All successful job searches begin with a good resume. There are many resume formats, so you should invest time in identifying one that closely matches the potential employer's needs, your own personal style and current status. To get started,
review the resume samples to obtain ideas. It is suggested that you prepare a draft copy of your resume and make an appointment with the Career Development Office to have it reviewed. Once the Career Development Office and others have offered suggestions, prepare a final product. For further assistance, review the below frequently asked questions.
The Questions:
The Answers:What is the purpose of a resume?1. A resume serves to introduce you to potential employers in the most favorable light possible, ultimately culminating in interviews. Further, what you include in your resume will influence what an interviewer asks you about and the tone of the interview in general. You actually exert a significant amount of control over the interview by what you present of yourself in your resume.
How do I begin to write a resume? 2.The first thing you do when drafting a resume is to take an inventory of everything you have done. To begin this process you are going to make six (6) different lists with the following headings: education, work experience, activities, academics, interests and miscellaneous.
Under education, list all post-secondary education including law school, colleges and universities attended, exchange programs, off-campus study, etc. List degrees, month/year obtained or expected; names and locations of schools; major and minor; and grade point average.
Under work experience, list all jobs held full time, part time, paid or unpaid (including externships). List the month/years you worked; position; name and location of employer or place; and the duties and responsibilities you had.
Under activities, list all extra-curricular activities, i.e., organized groups, teams, clubs, community involvements, etc., now and in college.
Under academics, list scholarships received, class rank, special recognition and academic achievements.
Under interests, list hobbies, travel experiences, special talents.
Under miscellaneous, list everything you left out thus far. This list may contain computer languages and software, foreign languages, etc.
DO NOT LIMIT YOURSELF AT THIS POINT; LIST EVERYTHING, EVEN IF IT SEEMS TRIVIAL.
How do I organize this information? 3. Once the above lists are compiled, the editing process begins. Ask yourself the following questions for each item listed: Do I feel a sense of pride or accomplishment? What aspects of my education, experience or skills will be most attractive to an employer? (For example, working at Hershey Park as a ride attendant for three years may seem trivial to you, but being a conscientious worker and having the ability to deal with the public during this job may be pertinent information.) Which things on my list show different aspects of my personality or strength? What activities have been superseded by more recent involvements?
How important are extra-curricular activities? 4. In general, well-rounded individuals impress legal employers. Therefore, it is recommended that you list activities on your resume. Next consider what would be the most appropriate order to list items on the resume. Ask yourself which facts are most important to you, as well as what you are trying to accomplish. If you are trying to emphasize your writing ability or experience, you may include writing for the Widener Law Review or your participation in a writing competition. For future litigators, it may be important to stress excellence in advocacy skills and training.
How much of my pre-legal education/employment should I include? 5. As with all sections of your resume, emphasize your highest levels of achievement. For example, mention serious academic honors and achievements, as well as positions of leadership in organizations. The inclusion of social/recreational activities will help present you as well - rounded. Regarding high school: this information is rarely included unless a specific reason exists for doing so, e.g., you attended a small select prep school or a school that you believe will be of special significance to the employer.
What if I have little or no legal background or experience? 6. Probably at least one of your jobs, if not all, facilitated the development of skills and abilities that are used by a lawyer. For example, if you have sales experience or have otherwise dealt directly with people, you have probably developed excellent oral communication skills. Additionally, your participation in undergraduate activities and organizations may provide employers insight into your organizational and leadership skills. Other transferable skills include research and writing, analytical skills, problem solving, supervisory skills, ability to handle large work loads, negotiation, ability to work independently, etc. If you do not plan to pursue a legal job and have experience in a field in which you wish to continue, it makes sense to include that experience first. However, if your goal is to work for a legal employer, list your legal or law-related experience first . Remember to use law-related action words such as "drafted," "interviewed," "argued," etc., to assist you in describing your skills in a legally relevant manner. NOTE: It is recommended that you not include personal pronouns on your resume.
What if I have substantial professional experience that is not law-related? 7. You will want to find a balance whereby you emphasize the fact that you are a person with extensive professional experience, but without over-emphasizing your particular field. You want to demonstrate that your orientation is now toward a law career, and that skills developed through previous work experience are transferable.
What if I have held jobs that are not on the same professional level to which I now aspire?
8. You may include a short paragraph summarizing such experiences, e.g., "Held various hospitality industry positions providing the opportunity to build communication/public relations skills." If you worked in order to help finance your education, you may include this information, e.g., "Worked summers throughout college as (include title, separated by commas) contributing substantially to college tuition."
I want to tell the employer more about me. Should I include personal information and my interests? 9. Items such as birth date, marital status and health are not usually included on a legal resume. The appropriate emphasis in a resume is on professional qualifications. Interests are usually an optional section on a resume, but one that is seen with increasing frequency. The advantage is that by including interests, you 1) make it known you are a well-rounded person, and 2) create a safe topic of conversation which can serve as an icebreaker for the interviewer.
While most legal employers value diversity of thought, race, politics, etc. within their workplace, including affiliations that indicate your political, religious, or sexual orientation can be tricky because biases do exist. Ultimately, however, you must strike a balance between being practical and being true to yourself. Decide 1) how important to your identity that affiliation is, and 2) whether or not you can work comfortably with an employer with a different viewpoint. For example, if the affiliation is crucial to whom you feel you are, but you could work with an employer with a divergent viewpoint, you may want to de-emphasize the affiliation or leave it out. If you could not work with such an employer, it may be more important that your resume makes your affiliation clear to potential employers.
How should I word my bar admission? 10. There are several ways to present your bar admission(s). One alternative is to include a separate header at the top of your resume following your name and address entitled "BAR ADMISSIONS". Under this subcategory, list "Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, November, 2003; Supreme Court of New Jersey, December, 2003; U.S. District Court E.D. Pa., November, 2003. Another alternative is to center your bar admission across the page and state "Admitted to Supreme Court of Pennsylvania November, 2003," or "Admitted to Practice Commonwealth of Pennsylvania November, 2003." In any event, your bar admission(s) should appear at the top of your resume.
Resume checklist
11.
- Hold your resume at arm's length to see how it looks
- Evaluate the content of your resume
- Make important information easy to find, i.e., scannable
- Use descriptive action verbs to describe work responsibilities
- Use the correct tense (past/present) of action verbs
- Review resume for correct capitalization, punctuation, and dates
- Review resume for consistency in date format usage
- Make your name stand out by utilizing bold text, underlining or capital letters
- List your current address and telephone numbers
- Match your resume style to the employer and the position sought
- Include only accurate information
- Review for typographical, grammatical and spelling errors
- Eliminate excessive type/font styles, sizes, lines or boxes creating a "busy" look
- Avoid excessive blank space on your resume
- Avoid excessive repetition of words or phrases including articles like "a," "an" and "the"