Best way to deal with below average grades in CL/Resume Forum

[ph14]

While sparty is right that certain employers like seeing standardized test scores like the LSAT, legal employers are not in that group.

You are wrong. I've seen firms specifically ask for it. Additionally, I've been asked in interviews. Also, I only said put this on if you scored very high. I know it might be hard for some of you straight-laced kids to think outside of the box when trying to get a job and putting your best foot forward. But shit. My record speaks for itself.

http://www.volokh.com/posts/1175045627.shtml

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1 ... 0334268350

Professor Bernstein also said:

I probably wouldn't have done this if Yale had class rank or other objective measures of student performance, but, frankly, it seemed to help.

And:

Did it influence me that her resume said "LSAT: 48" (the highest score at the time)?

The equivalent of a 180.

[WhiskeynCoke]

So sparty doesn't tip the fact that he a URM on his resumes, but would have no hesitation in putting a 170+ LSAT score on it. I don't know why anyone should take his advice seriously.

I have a legal job despite being below median. Clearly I must be doing something right.

Logical Reasoning:
Question 1:

"I put my LSAT score on resume + I have a job. Therefore, I got the job because I put the LSAT on my resume."

Identify the weakness in this argument:
A. Speaker has confused correlation v. causation
B. Speaker could have gotten the job, despite putting the LSAT on his resume
C. Speaker is clearly a douche
D. All of the above

Oh, wait. Cause your poor reading skills failed to discover that I NEVER SAID I PUT MY LSAT SCORE ON MY RESUME. BUT NICE TRY THOUGH. You tried to be cute. But failed.

Um, if that's the case then what point were you trying to prove with your statement?

Your assertion: "Put your LSAT score on your resume, it helps."
Counter: Bad advice, don't take it seriously
Your point: "I have a job, am below median, and didn't put my LSAT score in my resume. clearly I'm doing something right. Therefore, you should put your LSAT score on your resume, even though I didn't and was successful."

Does this make sense to you?

Putting your LSAT score on your resume will likely hurt more than help in the context of most employers, even if its a 180. Why is this? Because most interviewers will see it as a douche move and hold it against you. The ones who don't see it as a douche move are probably douches themselves, and you should avoid working for those kinds of people.

What will putting your score on the resume accomplish? If your school and/or grades aren't good enough this won't save you. In fact, employers might take it as a sign of laziness, since if you're so "smart," why didn't you get better grades?

Mention it only if asked. Or, if you want to limit your job options to working for pretentious douches, put it on. Unfortunately, they probably wrote you off anyway due to your poor grades / non-peer school. Bummer.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Look, I'm sure there are employers who care, but I don't think citing law profs on volokh.com, in 2007, talking about putting the LSAT on their resumes when they were in law school, is very convincing. And the WSJ article is talking about SATs and non-legal employers.

[transferror]

Best way to deal with below average grades in CL/Resume

Sleep with someone important

[ph14]

Look, I'm sure there are employers who care, but I don't think citing law profs on volokh.com, in 2007, talking about putting the LSAT on their resumes when they were in law school, is very convincing. And the WSJ article is talking about SATs and non-legal employers.

Also, Professor Bernstein seems to have an interesting approach to resumes:

Yale Law School, New Haven, CT
J.D., May 1991
Honors (highest grade) awarded in two-thirds of classes
Senior Editor, Yale Law Journal
John M. Olin Fellow in Law, Economics, and Public Policy

I've never seen that before.

[sparty99]

I mean, you are just putting words into my mouth, so I really don't even want to take the time to respond to you. The point of a resume is to "get a job." You put your best foot forward and don't be shy with the accomplishments. If you are lacking in an area, then you find other ways to compensate.

If you can't understand why putting a 175+ LSAT score on your resume might be useful then I don't know what to tell you. Perhaps you can read the article that talks about companies that ask for SAT scores so you can get an idea. Or perhaps you can contact the recruiters at law firms who ask for LSAT scores. Clearly they are asking for a reason. And clearly if they are asking, you would want to be forthcoming if you scored very well on the goddamn test. But outside of that, I don't really care to talk about this topic any further.

[sparty99]

I mean, you are just putting words into my mouth, so I really don't even want to take the time to respond to you. The point of a resume is to "get a job." You put your best foot forward and don't be shy with the accomplishments. If you are lacking in an area, then you find other ways to compensate.

If you can't understand why putting a 175+ LSAT score on your resume might be useful then I don't know what to tell you. Perhaps you can read the article that talks about companies that ask for SAT scores so you can get an idea. Or perhaps you can contact the recruiters at law firms who ask for LSAT scores. Clearly they are asking for a reason. And clearly if they are asking, you would want to be forthcoming if you scored very well on the goddamn test. But outside of that, I don't really care to talk about this topic any further.

Correction: the point of a resume is to get an interview.

[dead head]

I mean, you are just putting words into my mouth, so I really don't even want to take the time to respond to you. The point of a resume is to "get a job." You put your best foot forward and don't be shy with the accomplishments. If you are lacking in an area, then you find other ways to compensate.

I guess attractive people should include pictures, and women should straight up say they don't want children.

[WhiskeynCoke]

I mean, you are just putting words into my mouth, so I really don't even want to take the time to respond to you. The point of a resume is to "get a job." You put your best foot forward and don't be shy with the accomplishments. If you are lacking in an area, then you find other ways to compensate.

If you can't understand why putting a 175+ LSAT score on your resume might be useful then I don't know what to tell you. Perhaps you can read the article that talks about companies that ask for SAT scores so you can get an idea. Or perhaps you can contact the recruiters at law firms who ask for LSAT scores. Clearly they are asking for a reason. And clearly if they are asking, you would want to be forthcoming if you scored very well on the goddamn test. But outside of that, I don't really care to talk about this topic any further.

LSAT = proxy for capability. Legal employers have a better proxy for this: your law school and your law school grades. These are better because they also take into account your writing ability and work ethic, in addition to what the LSAT supposedly measures. High LSAT but shitty grades screams "lazy" to many employers. In addition, a guy who has put his LSAT on his resume, unlike the vast majority of other applicants, screams "I don't have any social awareness."

SAT scores are different, because those employers don't have a better proxy for whatever this is supposed to indicate (no law school curve). If a firm asks, you should obviously give them your LSAT score. However, if a firm asks for your LSAT score, you should probably work for a different firm. They ask because they are prestige whores, and top school/grades apparently isn't enough. Your life will suck there. The vast majority of firms don't ask for this.

[rad lulz]

.

[wert3813]

Not arguing with you, because you did acknowledge Todd point, but I'd someone had an lsat score way above their pets but a shitty gpa I would jump to the unfounded conclusion they were lazy, etc.

typing on my phone ftw.
Todd=this
I'd=if
pets=peers