How to Write a Great Paralegal Resume
Writing The Perfect Paralegal Resume
Writing a great paralegal resume is just as critical to getting the right job when you first start looking for employment as when you have been a legal assistant for some time. Some people will wait until they have passed their paralegal certification while others will prefer to find a job first and study at night. Either way works but often having graduated from a paralegal school with a good reputation will help secure the position.
So how do you find paralegal jobs?
Almost every law firm employs paralegals so your best bet is to narrow down your search by deciding where you would like to work. Have you chosen the field you want to specialize in? Do you want to work in a big city or stay local to your home town?
Remember it isn’t just law firms who employ legal assistants. Paralegals also work in banks, in the various Government agencies as well as insurance companies and other corporate entities. But if you have an interest in real estate you may want to secure a position working in a real estate firm where knowledge of the law is also required.
What about working as a legal secretary to get you started?
If you have little or no experience and are finding it difficult to find work you should consider applying for a position as a legal secretary assuming you have excellent typing skills. While some consider this a step down, this position can quickly turn into a paralegal role as your new boss gets to know and trust your abilities. It can be a great way to get past that first job stage if you are caught in the “cant get a job as I have no experience, can’t get experience as I have no job” trap often faced by new entrants to the legal field. Legal secretaries share a lot of the same attributes that make a good paralegal. They are organized and can think logically while adapting to changing situations very quickly.
The first step in a great paralegal resume is the covering letter.
We will come to creating the perfect paralegal resume in a minute but first we need to look at the covering letter. This is probably the most important letter you will ever write. It must be written well. There is no excuse for poor English, bad spelling or grammatical errors. Remember the role of a legal assistant involves a lot of document preparation so you won’t win any interviews if your covering letter suggests you lack basic English skills.
The tone of the letter must be conservative as like it or not, the legal profession like the banking profession is steeped in conservatism so you cannot use slang or colloquial terms. You must follow the formal protocol for addressing letters. Always ring the firm and ask for the correct title of the appropriate person before you send the letter. If you are serious about securing a paralegal position you will never address the letter as “Dear Sirs” or worse “Dear Sir or Madam”!
Let the company know how you heard about the vacancy. If you are answering an advert, give the date and publication. If you are applying because someone told you that the position was coming up then tells them who it was. This assumes you have checked with the person that this is ok.
Give some reasons why you are the prefect candidate for this role. This the time to sell yourself but don’t go over the top. You are unlikely to be the best candidate they have ever seen and if you advise that you are, you will come across as egotistical. This is not the right impression to create. Instead explain that you have experience in a similar role or you have excellent typing skills in addition to your honors degree etc.
If you are applying for a position in a firm dealing with medical malpractice and you have experience working in a hospital say so. You want to give the person looking at these applications a reason to call you to interview. Never lie though as you may have to back up your claims. It is difficult to build a reputation but you can destroy it in seconds by making up stories. If you don’t have any relevant experience then concentrate on your other attributes rather than lying.
Writing an attractive Paralegal Resume
First forget about writing one blanket resume for every job application. This approach may work if you live in an area that doesn’t have much competition but it is unlikely to be as successful as adapting your resume to fit every new application. Always ask yourself “what is in it for them” and then write your resume to answer that question. Too many applications concentrate on “what’s in it for me” approach i.e. I want a position where I can gain knowledge and experience could translate in the employers eyes to “she is looking for a training ground and will leave at the first hint of a better job”.
If you have more education than experience your paralegal resume should highlight your education. If you have lot of relevant experience and have perhaps worked for some of the bigger or better known law firms, your resume should reflect this advantage.
Write out your work experience with your last job mentioned first. If you have been working as a legal assistant for ages, then list those jobs that are most relevant. You don’t need to go back twenty years to high school. If you are new to the legal field you won’t have much work experience so it pays to list any positions you did have including those you did on a voluntary basis.
Include a list of references on your resume or on a separate sheet. Make it as easy as possible for your future employer to contact these people by giving them the correct name, position, telephone number, postal address and if possible an email. You would be surprised how many employers want to check references and will pass over candidates if it starts taking up too much time. Also it can look as if you are trying to hide something.
It’s worth taking the time to make your resume look as professional as possible. The better your resume, the more chance you have of landing a well-paid position, and paralegal salaries can vary enormously so make every effort to get your resume to shine. You can find out more about paralegal salaries by reading the secret of how to access increased paralegal salaries.