CV Writing Tips for Lawyers

When it comes to job hunting, the list of instructions, tips, and advice for writing the perfect resume or curriculum vitae, a.k.a, CV is endless and often times, conflicting. More is better, less is better. Get in all your experiences; leave out experiences which are not applicable for the role. Never mention ‘references available upon request’ because this is assumed; however, your references might speak volumes for you. Although it seems like the secret to successfully job hunting is that there is no secret, there is no formula and it is all so random and maybe even unfair, there are some things which are expected from seekers in the legal job market.

When your CV first hits the desk or email inbox of a prospective employer – this becomes a mirror through which the reader begins to see the outlines and details of your face. As a faceless new or old esquire your CV represents you and everything interesting and good about it is directly reflected on you and everything that is dull and sloppy (mistakes and grammatical errors) becomes your face. A strong face will result in the prospective employer setting up an interview while a weak face will ensure that you unfortunately, remain literally, faceless.

Capturing Attention – Write a Strong CV

Emphasize your best features first

To get from being a mere name on a page to an interview several things act as a magnet, especially for lawyers. For law graduates fresh out of school, the majority of law firm partners said the key things which get their interest are the school and the grade. The more prestigious the school and the higher the distinction of the law degree, the more likely you will be interviewed. However when you can barely remember the names of your tutors at law school, your academic pedigree takes backstage to the ranking of the organizations you have worked for.

If you cannot claim royalty by virtue of either academic or work experience, what blend of skills, knowledge and achievements gives you a unique advantage over other law graduates? Find a way of starting with something interesting to make you stand out from the other 2,000 applicants. Whatever you do though, please do not start with a mission or objective statement; the predominant view is that this is unnecessary and somehow, gauche.

2. Be precise

Now brevity is not something commonly associated with members of the learned profession but this is one time, along with at least twenty other times I can think of where being verbose does not pay. If it is true that humans can only focus for about eight seconds without any lapse in attention – you might want to remember this when the temptation to describe the key learning points from every transaction becomes overwhelmingly strong.

3. Pay attention to detail

In other words, make sure the CV looks professional. While a pleasing presentation can earn you additional points, even high academic credentials will not help if your CV looks and reads like you could not be bothered. Ensure there are absolutely no typographical errors since your CV is the initial contact and you know what they say about first impressions. Yes, they also say don’t judge a book by its cover but be sure that if there was a spelling mistake on the cover of a book, few people would be able to restrain themselves from judging. Every last detail from the font style and size to the alignment of the document is important.

However a great CV is not the goal. It has secured an interview with someone who thinks you would make a good addition to their organisation. What next: how do you deliver on the promise your CV has garnered?

A Winning Interview

Prepare, prepare, prepare – even for the unknown. Along with all the generally acknowledged best practices of interviewing such as being on time, taking care with your appearance, being on time, researching the firm or organization and being on time, there are a few specific things lawyers should do to prepare for an interview.

Get ready to share the reasons why you studied law and what you would consider your areas of preference or expertise. And if you have an LLM or PHD in law and you are not interviewing with an academic institution, be prepared to explain why instead of academia you are interested in practice.
be up-to-date with legal news – in other words, keep your finger on the pulse with Thisday’s Lawyer. However it is not enough to know about the proposed revisions to the Land Use Act or that the Uwais Report recommends amending the Nigerian Electoral Act – be ready to share your opinion on the legal implications.
Experienced lawyers will often be expected to share examples of how they have successfully exhibited the core skills of a lawyer: drafting, negotiating, reviewing, questioning, analysing and advising. The best way to do this is with professional and personal anecdotes which illustrate these strengths - story telling is a useful form of sharing information.

Watch your body language, it is extremely important. The arms crossed at the elbows in front of the body denotes defensiveness and while confidence is great, the fully relaxed, almost lying down with hands linked behind the head and legs stretched out in front is apparently arrogant. Just relax, and if you are sitting behind a desk, keep your arms lightly on your laps or on the table in front of you. Where there is no table, to hide behind, again keep hands on the arm rests if available and feet firmly plated on the floor or crossed at the ankles to the side of the chair.

A few weeks ago, at the inauguration of the planning committee of the proposed national employment summit, it was reported that the World Bank has put Nigeria’s unemployed at 40 million. It is anyone’s guess how many of the unemployed are lawyers. No pressure.

Published March 3 2009