Category Archives: Grads

Paralegal

Overview of the Job

 

It is the function of this job to assist attorneys in their work. This job is also called legal assistant. This person does legal research, writes reports, and tracks documents for the attorney. The paralegal will, as needed, talk with clients to obtain basic information. Whatever the type of attorney, a paralegal is required to assist in legal preparation.

 

This work is done almost exclusively in an office. A great deal of computer work, research in law libraries, and document preparation is required. This job is typically a 40 hour work week. It is not unusual for legal secretaries, with appropriate experience, to become paralegals.

 

Education and Experience Required

 

  • 2 year Associate degree

  • An appropriate combination of education and work experience in the field

  • Detail oriented

  • Ability to prepare clear, accurate reports

  • Good computer skills

 

Future of the Occupation

 

The number of jobs is expected to increase as the number of lawyers and their need for legal assistance grows. However, more people are choosing this field so there will be competition.

 

The median pay is between $31,000 and $50,000 depending upon the size of the law firm and the number of clients.

Conquer Resume Writing with Powerful Words

Writing resumes is tricky business for most. What should be said, and how to say it are often the two most difficult parts of writing resumes. The various elements of resumes all hold their own important place in career success, but what most people don’t understand is the power of the words that they use. When it comes to resumes, how you state your experiences often means the difference between catching the reader’s attention and having your resume tossed aside.

The first way you can use words to help you is to focus on keywords from the job listing. These keywords and phrases describe Perfectly what the employer is after, and if you use these words in your resume, you’re more likely to grab their attention. For example:

Human Resources Manager

Payroll experience, familiarity with employee relations, training, and familiarity with hourly status reports, Excel spreadsheets. Must have 2 year degree or higher in business and/or management, with experience in Accounting. Minimum five years experience with employee base over 100.

 

From this listing, you can gather about five or different words and phrases that you can use on your resume to catch the attention of the reader. For example, under your skills section, you can list the following:

 

Payroll experience

Employee training/relationships

Excel use

Accounting experience

Work with 100+ employees

 

This will make the task of writing a resume much simpler, as it creates a focus for the reader, and shows two things: your ability to pay attention, and your dedication to following the rules and meeting requirements.

Another way to use words to your advantage is to focus on what are known as power words. This simply means revising your resume so that the language you use is more gripping. There are ways to say things that are better than others, but you want to make sure you’re still being direct and not wordy in your resume.

 

For example, instead of this:

Gave assessments to employees, handed out paychecks, tracked company hours.

Say this:

Responsible for employee assessments, payroll processing, and hourly tracking and reporting.

 

You can see how much better the latter sounds to a prospective employer. It’s still direct, but changing a few words and the way you say things can make all the difference in the world.

Whether it’s through using more powerful words or simply utilizing the keywords in the job listing, you can make a much greater impression on the hiring manager that reads your resume by using powerful words. There are other elements of your resume that need to be polished as well, the objective for instance ,but the words that you use when writing a professional style resume will make a huge difference in whether your resume gets the attention it deserves or not!

The Key to Successful Resume Writing is in the Objective

One of the essential elements of resume writing is the objective statement. It usually contains information on what you are looking for in a job and/or your qualifications for the position you seek. Many people aren’t aware of how to write a good resume objective, objective writing should be simple.The first point is your objective can should be only a few sentences in length. It should be direct and brief. The purpose of an objective is to summarize your abilities in regards to the position you seek, and to establish your professional identity. You don’t want the objective to be generic or indirect, because this will make you appear the same way to the employer. You should write a different resume for each position, and a new objective that is directed toward each different company you’re applying with.The resume objective is the point at which you need to catch the eye of the reader. If you don’t gain their interest here, they will likely discard your resume and move on to a more interesting one. Your resume writing objective shouldn’t be self-oriented. Instead, you need to focus your resume writing on what you have to offer the hiring manager. Don’t assume that if you list your abilities that they will be able to make the connections to how that will affect them. Be specific and relate exactly how your skills will benefit them. Otherwise your resume won’t get a second look.

The Follow-Up Letter: An Important Tool in Your Career Search Arsenal

You did everything you needed to do to make a great impression at your job interview. From an impressive resume to a suitable suit to impeccable manners, you feel that the job interviewer viewed you in a positive light. Is there anything else you can do to ensure top consideration for your dream job?Sending a follow-up letter after your employment interview is an important tool in your career search arsenal. By sending a follow-up letter, you are reminding the job interviewer of your existence. After all, the interviewer may be reviewing dozens or hundreds of resumes and people. Your follow-up letter may be the simple reminder the interviewer needs to keep your name and face in the forefront of their thoughts. Also, sending a follow-up letter after your interview gives you an opportunity to thank the interviewer for their time. This shows your ability to appreciate the time constraints of your prospective employers as well as your sense of savvy with regard to proper business protocol and communication. Sending a well-written, polite follow-up letter only takes a few minutes and can mean the difference between landing the job you want or being forgotten after you leave the job interview.

Should a Graduate Include Research Work on a Resume?

If you are a recent graduate applying for your first job in your field, research work should always be included on your resume. This is because most new graduates have little or no work experience, so employers must rely on a review of your other experiences in order to determine whether your qualifications would be a good match for their open position.It’s up to you to provide them with enough information to make such a decision. To present yourself in the best possible light, include any independent or group research studies with which you have been involved. These experiences can be as important as work experience, because they often demonstrate that you have some practical experience in your chosen field.Just be sure to provide at least a brief description of the research done, the findings, and your role in the project. If applicable, you might mention any specific skills learned or tools used, or methodologies employed.Extensive research can be presented in a separate section on the resume, but if you have only one or two research studies to mention – such as a senior project, for example, you may simply include them underneath your degree information in the education section.

Using Online Job Sites in Your Job Search

Whether you are a graduate looking for your first job, or a seasoned professional searching for a new opportunity, using the Internet is a great way to begin a job search. Using online employment sites offers certain advantages such as easy search-ability, and when the system finds a reasonable match, you are automatically informed. There is a plethora of online job sites, national and regional, that sometimes makes it difficult to know which one to use. You can start by using job search engines, which allow you to search major databases with hundreds and sometimes thousands of employer listings.Finding a new job is hard work and it is usually a full time job in itself. Today, online job sites provide all the tools and services you need to conduct an effective job search and are a superb way to seek out part time or full time jobs, or a summer internship.Tips for Users of Online Job SitesThe Internet provides you with a wealth of profiles of potential employers and you need to do your research well to identify the ones you want to work with. The best would be to pursue the employers who post their jobs directly.Most job sites require you to complete an application form, and either upload your resume or writing in the resume in the space provided. When sending in your resume, make sure that you do not give out a lot of personal information, since this information is posted online for all to see.Look for online job sites that offer resume confidentiality whenever possible, where you can conceal your contact information.When applying for a particular job, always customize your resume for that job specifically. If your resume is lacking in content and quality, pay to have a professional resume writer redo it. It is the best money you can spend to launch your career. It may be less convenient but sending in a customized resume for a particular job is more effective. Some online job sites allow you to contact the recruiter or the employer directly. These are the best sites. You can email your job application and resume directly to the prospective employer or his recruiter, once you feel that you meet all the job requirements.When applying directly to a prospective employer, refer to the job posting to see how to submit your job application. Check the job postings for keywords and relevant experience that you should include in your customized resume. Some prefer submission of your resume through email, whereas some have online application forms. If submission details are not clear, you are usually safe to submit your cover letter and resume via email.