As the market becomes tighter, I am receiving many more calls than normal from associates looking for help. Since I cannot work with everyone, and goodness knows I wish I could, here are some tips that might prove helpful in your job search.

Plan to attach a resume (more on that in a minute) a copy of your law school transcript, and a separate sheet highlighting your representative transactions if you are a corporate lawyer. If you are a litigator, a writing sample should accompany the other documents. (Remember to use something that has been filed — please don’t compromise your current firm or their clients with privileged information).

Here’s what I like to see on a one page resume:

It should include your name, home address, cell phone number and personal, (non provocative) e-mail address. Don’t include an objective — your objective is to change jobs.

Begin with your Education and include any honors or journals, and GPA or class ranking if you are proud of them.

Next is Legal Experience. List the name of your current position, date to present, and describe your background, including both the functional duties and types of matters you handle — this section can be several sentences. Prior jobs are listed in descending chronological order with shorter descriptions.

Non Legal Experience is only included if you had a career between undergraduate and law school. Leave off jobs held during school. You can list that you financed all or part of your education without the particulars.

Memberships and Affiliations are next. Include state bar memberships, federal court or circuit admissions, professional organizations and sections, etc. Civic activities can be included here, but do not include political or religious affiliations.

If you have them, mention publications, speaking engagements or other languages you speak. Forget “references upon request,” it is assumed.

Oh, and send it to me first, not after being rejected by everyone in town. I can’t help you then.