Home

 Speciality & Focus

 Our Approach

 Career Opportunities

 Industry Trends

 Tips & Advice

 Privacy Policy

 Contact Us

The Perfect Resume for the Intellectual Property Law Professional

1. Always Keep it Simple
Black ink on good quality paper is always the best bet - timeless, classic and easy to read. Try limiting the number of fonts to one, or at the most two. Avoid adding pictures or graphics to your resume. This is a document about your accomplishments and skills, not a flyer.

2. No More Than Two Pages, Preferably One
These days when resumes are faxed, e-mailed and shuffled from one desk to another, it’s best really to keep it to one page if possible that way avoiding pages being detached and lost. Most importantly, remember that the resume is a summary of your experience. It is meant to get you an interview, where you can further go into your background. Good editing and prioritising helps to keep your resume current and concise.

3. Accuracy and Honesty
Your resume must be a truthful reflection of your background and skills. Padding it will only cause problems later on. Overstating your experience will result in stumbling and uncertainty during your interview and can in certain circumstances lead to dire consequences later in the selection process.

4. It’s All Fair Game
Never assume that any entry on your resume is too old or trivial for a prospective employer's inquiry. Be aware of listing an activity in which you had in fact minimal involvement and won’t be able to elaborate during the interview.

5. Start Fresh
When updating your pre-existing resume try not to start by cutting and pasting from an earlier version. You might have prepared it a long time ago and don’t remember what you originally intended. Begin by jotting down everything you can remember about each past position, regardless of how unimportant it seems. Think of it as a stream-of-consciousness rough draft.

6. Edit for Clarity and Variety
Eliminate repetition by examining all the different ways you have said the same thing. One version may describe the task you performed in great detail, while the other may contain a dynamic action verb. The combination will give your resume an effective variety of descriptions.

7. Display Strength and Action
Many resumes contain vague verbs that communicate very little a candidate's abilities. "Worked on," "Handled," "Communicated with,” and "Assisted" could mean anything. They also assume that a prospective employer knows exactly what you did. In most cases they actually diminish your experience. Be specific, for example, do not use "Assisted at trial" if you "Prepared witnesses for their testimony,” and “Formulated questions for direct examination."

8. Group and Organise
The type of position you are pursuing will determine the overall structure of your resume. Group together like tasks and skills. If you are a Patent Attorney, for instance, could separate your experience into preparation, prosecution and litigation. You may also compose your groupings as related to your particular area of expertise, for example: software, hardware and data management.

9. Prioritise
The final step is to determine the order of relevance within each heading or group. The average employer spends about twenty seconds skimming over a resume. You should give them as much guidance as to what’s important. If they have to hunt around for the important information on your resume, they will most likely move on to the next candidate. Keep in mind the prioritising concept known in journalism as "the inverted pyramid." If the opening phrase of your experience is weak, hiring partners or managers are likely to skip over the rest of the entry or even the entire resume. Building to a strong finish never pays off.

 
Successful Interview Strategy

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW DO
Research the organisation, including its annual reports, promotional literature, website and press releases. This will save you from having to ask basic questions about the organisation, and demonstrates that you are serious about joining that company. You may also want to research the individuals who will be interviewing you to find some common ground. Some resources are magazines, trade journals, the Internet, and your colleagues in the industry.

Prepare answers to typical questions ahead of time, such as

• Explanations of possible gaps in your resume
• What you have to offer the organisation in terms of your greatest strengths
• How you overcame particular challenges in the past
• What your superior would say about you in a reference

Prepare questions about the job for which you are interviewing, such as

• What does a typical day in this position involve?
• How much contact with management/ supervisors/ senior staff is there?
• How is the organisation structured?
• How does this position fit into the organisation's overall structure?
• What are the greatest challenges/ opportunities in this position?
• Where do you see this organisation going in the next year?
• How many people are you interviewing for this position?

Know your strengths and weaknesses, and how they might apply to the position.

Inform us of any possible conflicts you might have with the position - vacations or days off you will need during your first three months of employment, money issues, etc.

Dress in a dark, conservative suit or, on advisement, in keeping with the dress code of the firm or corporation.

Plan to spend on average at least 75 minutes per person you are meeting at the company.

DURING THE INTERVIEW DO

• Arrive on time or no more than ten minutes early, but never late.
• Listen carefully to the questions being asked and think about your responses to be sure that you are answering the specific question. If the interviewer poses a vague, open-ended question (such as “Tell me a little about yourself”), politely respond, “Where do you want me to start?” If the interviewer remains vague, you should use this as an opportunity to highlight something in your professional career that demonstrates your strengths and abilities, as they would relate to the job.
• Get an understanding of the overall goals of the position and organisation, day-to-day responsibilities and work environment by asking specific questions.
• End the interview by asking, “Based on our discussion, is there anything that would prevent me from moving on to the next step for this position?” This is your opportunity to gauge the interviewer's interest in you. Then find out when they expect to make a decision.

DURING THE INTERVIEW DON'T

• DON'T talk excessively. The interview is also a chance for you to learn about the position and see if it is right for you. Asking intelligent and pertinent questions also creates a better impression than giving the interviewer unnecessary background on yourself.
• DON'T feel the need to state everything you have learned from researching the company and the interviewer - make use of the information as necessary.
• DON'T say anything negative about past employers - you may give the impression of being negative yourself. Rehearse how to phrase your experience in the most positive light.
• DON'T ask about money or benefits on the first interview. If you are asked how much you currently earn, you should give a number that includes all bonuses, raises, etc. If asked how much you would require to consider the position it is often best to indicate you would prefer to negotiate through us. If you did not arrange your interview through Henry Barclay Associates, entertain competitive offers - but never give an actual number.
• DON'T dwell on your negative qualities or experiences. End the interview on a positive note: focus on how you have addressed a problem or what you have learned from a mistake.
• DON'T leave without asking questions to get a better understanding of the position and the organisation's environment.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW DO

• Contact Henry Barclay Associates to discuss your interest level and review strategy.
• Return any phone calls from the employer. Even if you choose not to accept the position, respond out of courtesy.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW DON'T

• DON'T call the organisation directly, even if they have given you a business card. Strategically, it is always best to direct all feedback through Henry Barclay Associates.