Your resume is your first opportunity to make a positive impression. In the competitive world of law, a well-crafted resume can be the key to securing interviews and advancing your legal career. To help you stand out from the crowd, here are some dos and don’ts for creating an effective legal resume:
Dos:
- Tailor Your Resume:
- Customize your resume for each opportunity. Highlight relevant skills, experiences, and accomplishments that align with the specific position requirements.
- Use a Professional Format:
- Opt for a clean and professional resume format. Use clear headings, bullet points, and consistent formatting throughout your document.
- Highlight Relevant Experience:
- Emphasize your legal work experience, including internships, clerkships, and legal positions. Use action verbs to describe your accomplishments and responsibilities.
- Quantify Achievements:
- Whenever possible, quantify your achievements. For example, mention the number of cases you’ve worked on, the size of the legal teams you’ve managed, or the results you’ve achieved for clients.
- Include Relevant Skills:
- List key legal skills such as legal research, writing, case management, and proficiency in legal software. Also, include any language proficiency relevant to the position.
- Highlight Legal Specializations:
- If you have specialized knowledge in a particular area of law (e.g., environmental law, intellectual property), make it clear in your resume. This can be a significant advantage. If your resume describes your area of expertise slightly different than the position you are applying for, use the employer’s language (e.g., business transactions vs. corporate).
- Education Details:
- Include your law school, graduation date, and any honors or awards. If you attained a GPA greater than 3.2 or had an impressive class ranking, include it. Also include a reference to your undergraduate and/or graduate education, especially if your major pertains to your practice area. Include any relevant professional certifications.
- Bar Admissions:
- Include bar admission information, including admissions to courts, and specialty bars. If a potential employer will not be able to find your admission information for any reason, include your juris/bar number.
- Emphasize Leadership Roles:
- If you’ve held leadership positions in legal organizations, student associations, or volunteer activities, highlight them. Leadership experience demonstrates your ability to take on responsibilities.
- Use Legal Terminology:
- Incorporate legal terminology and keywords relevant to your practice area. Use keywords found in the employer’s advertisement. This can help your resume pass through applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by many employers.
Don’ts:
- Exaggerate or Misrepresent:
- Never exaggerate your qualifications or misrepresent your experience. Be honest and truthful about your skills and accomplishments.
- Include Irrelevant Information:
- Avoid including non-legal or outdated information, such as high school achievements or unrelated part-time jobs.
- Use an Unprofessional Email Address:
- Create a professional email address for job applications. Avoid using personal or unprofessional email addresses.
- Overuse Legal Jargon:
- While it’s important to use legal terminology, avoid overloading your resume with jargon that may be unfamiliar to non-legal professionals who review applications.
- Include Personal Information:
- Do not include personal information such as your age, marital status, or religious affiliation. These details are generally irrelevant to legal job applications. Do not include a headshot on your resume.
- Use a Lengthy Resume:
- Keep your resume concise and focused on relevant information. Ideally, it should not exceed two pages, especially for entry-level or mid-career positions. Do not use less than a 10 – 12 point font as a method to include more information on your resume.
- Neglect Proofreading:
- Typos and grammatical errors can create a negative impression. Proofread your resume carefully or have someone else review it for errors. If you’ve made edits to your resume, opt to provide your resume in pdf format so there is no chance you may accidentally include the metadata that shows the employer your changes.
- Forget the White Space:
- Having too much text crammed into your resume can make it difficult for the employer to digest. Your resume should be pleasing to the eye, and easy to read.
- Omit Contact Information:
- Ensure that your contact information is up-to-date and easily accessible at the top of your resume. This includes your phone number, professional email address, and LinkedIn profile. Employers will appreciate having your mailing address, but if you opt to omit it in full, include at least the city and state of residence.
- Forget to Explain Inconsistencies:
- If there is anything in your resume that could cause pause to a potential employer, include a cover letter to provide further explanation. Be sure the cover letter is addressed to the correct employer, demonstrates your interest in their firm, is grammatically correct and does not contain typos.
Crafting an effective legal resume requires careful attention to detail and a focus on showcasing your qualifications and experiences relevant to the legal profession. By following these dos and don’ts, you can create a compelling resume that captures the attention of legal employers and increases your chances of landing your desired legal job.