Workshop prepares court interns for their future

July 22, 2019 By Caroline Ourso

Ingrid Layne, left, reviews two interns’ résumés during a workshop at the Kings County Supreme Court on Thursday, July 18, 2019.

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Brooklyn’s court summer interns took part in a resume building workshop that was meant to teach them the importance of control, specificity and individuality at the Kings County Supreme Court on Thursday.

Court employee Ingrid Layne, a network assistance technician, gave a brief but thorough presentation to a sizable group of teenagers packed into the courtroom that afternoon. She focused on resume tips and on our increasingly computerized and technology-oriented job market.

“Most resumes now, before they even go to a person, go through a computer,” said Layne.

Interns listen as Ingrid Layne gives advice on building a professional résumé during a workshop at the Kings County Supreme Court on Thursday, July 18, 2019.

Layne advised learning buzzwords associated with the job a person is applying to and sprinkling those throughout the resume to help it stand out to the computer programs now widely utilized.

“Tailor your resume to the job you want,” she said. “If you’re applying to 15 different jobs, you should have 15 different resumes.”

She also discussed the importance of controlling your online presence, both personally and professionally.

“Everybody should have a LinkedIn account,” said Layne. “Every employer is going to check your LinkedIn.”

“They’re also going to check your other social media,” Layne emphasized. “You do not want your whole future ruined because you posted something or your friends tagged you in something that isn’t appropriate.”

Layne gave other standard tips, like keeping a resume to one page, using appropriate color themes and always following up after applying.

Ingrid Layne gives advice on building a professional résumé during a workshop at the Kings County Supreme Court on Thursday, July 18, 2019.

To motivate the interns actually to update their resumes, Layne is offering a surprise to the winner of an editing competition. She asked the interns to submit the updated resumes to her, and she plans to scan and email back edits to them this week. The winner will be announced this Wednesday.

“I’m looking for three things mainly,” Layne said. “Aesthetics, vocabulary and, generally speaking, if the employer would call the intern back.

“I want you to go out there and go wherever you want to go — whether it be to a job, a college you want — whatever you want to do, I want you to be able to do it.”