Why would it be that lawyers are not a fantastic resume writers? In a tough job market, where legal vacancies are at a premium, a law graduate needs to emphasize some key essentials that are required in the present legal job market more than ever. Your past performance in a reputed company may help you to land a better job, but for most young law graduates their resume is everything.

A resume is more than a piece of paper. It’s an identity. The resume represents it owner before a prospective employer, therefore, you must know how to write a valuable and impressive resume. For lawyers, searching for legal vacancies starts with writing a great resume.

Writing A Resume

There are no hard and fast rules to follow while drafting your curriculum vitae. You can start your resume with your name, date of birth, contact address, phone numbers and email Ids. but, there are some points, which you need to bear in mind if you want your resume to work miracles for you.

• Keep the resume straight forward and try to conclude it within two to three pages.
• Avoid over-writing. It can confuse your employer and he or she could easily discard your CV.
• Give even the minutest detail of your academic career. An academic achievement may seem irrelivant to you, however, it can be of great assistance to your prospective employer.
• If you have worked in a smaller law firm, then outline what you have done. Give serious thought to your career experience because that is what the employer is looking for.

Young law graduates generally do not have the experience of writing resumes. In this situation it may be very wise to seek assistance with this through working with legal recruitment agencies.

The situation has been made even worse by the recent recession which has caused many law firms to defer some of their training contract start dates and reduce the numbers of training contracts they are offering in the coming years.

This has meant increased competition for training contracts and the numbers of people applying increasing each year as the next wave of new applicants joins the existing applicants who have yet to secure a training contract.

The situation is therefore difficult for many law students who often have large student debts but who are unable to then get a job.  The situation isn’t helped by the fact that there is a lack of knowledge and advice available to law students about how best to write an application to give them the best chance of success.

One ex-solicitor became acutely aware of this situation when he was part of the recruitment process for his firm’s future trainee solicitors.  Matt Oliver has since set up a website to give careers advice and information on how to improve applications for training contracts.  The website is called Trainee Solicitor Surgery and is designed to give much needed careers advice to those people who are seeking to secure a training contract.

Given Matt’s background he is able to give specific, targeted advice rather than generic careers advice and application help, which is often all law students are able to get from their university careers offices.  The process needed to produce successful applications for training contracts is unique in many ways.  Not only do the applications need to be prepared in a certain way, but there is an important and necessary research element that needs to be undertaken before any applications are produced.

Matt also offers one to one assistance to students who are seeking to improve their chances of succeeding with their training contract applications.

For more information about succeeding with your law training contract applications click here:  Trainee Solicitors.

Young law graduates can choose bankruptcy, probate, elder law, international law or any other field of their interest. Remember you could do wonders in your area of interest. So carefully decide which area of law attracts you the most. A legal recruitment agency could help you find legal jobs in your areas of interest. These days, environmental law is the favorite area for many lawyers. An environment lawyer represents public-interest groups, waste disposal companies and construction firms.

Lawyers could also opt to work as an in-house legal executive or go for their private practice. In-house legal vacancies allow you to work with large corporations and get a handsome package. In-house work deals in litigation, contract law, international law, corporate law and employment law. In private practice, a fresh law graduate can start as an associate to experienced lawyers and can earn good remuneration. A private practitioner has to deal with various laws ranging from property to criminal and divorce.

Preparing for Counter Questions

A young law graduate is no doubt has the knowledge of his or her profession but when facing an interview in law firms he or she could feel nervous. Certain activities can help boost up your confidence. First, get thorough knowledge about the law firm or the legal company you are going to visit for the interview. Your recruitment agency can give you all the information. On the basis of your knowledge, you should prepare a set of questions to ask. Your questions must be relevant to the job responsibilities you would be assigned. Now arm yourself with two weapons – first is your answers to their questions and second your questions to them – you are ready to face any interview.

On the Interview Day

Always bear in mind that it is your appearance that speaks volumes about you. Next is your attitude. You are going to become a law executive or secretary, so speak confidently. Get the habit to stand by every word you say. Be careful whilst selecting what you would wear for the interview. Ring up the office and confirm your interview with the receptionist before leaving. Reach the venue well before time so that you could get some time to relax. Sit patiently while waiting for your turn if there are other candidates.

Economic slowdown has its worst effect on property; extensive redundancies are made in this specific sector. The residential property market is almost closed. But in commercial property, new sales and acquisitions and finance and development have kept the market alive. Solicitors could find jobs in commercial property sector.

Caseload of general insolvencies has created a huge demand for solicitors having experience in insolvency and contentious property litigation. However, the demand is much higher for solicitors, who have commercial insolvency or corporate recovery experience rather than personal insolvency. According to recruitment agencies and legal firms, there are a number of jobs available for contentious construction solicitors. A candidate with arbitration experience is especially sought after these days.

Another area offering legal jobs in these turbulent times is employment law. As commercial firms are continuously making redundancies and new employment legislation is being considered by the government, job opportunities in the field of employment law service are surging. It is certainly difficult to believe that current demand in employment legal service is so high that a single recruitment agency can never fulfill it on its own.

Personal injury sector has also remained steady throughout the economic downturn. This particular sector has moved ahead to take advantage of those law and LPC graduates, who are looking for training contracts. These graduates can work like case handlers for the small and fast track work. Areas such as wills and probate, family and crime seek paralegal graduates.

Training contracts are now mostly awarded to prospective solicitors two years in advance. Moreover, legal firms have more options and they can now pick the best. In this scenario, it has become mandatory for solicitors to get work as paralegal. It means that it will take a solicitor another 2 to 4 years after graduating to actually start a training contract. A paralegal job outside London can get anything between £15-20000 per annum. But it will take you a number of years to get £20-30000 per annum and that too depends on the area of law he or she is practising.

So what does a prospective law student should analyze in this situation? One can say for certain that to study and make a striking career in law is not for those, who are faint hearted. You have to expend a lot of money in law colleges and put in tremendous effort to complete with fellow graduates. It is better to look for other areas in law, which pay better and have plenty of vacancies. Corporate and commercial law and commercial litigation are such areas. A recruitment agency can better tell which area you should choose after going through your credentials.

A legal recruitment agency helps you evaluate your credentials and search the best ways to fulfill your objectives. The recruiter suggests how you can improve your resume. He also gives you valuable tips on how you can be a more competitive candidate. Your recruiter should be honest with you because it’s the recruiter, which will direct you to the most appropriate law firms that seek your level of qualification or meet your level of standards. It is very important on your part to describe in detail the information necessary for your application. The recruiter also should be interested in getting more about you. If you do not feel comfortable in dealing with a recruiter or your recruiter shows apathy towards you then it’s better to search for another recruitment agency without wasting much time.

You can consider it as a big plus if your recruiter has many years of experience in this field. But you should still strive to know other information about him such as the name of law firms he has worked with. It is not unethical to ask for the list of firms, whom your recruiter has provided candidates. If the recruiter has been in this service for years then he must possess a list of law firms.

In-House Job Vacancies

With the banking and financial sector recovering from the credit crunch, in-house legal professionals are once again in high demand. The opportunities are expanding with everyone from blue chip financial companies to large corporations on a recruiting drive. They are seeking law graduates for litigation, corporate law, employment law, contract law and international law.
Law graduates will find an in-house legal job advantageous. The advantages include the work-life balance, high salary that a large company provides, tremendous growth and other fringe benefits. Each corporation has different options and the nature of responsibilities you’ll be assigned may also differ.

By carefully evaluating the benefits of an in-house career, qualified lawyers can decide whether an in-house career path is suitable for them or not.

Private Practice

Many of the qualified lawyers choose to go for private practice. Depending on their work experience, they start their private practice in a court of law as associates and work alongside more experienced legal professionals. In private practice, the work culture is very different from that of a company. The working hours are long and irregular and the work covers a wide range of aspects. The road to success in private practice is very stressful but the remuneration is fabulous. Most of the lawyers in private practice set their own law firms in the long run or end up with a partnership in existing law firms.

Economic slowdown has its worst effect on property; extensive redundancies are made in this specific sector. The residential property market is almost closed. But in commercial property, new sales and acquisitions and finance and development have kept the market alive. Solicitors can find jobs in commercial property sector, as landlord and tenant work is holding out.

Caseload of general insolvencies has created a huge demand for solicitors with insolvency and contentious property litigation experience. However, the demand is much higher for solicitors, who have commercial insolvency or corporate recovery experience rather than personal insolvency. Recruitment agencies and legal firms are also reporting that there are a number of jobs available for contentious construction solicitors. A candidate with arbitration experience is especially sought after these days.

Another area with legal jobs in these turbulent times is employment law. As commercial firms are continuously making redundancies and a new employment legislation is being considered by the government, jobs in the field of employment law service are surging. It is certainly difficult to believe that current demand in employment legal service is so high that a single recruitment agency can never fulfill it on its own.

Personal injury sector has remained steady throughout the economic downturn. Yet, this particular sector has moved ahead to take advantage of those law and LPC graduates, who are looking for training contracts. These graduates can work like case handlers for the small and fast track work. Areas such as wills and probate, family and crime seek more paralegal graduates than there are today.

Almost everyone needs a job, and people in need of a job spend a lot of time simply looking for either the right the job or, if they are having difficulty just getting hired, any job they can get.  Unfortunately, however, many people do not know that there are many ways that they can get help in finding not just any job but the job that suits their needs and desires.  One method that can help immensely is the legal recruiter, who offer many benefits.

One of the benefits of using legal recruiters is that they access to hundreds of law firms and dozens of jobs.  It is the job of legal recruiters to stay on top of the latest information about law firms and to compile extensive information on the many law firms in a certain region, state, or city.  For one single individual to search for every single law firm or every single legal job in a given locality would be extremely time-consuming.  By getting the help of a legal recruiter, however, people searching for a legal job can save a lot of time by going to someone who has consolidated all of the information in one place.

Another benefit of legal recruiters is that they can help people find the job that is best for them.  Recruiters research many companies, and they learn a lot about them, including what advancement opportunities are available and what the corporate culture is like.  Moreover, recruiters maintain contact with companies, and as a result they develop a first hand understanding of what companies are like.  Consequently, legal recruiters can help guide job seekers to positions and companies who characteristics would match the goals of the job hunters.

A third benefit of good legal recruiters is that they have credibility.  Law firms appreciate when recruiting companies send them intelligent, capable employees.  Good legal recruiters, who send many good applicants, can develop a good reputation in the eyes of law firms.  As a result, because legal recruiters can also help people find jobs that suit them, legal recruiters can act as a foot in the door for candidates.  With their strong reputations, legal recruiters can help people secure jobs because of the credibility they enjoy in the eyes of hiring firms.

Furthermore, recruiters also have knowledge about writing cover letters and resumes.  Resumes and cover letters are extremely important in the job hunting process, for they are often the first exposure companies get to potential applicants.  By helping job hunters write good cover letters and resumes, legal recruiters can give them an advantage.

Clearly, legal recruiters have many advantages.  People looking for jobs would benefit from looking into their services.

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