Preparing Your CV

A CV is all about getting your name on the interview shortlist. Law firms receive hundreds of CV's each week. As one partner recently told Blue Pencil it only takes one minute to decide whether or not to interview a person! Your CV is your chance of getting your name on the interview shortlist so give it your best shot. It is the only part of the job seeking process that you can control and is worth spending time on.

CV Tips

There are no specific rules when writing CV's only guidelines. You must be comfortable with the final document, as it will firm the basis of your interview. Here are our tips to create that all important interview winning CV:

Use a maximum of two sides.

Keep the layout professional and uncluttered.

Don't justify the text. A justified document looks mass-produced. An un-justified document is easier to read and more visually interesting.

Limit paragraphs to five or six lines.

Use bullet points to add clarity.

Avoid awkward changes in tense and use the past tense where possible. It gives the impression you have actually completed something. Goals have been achieved.

Use short sentences. Short sentences are easy to read. Short sentences are more powerful.

Use a spell checker. Spelling mistakes signal you are inattentive to detail.

Be positive. This is a selling document. Use words that have impact: 'managed' is stronger than 'supervised', 'negotiated' is stronger than 'facilitated'.

Be honest. You might be asked to explain or justify any aspect of your CV. Make sure you can. If you can't, all credibility will be lost and you can say goodbye to that job offer.

Employers are interested in your most recent experience, so start with it. Pay attention to the dates of your employment and education. Avoid gaps.

Don't include your salary. The best time to talk about this is at the end of the selection process when the employer wants you. Negotiate from a position of strength!

MOST OF ALL A CV MUST BE PRECISE AND CLEAR. IT MUST BE EASY FOR AN EMPLOYER TO PICK UP AND READ. YOU WILL BE AMAZED THE DIFFERENCE THIS MAKES - ANY COMPLICATIONS/CONFUSION WITH YOUR CV WILL SIMPLY MEAN THE EMPLOYER PLACING IT TO ONE-SIDE!!

BLUE PENCIL CV HEADINGS

Obviously at Blue Pencil we will format your CV into our standardised headings. Still whilst we can help with presentation and layout we cannot help with content and it is that you need to think about!

The headings we use are: 

Personal Statement

As an agency we make applications on your behalf. For direct applications you would make a covering letter. Your personal statement is effectively a replacement for this covering letter. It should be a paragraph about what you have to offer an employer, your career goals and what you can offer a law firm that another candidate cannot.

Personal Details

Address, telephone, e-mail address, date of birth, nationality (work permit if applicable) and languages spoken.

Education & Qualifications

• List higher education and degree qualifications first, including name of institution, dates and grade achieved.
• Mention any earlier general academic studies in brief.
• Include details of professional training, place of study and date of qualifications.
• Employers are also interested in any training and development gained within the workplace. Only list relevant courses.

Career History

This is your main chance to market yourself. Don't undersell!

Focus on key outcomes and achievements in your career and offer a good insight into your roles within a company. Use action verbs to illustrate your part in the process (you might find a thesaurus useful). Your potential employer will be reading this and asking: 'Can this person do the job?'

• List your most recent jobs first, including accurate details of the firm's name, your job title and dates worked (in years).
• If the organisation isn't well known, provide a quick description.
• Add a brief overview of your key responsibilities.
• Bullet-point your major achievements, incorporating any measurable targets reached.
• Be selective. Ask yourself "what's relevant?" and avoid flooding the recruiter with too much detail, which detracts from your key selling points.
• Offer greater detail on your most recent job. An employer is particularly interested in what you've achieved over the last five years.
• Help the reader appreciate your experience by using quantifiable language.

Interest and additional qualities

Your interests can help you stand out from the crowd. But think carefully about how you describe them. If you have been elected to a certain position, use the word 'elected'. It signals that your peers believe you are reliable and trustworthy, characteristics a company will consider crucial when choosing a new employee.

Try and provide more information and think about the messages you are sending. Listing 'entertaining' indicates you're sociable; 'reading political autobiographies' is more interesting than simply 'reading'.

Be prepared to expand on any of your interests at interview. If you can't, your credibility will diminish.