Broadening the legal resume when legal job experience is scarce.

1. RESUME MAVEN www.lawcrossing.com 1. 800.973.1177
SPONSORED BY ATTORNEY RESUME.COM
Broadening Your Resume When Job Experience is Scarce
[By Mary Waldron]
Many law students spend their entire college careers focusing on their studies and overall academic performances, which
leaves them no time to hold down full-time jobs. Although this sacrifice pays off when students end up with records
of high scholastic achievement upon graduation, full-time law students can find it difficult to put together resumes
demonstrating strong, relevant experience and skills. However, we can help you find solutions to that problem. Too
often, students overlook some of their greatest qualifications and skills simply because they were not derived from paid,
full-time jobs.
Involvement in school-wide organizations, If any part of your involvement with school or an internship you held in the past is not
societies, and/or clubs can help you develop community activities ties in with the interests relevant to a desired job position, it still
many stellar attributes that employers will of a potential employer, it would obviously will have provided valid work experience
fall in love with. If you have served in any be beneficial to mention that within your that you can cite to demonstrate your
leadership positions within organizations, resume and cover letter. For example, if you familiarity with the professional world,
societies, and/or clubs, you have likely are applying for an environmental law firm social skills, compromising, and problem-
gained experience with team-building, position and you volunteered with a chapter solving. Along with internships, random
organization, coordination, collaboration, of the Audubon Society last summer or were part-time jobs that you may have taken
follow-through, and responsibility-all involved with a similar organization at your throughout school to earn extra money
skills and qualities you can mention on school, your background and experience will are also valid work experience that can be
your resume. You can also incorporate give you a great advantage over others. reflected upon in this manner. Of course, if
any experience with creating, planning, you have two pages’ worth of very relevant
and carrying out school-wide activities Internships are the prime example of paid intern and full-time job experience, it may
or fundraisers. If you are still in school, or unpaid experience that can develop not be necessary to mention everything;
sharing your talents and dedication with viable employment skills related to specific, use your best judgment to decide how
your peers and faculty will help you to desired job positions. As soon as you know much of your background to mention.
build valuable personal and professional what you want to do in terms of your career,
relationships that will last you for years to you should start applying for relevant While considering your collection of
come. And, based on these relationships, internships and clerkships whenever you can skills, be aware that you probably should
you will be able to develop a list of afford the time. The real-world experience avoid getting too personal. When I say
references that will come in handy. and knowledge that one can acquire in personal, I mean that you should not list any
such positions is invaluable to a young experiences and/or attributes that reflect
Volunteer work also provides opportunities law professional. (And you may even form your personal information regarding those
for exercising your abilities to take initiative, relationships with employers who can hire two topics that most conversationalists aim
improve the community, and serve others. you permanently or refer you to other jobs.) to avoid: politics and religion. Although
During your free time or on weekends, you may be able to showcase some great
try tutoring young children, organizing Internships are unique because employers qualities associated with positions you have
and conducting food drives, visiting and often assign interns much of the same held within your church or volunteer work
entertaining at nursing homes, and reading work and many of the same kinds of that you have done for political campaigns,
to children in hospitals. These kinds of work projects that they would normally complete those affiliations are best kept concealed,
will help you to develop strong skills as a by themselves, giving students real insight in order to protect you from the judgment
humanitarian and an individual. Simply put, into what careers in certain areas will or biases of an employer. What if your
people want to work with those who are nice, entail. In addition to providing impressive potential boss has a dislike for your religion
friendly, and understanding. If you have a jewels for a resume, internship experience or political affiliation? This is another
crummy personality and no mercy for others, can be the deciding factor in whether or example of what I usually call “job search
you will never make it in most professions. not a law student wants to continue on suicide.” Of course, you would overlook this
his or her chosen career path. Even if if you were applying for a position within
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2. RESUME MAVEN www.lawcrossing.com 1. 800.973.1177
SPONSORED BY ATTORNEY RESUME.COM
your church or associated with a particular employers may even be turned off by your for a position that would entail or loosely
political affiliation; just make sure that the hobbies, which might spark images in deal with travel, work with horses, and/or
information you provide is relevant. their minds of you asking for three weeks scrapbooking, for example, of course
off to fly to the Caribbean for a horseback mentioning those hobbies would be relevant.
Like mentioning politics and religion, listing riding and scrapbooking extravaganza. It
hobbies or interests can also be a risk, as sounds extreme, but it is best to avoid giving Reflect on all of the professional involvement
it can backfire. Hobbies such as traveling, potential employers these kinds of ideas, if that you have had throughout your life,
horseback riding, and scrapbooking are nice you can help it. extracting as many personal growth and
and all, but, really, most employers do not learning experiences as you can. Take the
care what you like to do when you are not The only case in which you might disregard time to figure out what your greatest abilities
working. That is something to discuss when this rule would be if you were applying and accomplishments are, creating a list of
the two of you are making small talk after for a job that specializes in a certain area legitimate and outstanding experiences to
you’ve been hired. In some circumstances, that interests you. If you were applying mention on your resume.
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