Presented by: Curtis A. Linder President/Owner Your Paralegal Resume and Professional Email Etiquette April 29, 2010 Copyright 2010 Linder Legal Staffing

Presented by:Curtis A. LinderPresident/Owner

Your Paralegal Resume and Professional Email Etiquette

April 29, 2010

Copyright 2010 Linder Legal Staffing Inc.

Curtis Linder

Former Litigation Paralegal Paralegal training at the college level (ISU) Paralegal hiring and placement for 24 years Hired and placed hundreds of paralegals on

contract assignments or direct-hire jobs at Chicago law firms & corporate legal departments

Receives and reviews hundreds of paralegal and lawyer resumes each year

Owner of legal staffing and placement firm


What We Will Cover Today

Your resume – basic formatting How to properly email your resume Your resume – do’s and don’ts Resume types and structure Advanced resume formatting tips Getting your resume to the right person On-line job searching networking Time available for your questions


Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s “Judgment Day” articles; resume writing tips, and resume reviews:

Presenter’s Resume Credentials

Source: www.lawbulletin.com/classifieds/


Always email your resume…

Unless the prospective employer or the job ad specifically says otherwise

Some Basics


Name your document correctly: My resume, on my computer is

named:

“Curtis Linder resume.doc” “resume.doc” is not a good

name for your resume

My Most Important Tip Today is…


Forces the recipient to rename the document if and when they save it.

If they do save it, it will replace any other document with same name.

Forces recipient to open the document to find out who sent it.

Indicates to the recipient that the sender does not understand basis office skills.

Why “resume.doc” is a Bad Name



Curtis A. Linder123 Main Street

Brookfield, IL 60513Cell Phone (217) 555-1234

Email: [email protected]

Your Contact Information

In simplest terms: The email itself. To get your resume, as

attached, to a recipient. The words in your email. To get the

recipient to “open” and view the attached document – your resume.

Your resume. Once viewed, to get the recipient to invite you in for a job interview.

Three Main Steps – And Goals


Your Cover Email


Name Your Resume Properly, Not Like This:


If you do use Summary or Objective – it should be located at the top of your resume – just below your contact information.

Objective: A paralegal with formal paralegal training, seeking an entry-level position with a Chicago-area law firm or corporate legal department.

or…Summary: A corporate paralegal with two years of experience supporting complex real estate and other business transactions seeking greater challenges.

Summary or Objective Section


SUMMARY/OBJECTIVE: An extremely bright college graduate (cum laude) with formal paralegal training from an ABA-approved paralegal training program – seeking to gain additional law firm experience with a law firm or within the law department of a corporation.


Combined Summary and Objective

Some resume experts say it is fine to have a section called Objective (or Summary) on a resume; other experts say not to have one.

If you do place an Objective section on your resume make sure it is well-written.

Not a very good Objective: “To work at your law firm”.

This expert thinks it is fine to have a Summary or Objective section on your resume.

Should Objective be on Resume?


No. That comes later on in process. Since you are likely just starting out in

the paralegal field – you should not state a desired salary on your resume.

But, if the job ad asks for “Salary History,” place that in your cover letter which as we have learned is your email.


Should Desired Salary Level or

“Salary History” be on Resume?

Chronological vs. Functional

What is the difference?

Resume Type


Chronological Resume shows your work experiences in reverse chronological order. Most recent job position on top.

Functional Resume shows your work experience and skills gathered into groups by skill area or job function.


Chronological or Functional

99% of the paralegal resumes I receive are Chronological

With the other 1% being Functional Functional resumes are much

more difficult for the reader to use


Chronological or Functional?

Think Like The Recipient

Tip of the Day! Great example

of a proper way to attach a properly named resume to an outgoing email.


Do not “bury” your name and contact information in the “footer” of the document.

Resume Tips


What Is Wrong Here?

Hi, I am sending you my resume for the paralegal position. I hope that you find interest in my resume. Have a great day!

"For tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today."A [regional] Proverb

Paralegal [first name] [last name]

[College Name] University- Paralegal Certificate

University of [State], Bachelor of Arts degree

Attached to the email was document in MS Word format named:

Official_ resume[1][1][1][1].doc


An actual email I received…

Use proper grammar and punctuation in the “cover” email you intend to send.

Do not use “first person” in your resume – such as “I”, “me”, “mine” or “my”.

Update your resume quarterly.

More Basic Resume Tips


Be careful using bullets points – those little black dots like these show below left:

● This is how they ☻They may end up

● Look on your resume ♫ Looking like this on

● On your computer ♥ Recipient's computer

In Outline Format – Use of Bullets?


Make sure your resume document is virus-free before emailing it as an attachment.

Use the email Subject line: “paralegal candidate resume attached”.

The body (text area) of your email is your “Cover Letter”.

Email Protocol


Use professional looking email address name. Not this: [email protected]

Email resume to a friend or relative and ask to see how it looks on their computer before sending it out to an employer.

Don’t rely on spell check!

Email Protocol


If using a two-page resume, then use all of the second page. See my example on next slide.

Balance is key – how does it look when printed on paper?

Page margins and font size.

Formatting – Look, Feel and Fit



A “Two-Page Resume” Poorly Formatted

Use Reverse Chronological style. Don’t rely on Microsoft Word’s Resume

Wizard template as document builder. Check the bottom of the document for any

extra embedded “hard returns” (the Enter key) – that will leak word onto an inadvertent or blank second page when printed or viewed.

More on Formatting


Resume Example – Template

Microsoft Word’s Resume Template:


Create in Adobe PDF format Don’t create (or store) your resume

on your current employer’s computer - ever

If you list computer skills on resume, you better know them

Look Like a Pro – Insider Tips


View document in Word’s “Show/Hide” - the ¶ key (slide 35)

List interests (hobbies), but only if they carry weight, such as Eagle Scout, private pilot’s license, SCUBA diver, Real Estate Broker license, or advanced certifications

More Insider Tips


Adobe .PDF Files

Advanced Resume Tips


Do not us abbreviations: NFPA, KCC, PACE, IPA, many others.

Avoid using Word’s “Insert Tables” style. Have name, contact info. and “Page Two”

on page two of your two-page resume. “References Provided Upon Request” – not

need (of course they will be). Health, age, marital status, children – No!

Do’s and Don’ts


Do Not Insert Extra Line Spaces


View and Edit in Reveal Codes


Let’s talk about


Build your profile from your resume It is like Facebook – but professional Employers and recruiter use it Update your profile at least monthly Begin connecting to classmates, Conduct job market research Use LinkedIn’s Job section Strive for 100% profile completeness

Conclusions

Before emailing resume – think what it would look like if you received it.

Have your paralegal friends proofread your resume and email to them as a test.

Keep your resume current (update quarterly) and store it were accessible.

Use email Subject line properly. Name the document correctly!


Any Questions?

For practice – you are welcome to email me your resume

[email protected]


Documents

Presented by: Curtis A. Linder President/Owner Your Paralegal Resume and Professional Email Etiquette April 29, 2010 Copyright 2010 Linder Legal Staffing