Tips for creating a Legal Resume that is fit for the Job market in Australia
1. Header Section
• List your present address, telephone number and email address where employers can reach you
• Use professional email addresses
• Be sure that your voicemail (popular in Australia as no call waiting) greeting is professional
• You can have your career objective after this section or on your cover letter [Optional]
2. Education Section
• Unless you have graduated for more than 3 years, your education section comes before your work experience
• For current law students, include your degree and date of graduation
• List any other degrees you have,starting with your most recent
• You don’t need to include your high school education
3. Specialities Section (Optional)
• This section is for resumes that are to be submitted electronically/online and will be scanned by the employer. Make sure that you match the keywords from the job description and add it to our resume
4. Achievements Section
• Include any special mentions, awards, distinctions, sports groups, university societies
5. Work Experience (mention responsibilities and achievements)
• List most recent experience first
• You don’t have to list all your past jobs; focus on the ones that are most relevant to the position you are applying for
• Volunteer/unpaid work counts also
• Use bullet points rather than long paragraphs
• Each segment should begin with an action verb like e.g. assist, published etc.
• In terms of achievements – Ask yourself the question “What was the benefit you provided your employer?”
6. Interests/Languages
• You can add any foreign languages spoken as well as interests/hobbies
You do not need to add information regarding your age, marital status or whether you have any children
7. References
• Employers will request references from you
• Always have the contact details for your referees handy when you go to interviews
• Write the name of the referee, their best contact number
• Inform your referees to expect a call
