THE LEGAL RESUME - George Mason University Sch.DOCVIP

The Legal Resume: Guidelines, Samples, and Checklist George Mason University School of Law Career, Academic and Alumni Services Room 370 3301 Fairfax Drive Arlington, Virginia 22201 703-993-8020; 703-993-8012 (fax) lawcareer@ /career THE LEGAL RESUME I. RESUME FORMAT A. Overall Format One of the first steps in the job search process is the development of your legal resume. This is your best opportunity to highlight your specific experiences and achievements; the resume is designed to communicate the “essence” of you on a single sheet of paper. This is not an easy task! The resume will introduce you to a potential employer. It should highlight your significant achievements and experience while limiting itself to one page. (Students who have been out of school for more than ten years with significant experience may warrant a tworesume.) The bottom line objective of a resume is to make the reader want to meet (interview) you. Your resume is YOUR statement and, therefore, can be personalized in many ways. There are, however, some definite Dos and Donts that will be indicated later. B. Paper and Fonts for Resumes and Reference Lists Your resume should be formatted in a conservative and traditional manner that is expected by most legal and law-related employers. It should be printed on a laser printer in a font and font size that is easy to read. Include your name at the top, in larger font, if possible. Avoid shading text, inserting text boxes, or using a template such as the resume function in Microsoft Word to format your resume. Use bolding and italics carefully and consistently. Your resume should be on white, offwhite or very pale gray heavy bond paper. Other colors, even if pastel, are not recommended for legal resumes. Take your cue from the type of paper most firms use for their letterhead. Unusual colors and print should not be used! Paper for cover letters, reference lists and thankyou letters should ma