will be most
  relevant to the employer.
• Should I include an objective on my resume?
• No, listing an object is a common space water.
• Should I include my computer skills on my resume?
  
• It is universally assumed that all law students
  have and will graduate with skills in word
  processing and on-line research. The exception
  is if you have advanced computer skills, that are
  directly relevant to the position you are
  seeking. For example, advanced research
  certificate in WestLaw or Lexis.

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Commonly Asked Questions

• Should I include the tag line References and
  writing sample available upon request?
• No, this statement takes up valuable resume
  space.
• Should I include my permanent home address?
• Often times if your permanent address can show
  ties to the area, it may be beneficial to include
  on the resume.
• I was invited to a Journal, but did not join,
  should I place this on my resume?
• It is of questionable benefit and can only lead
  to the question, why didnt you join.
• Can Pro Bono experience be placed on the resume?
• It can be placed on your resume, particularly if
  you have no other legal experience. Just
  indicate it appropriately.

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Questions?

• For individual questions regarding your resume,
  or to have your resume reviewed, please contact
  the Placement Office.
• Placement Office
• 850.644.4495
• Elmer Ignacio, Esq., Director
• eignacio_at_law.fsu.edu
• Becky Marsey, Assistant Director
• rmarsey_at_law.fsu.edu