How to Write a Stellar Legal Resume

Your resume is the first thing most employers will see when applying to jobs. As a result, it is crucial to take the time to optimize your resume and ensure it makes a good impression. Resume writing principles vary depending on the industry or career you are applying to, including the legal field! This article will offer tips for writing a stellar resume for a legal career. While many of the tips apply to any resume, there are a few specific considerations when applying for legal positions.

Clean and Organized Formatting

Legal resumes aren’t the place for creativity. The format should be attractive but clean and easy to follow. Ensure everything is laid out in the appropriate order in logical columns with proper headings. Use bold, underlines, or italics to differentiate information, and choose one basic font for consistency. Break larger pieces of information into bullet points. Especially since many companies use software to scan resumes, it’s essential to stick to straightforward formatting that software can easily translate.

Tailor to Each Position

As tedious as it may be, take the time to tailor your resume to every position you apply for. Read over the job description and find ways to highlight your key skills and accomplishments that are relevant, ensuring to match up keywords from the job listing. As previously mentioned, many companies use software to scan resumes, and usually, that software will only pass along resumes that match specific keywords.

Lead with a Lawyer Profile

Sometimes called a summary, it can be beneficial to lead your resume with a lawyer profile, two to four sentences highlighting your experience and skills. This can help personalize your resume a little bit rather than just listing out facts, and it gives you space to talk about who you are as a lawyer or other legal professional.

Use Action Words

Recruiters don’t want resumes full of boring verbs like “worked on” or “responsible for.” Instead, focus on actions and accomplishments, using more dynamic verbs like “negotiated” or “orchestrated.” Don’t just list out your job description and responsibilities; take the time to highlight the skills and accomplishments you gained from each position.

Focus on Relevant Information

It can be tempting to include everything on your resume, but especially as your career progresses, it’s important to highlight just the most relevant information. Additionally, ensure sections are in an appropriate order! For a recent graduate, it may be appropriate to list education first and include leadership experience from campus involvements. However, several years into their career, it is probably better to list experience before education, and those college experiences are no longer relevant and take up valuable space. It isn’t always necessary to list out every job you’ve ever had, especially if leaving a couple of less relevant positions out gives you more space to highlight more relevant experiences.

Showcase Your Knowledge of Industry Trends

While there are timeless pieces of knowledge that contribute to a successful career in law, it would be reckless to deny the relevance of industry trends and other recent changes in the industry. On your legal resume, you’ll want to demonstrate an ability to stay updated with these trends, even if that means taking an online course to give you a leg up. With continual digital developments and remote work taking up residency in numerous industries, showcasing an ability to work effectively during changes will contribute to the picture of professionalism you hope to illustrate on your resume.

As one would hope for their resume to do, implementing the aforementioned tips will help you as you search for jobs that fit your specific talents and desired niche.