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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 you have two pages’ worth of very relevant
any experience with creating, planning, 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 you may be able to showcase some great
During your free time or on weekends, 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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RESUME MAVEN SPONSORED BY ATTORNEY RESUME.COM
www.lawcrossing.com
1. 800.973.1177
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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