C.V. Proforma

The Rudiments of CV writing.

INITIAL CONSIDERATIONS

The first thing to remember is why you are writing the CV in the first place and what it is supposed to achieve. A CV is basically an experience summary and its role is to get you an interview. Arguably once you are at interview you are then at the same level as every other candidate being considered and the CV has served its purpose.

Beyond that thought you need to appreciate what the reader is looking for. In the legal profession (certainly in private practice) it is about making money. Firms want fee earners, and the most attractive ones will be those who can make the firm the most money the quickest and with the least investment. If that sounds cynical then it shouldn’t - it is generally the truth!

Also think about who is reading it and what their level of knowledge is. If it is going to an HR Department then it is possible that the reader won’t know too much about your employer and the quality of your experience, and this problem will be compounded if you are applying to a role in Industry. It is always worth putting some brief contextual information in there if you think it is appropriate.

When writing it you must appreciate that the reader will likely not have much time to assess it in the first instance. Competition can be steep so if yours is in a stack of say 25 CVs then you want it to make its points quickly and clearly. The reader does not want to have to work hard to find the scoring points or they could lose interest. Concise and factual points are far better than text and long paragraphs in the narrative, which are harder to read and typically make far less impact

BASIC CONTENT

1) Personal basics

Name, Date of Birth, Contact details.
(Marital status, nationality, driving license, health (etc etc) are all optional)

2) Education

Chronology of your higher education – dates, names of institutions.
Grades/qualifications obtained
(Do NOT include modules, electives, dissertations (etc) at all unless they specifically support a niche application, or if you are looking to re-train in some way.)
This information should be presented with your secondary education first

3) Employment history

Employment history should always be presented with the most recent employment first

Employer, Location, Dates, position held.

Beyond this, it is easiest to structure your information in the following way:-

i) Brief description of the team, structure, and clients acted for.

ii) The size and nature of your caseload and the variety of case experience.

iii) Your duties performed. (include things like advocacy, drafting, client contact etc)

Don’t be afraid to use percentage indications to demonstrate rough weightings of experience, and also use figures for targets if they are impressive.

If you can get this information down then a reader (no matter how knowledgeable) should be able to see:-

i) What environment you are coming from, where you fit into the operation, and the quality of what you are doing

ii) What you know about on a legal level.

iii) What you can do on a practical level – what can go on a billing sheet!

4) Interests and Additional Information (optional)

IT skills
Language skills
Hobbies, interests and activities (KEEP THIS BRIEF)

5) References (optional)

There is typically no need to name referees at all in an initial application. After all, references are to be taken after interview to confirm what the interviewer has found, rather than before meeting anyone.

SUMMARY

That is basically it.

Remember it is essentially scoring points, and the more on there the better though the most recent experience should typically take precedence.

Always try to get it in bullet points or short paragraphs, and don't bother with waffle or padding. If it's 3 or 4 sides then it doesn't matter as long as it's good stuff.

Don’t have it bound or worry about fancy presentation as it will be unnecessary effort and may well make circulation of your CV internally more difficult for a firm!

Download the C.V. Proforma pdf here...