New Lawyer Advised to Volunteer, Put Passions in Resume

A newly minted lawyer looking for work on Capitol Hill is getting some free advice on how to beef up her resumé, courtesy of a newspaper column.

Sarah Cogan told the Washington Post she would like a legislative job on Capitol Hill. Chris Jones, chief executive of the staffing and placement firm PoliTemps, took a look at Cogan's resumé and decided that her focus is wrong.

Jones noted that Cogan’s law school has a strong environmental program, but he doesn’t see anything about environmental volunteering, or political activities.

"I would want to know where the passion and interests are and see that reflected in the resumé—less information about the Summer Abroad program or computer skills and more volunteering with environmental and green causes,” Jones told the Post. "To seriously kick-start her job search, I would reach out to clean energy/climate change/green associations and organizations to see if they need help with legislative work, research or in their government relations department.”

"In this competitive job climate, it's important to get out from behind the computer and be seen," Jones added. "Volunteering, political fundraisers, alumni events and professional happy hours are all first steps."