Am I Screwed? Forum

[thebobs1987]

Thanks for all the input. I've been calling/emailing firms for the last three days to try and get a job (paid/unpaid) doing anything. Any advise on how to do this since I've had no luck so far. Also applied for a couple volunteer positions. I've got a very good scholarship and have already wasted a lot of time so I really would like to start this fall. If I had known this would be that big of an issue I would've done something before. One question I have is can I put helping with the family business on my resume? I actually did do this a bit throughout college/after graduating. I wasn't getting paid or anything, since my parents already paid for college/will help with law school, but I did do some work.

Your family has a business, why didn't you do work for them the past two years so you have some work experience? Don't lie on your resume, but If you did work for the business after graduating definitely put it down so there is not a two year gap. Either way, you should probably get at least a year of work experience before going to law school

[Desert Fox]

Yep put that down as your job. Problem solved.

[Okie25]

Yep put that down as your job. Problem solved.

Even though I wasn't getting paid?

[Desert Fox]

Yep put that down as your job. Problem solved.

Even though I wasn't getting paid?

Sure. It's not like the resume has a "salary" option. You were working for dat inheritance.

[AReasonableMan]

i just dont know what youd talk about. traveling is cool but id immediately think spoiled brat if it was 2 years. how were you not bored? mayne you could say professional madden player or certified assassin in halo?

[star fox]

Yep put that down as your job. Problem solved.

[k5220]

You can totally put unpaid experience on a resume and should definitely do so if it will fill out your resume or if the experience was good (e.g. law-related volunteering). Many internships are unpaid and still go in the experience section of a resume pretty naturally, and you can also make a "community service" section for more public interesty stuff. But if you actually worked at your family business, you should absolutely put that with a description of the duties you performed and the range of dates you worked there.

[Okie25]

So I'm not totally screwed after all? Thank God. I was feeling depressed the last two days.

[workingstiff]

You can definitely put unpaid work on your resume/application. Work is work. I was in the same situation where I worked for my brother in his dental office as a secretary. I noted how the experienced helped me leverage my people skills, important to the attorney-client relationship. Traveling also provides that benefit (I did that as well, but in conjunction with school).

What is more important is that you work after 1L in the summer and at least part time as a 2L and 3L, and in those summers as well. I didn't and it complicated things for me upon graduation. Eventually it works out, but you really want to make things as easy on yourself as possible.

[Winter is Coming]

You can definitely put unpaid work on your resume/application. Work is work. I was in the same situation where I worked for my brother in his dental office as a secretary. I noted how the experienced helped me leverage my people skills, important to the attorney-client relationship. Traveling also provides that benefit (I did that as well, but in conjunction with school).

What is more important is that you work after 1L in the summer and at least part time as a 2L and 3L, and in those summers as well. I didn't and it complicated things for me upon graduation. Eventually it works out, but you really want to make things as easy on yourself as possible.

You didn't work the summers of law school?