F-LEX's top 5 CV tips!

1. Structure and formatting

Start with your contact details, the subject that you have studied and then your academic results. The next section should be legal work experience and following this, a section about non-legal work experience. The last part of your CV should highlight your achievements and positions of responsibility. As well as this, you can mention your interests, hobbies and any languages that you can speak. Finally, remember to include your references. Also make sure the formatting of your CV looks good. We have seen too often CVs which are still in their track changes!

2. Grades

You should limit yourself to the overall grade you received for your GCSEs, A-levels, degree, masters and/or GDL/LPC (e.g. AAA or 2:1). Giving the break-down of all your grades is unnecessary and it takes up too much space, so keep this section short.

3. Length of CV

Although there is no set limit for the length of a CV, you should aim to keep it within two pages.   CVs that are too long can be off-putting for the reviewer. To achieve a more concise CV, ensure that you only include relevant information (for example, see ‘Grades’ above). Other effective ways to condense your CV is to stick to a font size of 11 or 12 and to use bullet points to break up the information.

4. Attention to detail

It goes without saying that spelling mistakes will negatively impact the perception of your CV. Therefore, make sure that you carefully proofread your CV before submitting it and get a second pair of eyes (e.g. friends, family, work colleagues) to check for any spelling or grammatical errors!

5. Be specific

The key to demonstrating your skills on your CV is to provide specific examples to back up what you are saying. Try to avoid vague statements like “I have great communication skills” as they do not actually tell the reviewer anything about you. Instead, focus on explaining exactly what you have done to depict how you have gained or utilised a specific skill. When mentioning languages or interests, explain how they make you a more confident and unique individual.