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[hateresq]

For anyone working at the PTO, can you please provide some guidance as to what SPEs look for in a potential Patent Examiner's resume? What sort of skills should be highlighted? 

Here is a brief synopsis of myself:

1. BS in Biochem
2. 4 years of pharmaceutical research experience (3 with the DoD and 1 in the private sector)
3. JD (graduated w/ high honors)
4. Wrote few Patent applications in law school (for a professor, though no Patent reg # b/c I haven't taken the exam)
5. Wrote few papers on patent law (EPO, PCT)
6. Working in patent litigation
7. Studying for the Pat Bar

Thank you for your help.

[klaviernista]

Look at the KSAs posted for the position on USA JOBS.com or the USPTO jobs web site.  They will help you get an idea of what the USPTO is looking for.  If I had to generalize, I would say that the PTO is looking for folks that:

1.  Have demonstrated technical competency (through work experience or education; goes to core competencies);
2.  Have demonstrated experience or expertise in scientific research (goes to cire job function, i.e., searching);
3.  Have demonstrated an ability to communicate effectively in writing (goes to core job function, i.e., writing office actions)
3.  Have demonstrated an ability to meet hard deadlines (provides some assurance that the candidate can meet PTO internal deadlines).

[trw]

It gets a little complicated because your resume will be reviewed by different people. 
 
For example, HR will score your application, and you'll get extra points for law school, prosecution experience, etc. 
 
The SPEs are likely to be more interested in your technical skills in a specific engineering or science discipline.  Should you be hired as an examiner, you'll be trained in the Academy on the legal issues you'll encounter as an examiner.  After graduating from the Academy, there are lots of resources and supplemental training within the PTO to help you work through legal problems.  If you can't figure out the technology of the art unit that you're assigned to, you're going to be a big headache for your SPE and it's unlikely that you'll be efficient enough to meet the production requirements.
 
My advice is to treat the writing of your resume as an opportunity to suggest to the SPEs which area of technology you should examine.  That way, you'll be selected for an art unit where you'll fit in well, rather than getting stuck examining something that you really don't understand or you find to be boring or tedious.

[Yet another examiner]

Agree with all the above. imo, that seems like a very impressive resume, and I imagine you'll easily be at the top of the stack when the start hiring again.