BCG Q&A
Q: Is it ok to leave a recent law firm job off my resume if I only worked there as an associate for about four months?� I am concerned that it will look bad, and since it was only four months, I�d rather leave it off.� What are your thoughts?
(From R.K., Boston)
A: I wouldn�t leave it off.� While you are correct in being concerned about having a four-month associate stint on your resume, and giving the appearance that you are a �flight risk� to a future employer, the potential damage by leaving it off your resume will be much greater.� While it may take a bit of time before the potential employer finds out, you can be sure that this information will eventually be discovered.� Almost all law firms perform background and reference checks, and given that the legal community is still small (not to mention Murphy�s Law), this type of information will invariably be found out.� Additionally, by withholding this employment experience, there may be a conflict of interest caused by the work that you performed at the other firm.
By leaving a relevant position off your resume, you are essentially sending this message: �I think it is acceptable to withhold relevant information if it will not benefit me.�� By doing this, you cast doubt on everything you represent to the firm.� The quickest way to undermine your relationship with a potential employer is by doing something that will cause them to doubt your sincerity or credibility.� We have also seen attorneys get fired after a few days because pertinent information was not revealed in an interview.� ��
The best way to handle this situation is to include the job on your resume and be prepared with an appropriate explanation.� Also, depending on the particular situation, we sometimes suggest that attorneys provide--on their resume--an explanation of why they left (e.g., �Left firm due to decreased workflow stemming from unexpected loss of large client.�)� If everything else seems to be a fit, the short-term employment will often not be a deal breaker if you have a good explanation.� Thus, it is best to come clean with who you are and your experience, and let the law firm decide how they want to progress.� Plus, having come clean, you�ll do much better on the interviews because you won�t be spending a lot of your psychic energy covering up a secret and battling that nagging feeling of being found out.� �
Best of luck,
Dan Binstock, Managing Director
Washington, DC, office
Q: I just graduated from law school this past May and found out that I passed the bar!� Can you help me find a job?
(From T.P., Los Angeles)
A:� First of all, congratulations on passing the bar.� Now, to answer your question, it does not make sense for you to use a legal recruiter at this point in your career.� A bit of background context will help.� Law firms use legal recruiters to help them find experienced attorneys because these attorneys have already been trained and can �hit the ground running� with a minimal ramp-up time.� Because the hiring law firms do not have to invest the significant amounts of time and resources on training the lateral attorneys who have prior experience (they allow their competitors to invest the money in training), they are able to financially justify spending money to use a legal recruiter to search for and recruit these trained attorneys.�
However, if you are right out of law school, you have not yet been trained and lack real-world experience.� You don�t yet know how to bill your time, how to most efficiently research, etc.� Thus, unless you have truly amazing credentials, there is no real incentive for a law firm to pay to hire an untrained attorney.� Thus, for somebody in your situation, it is most appropriate to contact firms directly on your own.�
Best of luck,
Dan Binstock, Managing Director
Washington, DC, office |
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| | | | | | | BCG Q&A,
Common Questions with Expert Answers Provided by Recruiters
Q: Is it ok to leave a recent law firm job off my resume if I only worked there as an associate for about four months?� I am concerned that it will look bad, and since it was only four months, I�d rather leave it off.� What are your thoughts?
(From R.K., Boston) | | | Click here for the answer | | | ---------- | | | Q: I just graduated from law school this past May and found out that I passed the bar!� Can you help me find a job?
(From T.P., Los Angeles) | | | Click here for the answer | | | | | | San Francisco | | | Capital Markets associates are sought to join this San Francisco firm. Candidates must be in their 2nd-4th year. | | | Click here to find more. | | | | | | Los Angeles | | | Senior Litigation associate is sought to join this Los Angeles firm. Candidates must be in their 5th-7th year. | | | Click here to find more. | | | | | | Atlanta | | | Atlanta office seeks an associate with 2-5 years of experience to join its real estate capital markets practice. | | | Click here to find more. | | | | |
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