In-House Counsel

Answers To Your Most-Pressing Resume Questions: Resume Length, Format, And Vaccine Status

These questions are ripe for discussion.

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In this week’s column, I wanted to take time to address some of the most-pressing questions I’ve received over the past month, via e-mail and LinkedIn. From resume length to formatting to even listing your vaccination status, the questions I receive in my weekly inbox have been keeping me busy. I thought these were questions ripe for discussion, and I wanted to take the time in my weekly column to address them. Let’s go through the rapid-fire questions and answers.

Question: What are the rules on resume length? Is my resume supposed to stay at one page?

When it comes to writing a legal resume, the trends have changed from what we initially crafted in our law school years and early practice. If you’ve held multiple roles over a 10-year period, it will be hard to fully develop the details of those experiences in a one-page format. Your resume should be as long as it needs to be in order to convey the right amount of information that strategically positions you for a role. Typically, my clients’ resumes are two-to-three pages, depending on if they have extensive board leadership, publications, speaking engagements, and expansive educational details (MBA and LL.M. in addition to a J.D., as well as certifications and ongoing professional development).

Keep in mind that two-to-three pages for a resume is the trend for experienced professionals. However, a four-to-six-page resume will likely be considered overkill (and will likely not be read in full detail). You will want to balance the resume length with results, while keeping in mind that 15 to 20 bullet points of information for a position can be a deterrent to readability as opposed to an advantage.

When it comes to diving into the details of your resume, apply the “CAR” format (challenge, action, result) to a specific example, such as a representative engagement or transaction. The key is to build context around what you did and the outcome it created for the firm or company.

Question: Is there a preferred style to writing a legal resume in today’s legal market?

There is a standard formula I subscribe to when writing a legal resume, or any resume for that matter: headline/branding statement, professional summary, professional experience, education/bar admissions, publications/speaking engagements, and board leadership/community involvement. Most lawyers are not used to seeing a headline/branding statement or a professional summary at the top. We are used to just diving into the professional experience and giving a list (via bullet point format) of the basic job functions and duties. This is an outdated process and strategy that often causes job application rejection letters in the digital age, particularly where companies utilize Applicant Tracking System (ATS) software to parse through the resume.

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The headline/branding statement and professional summary areas provide good real estate that prime a reader with an introduction to your career trajectory. Think of it as the summary you read on the back of a book jacket. Your summary should include a roadmap into your career trajectory that tells your areas of expertise along with value-add statements that center on soft skills and career highlights.

Question: What are your thoughts about adding vaccine status to the resume? I am fully vaccinated. 

This is a terrific question that came from one of my high-level corporate counsel clients recently (and I also received a question about vaccine status on the resume following a recent speaking engagement to a group of corporate counsels). If you’re planning to return to an in-office setting (whether hybrid or full on-site), listing your vaccination status can help position you strategically where companies are requiring vaccinations (such as in workplaces that employ more than 100 employees). According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, a survey showed that 70% of hiring managers were more likely to hire someone who indicated vaccination on their resume.

Vaccine disclosures are becoming part of the application process. In fact, I’ve had multiple conversations with business executives across the globe in recent weeks who are listing vaccination status on their LinkedIn profiles to be fully transparent — especially if global travel is part of their job requirements, and they are rapidly seeing the vaccination status questions asked on job application. As one prospect said to me. “I am an open book. I would rather disclose it up front, so they don’t think I am hiding the ball.” His thoughts are in sync with several others who asked the question as it can offset the awkward conversation from popping up later in the interview process.

While vaccination status could bring up potential hiring bias in those who perhaps cannot be vaccinated due to religious or medical reasons, or even outcast those who are “anti-vax,” the reality is that we are navigating a new normal in the post-COVID world. Electing to list your vaccination status is a matter of personal preference, but if it gives you an advantage in the job search marketplace and you’re comfortable disclosing it, go for it.

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I plan to continue this trend of publishing your pressing resume- and career-related questions and my answers in the coming months, so please keep the questions coming. You can message me on LinkedIn or send me an email with your question — you will remain anonymous.

Wendi Weiner is an attorney, career expert, and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for attorneys, executives, and C-suite/Board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications about alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at wendi@writingguru.net, connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.  

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