Your CV is maybe more important than you think. It should not be viewed as a basic log of what you have done and what interests you have. Instead, it should be seen as you very own sales medium which presents you in the best possible way to recruitment consultants and prospective employers alike.
You should put some time aside to spend on planning your CV and more time aside for the drafting and editing process. View it as a piece of work, the results of which you can be proud of, rather than a hindrance that needs to be thrown together so you can apply for jobs.
The first thing to say about producing a CV for a newly qualified job application is do not just recycle the CV you used for your training contract applications. By all means use it as a starting point but you must take a fresh approach to your CV in light of your recent experience and where you are going to be applying to.
You should also remember that your CV will likely form the basis for any interviews you have so the better CV you can produce at this stage will give you a stronger base to work from in an interview.
Always seek to put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes and ask what they might want to hear from you. Make things easy for them by writing short, succinct points rather than long wordy sentences.
A CV for a newly qualified jobs should ideally fit onto 2 pages of A4 (referees can always be included on a third page) and should include:
- Basic personal details (name, address, email, phone no, date of birth)
- Education and qualifications going back to secondary school
- Legal work experience
- Other work experience, including voluntary work
- Other law related activities and experience which display your deeper interest in the law
- Interests and achievements
- Additional information including IT skills, driving licence and other relevant skills
- Referees
When talking about the practical experience you have gained as a trainee/newly qualified solicitor you should think quality not quantity. Rather than make a long list of things you have done, take a few examples from the work you have done which is most relevant to the positions you would like to apply to. Also, highlight experience that highlights useful skills such as high degree of responsibility, client contact, leadership and team skills.
When it comes to interests and achievements, many people just list them out and miss the chance to expand on them to in terms of the skills they have developed from them.
You should also think about which of your interests and achievements would form the basis for an interesting discussion at interview. This can give provide an invaluable way of creating rapport with your interviewer and showing you could fit in with their firm.
Professional One to One Careers Advice for Newly Qualifieds
Get help with your career decisions, job search, applications and interviews from our resident legal career coach, Matt Oliver LLB (Solicitor).
