Tips on Writing an Effective CV

You don't need to be told how important your CV is when applying for a role, it is clear. It is your very first impression, so it needs to be good. As lawyers, one of your key duties is drafting, so if the partners don't like the way you have drafted your CV, you are not starting off on the right foot!

Following a conversation with an associate who felt a little lost on how to begin writing his CV, I designed a CV template that I have subsequently found to be very effective, in particular with US and UK firms. If you would like me to send you a copy, please do ask and I will be very happy to pass it on to you confidentially.

Below are some tips that might be useful to consider when sitting down to write your CV.

Format

Start with your name, centralised and in a larger font. Under this, your contact details - email address and mobile number will suffice. It is also a good idea to put your current class year for ease of reference for the readers considering your profile.

The desired format for a legal CV will then have details of your education followed by professional experiences, followed by miscellaneous extras (like hobbies and memberships etc).

Under education, you should state the level of qualification followed by the university. Where you have achieved honours, either during your Licence, M1, or M2, you should let them know!

For example:

Master 1 Droit des Affaires (Assez Bien) - Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne 

When it comes to your professional experiences, you should go chronologically, starting with your current role. State the date in which you started in the left corner, then your position, then the name of the firm. Underneath you should write a brief description of the work you have done. This should be most detailed under your current role. Prior experiences like internships can be a simple sentence or two indicating the practice area and a brief overview of what the work entails.

For example:

Mai 2021 - aujord'hui Avocat a la Cour – Willkie Farr & Gallagher

(en cours) Brief description of work performed.

After your professional experiences comes the miscellaneous section, which should be brief and to the point. It needn't be bigger than a standard footnote. You should indicate the languages you speak and at what level you speak them. Some practical skills (e.g. Pack Office), and a list of hobbies (no more than four or five).

Keep it simple

A great CV will look clean and elegant. Avoid using different fonts, colours, adding quotes. After all, the readers are highly intelligent lawyers, not children. Their time is precious, so make it easy for them to digest the information. If the CV is overly crowded, their attention will be drawn from what really matters.

You do not need to provide a CV in English

I am often asked by associates looking for an introduction to one of my US/UK clients if their CV needs to be in English. The answer is no. If you already have one, by all means, send it over, but you are busy enough as it is, so don't spend time translating a perfectly acceptable French version. I have never had a firm ask for the CV to be sent in English, regardless of the type of firm.

You do not need to include a photo

It is a bit of an urban myth in Paris that you are required or expected to include a passport-style photo of yourself on your CV. This may have been the case once upon a time, but it no longer applies. You do not need to worry about doing so. If you find that you are struggling to fit in relevant details of the work you have undertaken in order to accommodate the picture, priority should be given to the writing!

Tailor the CV to the role

If you are applying to a firm for a specific reason, e.g. because of the work they are doing, then tailor your CV to amplify similar work you have undertaken or skills that would be transferable. There is not much point in devoting a quarter of a page to an arbitration internship you did if you are applying for a corporate role. Reduce those aspects that are of less relevance and amplify those that are most attractive to the hiring partners.