Less is More: 12 Things to Leave Off Your Resume
Much has been written about what goes onto a winning resume. Equally important is what to leave off your resume. Because you have very limited space to make the maximum impact, you do not want to waste valuable space with unnecessary information.
- Objective—It is assumed that you are applying for an attorney position, so you do not need to craft a statement of objective, nor state “attorney at law” under your name. A quick glance at your resume should indicate what kind of law you practice and your level of experience. Your current employment description should indicate whether you hold the title of partner, associate, of counsel, etc.
- Personal pronouns—Your resume is about you, so using “I” and “my” are redundant. Likewise, using the third person, “Ms. Jones was responsible for . . .” sounds pompous. Use incomplete sentences such as, “Handled business litigation from inception through settlement, trial, or appeal.”
- Excessive abbreviations and acronyms— Beyond using those widely understood in the profession, such as JD, LL.M, CA, NY, ABA, etc, you do not want your resume to read like alphabet soup. On the other hand, spelling out terms such as Juris Doctor or Master of Arts is unnecessarily formal.
- Unrelated college or law school jobs—Listing your college and law school jobs is unnecessary unless they directly relate to your current career goals. You can state, “financed X% of college/law school expenses through concurrent employment” without stating the particulars. The fact that you waited tables or worked in retail has little or no impact on a legal career. Conversely, you do want to include relevant experience such as a technical or engineering background for a patent lawyer, previous medical positions for a healthcare or malpractice position, and so forth.
- Long job descriptions/Full addresses—Both of these are space wasters. For each of your schools attended and previous jobs, just list the city and state, and country if not the US. You do not need to include the name of your supervisor. Also, pare your job descriptions to the minimum that will clearly communicate your abilities. If further elucidation is necessary, you may want to attach an addendum with representative cases or transactions.
- Unexceptional honors/Unrelated activities—Long lists of honors and activities that do not add to your credibility as a lawyer or demonstrate your leadership abilities or rainmaking potential are a waste of space. A particular pet peeve is references to listing in “Who’s Who” publications which are not viewed as an indicator of one’s achievements. Take a discerning look at your college, law school, and professional activities and honors. Quality and relevance take precedence over quantity
- Outdated/unrelated skills—Do not list your capabilities on outmoded technologies, or skills that do not relate to the job for which you are applying. One dates you and the other may make a prospective employer wonder whether you really understand what is required for the position you seek. Similarly, do not emphasize skills you possess but do not wish to use in your next job. For example, you should mention that a past position included some litigation work, but if you have been concentrating on transactional practice, downplay the litigation expertise.
- High school—By the time you are applying for an attorney position, high school is ancient history. Of concern is what you have accomplished since then. In fact, many argue that the college and law school you attended and your records of achievement at those levels also should become less important over time. In the competitive world of prestigious law firms, however, your academic credentials remain important throughout your career, especially since most law firms include that data on their attorneys’ profiles on their websites and in various directories. But virtually none of them inquire about your high school record.
- Personal information— It is illegal to ask questions about these matters; do not use valuable resume space volunteering this information. It should be irrelevant to a prospective employer whether or not you are married and have children, and their names and ages. Furthermore, your health (beyond your ability to perform the essential functions of the job for which you are applying), your date and place of birth, and your height and weight are none of their business.
- Photo—You are being hired for your skills as an attorney, not for your looks. Many law firm websites include photos of the attorneys, so if prospective employers are really curious, they can look on the internet.
- Salary—If a prospective employer requests salary information along with a resume, included it in the cover letter, not your resume. Do your homework and have a general idea about the potential compensation range before applying for any position. Do not raise the issue on the first interview, and only discuss it when either the interviewer brings up the subject, or an offer is being formulated.
- References—Employers usually will ask for references only after one or two interviews and significant interest has been established. It is premature to include them with your resume. Furthermore, you do not need to use space stating “References available upon request”; that is assumed.
With judicious editing of your resume, you will find that less can be more.
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