Whether you are drafting a CV for an internal promotion, a new job or a voluntary post its always good to take advice.  We asked Sarah Siddiqui our resident CV expert (solicitor, CV writer and career coach) a few questions about how to make your CV work for you. 

Having looked at so many CVs across the legal profession and outside of it as well.  What are the top 3 things that you would advise someone to do when they look to write or update their CV in order to really make it shine? 

There are many elements that go into making a CV standout from the crowd but if I had to pick three it would be: 

1. Make sure to include a high impact professional profile or summary paragraph introducing yourself at the beginning of the CV – this snapshot summary helps the reader understand who you are, what you have done and what you now want to do at the outset.   

2. Focus on and highlight your achievements from your career history. Prospective employers like to see how you performed / what value you added in your respective roles as well as your day to day responsibilities. It is your achievements / contributions that are unique to you and show the reader what you are capable of.  

3. Your CV does not need to be an exhaustive chronological list of everything you have done in your career. It is essentially a marketing document so think strategically when writing it.  

What things do you most commonly have to correct within a CV? 

Spelling mistakes! It is always worth asking one or even two people to proof read as spelling mistakes no matter how small can cost you that all important interview.  

What one formatting tip would you give to anyone writing a CV? 

Minimum size 10 font and use generic or common font types such as Arial, Calibre or even Cambria My standard go to font is Cambria 11. Also always justify the text. This spaces things out and makes for an easier read. I appreciate that is three tips instead of one but they are all important! 

What’s the best bit of career advice anyone has ever given you? 

Never underestimate the power of networking / building up your connections! You never know when they can come in handy, point you in the right direction or even recommend you for your dream job.  

Thanks so much for that Sarah, really insightful and some practical points as well as some inspiration when CV drafting there! 

We are always happy to give pointers on a CV as part of a job search or through our app but if you feel you would benefit from Sarah’s help in optimising and getting your CV really into shape just get in touch.  Our stand alone CV optimise service (£75+ VAT) or a CV and corresponding LinkedIn profile package (£130 + VAT) will give you personal marketing documents to be proud of! 

Taking time away for the office has never been harder. When the office is your home, it requires even more discipline on a personal level and understanding from colleagues.

This month: Will this feel like a normal holiday season?

The short answer is probably ‘no’! We can blame the pandemic for that! However, that should in no way stop holidays from happening. So many lawyers that I speak to have had a long 18 months, whether you are in conveyancing and the SDLT holiday has been hanging over you or litigation where work seems to have rocketed, family, commercial… I could go on. But that just shows why it is so important to take time out, even when perhaps we can’t do our usual holiday activities. It is tempting when working from home to keep ‘half an eye’ on emails or to ‘check in’ again in the evening, but we all need time off; 100% away from work.

ACAS reports that around half of people in the UK don’t take their full annual leave entitlement. Mind UK encourages you to ‘try and take the holiday you are entitled to’ to protect your mental health. A break will allow you to focus on things outside of work and create some balance and perspective. It allows you to switch off from the constant barrage of emails and communications.

• Be strict in your out of office auto response, if you state ‘I will not be checking emails in my absence’ then don’t!
• Respect your colleagues holidays, don’t expect them to respond to you when they are away
• Inform key client and contacts of your time away and make provisions for cover of the absolutely critical matters, everything else can wait until your return.
• Block time out of your diary on your return to catch up on communications so you don’t feel too overwhelmed on your first day back.
• If your holiday is not actually involving you leaving your house then pack your IT equipment away, somewhere that is not easily accessible and where you can’t see it for the duration of your holiday.

Everything will be waiting for you on your return, and you will absolutely feel the benefit for the rest of the year! If you and your colleagues all support each other, taking a holiday can still give you the break and respite that you need to come back refreshed despite your destination perhaps being closer to home than usual.

All the best and enjoy your summer holiday (however it happens).

Are you wondering what the market is doing right now?

How is 2021 fairing in terms of legal opportunities and options to progress your legal career?

This month: Half way through 2021, where are we?

Things are busy!

That is because so many areas of law are busy, and firms in turn, are looking to ensure that their teams are not under any further, long term pressure after all the recent upheaval. There is also a sense that the work levels which we are seeing are sustainable, and a true reflection of the market. I speak to many law firms who are having their best billing years to date. Firms are therefore looking for the right people to move forward with.

The areas of law that firms are looking in are varied: property both commercial and residential are right up there in terms of pressure of work and therefore, so are the vacancies. Across the board property solicitors and lawyers are in demand at all levels of qualification.

Family has been busy right through the year and shows no sign of slowing down.

Litigation has been very busy and we are seeing both specialist roles as well as more general dispute resolution options in the market.

Niche areas like agriculture and tax (both individual and corporate tax) are back to their usual levels of demand, which is to say plenty of firms want them, few specialists are out there!

Private client, employment law and corporate/ commercial all remain steady and in these areas we are being asked for established lawyers who can pick up and run with things.

Qualified solicitors, CILEX and CLC’s are in demand across the market and individuals are putting pressure on firms to increase pay and push their careers forward, especially as some feel they have stalled over the last 18 months. We are seeing ‘golden hellos’ come back into play, where firms are paying to attract the right people. Flexibility is absolutely key, and most people working in law are looking for hybrid home/ office working, and firms are giving it as they finalise their flexible working policies.

Now is a good time, if you are a legal professional who wants to make a career move! No matter what your situation, if you feel that things could be improved within your working life then get in touch as the opportunities are out there now.

From a solicitor we recently helped:

“After unfortunately being made redundant, I contacted Clara to see if she could help in finding me a new role. I had previously had dealings with Clara when I was training and found her most helpful, so I had no hesitations in contacting her again. Clara spent time getting to know me and my set of circumstances, and advised me of potential roles with local firms which might be suitable. Within a week, Clara had sent my CV across to firms we’d agreed on and I received an invitation to attend an interview. I now have an exciting new role to look forward to starting!

Clara’s help and expertise has been invaluable, and has prevented me from feeling under pressure at a difficult time in my career. I would highly recommend Clara to anyone seeking help in furthering their career in law, and will certainly not hesitate to contact her again should I ever need to.”

Have you found returning to work after having a child challenging?

Do you feel stuck or held back in your legal career?

Are you planning to have children but wondering how it will impact on your career progression?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then join us on 24th June at 1pm for our latest online event. Alison Wilde from Birdsoup will be presenting her experiences of working with parents in the law industry. She will outline the most common hurdles that legal professionals are confronted with when juggling family life and a legal career, tips on how to overcome obstacles and how to approach managing your career to mitigate for the parental transition. Giving you some practical ideas to implement.

Alison Wilde is an organisation psychologist and coach with an MSc in Career Management and Coaching from Birkbeck, University of London. For the past 12 years she has been working with parents and organisations to provide coaching support and guidance to better manage this major life transition and any impacts on career. As one half of Birdsoup she designs and delivers programmes, courses and workshops for organisations designed to address diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

We are really looking forward to hosting this session as we regularly talk to people who are managing their career around these parenting issues. A key stage in the lives and careers or many legal professionals.

Book Now