Heres a Format to Use for Your Law School Resume

Heres a Format to Use for Your Law School Resume Your  law school resume  can be one of the most important parts of your application and you probably already know it shouldn’t follow the same format as a general resume for employment. You want to give the admissions council the best summary of your most important work, experiences, and skills.   Below youll find a general template for you to follow when writing your law school resume, but remember, before you start writing, you should always ask yourself some  basic information-gathering questions  so you’re all set up to just fill in these categories. Consult your pre-law advisor and your college’s career services center if you have any questions and make sure several people review your resume. Also, feel free to play around with the titles of categories as well as the order; if something doesn’t make sense to include in your resume, or if you feel something else should be highlighted in a different way, don’t be afraid to make your law school resume fit your qualifications after all, it is yours and should put your achievements in the best possible light. For example, if you speak ten languages, you should think about having a whole section simply called â€Å"Languages† to make that stand out. If you’ve consistently held leadership roles in organizations, you may choose to create a category entitled â€Å"Leadership.† Main Categories of Law School Resumes Education List the college institution, location (city and state), degree or certificate earned including areas of study, and the year you earned it. If you didn’t earn a degree or certificate, list the dates of attendance. You should also include study abroad experiences here. You may also list your GPA and GPA in your major for each institution attended (especially if higher than your overall GPA); you can also include your class rank, but only if it will look impressive (anything lower than top 30% probably doesn’t need to be included). Honors Awards List any honors and awards you have achieved and what year you earned them. Don’t list high school or high school achievements unless they’re extraordinary like you were in the Olympics and if you were in the Olympics, you might consider having a whole other section just on your athletic career as you probably have received other related awards as well. Employment, Work Experience, or Experience List your position, the name of the employer, location (city and state), and the dates you were employed there. If it was a part-time position during school, list the number of hours you worked per week, but not if it was only two or three. Also list your job duties under each one, making sure to note any recognition or special achievements (for example, increased sales by 30% in your first year as a section manager, etc.). Quantifying your work for each organization, if possible, makes it easier for admissions to see how and what you contributed. Always start your job descriptions with strong action words (directed, lead, mentored, organized, etc.) to convey purpose and direction. Skills, Achievements Other Activities In this section, you can list foreign languages, membership in other organizations, and basically anything else you’d like to highlight in your experiences that haven’t yet made it onto your law school resume. Some applicants use this section to list their technical proficiencies including any computer programs they have experience with. This is one of the sections you may consider renaming according to your personal experiences.