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January 2005
By William Seaton New Years is resolution time. After the ever popular "lose weight" resolve, career issues are likely a close second. Whether it's getting a new job, getting a better job or being more successful and satisfied in the job you have, attending to the details of your working life is of paramount importance, not just for New Years but all year long. If you are job hunting, the process starts with your resume, so let's review the meta-details about the resume. Above all, understand that the purpose of your resume is not to get you a job. The purpose of the resume is to get you an interview or personal meeting. What happens in that encounter determines whether you are in running for the job, something we'll discuss in the future. Second, understand the difference between a resume and a curriculum vitae or CV. A resume is a one or two (preferably one) page summary of your experience, job history, educational background and professional licenses. The CV is a longer, more detailed description of your background and may include publications, academic positions and professional presentations. Typically, the CV is more appropriate in applying for academic or research positions. The CV is a complete description of what you have done for someone who is analyzing your background; the resume is a more concise overview, designed to be digested in a matter of minutes. The resume being less complete than the CV implies that it omits certain items of information. This, then, frees people from a common misconception, that the resume must be all-inclusive to be accurate. While everything that is in the resume must be 100% factual, not everything that you have ever done needs to be in there. Non-legal jobs, jobs in college, civic activities need not be included if they do not enhance the request for a meeting with a specific employer. Also, your resume is not static nor is it even necessarily a single document. There is no rule that says you can have but one version of your resume. In fact, sending the same version of your resume to a hundred employers is probably not in your best interest. Much as each cover letter should be specifically tailored to a given employer, so too you should consider how your resume speaks to each job you are applying for. Perhaps you re-order the information to emphasize certain experience or you bring out more details of one aspect of your work history that you feel will most resonate with the employer you are targeting. Ideally, almost every copy of your resume you send out will have some level of customization in order to be most effective. Finally, your resume is a sales document. While it must maintain a professional tone, it should be dynamic and interesting to read. By "interesting" I mean the reader must find something that makes a meeting worthwhile. Know who will be reading that resume and make sure you bring attention to those aspects of your history that will strike the right chord. It means more work than just Xeroxing a hundred copies but if your career doesn't deserve the extra attention, what does?
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Q: Dear Career Counselor:
I have a question about listing job titles on my resume. I worked for a firm where my job title was Law Clerk. I sent my resume to a recruiter, who suggested that I list the job title as Associate. This strikes me as being misleading. Is it ever appropriate to list a job title on a resume that is different than your official job title? A: Dear Susan, Last month's column addressed how to account for time on your resume. This month, we deal with the related and sometimes tricky question of how to deal with job titles. Susan, the short answer to your question is that there are situations in which it is appropriate to use a different a different job title than the one listed on your business card. When considering changing a job title on a resume, the central question is this: Will the contemplated change educate or clarify information for the reader, or is the change calculated to deceive or otherwise mislead the potential employer? There are two recurring situations when it might be appropriate to change the job title as listed on the resume: (1) to indicate a substantive area of expertise; and (2) where the job title itself is uninformative or confusing. Let's address each of these situations in turn. To indicate a substantive area of law. Many attorney business cards don't identify a substantive area of expertise. But if the bulk of your experience is in a designated area, it might be appropriate to indicate on your resume that you are, for example, a litigation, bankruptcy, real estate, or ERISA associate, or a child welfare or tenants' rights attorney. Where the job title is itself uninformative or confusing. Some organizations use job titles that make internal sense, but are clear as mud to the outsider. For example, some governmental and nonprofit lawyers have job titles such as Attorney III. Likewise, some in-house attorneys at corporations have titles such as Project Supervisor, which don't even indicate that the person is an attorney. When it comes to confusing job titles, however, the chief offenders are often dotcoms and start-ups. Where else would you come up across actual job titles such as Princess of Persuasion and Chief Super Mom? I'm not knocking these titles or the work cultures that spawn them. It could be fun to work at a place where you're the Cultural Czar (another real job title), but if you're looking for work after the revolution , strongly consider changing your job title, so that the serfs who are reading your resume can have some idea of what you actually did during your reign. Please don't read the previous paragraph to suggest that you should change your job title willy nilly. Changing your job title on your resume can be a big deal. Be careful. Very careful. Employers are justifiably outraged when candidates lie about their backgrounds or exaggerate their credentials. If your change of job title carries with it even a whiff of exaggeration or deception, you are not only jeopardizing your candidacy and risk damaging your reputation, you may even be fired from a job after you secure it. Two deceptive job title changes are particularly common. These are changes that suggest you had (1) a promotion that you did not earn; and (2) a paid position when, in fact, you volunteered. The first of these changes often takes place when someone lists on their resume a job title that exists within the organization that is different than the one they actually had. Thus, for example, if you report to the general counsel and have the title of counsel (or no specific job title), don't call yourself assistant general counsel if other people in your organization actually have that job title. Likewise, certain terms like intern or extern are commonly used to identify positions that are unpaid. You're not obligated to advertise in your resume that you volunteered for a particular position, but calling yourself an associate in this circumstance is likely to be misleading. Finally, even when it might be appropriate to change your job title on the resume, you should be prepared to indicate your actual job title to the potential employer later on in the hiring process. For example. you should list your actual job title if asked to do so on an employment application. It may also be necessary to identify your actual job title before the potential employer checks your referrals or verifies your employment. Susan, you don't indicate why you believe that changing your job title from Law Clerk to Associate is misleading. But that feeling should tell you that, at best, you should address the question of changing your job title with extreme caution. Career Counselor's Corner questions are answered by Gideon Grunfeld, President of Successful Career Strategies, Inc. (www.scslawcareers.com), which specializes in helping lawyers take control of their careers in and outside the practice of law. You can submit questions to Mr. Grunfeld at gideon@scslawcareers.com
Many lawyers are starting the new year feeling a bit of a sting from their year-end performance reviews. Even the most successful attorneys typically hear some negative feedback during their annual review. That can leave a bad taste in their mouths, especially as they take on additional projects from a senior lawyer who may have been less than complimentary. Don't let these bad feelings go unaddressed. Turn them into a positive by making a point to discuss the issues raised by lawyers who have given you projects to complete. Often, the conversation will make you feel better because the criticism will be explained and may come out sounding less harsh than it looked on paper. You'll also be able to use the opportunity to find out more about the dissatisfaction, be in better position to address the problem and hopefully avoid hearing the same negative comments at the end of this year. You will also have the opportunity to explain your side of things and that can help the two of you develop a better working relationship with better results for your clients.
Responding to Clients Even if you love the food at a particular restaurant, you would probably be reluctant to go there if the service is bad. It's really not that much different with your clients. In fact, many a lawyer, some who practice law at the eighth-grade level, have made a very good career providing the best possible service. Practicing law is, first and foremost, providing a service. Clients pay what they consider a lot of money for that service. And, just like you when you go to a restaurant that has bad service, they get upset when things aren't served their way. To be honest, there are many times when a client won't know for sure that you made the best judgment in one of their cases or drafted a contract provision in the best possible manner. Clients will, however, know for sure that you didn't return their phone call, didn't keep them informed or didn't seem to care as much as they do about their case. They will know these things and they will remember them. It might not be going too far that responsiveness and attentiveness are just as important as good lawyering skills. And it's certainly not going too far in saying that being responsive to your client is not very difficult. There are things you can build into your daily routine that can dramatically improve clients' impressions of you as a lawyer.
Finally, think of other things you can do to keep your clients informed and feeling like you are on their team.
Which of the following is the name of Alaska's legal newspaper? (Answer at the end of the column)
(a) The Alaska Bar Journal (answer at end of newsletter)
"I like lawyers. They have great health insurance and they never get better." Dr. Niles Crane on television's "Frazier"
Cybersettle (www.cybersettle.com) Trivia answer: -- (e) The Alaska Bar Rag
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