Last updated: March 2024 With so many resumes out there, what makes a resume stand out and what do hiring managers appreciate? Given law firms typically want to see a more straight-down-the-line resume, it can feel tough to stand out. Here are four key things to remember so that your resume is distinct from your peers: Start with... a short professional summary. This is a short and very specific summary of who you are as a professional and what you are seeking. Done right, this is impactful and punchy and saves the reader any guess work. It should include "your ask" in terms of the role you are seeking. An example: Legal marketer with 18 years of experience in both national and global law firms. Key experience lies in leadership and management roles, and can act as a hybrid in both the strategic and day-to-day. Feedback has consistently centered around being a strong collaborative and energetic team player who can own projects with a solutions-focused approach. Seeking a senior role within a progressive law firm that includes elements of change management, people management, and the opportunity to have upward mobility in years to come. Try to include... the relationships you have built. Even the most qualified and experienced candidates fall into the default pattern of simply listing all their duties. Go beyond this and go deeper. Briefly describe the types of relationships you have with the partners or key leaders. Follow up with how you built that relationship, how you nurtured it, and the lasting effects of this. An example: I successfully brought together 110 attorneys across the firm to form an industry group X which could serve the varying degrees of our banking and corporate clients, including high net wealth and entrepreneurial clients. This included travel to be in person to enhance relationship building and frequent touchpoints with Industry Group Chairs to present key findings and go-to-market strategies. After the start-up phase, most months I would travel to industry conferences with key partners to support their business development efforts, including specific speaking opportunities. For each role... succinctly explain your purpose or focus. Every role you've had was to fulfill a particular need. What was that need and did you achieve it? These little insights give that "laundry list" more credibility and more clarity. An example: Large Law Firm, 2021-present Business Development Manager I am responsible for building a small team of elite players who can support the firms' highest revenue generating Corporate Group, with specialisms in Private Equity, M&A, Securities and Real Estate. Supporting 300+ attorneys across these subgroups and managing three business developers of varying seniority, our group has increased revenue by X and increased its ranking by X. What KHS loves to see... the whole you. You have a personal life and things that "keep your cup full". What is it that keeps you going? Is it friends, family, children, LMA family, hiking, skiing, seeking out a peaceful beach. Whatever those things are, share it with us. We are fascinated by the whole you, and in our experience that often shows another angle or layer which adds to who you are today. Let's celebrate that! Some wonderful examples we've seen over the years: - Marathon runner - Ex-chef - Fly fisherwoman - Amateur photographer - Ballet dancer - Travelled 93 countries and counting
The legal marketing industry is famous for many things. One is how wonderfully confusing titles can be. They can mean everything. They can mean nothing. There is always more context to share in terms of titles. Consider the following, which shows the most common years that we all see and know in titles. The other puzzle piece is the range for each title, which - in my view - are not acknowledged enough. We are all used to the middle column. Let's now unpack the column on the right.
These are the ranges in law firm marketing years that come with each title, and this can be further digested in these salary reports. I see ranges "up to" these years, which means, Coordinators can bring five years of experience, Specialists can bring 11 years of experience, Managers can bring 26 years of experience, and so on. This allows the industry a ton of flexibility and versatility when considering talent and when individual legal marketers are building and crafting their careers. On the flip side of this, there is trickiness in how to compensate these titles knowing the "up to" ranges. Here's my guide on how to break this down:
Applying this formula let's you benchmark within a range. This is hard, and it confounds many, and it is absolutely necessary. For candidates: this self-assessment will give you a meaningful baseline to work from. The top of the range is reserved for the highest level of it's kind and most don't sit within that top spot; and this is not talked about enough. For firms: this will help benchmark based on facts. Socialize this process internally so that the reasoning is understood. Last updated: February 8, 2024 Resumes are highly individualized documents that share the highlights of your professional career to date.
hey should be brief and summarize, in chronological order, your different roles. While it may be tempting to outsource this task, try to write it yourself and use your own words and voice throughout. So, "what do I say" I hear you asking... What should your resume actually say? Your resume should say only the following:
Triple-check. You might be surprised to hear that most resumes I read contain some sort of error. Many people have looked at it 20 times and are simply unable to see the mistakes. My tip? Read your resume out loud, or, read it while pretending you’re reading someone else’s resume with the intention of looking for errors (trust me, this method works!). Style versus substance. If you’re going to seek feedback on your resume, ask only for their substantive comments. Its really important your style and voice stays in the document. And many people make the mistake of correcting on style only, because substance involves a higher knowledge base. Brevity. Be brief and concise. A resume is not a place to list everything and hope something resonates. It is a summarized version of your professional self that is tailored exactly to the role you are applying for. This means you should have different versions of your resume depending on the different roles you're applying for. Tailoring. Understand the role you're applying for and really tailor your resume to speak directly to that role. Hiring managers don't have time to look for the detail, so don't bury the lead. Focus on your strengths and connect that directly to the key priorities in the role. Clean versus busy. Law firms like a clean, easy to read resume. To marketers, this may feel like a resume that doesn't show creativity. Remember: Who is the reader of your resume? What do they want to see? How much time do they have to digest your experience? FAQ’s:
Last updated: February 6, 2024
The offer stage is exciting, no doubt! It can also be intense. There is usually limited time to consider all the elements and make an informed decision. Knowing how to handle this stage will help alleviate this final part of the interview process:
Last updated: February 5, 2024
When a hiring manager and legal marketer have found their perfect match, the next stage is the offer. The offer stage is a key part of the whole process, yet it is often mismanaged by both the firm and candidate. This stage should be quick and easy. So why isn’t it always that way? Below are my top tips to hiring managers in firms on how to conduct the offer stage efficiently and professionally to create a jointly successful result. Firms & Hiring Managers:
What does the typical profile of a legal CMO look like currently? This data is taken from two places: the KHS Salary Surveys and an analysis of CMOs from 217 law firms across the US. Areas highlighted:
Data: Explore some of our data and intelligence, curated for the legal marketing professional.8/16/2023
Team Leader Attributes: The top 5 attributes legal marketers look for in their team leaders7/15/2023
"Legal marketing professionals need to believe in their marketing leadership. They see them as professionals who can advance their professional agenda and advocate for their personal growth." Read the full article here.
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AuthorKate Harry Shipham is the Principal of KHS People LLC, an executive search firm for BD and marketing people in professional services firms. Kate has done search and recruiting for 14 years and prior to that was an attorney. She loves what she does, and is always open to continuing the discussion: kate@khspeople.com Categories
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