In contrast to your personal statement, which should be a deep-dive into a few pivotal stories from your life, your resume should showcase the breadth of your experiences and accomplishments. But remember, it should not merely communicate what you did in each role and extracurricular endeavor; each entry should explore WHY what you did and accomplished was so significant to you and/or your team and/or the organization as a whole. What results did you achieve? What impact did you have? What did you learn?
Law school resumes should include the following components and be no longer than one page:
Education. List all the universities you attended (including study abroad experiences) and the degrees you obtained. Include a bulleted list in the Education section of internships and extracurricular involvements you participated in while in college. And be sure to note any scholarships, awards, or honors you received. If you published a thesis, you can include that here too.
Work Experience. If you’re applying to law school directly out of your undergraduate studies, you may not have a lot of work experience and this is to be expected. Your work experiences should include summer jobs, internships, fellowships, and/or TA positions that you held during college, as well as any post-graduate employment. Use results-oriented bullets to describe your responsibilities and outcomes, and highlight any progression in responsibility. Elaborate on the impact you’ve had and/or the lessons you’ve learned. Also note any awards and/or honors you received.
Additional Information. This section can include significant extracurricular and charitable involvements, languages you speak, as well as any noteworthy skills, certifications, and/or memberships.
Check back tomorrow for additional guidance on crafting your resume.