Attention resume writers: include fast-food experience

So you spent a summer – or longer than that -- working with Wendy. Or Ronald. Or that cute little Taco Bell Chihuahua. Don’t automatically diss that fast-food gig, especially when you’re applying for an associate position, say law firm partners. Litigator Yolanda Cornejo Garcia believes such experience on a resume can be “demonstrative of a work ethic.” Garcia, a partner in the Dallas office of Weil Gotshal & Manges, spent time at Taco Bell during high school, working the 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift after school. Working in fast food, she says, is “the type of job where it’s important to be on time and you have to get done what you get done,” indicating that person may have what she calls a “get it” factor – the ability “to get stuff done.” “I think work experience of all types can be valuable,” says Glenn B. Callison, chairman and CEO of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr in Dallas and an alumnus of Wendy’s. “It teaches people a number of things about working with customers and the value of hard work.” Callison says the firm does look at prior work experience, whatever it is, “whether it’s someone who’s working hard to pay for their education or the actual lessons learned.” W. Mark Bennett, a partner in the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight, thinks resume writers shouldn’t shy away from putting “interesting little tidbits about your past on there.” He says he enjoys learning about an applicant’s life before law – especially if it’s random. “It’s always the interesting things that kind of stand out to me,” says Bennett, who once dressed up as a giant fuzzy brown dog for kids’ birthdays at Showtime Pizza. “That tells me about those people, and I find myself more drawn to those people.” Want to read more about fast food and law firm successs? Check out the July 14 cover story in Texas Lawyer, "SuperWise Me!"

-- Jenny B. Davis

Comments

[Bridget (Weide) Brooks, Omaha, Neb.]

This is particularly great advice for new law school graduates, who might not have much relevant law experience to showcase on their resumes. In addition to including an earlier work history that demonstrates a strong work ethic (such as early fast food work experience), professional resume writers also advise including internships and practicums, as well as pro bono legal experience. Also showcase other volunteer work, professional association membership, student organization involvement and leadership positions. Check with your law school's career office for sample resumes or contact a professional resume writer. When you're competing with hundreds of other recently minted law school grads for a small number of entry-level positions, what you include in your resume can help you stand out --and win the interview.