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California Babe wrote:I believe this is fairly common practice given the number of things that 2Ls will be applying for before their 2L summer starts. You should list it under experience as you normally would, but rather than putting the time you worked there, write something like, "Expected start date June 2012" to indicate you have not started working there yet.

PirateCap'n wrote:

California Babe wrote:I believe this is fairly common practice given the number of things that 2Ls will be applying for before their 2L summer starts. You should list it under experience as you normally would, but rather than putting the time you worked there, write something like, "Expected start date June 2012" to indicate you have not started working there yet.

On a similar note, my 2L SA firm has asked for an updated resume. I will be splitting the resume with this firm and another firm, and they both know about it. I have already listed both firms on my resume with the "Beginning in X" part. Since the firm has asked for an updated resume, should I leave both of these firms on my resume when I send it in? I don't want it to offend the first firm that I already have the second firm on there too (and it shouldn't since they know about it), but I want to have all the relevant info on my resume.

flightcontrol wrote:You can and should put a future SA on your resume. Rules have purposes. The reason you generally do not put future "experiences" on a resume is that they have little informational value; you haven't actually done anything yet, and you may not even end up in the job. SA hiring is different. No one actually cares what you do during your summer; the value is signalling that you got a seal of appoval from a well-regarded place, and to provide some talking points in an interview ("oh, do you know partner x?"). Plus, you are almost certainly going to go. In this instance, it would be foolish not to include it on your resume.

This advice is consistent with what I have heard from clerks and biglaw recruiters in the hiring process for both. Getting a SA is one of the most important signals in law school. Why would you want a potential employer to even wonder whether you got one?

flightcontrol wrote:You can and should put a future SA on your resume. Rules have purposes. The reason you generally do not put future "experiences" on a resume is that they have little informational value; you haven't actually done anything yet, and you may not even end up in the job. SA hiring is different. No one actually cares what you do during your summer; the value is signalling that you got a seal of appoval from a well-regarded place, and to provide some talking points in an interview ("oh, do you know partner x?"). Plus, you are almost certainly going to go. In this instance, it would be foolish not to include it on your resume.

This advice is consistent with what I have heard from clerks and biglaw recruiters in the hiring process for both. Getting a SA is one of the most important signals in law school. Why would you want a potential employer to even wonder whether you got one?

moandersen wrote:

flightcontrol wrote:You can and should put a future SA on your resume. Rules have purposes. The reason you generally do not put future "experiences" on a resume is that they have little informational value; you haven't actually done anything yet, and you may not even end up in the job. SA hiring is different. No one actually cares what you do during your summer; the value is signalling that you got a seal of appoval from a well-regarded place, and to provide some talking points in an interview ("oh, do you know partner x?"). Plus, you are almost certainly going to go. In this instance, it would be foolish not to include it on your resume.

This advice is consistent with what I have heard from clerks and biglaw recruiters in the hiring process for both. Getting a SA is one of the most important signals in law school. Why would you want a potential employer to even wonder whether you got one?

I probably should have specified. My 2L summer employer asked for an updated resume, so I didnt include their firm under my 'experience' section. However, when I sent my resume out for other purpose, I definitely included my 2L SA.

PirateCap'n wrote:

moandersen wrote:

flightcontrol wrote:You can and should put a future SA on your resume. Rules have purposes. The reason you generally do not put future "experiences" on a resume is that they have little informational value; you haven't actually done anything yet, and you may not even end up in the job. SA hiring is different. No one actually cares what you do during your summer; the value is signalling that you got a seal of appoval from a well-regarded place, and to provide some talking points in an interview ("oh, do you know partner x?"). Plus, you are almost certainly going to go. In this instance, it would be foolish not to include it on your resume.

This advice is consistent with what I have heard from clerks and biglaw recruiters in the hiring process for both. Getting a SA is one of the most important signals in law school. Why would you want a potential employer to even wonder whether you got one?

I probably should have specified. My 2L summer employer asked for an updated resume, so I didnt include their firm under my 'experience' section. However, when I sent my resume out for other purpose, I definitely included my 2L SA.

Yeah. Same here.

G. T. L. Rev. wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Was told, and I believe correctly so, that you shouldn't put on a job experience that you haven't actually started yet. The work-experience section of your resume is supposed to reflect just that: experience. And that inherently means something you have actually done, or at least begun.

This is emphatically wrong, at least with respect to clerkship applications. Applicants routinely include their SA job on applications even before the job begins (likewise with future clerkships already accepted). When this info was absent, we wondered what the applicant was doing -- and often drew an adverse inference.

drdolittle wrote:

G. T. L. Rev. wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Was told, and I believe correctly so, that you shouldn't put on a job experience that you haven't actually started yet. The work-experience section of your resume is supposed to reflect just that: experience. And that inherently means something you have actually done, or at least begun.

This is emphatically wrong, at least with respect to clerkship applications. Applicants routinely include their SA job on applications even before the job begins (likewise with future clerkships already accepted). When this info was absent, we wondered what the applicant was doing -- and often drew an adverse inference.

But what about updated resume sent to future summer employer, as mentioned above? If future experience/position was not included on resume sent to summer employer, would this merit a revision?

G. T. L. Rev. wrote:

LawIdiot86 wrote:

drdolittle wrote:

G. T. L. Rev. wrote: This is emphatically wrong, at least with respect to clerkship applications. Applicants routinely include their SA job on applications even before the job begins (likewise with future clerkships already accepted). When this info was absent, we wondered what the applicant was doing -- and often drew an adverse inference.

But what about updated resume sent to future summer employer, as mentioned above? If future experience/position was not included on resume sent to summer employer, would this merit a revision?

I don't know how to explain this more simply. If you accept a job from Law A and Law A asks for an updated resume, do not list Law A as a job on the resume you send to Law A. If you apply to Judge X, Law Y, or Job Z, list Law A on the resume, even if you have not started yet.

Yeah, seems right to me.

Anonymous User wrote:uh oh. I put it on resume for my SA employer. Is it that bad?

Anonymous User wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:uh oh. I put it on resume for my SA employer. Is it that bad?

Eh. OP here, did the same. Frankly I don't believe anyone gives a shit. I don't even get why they should. If it's OK for everyone else, it's OK for them.

Anonymous User wrote:As a voice of caution: Consider the situation you'll face if you put this on your resume, but for some reason you don't end up doing it. Will you correct it?

Instead of putting this on your resume, why not just include it in your cover letter? Or, mention it in the interview somehow. If you do put it, at least indicate that your start date is "expected."

To people above saying that it is customary to put expected summer employment on clerkship resumes -- did the applicant just put their dates as "Expected May 20XX - Aug 20XX?" Also, can people explain why a reviewer of a clerkship app would rather see it on a resume than in the cover letter?

G. T. L. Rev. wrote:

Anonymous User wrote:Was told, and I believe correctly so, that you shouldn't put on a job experience that you haven't actually started yet. The work-experience section of your resume is supposed to reflect just that: experience. And that inherently means something you have actually done, or at least begun.

This is emphatically wrong, at least with respect to clerkship applications. Applicants routinely include their SA job on applications even before the job begins (likewise with future clerkships already accepted). When this info was absent, we wondered what the applicant was doing -- and often drew an adverse inference.

Anonymous User wrote:Thoughts on adding future SA to linkedin now? I've been networking and adding a lot of people lately, and I think the mention helps my highlight my potential professional value to them.

I've seen a couple of profiles where 3Ls added something like "after graduation I will be an in the corporate group associate at XYZ" or "I will be clerking at XYZ" etc. to their summary.

Thoughts?