Paralegals face stiff competition for jobs. This guide to writing a paralegal resume will help paralegals to write an eye catching resume that will get you noticed and get a job interview.
Personal Contact Information
At the top of the resume you should include your personal contact information. This includes your first and last name, your home address, contact phone numbers and an e-mail address.
Look at your e-mail address to be sure that it’s appropriate for business. You don’t want to have a sexyroxy@yahoo.com type of e-mail address on your resume.
Also, make sure that you use a phone number that has an appropriate business phone message on your voice mail. Once you have written your resume go over your personal information to make sure there are no errors. You don’t want the wrong phone number or e-mail address on your resume and miss important job leads and job interviews.
Career Objective
A career objective is optional on a resume. An objective is useful for paralegals that specialize in a specific area of law and want to continue to work in that area of specialization. The following would be a good career objective for a paralegal that specializes in labor law: “To secure a paralegal position in labor law with a focus on employee benefits.”
Summary
A summary is a short paragraph that details the unique personal and professional characteristics you bring to a job as a paralegal. Choose personal characteristics that describe how you complete your work as a paralegal. The following are a few examples of personal characteristics a paralegal can include in a resume:
• Analytical
• Efficient
• Logical
• Positive
• Reliable
• Systematic
The following are professional characteristics that would be included in a summary:
• Number of years experience working as a paralegal
• Aspects of paralegal work you feel you are an expert in
• Computer software programs you are capable of using
An example of a summary for a paralegal could read: “Analytical and efficient paralegal with over 10 years experience in corporate law. Expert in employee contracts, government corporate regulations, and shareholder agreements.”
Education and Credentials
Under education and credentials list any college degrees, college certificates, or paralegal certificates that you have earned. The paralegal certifications from professional organizations that you have earned are crucial to include on your resume because a paralegal that is certified is preferred in the labor market.
Work Experience
The most important part to remember when writing your work experience descriptions is not to bore your potential reader with a job description. Lawyers know what paralegals do in their day to day jobs. You have to distinguish yourself from other candidates by describing how you have personally made achievements in the paralegal field.
How Can You Benefit Them
When looking back on past employment make note of times when you have helped the company or law firm and made a difference. Bonuses, awards, raises, good performance reviews and promotions are symbols of your professional achievements.
The following examples will show you how to transfer accomplishments and achievements into job description bullets that will attract the attention you need to get the job interview you want:
• Request and analyze medical documentation for 1,500 Social Security Disability cases
• Promoted from legal secretary to paralegal with a salary increase of $8,000 for excellence in performance
• Awarded paralegal of the year award within the law firm
The point is that using numbers and achievements to clarify the quality of your performance helps an employer to better understand your value as a potential employee which will help you get job interviews.
Sell Yourself
In conclusion, a paralegal resume is a tool to sell your skills and abilities as a paralegal to an employer. Once you have completed your resume make sure that you proofread it and have least two other people proofread it to ensure that their aren’t any spelling or grammatical errors. Also, ask the person who is reviewing your resume if they feel comfortable with the formatting you have chosen.