Legal Resume Presentation for Job Opportunities
Resume Tips for Contract and Direct-Hire Legal Jobs
In an industry where image matters, it’s important to use your resume to make a good first impression. This document showcases your skills and abilities, and illustrates how you'll fit in with the hiring organization. Make your first impression count with these legal resume tips.
Legal Resume Basics
Your legal resume should be one to two pages long and organized in a clear, concise and logical order. A functional and targeted legal resume includes:
- Qualifications summary — A brief, general statement explaining why you’re the ideal candidate for the position. This can substitute the traditional “objective” aspect of a resume.
- Experience highlights — A bullet point list that provides a snapshot of your most relevant skills. Keep the number of skills to a maximum of 10.
- Work history — Descriptions of relevant duties from previous jobs and internships in reverse chronological order. Stress skills the employer is looking for. Be specific about responsibilities and roles and include total time spent at each position.
- Education — List your most recent degrees first and any additional degrees in reverse chronological order. School honors and activities appear in this section. Keep your education credentials light unless it really matters.
- Community involvement — Volunteer positions or other community work to show your commitment to public service.
Don’t include personal information such as hobbies and interests on your resume unless they are directly related to your professional development. No need to include references either; instead, have them available upon request and try to have professional versus personal references. Letters from references are also helpful. Let your experience and accomplishments – not fancy fonts or paper – speak for themselves.
Share Your Skills
In order to remain marketable, your resume should be custom-tailored to the position applied for. List and demonstrate job-related skills in a qualitative and quantitative manner by providing specific examples from previous experience.
Be truthful and accurate about your skills to maintain your professional integrity. Focus on skills that can be transferred to any job, legal or not, including:
- In-depth analysis skills
- Writing skills
- Research and investigation skills
- Organizational skills
- Knowledge of the legal system
- Experience in a corporate culture
Say It Well
The way you communicate can affect the impact of your resume and cover letter message. Use action verbs to tell your story and write in a consistent tense for maximum effect. Refrain from writing in the first person. Adding key words to your resume is important because employers use these when searching databases for qualified applicants. The more key words used, the better. Determine which key words to add by reviewing the job description for words related to specific job skills and use them throughout your resume.
Your Cover Letter
Your legal resume should be accompanied by a one-page cover letter written in standard business format. The letter should be personalized for the job opening and expand upon how you can address the employer’s specific needs. Don’t include frivolous information and make every word count. Your cover letter should address:
- How you heard about the position
- How you qualify for the position
- The benefits of hiring you
- Your familiarity with the company
- Your objective rather than your resume
Close your cover letter by keeping the ball in your court and letting the person know you will be following up.
Resume Tip: Use Action Words
Using action words in your resume and cover letter can create high impact for those reviewing it.
| Achieved |
Coordinated |
Formulated |
Produced |
| Adapted |
Defined |
Generated |
Projected |
| Addressed |
Delegated |
Implemented |
Promoted |
| Administered |
Demonstrated |
Improved |
Provided |
| Advised |
Detailed |
Incorporated |
Reconciled |
| Analyzed |
Developed |
Influenced |
Refined |
| Applied |
Devised |
Initiated |
Reviewed |
| Assessed |
Diagnosed |
Introduced |
Solved |
| Attained |
Directed |
Investigated |
Stimulated |
| Budgeted |
Drafted |
Launched |
Streamlined |
| Communicated |
Established |
Maintained |
Strengthened |
| Compiled |
Evaluated |
Managed |
Supervised |
| Conceptualized |
Examined |
Marketed |
Trained |
| Conducted |
Expedited |
Mediated |
Utilized |
| Consolidated |
Facilitated |
Prioritized |
|
Stop by our San Diego or Las Vegas offices on Walk-in Wednesday to receive one-on-one advice on creating your legal resume.