How to write an effective resume – Legal Professional

To make a good first impression, a well-written resume needs to be clear, concise, and neatly organised with content relevant to the position you are applying for.

The simple rule is to make it as easy as possible for your prospective employer to find the key information about you.

We have outlined a step-by-step guide, along with a sample CV and practical tips to assist you in making a good first impression.

Personal details

You will need to include your name, postal address, contact number (mobile is usually preferred) and email address.

If you have an old email address that looks unprofessional, we suggest taking some time in setting up a new email address for job applications. We strongly suggest that you avoid using your current work email address and phone number on your CV.

Education & Admission

Your education should include details about your university degree as well as your admission date.

A good format to follow is:

Name of education institution
Name of degree/diploma/certificate
Graduation date
Any course credits or key achievements

Legal experience

Include a list of all your recent and past employment history (make sure the experience you are including is relevant to the role you are applying for). Use strong, clear wording and always be prepared to backup your experience.

A good format to follow is:

Employers should be listed chronologically from most to least recent
Date of employment, month and year
Your title
Name of employer
Practice group you worked in
Include a list of matters you worked on during your employment (remember to keep in mind client confidentiality)

Tip: Put yourself in the mind of your potential employer and think about what key responsibilities they would be looking for.

Achievements/ Awards

Include a list of your achievements and any awards received

Memberships

Include a list of any professional associations or memberships

Hobbies and interests (optional)

If you wanted to, include a short list of your interests and hobbies to give your potential employer a sense of who you are. You may be surprised that you find your potential employer has the same interests as you, but also be mindful in terms of what you want your potential employer to know about you.

Including References

Referees don’t have to be listed and you can include a line in this section saying, “Referees will be provided upon request”. Referees are usually only contacted when a job offer is about to follow and firms will rarely contact references before hand.

When providing referees it is important to provide details of either a former employer, manager or senior colleague who has worked with you. The referees that are most valuable are those people that you reported to directly.

Presentation and content is key

A well-written CV is always carefully and clearly presented. Use simple text, that is easy to read and that everyone can understand and avoid using cluttered or complicated layouts with headers, footers, tables or other items that may not look right when viewed on different computers.

Ensure there is plenty of white space and we recommend not placing too much information on one page as this may distract the reader from the content.

When writing your CV your focus needs to be on describing the experience you have gained which will be a fundamental factor.

Be brief and to the point

A good CV is clear, concise and makes every point necessary and usually fits on two to four pages. Make sure you remove any experience that is not related to the opportunity you want to pursue (e.g. working at a café during University) and give more detail about your current or recent roles.

Final checks

Make sure you also run a spell check to pick up any errors, or if possible ask someone to proof read your CV for any spelling, grammatical or layout errors. Take the time to get it right, as it is the first impression your potential employer will make of you.

For tailored advise on writing an effective resume contact one of our Consultants on (03) 9909 7187 and they will be happy to assist.

Download template CV here.