Resume?

[Trainwreck]

Do I include a resume when I finally apply? Mine is kinda lame at the moment but I don't know if I should waste time updating it.

?

[Anne]

Technically speaking, it depends on the schools you're applying to and whether they require you to submit a résumé. However, I always advise applicants to include résumés with their applications, for two reasons: (1) It allows you to provide a one-page snapshot to the Admissions Committee that quickly showcases your academic, extracurricular, and professional achievements, and (2) It allows you to put those achievements out there without having to do so in the personal statement.

Definitely spend some time revamping and maximizing your résumé before you send it in. Don't simply assume that the one you've been using to get temp jobs during the summers is good enough. Your résumé needs to look polished and professional--remember, in many cases, it is the first piece of paper that AdComs will pull out of your file, and you want to make sure that first impression is a good one. Don't let them make assumptions as to your organizational or professional attributes based on a shoddy résumé. I can definitely go into more detail if you have specific questions you'd like to ask about your particular résumé, but here's a couple of points to keep in mind while you polish up your current version:

1. Your name, address, phone, and email need to be at the top of the page. They do NOT, however, need to be in 20-point font. You can easily have a two-line contact info that looks like this:

Joe Applicant
123 Main Street, Anytown, ST 12345 • (123) 456-7890 • email@address.com

2. Make it easy to read. This is as simple as justifying all your text to the left of the page and bulleting your points. Don't write huge chunks of text in your résumé. A résumé is meant to be a meaningful summary of your accomplishments; don't bog it down with lengthy text. Be concise.

3. Provide explanations for awards, projects, groups, and companies/jobs that aren't readily known. Don't assume that everyone will know what you mean by technical architect or that the witty or punny title of your senior thesis makes it obvious what it was about. Also, make sure to give the background and numbers for awards and GPAs. Don't just say, "Awarded Brown Medal in Mathematics." Say, "Awarded Brown Medal in Mathematics. This award is given to the graduating senior with the highest GPA in the major, who is considered by the faculty to have given the greatest contribution to the department." Add a little background, tout your achievements a little. Don't be afraid to talk yourself up with explanations. Also, particularly with the GPA, provide context. If your GPA-within-major was a 2.7, but the average GPA-within-major for your major is a 2.0, make sure to note that (i.e., "GPA-within-major: 2.7 (School-wide average: 2.0))").

4. Use clear action verbs and active voice.

5. DON'T include unnecessary information, such as your LSAT score, résumé "purpose" (i.e., "Purpose: To obtain admittance to a top U.S. law school."), or "References available upon request" line. Also, please please don't reference your SAT scores or any high school information unless it is absolutely necessary (and by "absolutely necessary" I mean something truly relevant, like the fact that you started an organization in high school that has since gone national, and you still headed it up during college. And, even then, the only high school thing that should be in your résumé should be the line, "...begun in [Applicant's] junior year of high school...").

6. DON'T go over one page. AdComs aren't looking for a curriculum vitae, they want a summary. Also, in many cases, it could be considered presumptuous if a 21-year-old recent college graduate sends in a 3 or 4 page résumé. If you're going over, look for things to cut -- any jobs held in high school can go, as can extracurriculars for which you didn't hold office or didn't attend regularly.

I can definitely help out more if you have specific questions on your own résume. Let me know.

[Trainwreck]

That's great, thanks. The bad news is that I'll have to spruce my current one up. Maybe trash and rewrite it is a better description.

A couple of your points are about not going on too long and not including old history. Any advice for what to do if your background is, ermm, rather thin?

 

[Anne]

Any advice for what to do if your background is, ermm, rather thin?

Typically, when you have limited experience what you want to do is beef up the experience you DO have with more extensive descriptions; this also gives you the opportunity to expand on the other areas of your résumé. Also, don't forget--if you're just coming out of college, you're not really expected to have a huge résumé. You're 21, and won't really have had much time to have that much experience.

Which part of your résumé do you consider "thin"?

[Trainwreck]

Any advice for what to do if your background is, ermm, rather thin?

Typically, when you have limited experience what you want to do is beef up the experience you DO have with more extensive descriptions; this also gives you the opportunity to expand on the other areas of your résumé. Also, don't forget--if you're just coming out of college, you're not really expected to have a huge résumé. You're 21, and won't really have had much time to have that much experience.

Which part of your résumé do you consider "thin"?

Haha, all of it!

My work experience is weak. I've worked as a waiter for the past three summers, but beyond that, nothing. So my resume is just school and working for the restaurant. Skills wise I know computers and speak Spanish fluently but not much else.

WTF have I been doing with the last 20 years!!

[Anne]

My work experience is weak. I've worked as a waiter for the past three summers, but beyond that, nothing. So my resume is just school and working for the restaurant. Skills wise I know computers and speak Spanish fluently but not much else.

The Spanish is good--make sure to include the number of years you've studied it and your proficiency level (i.e., Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Conversational, Native, etc.). The computer skills aren't really going to do much to beef up your profile (it just doesn't really translate to a law degree that well unless you're thinking about going into Internet/Cyber Law, in which case you can include it on your résumé and then talk about your specialization choices in a statement of purpose).

What about your extracurriculars? What have you done there? You'll definitely have to include your work experience (regardless of how "slim" it may be), but you can also beef up the other three big areas of your profile: Academics, School Extracurriculars/Community Service, Personal.

For academics, think back to papers you may have done and classes you may have taken that directly relate to what you want to pursue in law school. If you don't yet know which specialization you want to pursue, then at least include your senior thesis title and a brief two-sentence synopsis of what it was about. Also include any awards you may have won and their descriptions, and perhaps some advanced-level classes you've taken that really demonstrate qualities that would go a long way in law school (i.e., heavy reading, research, extensive papers).

Extracurriculars and community service/volunteer positions are good to include. Ideally, you should only really include those activities for which you actually held a position of authority, and not just every club you went to meetings for. As far as community service goes, include all you've consistently done during your four years of college.

With personal, think about things that "play against type": For example, if you were a math or engineering major, something that would play against type is that you enjoy painting or sculpting. This is where you get to include information that fleshes out your personality and gives you dimensionality. Are you an Art major that also enjoys computer programming, or an English major that is also an avid rower or boxer? These things make you seem interesting, and make AdComs see that you have more than one aspect to your person. Think of it as a supercharged "hobbies and interests" section.

[widespreadLSATpanic]

With personal, think about things that "play against type": For example, if you were a math or engineering major, something that would play against type is that you enjoy painting or sculpting. This is where you get to include information that fleshes out your personality and gives you dimensionality. Are you an Art major that also enjoys computer programming, or an English major that is also an avid rower or boxer? These things make you seem interesting, and make AdComs see that you have more than one aspect to your person. Think of it as a supercharged "hobbies and interests" section.

I'm pretty much in the same boat as Trainwreck, with a crap resume. I guess good grades and (hopefully) a good LSAT score isn't always enough.

Anne - This is a great point above! I like to think of myself as being fairly well-rounded, so I can probably beef up my resume a bit with some of the "out of the box" things.

[Anne]

I like to think of myself as being fairly well-rounded, so I can probably beef up my resume a bit with some of the "out of the box" things.

The thing that law schools look for the most (apart from proven academic prowess) is a diversity of experience--they want to know what you'll bring to the conversation in a law school. These little "play against type" mentions will do two things:

1. Show that you're not just academics (and that, if you are very strong in a certain type of academics, that you also have interests/hobbies/pursuits that round you out); and
2. Make you memorable. If you do anything that's a little unusual or uncommon (here comes one of my odd examples--they're fun! --i.e., "Trains Pomeranian purebred dogs for national dog shows; placed 1st in the AKC 2008 Small Breed Tournament.") then you become a (positive) conversation piece. The more you become a conversation piece, then they more memorable you are, which makes you that much more likely to pop up in people's heads when decision time comes. All of which is a good thing.

Let me know if you need any help fine-tuning your rez!