Fed lawyers - talk to me about your resume

[Anonymous]

I'm currently a fed attorney and I recently went on an interview for another fed attorney position. One interviewer commented that my resume didn't highlight my "accomplishments" in my job. He wanted to know what awards I had won, etc. I explained that as an employment/labor lawyer in my agency we don't get awards or formal recognition other than we performance awards (in the days before budget freezes and sequestration).

He indicated that instead of listing my job duties on my resume (i.e., Represent management before the EEOC...) I should highlight my "accomplishments." In my 10 years as an attorney I've never heard of this. Is this how other government attorneys do it? Can you give me some examples of what you would list. I don't really think it is appropriate to say "I won ___ cases on summary judgment" or "I wrote ___ ethics advisory memos."

[Anonymous]

I briefly note/highlight significant cases (meaningful outcomes) and policies of note that I contributed to (or in some cases, wrote) ... if no individual cases or other work stand out it's a bit tougher...

[Anonymous]

That sounds odd to me. I am currently a Federal attorney and have held positions at three different agencies throughout my career. My resume did not contain anything like what you are describing. It listed my duties and the types of work that I performed.

[Anonymous]

16:43 here ... I agree it's odd for another fed position, less so if you're interviewing at a firm ... there are some odd ducks here & there, I had a total a-hole interview me at SEC years ago, so much so that I actually wrote back after the interview to tell them that his attitude was so condescending and patronizing that it had convinced me that I was not interested in a position there.

Apparently he had a well known reputation but I guess til I did that no one had ever called him /them on it.

[Anonymous]

I just switched from one fed lawyer job to another and did not list my accomplishments on my résumé. I was also on the hiring committee at my old job. I never saw anything like that from govt lawyers but would sometimes see things that were more along those lines on the resumes of defense lawyers. I always thought it was less questionable for a defense lawyer to boast about a favorable result for a client on a resume than a govt lawyer to brag about a conviction or lengthy sentence.

[Anonymous]

I agree it should include your job duties, but I don't think it's weird at all to highlight how many cases you have won on summary judgment or how many ethics advisory memos you have written (particularly the latter). You don't have to put the exact number, but you could put something like "over 50" or whatever the case may be.

[Anonymous]

I am a federal labor and employment attorney who just recently switched from one agency to another. My resume absolutely reflected my accomplishments. For example, rather than "represents agency in cases before the MSPB" it says something like "selected to represent agency in high profile MSPB appeal involving senior level officials, including complex discovery and a three-day hearing, etc..." I also highlighted any significant working groups or initiatives I was selected to serve on. I think the point is to convey the message that not only did you do something, you were chosen to do that specific thing because of your track-record and competence. Being specifc really helps. Everybody who applies for the job will say that they handle EEOC, MSPB, arbitrartion matters, etc. I think that a successful resume is one that gives specific examples, and numbers if possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a federal labor and employment attorney who just recently switched from one agency to another. My resume absolutely reflected my accomplishments. For example, rather than "represents agency in cases before the MSPB" it says something like "selected to represent agency in high profile MSPB appeal involving senior level officials, including complex discovery and a three-day hearing, etc..." I also highlighted any significant working groups or initiatives I was selected to serve on. I think the point is to convey the message that not only did you do something, you were chosen to do that specific thing because of your track-record and competence. Being specifc really helps. Everybody who applies for the job will say that they handle EEOC, MSPB, arbitrartion matters, etc. I think that a successful resume is one that gives specific examples, and numbers if possible.

And to highlight that you are successful: "established significant legal precedents that has allowed the agency to save millions of tax dollars. Responsible for devising litigation strategies that resulted in defeating legal challenges to agency's decisions to close several field offices and the modification of its pay system."

I don't want to hire someone who handles MSPB matters, I want to hire someone who wins or resolves them on favorable terms.