Resume help - formatting and content Forum

[JJDancer]

Most of the items on my resume have 1 or 2 bullets each. Max 3.
Would it be ok to list one item with no bullets under it?
would it look strange aesthetic wise because of how all my other things are listed?

I'm a private LSAT tutor and feel that its pretty self explanatory
if i wrote just one bullet Im not sure what I would say..
"Prepared lesson plans addressing student's weaknesses" or ...?

Any ideas?

Also is it customary to have margins all around (between .5 - 1inch) There's no way I can skip having margins on the bottom or anything, correct?

Lastly,
I'm 7 months out of UG. Is it ok to just list "Activities"
with dates and no bullets?
It's nothing I was president of or anything.
I have a separated Leadership section with 2 things.

[merc280]

Id be happy to look at it, feel free to pm me. Would you be interested in swapping resumes? I got mine critiqued a few weeks ago but redid it so I might need another revision.

[Dany]

If LSAT tutor is under work experience, it needs a description. That's the norm, so maybe just a one-line explanation? If you don't write a short description, I think it could look like you accidentally left it off. You could use the lesson plans line, or do a quantitative one (i.e. 'helped students achieve, on average, an 11 point increase in LSAT scores' or something that shows how effective you were.)

Yes, you need margins all around. If you need to cut space, a good way is to decrease line spacing from 1.15 to 1.0 - as long as it still looks neat and readable!

I think Activities with dates should be fine, but if it's something an adcomm could be unfamiliar with, a short description (on the same line, no bullets necessary) would be good.

I'd also be glad to help format/edit if you'd like. Otherwise, I'm more than happy to help by answering questions!

[Eugenie Danglars]

I'm working on my resume at the moment as well. I'd love to swap for feedback. In the meantime, the TLS article on resumes is pretty good.
http://www.top-law-schools.com/law-school-resume.html

[JJDancer]

Thanks for all your input.

My LOR writer wanted a resume so I'm just trying to get it done (at least good enough to send to him) between tonight and tomorrow.
I might be up for swapping one later when I'm finalizing it for my application.

I have seen the TLS article but thanks

[Eugenie Danglars]

Should I list all of my jobs on a resume so that the time periods are continuous OR make a shorter, focused resume that leaves of the grunt work even though it has chronological gaps?

Dilemma, dilemma.

[JJDancer]

Should I list all of my jobs on a resume so that the time periods are continuous OR make a shorter, focused resume that leaves of the grunt work even though it has chronological gaps?

Dilemma, dilemma.

I think the focused one is better unless you can fit all of your experience on one page (unless you've been out of school for more than 5 years - might be able to use 2 pages).

I'm pretty sure most apps have a place for empoloyment history where you can mention other jobs if you have a focused resume.

[lfrank]

unless you've been out of school for more than 5 years - might be able to use 2 pages

Is going over one page acceptable if one has been out of school for quite some time? I'm not up on this bit of etiquette. It's been well over ten years since undergrad for me, and while I'm proud of my work experience I don't want to seem like a blowhard.

[JJDancer]

unless you've been out of school for more than 5 years - might be able to use 2 pages

Is going over one page acceptable if one has been out of school for quite some time? I'm not up on this bit of etiquette. It's been well over ten years since undergrad for me, and while I'm proud of my work experience I don't want to seem like a blowhard.

I can't comment on applying for JOBS, but for law school - yes 2 pages for someone who is 10+ years out of UG is perfectly acceptable. But no more than 2 pages!

[FutureApplicant]

unless you've been out of school for more than 5 years - might be able to use 2 pages

Is going over one page acceptable if one has been out of school for quite some time? I'm not up on this bit of etiquette. It's been well over ten years since undergrad for me, and while I'm proud of my work experience I don't want to seem like a blowhard.

I can't comment on applying for JOBS, but for law school - yes 2 pages for someone who is 10+ years out of UG is perfectly acceptable. But no more than 2 pages!

+1

[FutureApplicant]

If anyone is still interested I would be willing to swap resumes (or just swap "proofreads").

Best,

J

[absolutazn87]

What do you guys think about more "designed" resumes with color? I'm not talking obnoxious rainbow highlights lol - more like a two tone color scheme (blue/black) that's used to differentiate section headings from body text?

Is color just unprofessional or does it help your resume stand out?

[Dany]

I am a fan of plain B&W; I doubt admissions offices print things in color anyway, and you don't want to risk it printing out wrong (with the colored text not showing up.) Plus, law is generally a very conservative field, so I think you can't go wrong with a nice, traditional resume.

[FutureApplicant]

I am a fan of plain B&W; I doubt admissions offices print things in color anyway, and you don't want to risk it printing out wrong (with the colored text not showing up.) Plus, law is generally a very conservative field, so I think you can't go wrong with a nice, traditional resume.

+1

[firemed]

I am willing to swap resumes with anyone too... I need to see if mine if formatted weird or something.