How to write a cv for legal work experience

If you follow this guide, and apply it to the template, recruiters will stage gladiator competitions to fight over your signature.

How to write a cv for legal work experience

The first opportunity to tell an employer what you can do, your CV is a vital part of your job hunt What is a CV? A CV curriculum vitae allows you to summarise your education, skills and experience, selling yourself to employers.

How long should a CV be? Only include the main facts; if your CV is just one page, that's fine, as employers only want to read relevant information. Some medical or academic CVs may be longer depending on your experience. What to include in a CV Contact details - Include your full name, home address, mobile number and email address.

You do not need to include your date of birth or a photograph unless you're applying for an acting or modelling job.

Profile - Placed at the beginning of the CV, a profile is a concise statement that highlights your key attributes or reasons for deciding to work in a particular field. Pick out a few relevant achievements and skills, while clearly articulating your career aims.

It must focus on the sector you're applying to, as your cover letter will be job-specific. You should keep it short and snappy - words is the perfect length. Education - List and date all previous education, including professional qualifications, placing the most recent first.

how to write a cv for legal work experience

Work experience - List your experience in reverse chronological order, making sure that anything you mention is relevant to the job you're applying for. If you have plenty of relevant work experience, this section should come before education.

Skills and achievements - This is where you talk about the foreign languages you speak and the IT packages you can competently use. Whatever you list should be relevant to the job and not over-exaggerated, as you'll need to back up your claims at interview. If you have got lots of relevant experience you should do a skills-based CV.

Interests - Simply writing 'socialising, going to the cinema and reading' isn't going to catch the attention of the recruiter. However, when relevant to the job, your interests can provide a more rounded picture of you and give you something to talk about at interview.

Examples include writing your own blog if you want to be a journalist, or being part of a drama group if you're looking to get into sales. References - You don't need to provide the names of references at this stage. You also don't need to say 'references available upon request' as most employers would assume this to be the case.

For more help and advice on what to include in a CV take a look at our example CVs. Instead, choose something more professional such as size Arial.

List everything in reverse chronological order so the recruiter sees your most impressive and recent achievements first. Keep it concise and easy to read by using clear spacing and bullet points. This type of CV layout allows employers to skim your CV and quickly pick out the important information.

If you're posting your CV, go with white A4 paper.

how to write a cv for legal work experience

Only print on one side and don't fold your CV - you don't want it to arrive creased. How to write a good CV Use active verbs wherever possible. For example, you could include words like 'created', 'analysed' and 'devised' to present yourself as a person who shows initiative.Your CV is your opportunity to present your skills and experience for the role you’re applying.

At the very least, a strong CV should help promote you and secure interviews. Use the following guidelines below to write and submit your CV. Two key sections of your CV are your education and work experience. If you don’t get these right then your CV will go in the bin immediately.

This article will help you to write these sections and sell yourself effectively. Some applicants are tempted to use the legal work experience section on their CV to demonstrate transferable skills. ‘My advice is to avoid statements such as “I developed my teamworking skills by going to a networking drinks”,’ says the head of graduate recruitment at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.

Legal work experience (paid or unpaid) Again, this should be in reverse order, with the most recent first. A clear format, which mirrors the one you use for your education section, is essential.

The following legal CV example is designed to help you start writing your own CV. The best CVs include information about all aspects of your professional career, including your skills, working experience, and acquired knowledge. A CV (curriculum vitae) allows you to summarise your education, skills and experience, selling yourself to employers.

In the USA and Canada it's known as a résumé, and tends to be a more concise document.

Example CVs |