Is a Resume a Legal Document?

A ready asked me recently if a resume is a legal document.

The answer:
Yes and no.

The resume IS a legal document if the candidate states on the application:

"Please See Attached Resume" and then signs the application... that makes the attached resume part of the legal application.

But otherwise, technically speaking, the resume is a marketing document, not a legal document.

However, intent to defraud can tie into the resume if your client lies on the resume. So make sure that your client does not make up credentials, degrees, etc. (That's a good idea anyway!)

However, omitting short-duration jobs or otherwise using your writing abilities to minimize a client's "problem areas" is generally acceptable.

Finding Recruiters For Your Clients

The Riley Guide has compiled a list of links to free online directories of search firms and recruiters, including:

• Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC)
  
• AESC also offers a service called "Bluesteps" that includes access to "SearchConnect" for conducting searches of recruiters by their specialty. Fees for a "lifetime" membership range from $219 to $299.
  
• The Career Portal Online Recruiters Directory
• Oya's Directory-of-Recruiters
• RecruiterLink.com (powered by Hunt-Scanlon)
• National Association of Personnel Services Member Directory
• Searchfirm.com
  

Also, try Top Echelon's "Recommended Recruiter" search.

Directories of recruiters are also available for purchase. Kennedy Information has contact information for thousands of recruiters, both in book form and online! Select by function area (sales, for example) and industry (manufacturing) and it returns the number of results. Purchase online -- and resell the information to your client.

Pregnant Client? Make Sure They Know Their Rights

United States federal law protects individuals from pregnancy discrimination. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which was passed in 1978, prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. However, there is evidence that a pregnant employee must produce to win a pregnancy discrimination case. In 1996, a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Chicago gave employers some protection in dealing with pregnant employees. In this case, a woman was fired for tardiness after morning sickness kept her from reporting to work on time. She brought charges of pregnancy discrimination against her employer. She was not able to show that she was being treated differently than other employees in similar circumstances and lost the case. ("How Employers Must Treat Pregnant Workers," Smartbiz.com).

Since 1993, The Family and Medical Leave Act (U.S.), has given pregnant women who are employed in workplaces with 50 or more people the right to take a combination of paid and unpaid leave equaling twelve weeks to care for a newborn. The act also gives employees the right to take time off for medical problems (including those that are pregnancy related) and to care for an ill family member.

For an excellent article on this topic, visit:
http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/legalissues/a/pregnancy.htm

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WEDDLE'S Association Directory
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- Also, here is a link to executive recruiters serving the association management industry.

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