Suitable for law students and graduates looking for legal jobs and entering the legal profession.
December 2010 Employer Newsletter
December 2010 Candidate Newsletter
Candidate Newsletter for December 2010 now available to read,download or print online. Suitable for lawyers and legal support staff looking for a new legal job or careers advice.
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How to boost your chances of finding a Job
10 Top Tips:
1. Make sure your CV is up to date. We have so many CVs that people tell us are 6-12 months out of date – firms immediately ask what was in the gap and are suspicious.
2. If you have been out of law for a period of time, make sure you fill in the gap somehow. If you have been stacking shelves in Tescos, you need to get this bit rewritten and perhaps describe the time as a “career sabbatical” undertaking a few things – for example DIY, travelling (everyone does this every day of their lives to a certain extent), part time work..
3. Make sure you have your degree class on the CV. Firms can be very particular and are always suspicious when they are left off.
4. Don’t forget to include the Professional Skills Course – as a recruiter I can be very lazy and not bother reading a whole CV if I don’t see this on a recently qualified solicitor’s CV as I immediately think you are not qualified.
5. Concentrate on the buzz words – business generation, business development, marketing, networking.
6. When concentrating on these buzz words, dont just write them – actually give evidence – what exactly have you done with these – what figures are there to back this information up? Even non-legal work is very useful in these areas.
7. Include a profile at the top of the CV to spell out who you are. Make sure you describe yourself as the type of lawyer the firm are looking for – eg if you are applying for a wills & probate solicitor post, describe yourself as either A Wills & Probate Solicitor or ‘a solicitor with wills & probate experience’ – it is important to connect with the reader and put the keywords into their mind.
8. Be available. Answer your phone.
9. Attend all interviews with an open eye and ear – think about the whole process from the employer’s perspective.
10. After any interview – give prompt feedback and be as positive as possible.
For further careers advice please visit www.jbfagan.co.uk (non-legal) and www.ten-percent.co.uk/careersshop or www.ten-percent.co.uk/career.htm for legal.
November 2010 Employers Newsletter
Now available to view in .pdf download.
Improve your CV
We regularly write tips on doing this, and again this month have had a load of pretty awful CVs in to work with. If you have 30 seconds, try the following:
Underneath your personal details at the top of the first page, include a profile.
Think of the following:
1. Your connections geographically to the place you are applying.
2. Your job title and confirmation of your qualifications – eg a solicitor.
3. Your level of experience if this assists.
4. What you have to offer – eg panel membership, accreditations, personal connections to potential clients, networks, following, sheer hard work (and evidence of it), excellent billing record (and evidence of it).
5. Your availability.
Try to avoid the waffly nonsense of “excellent communication skills, outstanding advocacy ability, good time keeping, ability to work well as part of a team” etc.. etc.. yawn. Recruiters and law firms cannot read this – they do not have time….
For expert assistance with your CV – CV writing, CV reviews, DIY CVs and CV ebooks, please visit www.ten-percent.co.uk/careersshop