The competition in the field of law is much and it takes a lot to gain a good position in the field for a fresher assuming that he or she has no strong connections in the law field unlike those who are second or third generation lawyers. The CV or curriculum vitae of a law student is the most important document that one has to craft throughout his course of law be it a 3 year LLB or a 5 year LLB.
The Importance of having a Well- Structured CV
A CV is not just a document that shows one’s records and achievements all through his/her law course but a CV must tell a story. Most importantly the CV must have a specific goal to which it is leading to at the end. It is highly disappointing when your CV reflects various achievements in different fields like internships or publications in various fields of law and it does not give a clear picture about the specific interests of the student. Therefore a CV must be aimed specifically at the field of law at which the student is evening at the end of his course and must contain relevant records according to his aim.
What to include in a CV
A curriculum vitae ideally includes The academic record of the candidate right from their results in class 10 Board examinations, class 12 board examination and the most recent semester examination in college; the work experiences of the candidate- internships for positions of responsibility held; valuable publications or work of contribution to the law field if any; links to portfolios if any; workshops, seminars and relevant courses pursued along with the law course; achievements in relevant competitions like Moot court competitions, article writing competitions parliamentary debates, judgement writing competitions and general debates. Although many candidates miss out on writing their interest and hobbies in their CV, it can be an important clue for the interviewer to judge the person who you are on an overall basis. Therefore, writing dynamic hobbies and interests apart from the field of law is always welcome. Crucial details about the candidate like a communication number or Email Id is important.
You→ Good Resume →Job
How long should a CV be?
Generally, employers receive around hundred applications per day and this number might fluctuate depending upon the popularity and the outreach of the firm whether the candidate is applying. It is very easy to make out that an employee would not have the time to go through each and every application. Therefore it is important to minimise the information that we provide in a CV in a very effective manner. A CV should never exceed 3 pages. Even if a candidate has many achievements or records to boast about, the candidate must mention only those records which are relevant to the job position that he is applying to.
When is the right time to start building a CV
For law students, the right time to start building a CV is in the very first year itself. This is because law students have to keep applying to various legal internships in all the years of that study. Keeping records of the achievements from the very first year helps the student gain a better internship in their second year and this process continues. Therefore one must not remain under the impression that a CV is necessary only in the fourth and fifth year of Law School.
Additional tips
When one mentions a work experience in a CV, it is also important to mention the period of work and brief details about the work done.
It is very strongly advised that one does not put fake information about oneself in a CV. This is because most recruitment interviews are based on the details provided by oneself in the CV. Therefore, providing fake information just to sound impressive would generally lead to losing marks out of lack of knowledge in the interview round.
Students of 4th and 5th year of the five year law course and students of the final year in the three year law course can include recommendations from the people under whom they have worked in the course of their study. This reflects the number of connections that one has made while studying law and also provides testimonials for the quality of one’s work and outreach.
Maintaining a proper LinkedIn account is also important for a law student apart from the main CV. The LinkedIn account must be up-to-date with all the recent achievements, just like a “CV on social media”. The link to this LinkedIn account can be provided in the main CV also.
