Perfect Your Legal CV!

It can be so challenging to create the 'perfect CV' but fear not! I have some tips to help you improve yours....

First of all, your CV is YOURS! So you shouldn't compare it with any one else's... this includes the layout, the order and the type of information you will include. It will be very boring for recruiters to always see the same types of CV's day in and day out, so make yours stand out!

So, how can you perfect your CV?

1. Plan the outline of your CV

• Be aware of the type of organisations you are targeting

• Be aware of the position you are applying for (paralegal, legal executive, pupillage, training contract, mini-pupillage...)

• With the above in mind, what does the organisation want to see from you? What do you think they will be impressed by?

• What do you really want to show case to them? (skills, experiences, awards, roles, titles...)

As you can see from the above, you will have times where you need to adapt your CV to individual recruiters so that they can see you 'fit' in with their organisation or what they are looking for.

2. The core sections to help with your outline

Like I said above, no two CV's will be exactly the same, and they shouldn't, but here are core sections of a CV:

• Personal details - Your name and contact details

• Education and training - Usually arranged in reverse chronological order, so most recent first

• Employment and work experience - Possibly with sub-divisions highlighting legal, commercial or voluntary experience (again date this with the most recent first so it's in reverse order).

• Other skills - Usually a brief mention of other specific and relevant skills or qualifications you have to offer

• Non-employment experience, extracurricular activities, etc - This covers everything else: the things you do outside work and study (don't be shy to add these! they show you actually have a life outside law).

• Referees - Two referees: usually one academic and one employer (check with referees first before adding to your CV to ensure you have updated contact information).

2. The technicalities

• Keep your CV up to two sides of A4.

• Make it easy and quick to read - use sensible formatting, headings, bullet points.

• Be professional.

- Avoid gimmicks: no artwork, photos or coloured fonts on your CV.

- Be consistent with headings, use of bold and so on; avoid exclamation marks and way-out font sizes.

- Get your spelling and grammar right.

- Emphasise your abilities. Ensure that the evidence and examples of the abilities sought by employers are easy to find. When writing your CV, think about what the criteria of the recruiter might be: teamwork, organisational skills, attention to detail, analytical skills, problem solving, commercial awareness, etc.

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