Today Is The Day We Concentrate on The Body of The Document. The body of the document consists of the following: position title, employer name, dates employed, and job description. We have discussed everything in the previous posts, except the job description.
You must describe what you have done in a past position that makes you worthy of the one to which you are applying. A few things that you should keep in mind when preparing a description.
Share numbers with the future employer. If you supervised 19 people, then tell the reader you supervised three (3) people on project (a) , seven (7) people on project (b), and nine (9) people on project (c). It does not matter whether you supervised a group of people at McDonald's, or if you worked on Wall Street. What you are trying to convey to the reader is that you have a transferable skill (a skill that can be done in more than one arena). If you can supervise 19 people while they flip burgers and take orders for coffee at a register, then the truth is that you can supervise 19 people who make cold calls to people who want to purchase securities. There are certain skills necessary to do job X and you have the character and wisdom to do that job, because of your different, but similar work habits in job Z.
Share your people relationships with a future employer. If a working relationship consistently placed you in the company of other people who are more senior than you, try to artfully mention those relationships and the work you did for that senior person or group of people. There is nothing wrong sharing with future employers that you have supervised other employees; you should also inform them that you can place yourself alongside other people within the company who are outside of your pay grade. It is not a question of whether you have influence with someone who has a higher ranking in the company; what you want to display is a certain level of maturity about you. With maturity and confidence comes trust. Once you establish trust, then other benefits come along for the ride. A relationship of trust brings more coveted and exacting assignments. It often brings exclusive, work-related, yet more social interaction with people in the company. With these assignments come relationships with those who are influential in the industry, but those people may not necessarily be employed by the company where you are/were employed. It is more than okay to showcase trust and to know influential people; it does not matter that you work for a large or mid-size law firm, if you are in private practice as a solo practitioner, or if you work for a government agency, or non-profit organization.
Share your accomplishments (eg., work product) with the reader (future employer). What have you done for anyone lately? Did you write three legal memoranda? Five client letters; four intake memoranda? Create a bench book, or some other document that shows or indicates some expertise on a subject. Expertise on an issue that you have prepared a document on is not only about good writing. It is also about the patience required to see a project through to completion, and the perseverance it takes to go through many difficult and time consuming drafts. Employers are looking for someone who will keep her pedal to the metal when times get tough or when problems surface. What topics have you written on before - - what interests you? Constitutional issue? Tort? Contract? Crime? A new legal theory? A law review article? Who received these documents? What was the purpose of the submission? Any memorable court decisions? Perhaps in a cover letter you can inform the reader what a particular writing was supposed to accomplish.
Be specific. Too often a writer paints with a broad brush when crafting a job description. Many people think broad is better because it shows great breadth and depth in a person's work. Some people even believe that a broad description is better, because maybe then the employer might not exclude him or her from the position for which he or she is applying.
I do not think that is the case at all. I believe the broader the brush you use, the more you will have to prove when you are in the hot seat for an interview. Or, worse yet, no interview at all because it is difficult to know or understand what you do because your job descriptions are so vague or too broad. Specificity brings with it an easy truthfulness and creates a working relationship between you and the employer that you are happy to do, that you want to do, and that you are qualified to do. It will not be work that you must do, or work that ends up becoming a burden on you and your employer. When the work becomes too difficult for you or your employer, that is when conflict arises, and too much conflict between you and the employer is never good for the client.
Tomorrow: our last resume blog will consist of a review of my resume.
Thank you for your time,
Prof. Smith
Be specific. Too often a writer paints with a broad brush when crafting a job description. Many people think broad is better because it shows great breadth and depth in a person's work. Some people even believe that a broad description is better, because maybe then the employer might not exclude him or her from the position for which he or she is applying.
I do not think that is the case at all. I believe the broader the brush you use, the more you will have to prove when you are in the hot seat for an interview. Or, worse yet, no interview at all because it is difficult to know or understand what you do because your job descriptions are so vague or too broad. Specificity brings with it an easy truthfulness and creates a working relationship between you and the employer that you are happy to do, that you want to do, and that you are qualified to do. It will not be work that you must do, or work that ends up becoming a burden on you and your employer. When the work becomes too difficult for you or your employer, that is when conflict arises, and too much conflict between you and the employer is never good for the client.
Tomorrow: our last resume blog will consist of a review of my resume.
Thank you for your time,
Prof. Smith
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