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Sensei’s Sharon Nelson dishes out her best resume advice for young lawyers in “The short and useless life of a bad resume.” Her article was featured in ABA’s For Law Students section on their website.

Excerpt: Over the last 20 years, I have reviewed hundreds of resumes. Most of them hit the wastebasket very rapidly. There are a lot of reasons why.

1. The author can’t write proper English, punctuate properly, or obey the rules of grammar. Even little things matter – attention to detail is important in the business world and a resume should be proofed carefully before it is sent out. Don’t just proof it yourself – have someone you know to be a good editor review it as well.

2. The resume sounds like puffery (“I am wonderful” is not the right tone).

3. The objective has no hint of personality or originality. Some are like eating a spoonful of the Sahara. Add some color (without going bonkers) and make yourself stand out. I always like language that indicates that applicants are self-starters who enjoy both working individually and in a team. You’ll certainly have to do both. The truth can be refreshing. I remember someone whose objective indicated his passion for digital forensics while noting that, thus, far, his experience was limited. His passion and candid recognition of his minimal experience struck me, both in his resume and in his cover note. He still works for me.

Read the entire article here.