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| TIPS
FOR POTENTIAL CANDIDATES |
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Carolina Legal
Staffing is committed to helping you acquire the job you are
looking for. The tips below will help you prepare yourself
for success.
Remember to stay focused on results throughout the entire
process, and you will land the job you desire. |
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Resume:
General
Tips:
- Avoid acronyms other than
those very commonly used in the legal field.
- Keep the format simple,
easy to read. Use a standard font (10 or 12 point) and justify it
on the left. Make it one or two pages long.
- Be sure your objective
statement gives pertinent information to the employer about yourself.
- Compare your performance
with your peers, other business units or the competition to prove
that you delivered excellent results.
- Use numbers to illustrate
the effect of your work.
- Employers look for candidates
who will generate a return on their investment in salary, training,
office space and other costs associated with hiring. Use specific
examples that demonstrate return on investment (ROI) such as "Brought
in more than $100,000 in new business during first six months at the
law firm..."
- When writing your employment
history, detail the outcomes or consequences of your work.
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Litigation
Resume:
- Header Names include:
Experience, Education, Publications, Speaking Engagements, Memberships,
and any Language Fluency.
- Firm Experience: When
working at a firm, more than likely you had more than one client.
Don't list each client you've had. Instead list your skills by showing
the different types of cases you've tried (ex. Commercial, Contract,
Criminal).
- Education: As with any
resume, state your education.
- Publications: List any
well-known publications
- Memberships: If you belong
to any associations, list them.
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Corporate
Resume:
Many times, a lawyer will
have various responsibilities within a corporation. List each corporation
and your title including some bullet points of your duties there making
sure to show your skills in their best light.
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Your Degree:
- If you have not yet graduated
from school, be realistic in your estimated date of completion.
- Be sureyour estimated
timeline for completion is accurate. This is especially important
so that the timeline looks accurate.
- No matter how long ago
you graduated from Law School, Paralegal School or Graduate School,
put this on your resume. Many times, employers will see and recognize
a school's name and will expect the candidate to be intelligent and
willing to work hard.
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Your Experience:
- Don’t just indicate
your title and tasks; include your accomplishments and results. Bullet
them in descending order of the business impact.
- Include information about
specific skills gained or utilized in different experiences.
- Use active verbs to refer
to what you personally accomplished in each job or role. Be sure to
indicate your scope of involvement (e.g., a leadership role vs. part
of a team).
- If you've worked for law
firms, especially the larger ones, put this into your resume. Corporations
use these firms, and may recognize one which will provide more confidence
in you as a candidate.
- State specific area of
practice or expertise. Once a candidate is proven by general standards,
then employers will look into the specific practice area. Keep your
resume focused, using one main practice area with a few secondary
ones.
- If you didn't go to a
prestigious school or work for one of those large firms, this isn't
going to hinder you. Many lawyers and other legal personnel are hired
because of their general experience. Other times, inexperienced lawyers
are hired because they offer potential to the law firm.
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Cover Letter:
Preparation of a cover letter
to send with your resume is a pivitol part of the job search process.
This is your chance to express your specific interest in the job and
customize a message to the employer.
- Highlight something that
the employer may not get out of the resume and that will add to making
you stand out as a candidate.
- Do not tell the employer
what he/she needs in the organization.
- Tell the employer why
this job interests you. This will be easier to do if you’ve done
your research, and if you’ve spent time thinking about what you
most want from a position and organization.
- If your resume has been
updated since your posting, point this out. Some employers may have
a list of candidates whom they have selected to interview on site,
and you could get added to the list on the basis of your updates.
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Got an Interview? Do
Your Homework:
Before the conference, do
your homework on organizations that interest you. Prepare for potential
interviews.
- Visit prospective employer’s
web sites and gather other relevant information on them.
- Practice answering interview
questions.
- Assess your skills in
advance.
- Be prepared with multiple
examples of what you’ve done in the past to demonstrate various
job-related skills (i.e., expect a behaviorally-based interview).
- Be sure to ask the interviewer
for their card before you leave. You may need the correct spelling
of their name and their address. File the card for future use.
- Dress for success. Remember
that law firms are formal places of business and dress appropriately
for your interview.
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Close
the Deal:
After the conference, send
a thank you note. Since employers are juggling many papers and tasks
during the conference, sending it after the conference is preferred
and appreciated.
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