legal | Robin's Resumes (r)

Resume Q&A: What Can I Say on My Resume When Legally I Can’t Say Anything?

Sep 06 2020

Q. I have worked in financial services for a long time, and part of what I do is either private to the client or proprietary to the company I work for. This means that my resume ends up too vague and too general; I sound as if I have never accomplished anything. Is there a legal way around all the corporate rules and regulations that surround me?

A. Confidentiality is an issue not only in the financial industry but in any regulated industry, including education and pharmaceutical. However, any company may carefully guard information that is proprietary or not yet ready for public dissemination. In writing your resume, your goal is to be truthful, complete, and interesting without divulging information that you are required to keep secret. Most often, the problem arises around:

Client names
Exact amounts
Products or strategies under development.

Client Name

One of the most common ways to get around an inability to mention a confidential client directly is to describe the client. Instead of writing, “Identified and analyzed investments for XYZ Company,” you write: “Identified and analyzed investments for $10B company in the oil, gas, and mineral exploration industry.” The detailed description makes you stand out, and the company name is superfluous.

You can categorize your individual clients (for example, “high net worth”); indicate the number or types of deals you structured or closed for them; and describe the exact results (for example, “Delivered a 200% compounded rate of return for a high net worth client.”). In any industry, focusing on the type of clients, the amount and type of work, and the results will generate as much or more interest among hiring managers and recruiters as simply listing well-known names.

Even when you can use the company or client name, you should still provide as much detail as possible concerning the type and results of the work you performed.

Exact Amounts

If exact numbers amounts are a problem, you can always use ranges: up to $20M; multimillion-dollar deals; an average of 30 companies annually. You should be able to mention the round number of divestitures and acquisitions, for example, without breaking confidentiality.

Products or Strategies

Products or strategies, whether under development or failed, may be proprietary and may have to be kept confidential, but you can still indicate your role: you participated in the development, generated ideas, led the research and development team, analyzed the market. You can also mention projected amounts the product or strategy was supposed to generate, if that information is known and available.

If you need help in creating a resume that is specific and yet recognizes the proprietary and confidential nature of your work, please contact Robin’s Resumes® today. We have helped countless professionals in the same situation.

Your Resume: Do You Have a Disability or Inability?

Jul 15 2018

There is no single legal definition of “disability.” The legal definition of a disability varies from country to country, and even within different United States laws.

ADA & Social Security

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a person with a disability as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. A condition does not have to be severe or permanent to be a disability. On the other hand, Social Security disability defines a disabled individual as someone with an impairment, either medical, psychological, or psychiatric in nature, that keeps them from being able to do a substantial amount of work for at least 12 months.

One thing that all definitions agree upon is that “disability” is different from “inability.” For example, if you are able to run but not able to run a marathon, you have an inability to run marathons, not a disability. You can still perform major life activities without running a marathon and can hold a job, though maybe not in the field of long-distance running.

Accommodations by Employer

If one of the requirements for a job is that someone flies internationally, and you are terrified of airplanes, you should probably look for a position that does not require international travel. Although fear of flying could rise to a psychiatric condition and companies are required by the ADA to make reasonable accommodations, there is no reasonable way to travel across oceans without flying: ships are just too slow and infrequent.

On the other hand, if you have a temporary or permanent disability that prevents you from walking up and down stairs, a company might easily make reasonable accommodations. For example, if the building does not have elevators, they could ensure that your office is on the ground floor; or they could allow you to telecommute from home or another accessible location.

Conclusion

That is where I come in. When you are applying for a position with a company, honesty in your resumes and your job search—about your skills, education, accomplishments, and abilities—is very important.

At Robin’s Resumes®, we monitor the current regulations related to employment so that we can craft a resume that makes the most of all your abilities.