Sunday, March 15, 2009

When Career Counselors Say It's Okay to Use Humor in Job Searches...

...this is likely NOT what they mean!

Above the Law reports that an unemployed attorney took an unconventional approach to drafting a cover letter--using excerpts from nine other firms' form rejection letters sent to the applicant.

On the Above the Law website, the letter reads:

"Your colleagues from other competitive firms have had a great deal to say about me; therefore, I would like to share with you some of their opinions. Alston & Bird writes, "your qualifications are impressive." Remarkably, Blank Rome makes an identical assertion. McKee Nelson also express this view but do not limit its opinion to my qualifications. Rather, it considers my "credentials and qualifications" to be "impressive." Chadbourne & Parke takes a different focus, indicating that my "background is impressive."

Other firms convey similar opinions with a different focal point. Epstein, Becker & Green is "impressed" with "my credentials." According to King & Spalding, my "resume is impressive." Furthermore, Debevoise & Plimpton feels slightly more strongly, stating that they were "most impressed" with my resume. Uniquely commenting on both my background and credentials, Dow Lohnes indicates that they "were quite impressed." Cleverly using a more concise adjective-noun wording, Holland & Knight writes that I have an "impressive background."

The ABA Journal reports that the applicant received a tenth rejection within three days.

No comments: