Individuals who complete a paralegal degree or certificate program will find themselves ready to apply for a job. Those who have worked in the field for several years may be interested in obtaining a new position with more responsibility. People in either situation will need to develop paralegal resumes that detail their education and experience.

Someone new to the field should focus on the educational section of the document and any internship experiences that they had while in school. They should keep the documents to one page in length and cover any relevant academic awards or honors they received. Typical sections of these paralegal resumes include personal information, career objectives, education, work experience, skills (including those regarding computer applications), honors, and awards.

The education section should include the names of courses that are relevant to the job for which the applicant is applying. If the individual was involved in any academic or leadership activities or groups, these may be listed within the education section. This information can be included even if the individual was not an officer in an academic group. Membership in the organization proves that the person felt strongly enough to become involved. Sample paralegal resumes for those who have minimal experience are usually provided by the school that these individuals attend.

Experienced legal assistants should include the following information on their paralegal resumes:  personal information, career objective, education, work experience, other relevant experience, and skills. The career objective area will reveal the individual’s motivation in seeking a new position. An example paralegal resume career objective is “To obtain a senior paralegal position within a firm that specializes in environmental litigation.”

For those who have been in the career field for several years, the work experience section of the paralegal resumes will contain the most information. The most recent position should be listed first and several details should be included regarding each job. Company or firm name, dates of employment, job title, and summary of job duties should be listed. A legal assistant resume sample illustrates that the proper way to describe each duty is by using action verbs like “developed” and “maintained,” and verb tense should remain consistent throughout the document.

Paralegal resume samples can be found online and in the career centers of many schools offering relevant degrees or certificates.  The sample resume for legal assistant with more work experience may be two pages long. Each of these documents should be accompanied by a cover letter personally addressed to the hiring company. The cover letter should provide a brief overview of the applicant’s education, skills, and work experience, tying it in the requirements of the current position whenever possible.

Paralegal resumes and cover letters are necessary when applying for a job in the field. Those who have less formal work experience should emphasize their education and related achievements as well as any internship work. Individuals who have several years of relevant experience should include that information within the work experience section of the document. The cover letter should be customized to the position being applied for in order to show that the individual is truly qualified to perform the job. Developing these documents in this manner is likely to increase the probability that the individual will get the position.