Barrister CV example

Are you trying to land a role as a barrister? Don’t leave it down to trial and error, make sure you have a CV that’s as persuasive as you are.

To help you to create this, we’ve put together a detailed CV writing guide, complete with a barrister CV example for inspiration.

You can check them both out below.

 

 

CV templates 

 

Barrister CV example

CV templates 

CV templates 

 

This is a good example of a Barrister CV which contains all of the information that a hiring manager will need to be impressed, and presents it in a well- structured, easy-to-read format.

Take some time to study and understand this CV, and refer to it throughout the writing of your own CV for best results.

 

 

Barrister CV format and structure

Hiring managers and recruiters are frequently overloaded with applications, and if they can’t identify the relevant information in your CV within a few seconds, your application may be overlooked.

To avoid this, it’s essential to format and structure your CV in a manner that makes it simple to pick out the most important information, even if the reader is in a rush.

 

 

Tips for formatting your Barrister CV

• Length: Your CV should always be limited to two sides of A4, regardless of whether you have a year or three decades of experience. With recruiters juggling multiple responsibilities, they don’t have time to sift through lengthy applications.

• Readability: To help recruiters quickly skim through your CV, it’s important to format your section headings with bold or a different colour font and break up lengthy paragraphs into short sharp bullet points. This enables them to easily identify important information and assess your suitability.

• Design & format: When it comes to CV design, it’s best to keep things simple and sleek. While elaborate designs certainly command attention, it’s not always for the right reasons! Readability is key, so whatever you choose to do, make sure you prioritise readability above everything.

• Photos: Headshot photos aren’t required in a CV by most employers, but some creative and artistic industries like to see them. If you decide to include one, make sure you look smart and professional in the picture.

 

Quick tip: Creating a professional CV style can be difficult and time-consuming when using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. To create a winning CV quickly, try our quick-and-easy CV Builder and use one of their eye-catching professional CV templates.

 

 

CV templates 

 

CV structure

When writing your CV, break up the content into the following key sections, to ensure it can be easily digested by busy recruiters and hiring managers:

• Contact details – Always list these at the very top of your CV – you don’t want them to be missed!

• Profile – An introductory paragraph, intended to grab recruiters attention and summarise your offering.

• Work experience / career history – Working from your current role and working backwards, list your relevant work experience.

• Education – Create a snappy summary of your education and qualifications.

• Interest and hobbies – An optional section to document any hobbies that demonstrate transferable skills.

Now you understand the basic layout of a CV, here’s what you should include in each section of yours.

 

Contact Details

 

Make it easy for recruiters to get in touch, by heading your CV with your contact details.

There’s no need for excessive details – just list the basics:

• Mobile number
• Email address – Use a professional address with no nicknames.
• Location – Just write your general location, such as ‘London’ or ‘Cardiff’ – there’s no need to put your full address.
• LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL

 

Barrister CV Profile

Your CV profile (or personal statement, if you’re an entry-level applicant) provides a brief overview of your skills, abilities and suitability for a position.

It’s ideal for busy recruiters and hiring managers, who don’t want to waste time reading unsuitable applications.

Think of it as your personal sales pitch. You’ve got just a few lines to sell yourself and prove you’re a great match for the job – make it count!

 

 

How to write a good CV profile:

• Make it short and sharp: Recruiters have piles of CVs to read through and limited time to dedicate to each, so it pays to showcase your abilities in as few words as possible. 3-4 lines is ideal.

• Tailor it: Not tailoring your profile (and the rest of your CV) to the role you’re applying for, is the worst CV mistake you could make. Before setting pen to paper, look over the job ad and make a note of the skills and experience required. Then, incorporate your findings throughout.

• Don’t add an objective: You only have a small space for your CV profile, so avoid writing down your career goals or objectives. If you think these will help your application, incorporate them into your cover letter instead.

• Avoid generic phrases: Clichés like “blue-sky thinker with a go-getter attitude” might sound impressive to you, but they don’t actually tell the recruiter much about you. Concentrate on highlighting hard facts and skills, as recruiters are more likely to take these on board.

 

Example CV profile for Barrister

 

What to include in your Barrister CV profile?

• Experience overview: Recruiters will want to know what type of companies you’ve worked for, industries you have knowledge of, and the type of work you’ve carried out in the past, so give them a summary of this in your profile.

• Targeted skills: Employers need to know what skills you can bring to their organisation, and ideally they want to see skills that match their job vacancy. So, research your target roles thoroughly and add the most important Barrister skills to your profile.

• Important qualifications: If the job postings require specific qualifications, it is essential to incorporate them in your profile to ensure visibility to hiring managers.

 

Quick tip: If you are finding it difficult to write an attention-grabbing CV profile, choose from hundreds of pre-written profiles across all industries, and add one to your CV with one click in our quick-and-easy CV Builder. All profiles are written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset.

 

Core skills section

Underneath your profile, write a core skills section to make your most relevant skills jump off the page at readers.

It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points of your relevant skills.

Before you do this, look over the job description and make a list of any specific skills, specialisms or knowledge required.

Then, make sure to use your findings in your list. This will paint you as the perfect match for the role.

 

 

Important skills for your Barrister CV

 

Quick tip: Our quick-and-easy CV Builder has thousands of in-demand skills for all industries and professions, that can be added to your CV in seconds – This will save you time and ensure you get noticed by recruiters.

 

 

Work experience

By now, you’ll have hooked the reader’s attention and need to show them how you apply your skills and knowledge in the workplace, to benefit your employers.

So, starting with your most recent role and working backwards to your older roles, create a thorough summary of your career history to date.

If you’ve held several roles and are struggling for space, cut down the descriptions for your oldest jobs.

 

 

Structuring each job

The structure of your work experience section can seriously affect its impact.

This is generally the biggest section of a CV, and with no thought to structure, it can look bulky and important information can get lost.

Use my 3-step structure below to allow for easy navigation, so employers can find what they are looking for:

 

 

Outline

Start with a solid introduction to your role as a whole, in order to build some context.

Explain the nature of the organisation you worked for, the size of the team you were part of, who you reported to and what the overarching purpose of your job was.

 

Key responsibilities

Using easy-to-read bullet points, note down your day-to-day responsibilities in the role.

Make sure to showcase how you used your hard sector skills and knowledge.

 

Key achievements

Lastly, add impact by highlight 1-3 key achievements that you made within the role.

Struggling to think of an achievement? If it had a positive impact on your company, it counts.

For example, you might increased company profits, improved processes, or something simpler, such as going above and beyond to solve a customer’s problem.

 

Sample job description for Barrister CV

 

Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our quick-and-easy CV Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.

 

CV templates 

 

Education section

At the bottom of your CV is your full education section. You can list your formal academic qualifications, such as:

• Degree
• GCSE’s
• A levels

As well as any specific Barrister qualifications that are essential to the jobs you are applying for.
Note down the name of the qualification, the organisation at which you studied, and the date of completion.

 

Hobbies and interests

Although this is an optional section, it can be useful if your hobbies and interests will add further depth to your CV.

Interests which are related to the sector you are applying to, or which show transferable skills like leadership or teamwork, can worth listing.

On the other hand, generic hobbies like “going out with friends” won’t add any value to your application, so are best left off your CV.

 

 

When putting together your Barrister CV, there are a few key points to remember.

Always tailor your CV to the target role, even if it means creating several versions for different roles.

Additionally, remember that the structure and format of your CV needs just as much attention as the content.

Good luck with your job search!