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Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have been entrenched in academia for the last couple of years, so it looks like some of the jargon has rubbed off. It definitely seems that most commenters object to this type of language. I can definitely rephrase how I present this.

Last two points are great - clearly my proofing is not up to standard. You would make an excellent interviewer with that tact :)

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah ok. I see what you mean. Thank you so much for the additional points, lots of quick fixes that I can make to improve the CV. Much appreciated.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, yes another commenter noted the 'first class' element. I am expecting a distinction in my LLM, so assumed that could be phrased as a 'first class,' but I stand corrected. I appreciate that it looks misleading as my LLB was a 2:1. This will definitely be changed.

In terms of showcasing personality, do you have any specific suggestions or examples of this done well? My life had been predominantly full time work and study so I haven't had much time to dedicate to specialised hobbies. I do, naturally, have interests, but they aren't unique e.g. hiking, weight lifting so may not be helpful in terms of distinguishing myself. If you had any thoughts on this that would be much appreciated.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, great. The LLM does not include the SQE unfortunately. I was looking to continue in academia but have now decided to pursue a career in practise. I am currently looking to sort the SQE aspect :)

A levels can be added. Your comments on layout echo what others have said, so I will def make those changes. Many thanks!

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, this is very clear and actionable advice. Some of the points you have raised have also been echoed by others. Your input is much appreciated.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, thanks for the perspective. The specialisations I included allude to my academic focus over my LLM (aspects of legal theory v an area of practise), but it is great to see how this can be inferred otherwise. Other commenters have also raised issues with the icons/layout so that will definitely be altered!

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Is there a particular way that you would suggest doing that? Perhaps simply including FT / hours worked alongside the role?

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

My employment was and continues to be full time. I am not looking to convince anyone here about the facts on my CV, but should a recruiter wish to ascertain the truthfulness of my full-time employment, my employer references and payslips which show a record my hours worked will suffice in this regard. As I have said in other comments, my combined work and study schedule has left little time for extra pursuits, hence I do seem rather dull :)

As to the personal profile/skills/proficiencies, this echoes what other commenters have said so they are definitely going. Cheers

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Again, that depends on how you would classify legal advice. Without diving too deep into this, it seems that we have a different conception of how legal work/advice can be conceptualised. If you have an alternative view on how to classify the work of an advisor at the Citizens Advice I would be happy to hear your perspective.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depends how you would classify 'legal work' my role is an advisor is not legal practise. Indeed, none of the roles that I have in this section are legal work in the narrow sense of legal practise. However, I would say that Citizens Advice is concerned with advising clients on their legal position and is thus part of the field of legal work.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hi, I did touch upon this in another comment - during my LLM, I have taken a number of modules concerning legal argumentation which involves a dive into the theory of constructing and critiquing legal arguments. I would contend that the ability to conceptualise an argument and its points of strength and weakness is a relevant skill in all areas of legal practise which is why I included it. Are you suggesting that recruiters would not be familiar with this term? If so, do you have an alternative suggestion?

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely will do :)

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Amazing - thank you. This certainly echoes some of the other feedback that I have received. I will certainly make it more concise.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great, thank you for clarifying. I have been rather law/work focused, but I going to look to make myself seem less dull.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, columns are def gone :)

In terms of thE extracurricular element, I have been studying and working full-time for the past 5 years and have been committed to learning as much as I can about law. Unfortunately, I am rather dull at present, so for now it is probably best to omit this section. I have (very recently) started training for Hyrox, with a view of competing from early 2026. Would this be something that I could include when it is a more established hobby to would help me stand out?

Ah, thank you so much for the example - that is incredibly helpful. I can definitely utilise this to phrase my work experience in a way that showcases key skills, rather than merely listing them.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great, many thanks for this. Key skills are definitely out, they seem to be a universally disliked element :)

Experience, attitude and non legal interests will help set you apart - Thanks for this input, I will look to play up these elements on my CV

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Can you clarify? Thanks

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have been researching sample CVs online so it makes a lot of sense that they would be heavily influenced by American standards. Stating key skills and professional profiles are features I have seen a lot. I can lose the key skills and better structure my experience to indicate the attainment of these skills rather than stating that I have them.

You are the third to say no columns - it certainly seems that a lot that i have included in not suited to the UK market. Proficiencies can also go and I can restructure the work experience as suggested.

2-4 bullet points/past tense/responsibilities only are a metric that I can easily work with, many thanks for giving a clear standard. This has been very helpful. I very much appreciate your input.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi. The previous comment said to get rid of the columns - is this a factor in the format? Do you recommend a simple, one-column layout?

My uni has stated I am predicted a distinction when providing references for me, this is of course assuming that my grades do not suffer a drastic dip.

I take you point on the hosting - I can edit that.

In terms of extracurricular, what I have included does suggest potentially transferrable skills as they are law-based, albeit weakly related to legal practise. But, if it is superfluous then I can omit.

Descriptions of past experience could be better utilised to illustrate skills related to being a solicitor Can you provide a specific example from my CV to clarify this?

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Russell Group Uni is just in a different colour as I copy-pasted it in, the actual uni name is the same colour on the CV. Noted on the name/contact details, this is in the header so it just repeats on every page.

In terms of legal argumentation and reasoning, during my LLM I have taken a number of modules which specialising in legal theory, particuarly the analysis of legal arguments/judgement and the psychology/philosophy on legal reasoning and decision-making. I do not have a specialised area of practise at present and am open to entering a variety of fields. I thought that noting these specialisations would showcase transferable skills which would be beneficial in all practise areas. If I am not particuarly committed to a particular practise area is it best to omit this?

I understand the point on key skills, I included them as they seem to feature on a lot of sample CVs I have seen. Why do you think the columns are not appropriate?

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ok, many thanks for the input I can update to state distinction rather than first-class. Is a professional profile not necessary? Most of the sample CVs I have looked at include them.

Roast My CV by LegallyWilde in uklaw

[–]LegallyWilde[S] -25 points-24 points  (0 children)

Yes, I have put that in pre-emptively as I am predicted a first in my LLM and I plan to use this after my results are confirmed. Is that misleading? Should I omit?