I recently reviewed a 2L résumé that broke my heart. 🥲

3.7+ GPA.
Three years of experience.
Impressive volunteer work and leadership.

Yet she had received not one interview through OCI.

Her career-services office could not understand why. Neither could I—until I saw the actual résumé.

Near the top were two careless micro-errors.

They were small. But they were the kind of immediately visible errors that can make a busy reviewer question the care behind the entire application.

I also wish I could say this was unusual. But it is not.

Every year, I see résumés only after they have been reviewed multiple times, sent to hundreds of prospective employers, and used in OCI.

And every year, I find errors and missed opportunities that could have been fixed before those résumés were sent.

So, if you have struck out so far—if you are not getting interviews or advancing past the first round—do not assume the explanation is your GPA, your experience, or your school.

It may be the résumé itself.
Not the credentials on the résumé.
The résumé itself.

So please read it again.
Read it aloud.
Read it backward.
Change the font.
Zoom in to 200%.

And ask a few meticulous readers who will be candid—not merely kind.

Then save and use my checklist below.

A résumé is not merely a list of qualifications. It is your first writing sample—and often your first test of the credibility and attention to detail that law firms are looking for.

Make it easy for a reviewer to see your qualifications and impossible for them to doubt your care.

💌 Amanda

#Dear1L, #Dear2L