03/21/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 03/22/2024 06:16
You are potentially a great law candidate, even if you're fresh out of university with little experience in the legal sector.
The trick is to display your transferable skills. These are core abilities necessary for every role, and they could put you ahead of your competition.
Highlight these traits in your CV to prove that you have what it takes to succeed in a professional environment.
Your CV should fulfil the requirements listed in the job advert accurately, so treat each application as if it is the only one you have applied for.
Tailoring your CV shows that you match the recruiting requirements and demonstrates why you are the ideal candidate.
Also, pull out keywords and phrases from the advert and pepper them throughout your CV.
For example, keywords in a property paralegal job spec may include "property", "legal", "law", "paralegal", "adaptability", "written and verbal communication", "organisational skills", "well-presented" and "articulate".
By referencing your abilities in the recruiter's own language, you make it clear you're a match.
Put yourself in the employer's shoes and ask yourself: what's in it for them?
If you have experience or skills that set you apart from the rest of the competition and will add value, then shout about it:
Highlight what impact your work, either in the legal sector or voluntary, has had on the outcome of any given situation.
Recruiters want to see what benefits you could bring to the company, so make sure you let them know just what value you can add.
Finally, make sure that your CV is 100% accurate.
Crime prevention service Cifas reported in 2022 that one in five people in the UK have or know someone who has lied about a qualification in their CV.
Lying on your CV can result in you being dismissed from a job, so it is essential that you are honest about your experience and qualifications.
Your CV should be professional, so remove colloquial language. A career in law is a serious undertaking, and due diligence should be demonstrated at all times.
You want your CV to speak to legal professionals, so it has to speak their language. Review the job spec and the employer's website to check for tone, style and jargon.
By doing this, you will strike the right note with potential employers.
It will also show that you're serious about a career in law and that you have taken the time to do your research and learn what legal professionals want to read about.
A survey by job recruiter Reed.co.uk found that 91% of recruiters believed two pages to be the perfect length for a CV.
The average recruiter can find themselves sifting through hundreds of CVs a day when there's a job opening.
So, ask yourself: would you want to read a lengthy document after a day of reading through countless job applications?
A long CV can sometimes be crucial in determining whether or not you'll get a job, and an overly long one can often do more harm than good.
So, identify how you can articulate your skills and suitability for the job in a concise manner. And if you can fit your entire CV on just one page, do it!
This may seem obvious, but bear with us. Spelling mistakes are sadly all too common in CVs, and they can severely undermine your efforts when applying for a job in law.
In an analysis of nearly 270,000 CVs uploaded in March 2023, the job advertising company Adzuna found that almost 40% of CVs contained five or more errors in them.
Be sure to proofread your CV before sending it out, and don't be afraid to ask a friend or colleague to provide a second pair of eyes.
Recruiters don't spend long reading individual CVs. The employment website Indeed notes that employers spend six to seven seconds looking at each one.
Creating a document which is clearly structured into key sections will quickly draw their attention to your skills and attributes.
Be sure to include:
Views expressed in our blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Law Society.
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