Ten-Percent Guide to Writing a Legal CV for lawyers and law students

www.ten-percent.co.uk Legal Recruitment Consultants - CV Book

The Complete Guide to Writing a Legal CV

The Complete Guide to Writing a Legal CV by Jonathan Fagan. £25.00

This book is the complete guide to everything you will ever need to know about writing a CV. It covers all aspects of CV writing, from what paper to use, which font to type in, what sections the CV needs, what you need to leave in and out, particular problems (for example low A level grades, 2.2 degrees, international qualifications, no work experience, retakes, age, marital status), and common questions asked. Nothing is left out from the guide which includes a sample CV. The author is a solicitor and director of ten-percent.co.uk limited who personally prepares and advises on CVs for law students, paralegals, trainee, newly qualified and senior solicitors and barristers across the UK, Europe and the Commonwealth.

Sections of the book include:

1. Introduction

2. Background

3. Format of the CV.

4. Personal details.

5. Education.

6. Personal statements.

7. Employment.

8. Computer and language skills.

9. Positions of responsibility.

10. Achievements and awards.

10a. Politics and schools on CVs.

11. Activities and interests.

12. References.

13. Covering letters.

14. Paper, font and other trivia.

15. Conclusion.

The introduction to the book is reprinted below:

1. INTRODUCTION

So what is all the fuss about CVs for? Surely all an employer needs to see is whether you have a law degree, how to contact you and who your references are?

This approach to the CV is certainly one that as a recruiter I come across time and time again, and not just from trainee solicitor applicants and paralegals. Senior solicitors with 20 years experience hand over pieces of A4 paper with their name, address, university and identity of firm they are working for.

Whilst this is not good practice and will almost certainly deter potential employers from looking too closely at them (or even potential partners at that level), for potential trainee solicitors it is potentially catastrophic as potential employers will not look past the awful CV at their potential.

The potential appears in the above paragraph six times, and leads on to my next point. A great CV covering all the necessary issues and information can be dramatically let down by one spelling mistake, or bad grammar.

Before writing a CV you have to consider the reason for doing so. Why do employers in any job ask for one? What are they looking for? How much time do you need to spend on preparing a CV and what equipment/materials do you need? What sections does your CV have to have, and what information needs to be explained in detail? What layout should be used, and what titles included? Finally how should the CV be printed out, what paper and envelopes should be used?

The aim of this guide is to explain exactly that and help you stand out from the crowd.

Please note however: The CV guide should be used to do exactly that - it is a guide to help you prepare a CV in your own style and from your own hand.

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