how to describe contract attorney work on resume

by Ms. Patience Cremin 4 min read

  • Tell a story. The most important thing about including contract work is to focus on telling a story. ...
  • Organize your contract work. For this reason and others, the organization of your resume is extremely important for your resume. ...
  • Focus on your skills. Go over the job posting and highlight the skills mentioned there. Then, emphasize those skills in the context of your contract work.

Full Answer

How would you describe your experience as an attorney on resume?

Very skilled in corporate law and trademark law. Extremely hard worker and not afraid to work long hours. That's not actionable, but it won't land a ton of interviews. Instead, emulate this experienced attorney resume example:

How do you write a resume for a contract job?

Customize your resume for the prospective employer. As with any resume you send out, make sure your work experience is tailored for the client or position you’re hoping to land. This is where contract work can be a real asset, especially if you have experience wearing a bunch of different hats.

How do you write a resume objective for a law firm?

Lawyer Resume Objective If you’re targeting a specific position, you may wish to write a resume objective. Here’s how it would look for our candidate: Results-driven corporate lawyer with 10+ years of experience counseling clients, ensuring the legality of commercial transactions, and drafting policies.

Why should I include contract work on my resume?

Additionally, contract work that helps fill gaps in your employment is crucial to include. It proves that you weren’t idle while in between jobs and that your resourcefulness led you to find other avenues for paid employment.

image

How do you list contract attorney on resume?

Headline : Methodical and service-oriented professional, interested in pursuing a career in the legal/contractual field to make use of and hone knowledge on legal matters and proceedings acquired from education and extensive experience.

How do you put a contractor on a resume?

How to list contract work on your resumeList an employer. ... Give yourself a standard job title.Add "contractor" or "consultant" at the end of your title.List the dates of your contract (month and year is fine).Add a short blurb describing the nature of your work.More items...

What should a lawyers resume contain?

Use good design to ensure your lawyer resume stands out. ... Lead with your lawyer profile or summary statement. ... Showcase your specialized skills. ... Use action words to strengthen employment history. ... Focus on relevant education. ... Demonstrate that you're tech-savvy. ... What is your ideal legal practice area?More items...•

How long should a lawyer's resume be?

Two-Page Resumes Are The Norm For Lawyers Unless you are an entry-level attorney, chances are your resume will be two pages. Don't try squeezing all the information into a single page just to fit that one-page myth. Your resume should be as long as it needs to be in order to properly convey your experience.

Does contract job count as employment?

Certainly yes. The one who has contracted you has done that because he has no obligations to you once the project is over (contract).

Should I put contractor on my resume?

Should You Include Contract Work on Your Resume? Yes, in most cases you should include contract work on your resume. Any legitimate work experience that helps prove you have the right skills for a job should be listed on your resume.

How do you put legal skills on a resume?

How do I add skills to a Legal resume?Review the job posting closely. Go through the Legal posting you're applying to, and identify hard skills the company is looking for. ... Add industry skills like Legal Advice and Commercial Litigation. ... Add skills into your work experience. ... Use the exact job title.

What should I put on skills on my resume?

What are the best job skills on a resume?Computer proficiency.Leadership experience.Communication skills.Organizational know-how.People skills.Collaboration talent.Problem-solving abilities.

What should my legal resume look like?

The following tips for writing legal resumes can help you land the position you're pursuing:Keep it short and sweet. ... Education or experience first? ... Provide a brief narrative with action verbs. ... Tailor your resume for each job. ... Think simple elegant layout. ... Emphasize relevant professional skills. ... Highlight your publications.More items...•

DISCLAIMER

Resumes, and other information uploaded or provided by the user, are considered User Content governed by our Terms & Conditions. As such, it is not owned by us, and it is the user who retains ownership over such content.

How this resume score could be improved?

Many factors go into creating a strong resume. Here are a few tweaks that could improve the score of this resume:

DISCLAIMER

Resumes, and other information uploaded or provided by the user, are considered User Content governed by our Terms & Conditions. As such, it is not owned by us, and it is the user who retains ownership over such content.

How this resume score could be improved?

Many factors go into creating a strong resume. Here are a few tweaks that could improve the score of this resume:

How to emphasize skills in a resume?

Focus on your skills. Go over the job posting and highlight the skills mentioned there. Then, emphasize those skills in the context of your contract work. Your cover letter gives you a chance to emphasize your skills even further, but you can still incorporate a few choice keywords into your resume.

Why is contracting important?

Additionally, contract work that helps fill gaps in your employment is crucial to include.

Why is it important to organize your resume?

For this reason and others, the organization of your resume is extremely important for your resume. Group all of your contract work into one central location of your resume, so that any interviewer will be able to quickly scan and understand which work experiences of yours were done in which context.

Is contract work bad?

For one thing, contract work is not a bad thing — in fact, it’s how plenty of people make most or all of their total income. Plenty of employers are aware of this, even if others are still catching up. Regardless, leaving off your contract work is something that you likely can’t afford to do. Doing so could leave noticeable gaps in your employment ...

Is it bad to leave contract work?

But when contract work is all you have, it can be even more harmful to leave off this kind of work. When in doubt, include any contract work that can make your work history more impressive, emphasize your qualifications and accomplishments, and ultimately help you stand out in recruiters’ minds.

Top Skills Mentioned in Job Descriptions

Litigating Legal Research Compliance Procurement Legal Documents Depositions Consulting Experienc... Commercial Litigatio... Legal Advice Drafting

Top Skills Mentioned in Resumes

Job seeker resumes showcase a broad range of skills and qualifications in their descriptions of Contract Attorney positions. The top three keywords represent 49.07% of the total set of top resume listed keywords. Look to the Resume Checklist below to investigate how Drafting, Litigating, and Compliance match up to employer job descriptions.

Most Important Skills Required to Be a Contract Attorney as Listed by Employers and Employees

Here is a simple table of the top 10 skills and qualifications as listed by employers in Contract Attorney job postings since January of 2018, followed by the top 10 skills and qualifications most commonly listed by people who held the title of Contract Attorney on their resumes.

Contract Attorney Resume Checklist

Our Resume Keyword Checklist is based upon an analysis of the most commonly found terms within both job descriptions and resumes for Contract Attorney positions. Our algorithm helps isolate phrases and patterns to identify the most frequently recurring and reused keywords from each data source, while correcting for uncommon and outlier results.

FAQs about Contract Attorney Skills and Resume Keywords

The most common important skills required by employers are Importing, Procurement and Commercial Litigation.

Before applying for a Contract Attorney job

At ZipRecruiter, we understand better than anyone the importance of using the right keywords to describe your experience — it’s crucial to attracting the right employers! We built our business on the ability to effectively match job seekers with employers using AI-technology that understands your resume and how likely you are to be noticed by a potential future employer.

Law Resume Summary or Resume Objective?

A brief's opening paragraph should tell the judge what the case is about.

How to Put Skills on a Resume for an Attorney

Convince the hiring manager of your legal skills, and you'll get the interview.

How to Add Contact Info to Your Resume

What contact info belongs on a legal resume? What should you leave off?

Key Takeaway

Now you know how to write a legal resume that gets a lot more interviews. Be sure to follow these key tips:

What to emphasize when listing contract work?

Emphasize Achievements. Always emphasize the things that you achieved during any job when you list contract work. Obviously, you won’t be able to focus on longevity or advancement within the position, since it was short-term. But that doesn’t really matter, since employers are most interested in value.

Do you need to explain why you are seeking regular employment?

Include an Explanation for Why You’re Seeking Regular Employment. If you have only done infrequent contract work over the years, then this tip may not be necessary. However, if that has been your preferred employment option, then you need to explain why you are looking for a more permanent position.

Do you list contract work on your resume?

Do not hesitate to list contract work on your resume. Yes, these positions are temporary, and often mission-specific – but they are important nonetheless. In fact, most hiring managers are now familiar with this type of employment. The key is to properly document the job, and terms of employment so that your reasons for leaving are clear.

What are some examples of contract work?

Publishing, computer systems development and accounting are a few examples of arenas in which contract work is the norm. As a result, recruiters are familiar with contract terms and agreements and have no problem assessing your capabilities through your previous temporary assignments.

Can you explain your status in a cover letter?

You can explain your status in a cover letter, but recruiters don’t always read cover letters and human resource departments don’t always pass along cover letters to hiring managers. Wherever you list your experience, use wording that makes it clear you were a contract worker.

How to include independent contracting on resume?

Here are six steps you can follow to include independent contracting work on your resume: 1. Give yourself a title. To help create a clear description of the type of independent contracting work you do, consider coming up with a job title for yourself.

How to highlight your experience on a resume?

Highlight your experience in a summary statement. You can include a summary statement near the top of your resume to highlight your top skills and experiences as well as what types of positions you are seeking. As an independent contractor, try to narrow in on a specific area of services that you offer, such as portrait photography ...

What is an independent contractor?

An independent contractor is a self-employed person who typically works on a project-by-project basis under a contract rather than working under one certain employer. Common types of independent contractors are web developers, graphic designers and writers, but independent contracting can encompass a range of different fields, ...

What should be the focal point of a resume?

After your name and contact details, the focal point of your resume should be your certification to practice law in that state and your educational background. Graduates typically lead with their new qualifications, whereas professional lawyers with notable achievements often focus on their experience.

How long does it take to scan a resume?

Studies have revealed that hiring managers only spend 6 seconds on average scanning each resume they receive. Take our 6 second resume challenge to see if your resume would make the cut.

image

Should You Include Contract Work on Your Resume?

Image
Yes, in most cases you should include contract work on your resume. Any legitimate work experiencethat helps prove you have the right skills for a job should be listed on your resume. Working as a contractor also shows recruiters that you’re capable of adapting to new work environments quickly, which is an attr…
See more on zippia.com

6 Tips For How to List Contract Work on Your Resume

  • For one thing, contract work is not a bad thing — in fact, it’s how plenty of people make most or all of their total income. Plenty of employers are aware of this, even if others are still catching up. Regardless, leaving off your contract work is something that you likely can’t afford to do. Doing so could leave noticeable gaps in your employment record — and for another thing, the more contra…
See more on zippia.com

Examples of Contract Work on A Resume

  • Here’s a quick example of one way you can list a single entry of contract work on your resume: Note: When listing multiple projects under the same company, remember that you only need to list the company’s name and address a single time. Let’s take look at a full sample resume with a hefty amount of contract work.
See more on zippia.com

Final Thoughts

  • Remember that when it comes to listing contract work, including the work is always better than ignoring it. Job hunting is tough, but with these tips in mind, you should have a great resume to go along with your winning cover letter. Even if you’re worried about the way that you’ll be perceived for the large amount of temporary or contract work, remember that most recruiters and hiring m…
See more on zippia.com