How to Apply to Alston & Bird

5 min read Last updated March 15, 2026 8 open positions
Blake Crosley
Blake Crosley Researched using publicly available information, hiring data, and ATS analysis.

Key Takeaways

  • Tailor your resume to each specific Alston & Bird role — Workday applications are evaluated per-position
  • Alston & Bird uses Workday to manage applications; PDF format preserves your formatting through their parser
  • Create your Workday account and complete your profile before applying to save time
  • Apply directly through Alston & Bird's careers page for the best chance of visibility
  • Research Alston & Bird's mission and values before your interview

About Alston & Bird

Alston & Bird is a company with approximately 2,200 employees focused on delivering value in Legal. With opportunities across multiple functional areas, understanding Alston & Bird's specific business model, competitive position, and recent growth trajectory will help you tailor your application and stand out during the interview process.

Application Process

  1. 1
    Create a Workday Candidate Account

    Visit Alston & Bird's careers page and click Apply on any role. Workday will prompt you to create an account with your email and a password, or sign in with LinkedIn or Google. This account persists for all future Alston & Bird applications. Choose a strong password — you will need it to check your status later.

  2. 2
    Upload Your Resume for Auto-Parsing

    Workday offers a resume upload step that attempts to pre-fill your profile. Upload a PDF or Word document with a clean, single-column layout. The parser extracts your name, contact details, work history, and education. Avoid tables, columns, and graphics — these cause parsing errors that create more manual correction work downstream.

  3. 3
    Review and Correct Parsed Work History

    Workday displays your extracted work history on a dedicated page with fields for company name, title, start date, end date, and description. The parser frequently misaligns dates or merges entries. Carefully verify every field. Incorrect data here flows into recruiter views and cannot be easily corrected after submission.

  4. 4
    Complete Education and Skills Sections

    Separate Workday pages collect your education credentials and skills inventory. Enter each degree with the correct institution name, degree type, and graduation date. The skills section may use a typeahead dropdown — search for your skills using the terminology in Alston & Bird's job posting to ensure alignment with their internal taxonomy.

  5. 5
    Answer Compliance and Screening Questions

    Workday includes pages for voluntary self-identification (veteran status, disability, demographics) and role-specific screening questions. The compliance questions are legally protected and stored separately from your application. Screening questions are visible to recruiters, so answer them carefully. Some are knockout questions that filter candidates automatically.

  6. 6
    Review Your Complete Application

    Before final submission, Workday presents a review page showing all entered information across every section. Check each section thoroughly — work history dates, education details, contact information, and screening answers. This is your last opportunity to catch errors. Once submitted, you generally cannot modify your application for that specific role.

  7. 7
    Track Status Through the Candidate Portal

    After submitting, log back into your Workday candidate account to track application status. Workday shows stages like 'Under Review,' 'Interview,' or 'No Longer Under Consideration.' Status updates may take several days to appear. You will also receive email notifications for major status changes and interview scheduling.

Resume Tips for Alston & Bird

critical

Use a Simple Single-Column Layout

Workday's resume parser struggles with multi-column layouts, tables, and text boxes. A clean single-column format with clear section breaks ensures your work history and education parse into the correct structured fields. Every parsing error means manual correction on a separate form page, adding time to an already lengthy application process.

critical

Format Dates Consistently as Month/Year

Workday's parser is particularly sensitive to date formats. Use 'January 2023' or '01/2023' consistently throughout your resume. Avoid ranges like '2020-2023' without months — the parser often misinterprets these, assigning incorrect start and end dates to your positions that you must then manually fix in the form wizard.

critical

Match Your Resume to Workday's Taxonomy

Workday uses structured skill taxonomies and job families. When Alston & Bird's posting lists specific skills, use those exact terms in your resume. The system may map your skills to internal categories during parsing. If your terminology differs from the taxonomy, your skills may not populate correctly in the typeahead fields.

recommended

Include Full Company Names in Work History

Workday's parser attempts to match your employers against its company database. Use official company names rather than abbreviations or informal names. Write 'International Business Machines' alongside 'IBM' on first reference. This helps the parser correctly identify your employers and populate the company name fields without manual correction.

recommended

Separate Each Position as a Distinct Entry

If you held multiple roles at the same company, list each as a separate entry with its own title, dates, and accomplishments. Workday creates individual records per position. Combining multiple roles into one block causes the parser to merge them, requiring you to manually split and re-enter each position during the form review step.

recommended

Keep Bullet Points Under Three Lines Each

Workday's work history fields have character limits that vary by company configuration. Long narrative paragraphs may be truncated during parsing. Use concise bullet points — two to three lines each — focused on measurable accomplishments. This ensures your full impact statements survive parsing and display correctly in recruiter views.

recommended

Include Degree Type and Major Explicitly

Workday's education parser looks for structured degree information. Write 'Bachelor of Science in Computer Science' rather than 'BS, CS' on your resume. Include your graduation date as a clear month and year. The parser maps these to dropdown fields — explicit formatting reduces the corrections needed on the education review page.

nice_to_have

Prepare a Master Version for Your First Application

Your first Workday application at Alston & Bird populates a reusable profile. Upload a comprehensive master resume containing all positions, skills, and education. Subsequent applications will pull from this stored profile. Invest extra time on accuracy during your first submission — every future Alston & Bird application benefits from that initial effort.

recommended

Quantify with Legal Metrics

Quantify your accomplishments with relevant metrics wherever possible. Include revenue impact, efficiency improvements, team sizes managed, project budgets, customer satisfaction scores, or process improvement percentages. Concrete numbers stand out in both resume screening and interviews. Frame each achievement as: action taken, metric improved, business impact delivered.

ATS System: Workday

Workday is an enterprise-grade applicant tracking system used by many Fortune 500 companies and large organizations. It is part of Workday's broader Human Capital Management suite, which means the ATS is deeply integrated with HR, payroll, and employee management systems. For applicants, the most distinctive aspect of Workday is its multi-page application wizard. Unlike single-form systems, Workday requires you to create a candidate account, then step through separate pages for personal information, work history, education, skills, and compliance questions. The system parses your uploaded resume to pre-fill these fields, but the parsing is often imperfect — you will likely need to correct dates, job titles, and education details on each page. Workday stores your profile at the company level, so subsequent applications to other Alston & Bird roles reuse your stored data. The system is known for lengthy application times, averaging 30-45 minutes for a first application. Workday powers career sites with URLs containing 'myworkdayjobs.com' or 'myworkdaysite.com.' Once submitted, you can track your application status through the candidate portal by logging back in.

  • Create your Workday account and complete your profile before applying to save time
  • Review every pre-filled field after resume upload — Workday's parser frequently misassigns dates and titles
  • Your Workday profile persists across all Alston & Bird roles; keep it updated
  • Use the candidate portal to check application status rather than emailing recruiters
  • Save your progress frequently — Workday sessions can time out after extended inactivity

Complete Workday Resume Guide →

Interview Culture

The interview process at Alston & Bird typically begins with an initial recruiter phone screen lasting 20 to 30 minutes, where the recruiter assesses your background, motivation, and basic fit for the role. If you advance, expect one to two substantive interviews with the hiring manager and potential teammates. Behavioral interviews are standard across most industries. Prepare structured stories using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) that demonstrate your problem-solving approach, collaboration skills, and ability to deliver measurable results. Have three to five polished examples ready that you can adapt to different question angles. Technical or functional assessments vary by role. Engineering candidates may face coding challenges or system design exercises. Business roles may include case studies, presentations, or analytical exercises. Research the specific interview format for your target role at Alston & Bird through Glassdoor reviews or by asking the recruiter directly what to expect. Culture fit matters. Research Alston & Bird's values, recent news, and strategic priorities before your interview. Prepare thoughtful questions that demonstrate genuine interest in the company's direction and the team's current challenges. Interviewers notice when candidates have done their homework versus when they are applying generically. At a company of Alston & Bird's scale, expect Typically two to three rounds over two to three weeks. spanning One to three weeks after final round. Hiring managers often have direct authority to extend offers without lengthy approval chains.. The typical format involves Expect an initial screen with HR or the hiring manager, followed by one to two substantive rounds. Panel interviews are common. You may meet the team lead, a peer, and a skip-level manager. Processes are less rigid than enterprise — schedule flexibility is typical.. Allow Send a thank-you email within 24 hours. Follow up if you have not heard back within one week of the stated timeline. before following up.

What Alston & Bird Looks For

  • Relevant experience demonstrated through measurable outcomes
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills
  • Problem-solving ability with concrete examples from your work
  • Growth trajectory showing increasing responsibility over time
  • Genuine interest in the company's mission and industry
  • Adaptability and willingness to learn new skills
  • Cultural alignment with the team and organization

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the hiring process take at Alston & Bird?
The typical hiring timeline at Alston & Bird involves Typically two to three rounds over two to three weeks. over One to three weeks after final round. Hiring managers often have direct authority to extend offers without lengthy approval chains.. Allow Send a thank-you email within 24 hours. Follow up if you have not heard back within one week of the stated timeline. before following up on your application.
What resume format should I use when applying to Alston & Bird?
PDF is the recommended format for Workday applications at Alston & Bird. Use a single-column layout with standard section headers to ensure reliable parsing.
Can I apply to multiple positions at Alston & Bird?
Yes. Workday treats each role as a separate application, so applying to multiple positions at Alston & Bird is expected. Tailor your resume to each specific role.
Why does the Alston & Bird Workday application take so long to complete?
Workday uses a multi-page wizard that collects structured data separately from your resume. You must verify parsed work history, education, and skills across individual pages. First-time applications average 30-45 minutes. Subsequent applications reuse your stored profile and are significantly faster.
Can I update my Workday profile after applying to a role at Alston & Bird?
You can update your candidate profile at any time by logging into your Workday account. However, changes do not retroactively update submitted applications. Only future applications will use the updated profile. For critical corrections to an active application, contact Alston & Bird's recruiting team directly.
How should I research Alston & Bird before my interview?
Review Alston & Bird's website, recent press releases, and leadership team bios. Check Glassdoor for interview experiences from past candidates. Understand their products, customers, and competitive landscape. Having specific, informed questions about the company's direction shows genuine interest and differentiates you from generic applicants.
What should I do if I don't hear back after applying?
Wait five to seven business days after the stated response timeline before following up. Send a brief, professional email to the recruiter referencing the specific role title and your application date. Express continued interest and ask about next steps. One follow-up is appropriate — multiple follow-ups can appear pushy.

Open Positions

Alston & Bird currently has 8 open positions.

Check Your Resume Before Applying → View 8 open positions at Alston & Bird

Related Resources

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Sources

  1. Alston & Bird Careers — Alston & Bird
  2. Workday Application Guide — Resume Geni