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Resume advice..

AudaciousRedAudaciousRed Alum Member
in Law School Admissions 2689 karma

So... I think I have my resume cut down to short and sweet and applicable to law school. I have a few odd jobs going back to high school, and I don't think it's helpful to list everything I've ever done. So, I just listed things I have done in recent years that did seem positive. I know some schools will ask for it all, and I would provide if they asked for it.

Anyway... I wanted some input on a few issues, if you good folks will oblige :)

  1. I snuck a little humor in there. At the end, I have a "Talents" section. Some have "hobbies" or "interests" or whatever. I am open to changing this, too. But anyway... I listed some talents that I have that are also interests for me, and "ruining murder mysteries for my family." It's funny, but true. Do these people have any sense of humor? I always hear that we should show our personalities -- glimpses of ourselves-- through our applications in some way. Inappropriate?

  2. I have some stuff that is under some iron clad NDAs. I can't say specifics, or even the companies it was for (the ones who hired me/any that the work was for). I condensed it all into one job listing instead of separate projects, and gave a really broad overview of what it entailed. It's frustrating, because it entails a lot of things over a number of years. Would this raise massive red flags? How would I even prove any of it, due to the heavy handed non-disclosure agreements? I really want to leave it in, because it covers a lot of time I spent at home raising my child, and it shows I was doing something. Thoughts?

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Comments

  • LSAT_WreckerLSAT_Wrecker Member ⭐
    edited September 2018 4850 karma

    (usual disclaimer - not an expert)

    1. I've visited every school I'm applying to (and some that I'm not) and met with admissions people at each one. They are all people just like us and I have gotten the impression that they actually care, want others to succeed, watch TV, and participate in life outside of reviewing applications. So while they might get your humor and even actually giggle, putting humor on my resume is not something I would do. Anything that could in any way possibly be construed as I'm not 100% serious about the law, the application process, or about wanting to go to "your" school is bad to me. I think PS and Why X statements can contain personality if written genuinely, but I'm all business in the resume. Even my "Other interests" section contains activities that are important pieces of my life and maybe conversation fodder for other runners, triathletes, or readers of science fiction. IMHO, I think interviews and personal visits are the place where the "human" side of you comes out. YMMV.

    2. I think you are good with #2. Any questions adcoms have can be followed up on. I've got one position like that on my resume that when questioned about it, I have to give a scripted response. People tend to understand after the 2nd or 3rd time I repeat it due to the nature of the assignment and response.

    Good luck!

  • _oshun1__oshun1_ Alum Member
    edited September 2018 3652 karma

    I would call admissions about #2. Maybe you can just write the years/months you worked there and write something vague about the nature of the job and note that it’s under an NDA so you can’t specify. It wouldn’t look good to leave a gap in your resume. Maybe you can write a brief few sentence addendum about it.

  • AudaciousRedAudaciousRed Alum Member
    2689 karma

    @"surfy surf" said:
    I would call admissions about #2. Maybe you can just write the years/months you worked there and write something vague about the nature of the job and note that it’s under an NDA so you can’t specify. It wouldn’t look good to leave a gap in your resume. Maybe you can write a brief few sentence addendum about it.

    That's exactly what I did. I just listed it as Independent Contract work, put the span of time (it was significant), and a general explanation/overview of it. It's rather vague, but it needs to be.

    @LSAT_Wrecker Did the line go something like "I can neither confirm nor deny any information pertaining to that subject"? LOL One of my spouse's favorites...

  • AudaciousRedAudaciousRed Alum Member
    2689 karma

    I took out all humor from my resume. You're right; it's better to be safe than sorry.

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