The race to get noticed as a law professional is tougher than ever. Because of the millions of freshly minted graduates looking for work, law firms and their corporate counterparts get buried under resumes for every job listing. That’s why standing out in this industry requires job seekers to highlight distinct skills and experiences.
Fortunately, thanks to modern resume builders, creating a resume that passes Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and jumps up from the pile doesn’t have to be difficult.
Let’s explore four ways legal professionals can leverage modern resume builders to stay ahead in the job market.
Optimize Resume Content For Legal Skills
Modern resume builders use formats that do a great job of showcasing your skills and experiences. For example, leveraging platforms like Canva to create a professional resume can greatly enhance your presentation and raise your chances of landing your dream law job.
For legal professionals, this means highlighting key legal skills such as legal research, writing, case management, and negotiation.
The customizable templates and sections offered by resume builders can emphasize your proficiency in contract law, litigation, corporate law, or any other specialization relevant to your desired job role. As you create your resume, also incorporate keywords and phrases commonly used in the legal industry to ensure your resume passes through ATS.
Understand Hiring Manager Expectations
Knowing what hiring managers look for in a resume is one of the best ways to stay ahead of other applicants vying for the same position. That’s why you should thoroughly research the position and understand what law firms or corporate legal departments want and need in an ideal candidate.
Nowadays, the best resume builders have handy advice and suggestions that hit the mark for all sorts of jobs, law included. Use these tips to create a resume that hits home and shows off your career highlights – perhaps your deep dive into specific law topics, signing a unique client, or being super handy with cutting-edge legal workflow software.
Showcase Professional Achievements
Landing a job in the modern, competitive landscape will require you to highlight your professional achievements. Whether you’ve secured awesome results in court, won major payouts, or spearheaded winning legal efforts, shine a light on these achievements in simple terms.
As a pro tip, infuse your professional achievements section with hard data and measurable achievements, and throw in any awards or honors you may have won. These will show potential employers the results they can expect from your successful career in legal services.
Use Formatting To Enhance Presentation
Modern resume builders offer a range of features and capabilities you can use to enhance your resume’s visual appeal and readability.
Use these toolkits to polish your resume to ensure it pops and grabs the spotlight. For example, incorporate a few visual elements such as charts, graphs, or icons to highlight key information and break up text-heavy sections. Choose professional yet appealing fonts, colors, and layouts, and use bullets to segment content and highlight key achievements and career highlights.
Consider splitting off from tradition by adding links to engaging web-based portfolio pieces from your professional journey. For example, under career highlights, you can have a link to project samples or thought-provoking legal essays that showcase your legal abilities.
Stay Updated And Adaptable
‘Always stay updated’ is a good rule to live by in any career, but especially in the legal profession, which is never static because there are always new laws here, unexpected regulations there, or tech advancements you should learn to become a better candidate for a specific job.
Modern resume builders allow you to easily update and customize your resume as needed to reflect your ongoing professional development and growth. Think of your resume as a story where each certification, workshop attendance, or mastering a new technology is a chapter showcasing your dedication to evolving within the legal sphere.
Conclusion
There you have it: four simple ways to leverage modern resume builders to create a resume that stands out from the masses and helps you stay ahead in the job market.
In parting, remember that while these tips may seem simple, they can have a massive effect, so implement them diligently to see tangible results.
