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CV Writing Tips from Anthem Consulting

Written by: Frosso Miltiadou & Simone Timcke, Anthem Consulting
Published on: 8 Feb 2016

Frosso [square]Simone [square]

Frosso and Simone are both Directors at Anthem Consulting. specialists in the recruitment of marketing and business development professionals into the professional services sector including the legal profession. They have over 20 years' combined experience of recruiting into the legal sector.

 

Employers receive hundreds of CVs and spend only a few seconds scanning them so it’s important to make sure that it’s succinct, relevant and sells your skills.  Below are some tips to writing a successful marketing CV for the legal sector. 

Length & Layout

  • CV should be no more than 2 pages for a junior to mid-level candidates or 3 pages for a senior candidate.
  • Use a modern font such as Arial and enough white space to make it easy on the eye.
  • Don’t write reams of prose, stick to bullet point format and keep the sentences short. 

Personal Statement

  • Write a short paragraph summarising the skills that are unique to you.  Mention your level, key skills and sectors or geographical regions you have worked across.
  • Don’t make a list of generic attributes such as “team player”, “calm under pressure” etc. The employer is only interested in skills that make you unique. 

Experience/Key Skills

  • Don’t write a skills based CV - your experience should be listed under each role which should be in reverse chronological order.
  • Always explain what the companies that you have worked for do, particularly if you don’t currently work in the legal sector.
  • In a short paragraph or a few bullet points give an overview of your responsibilities, then

List your key achievements. These should be done as follows:

  • What you did and why
  • How you did it
  • Results and measurement. It looks good to discuss figures, cost savings, leads, generated, column inches or even intangible results such as positive feedback.
    • Wording is everything.  Use phrases such as “led on X initiative”, “project managed” and “sole responsibility”, particularly if you are applying for a role that is a step up from your current role.
    • Tailor the CV to the role. It’s worth having two or even three versions of your CV depending on the types of roles you are applying for.
    • Always explain gaps in your work history.
    • If you have spent a number of years as a freelancer, listing each contract role in detail could make the CV look jumpy.  Instead treat your time as a freelancer as one role and then list each assignment under the main heading. 

Academics

  • Law firms place great emphasis on your academic background so do include your academics and grades.  

Finally

  • Never lie on your CV. The chances of being found out are high.
  • Proof read it, and get someone else to check over it too.

To get head hunted, upload your CV on TotallyLegal 

 

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