Join Blakes - Résumé Preparation

Preparation is vital when building a rÉsumÉ

Things to consider that will help you prepare a strong résumé include a recent assessment of skills, interests, values, accomplishments, as well as your unique personality.

If you take the time when building your résumé, the process will be a great way to take stock of your skill set and prepare for an interview!

By taking an inventory of your skills, you will be in a better position to determine what information is most appropriate. Also, defining how you would like employers to perceive you will give you a basis on which to identify skills and experience that best highlight your background.

TESTIMONIALS


	"Blakes provides its students with the resources, opportunities and guidance needed to become great lawyers. The amazing formal and informal mentorship programs and professional development sessions create an incredibly supportive environment where questions are both welcomed and encouraged. The large student group at Blakes fosters an experience that fun, dynamic and rewarding. My peers are not only my colleagues, but also my friends."


Hilary Crangle, 2009/2010 Toronto Articling Student


	"What makes Blakes a truly special place to work is the shared sense of camaraderie and a culture of congeniality."


Arash Amouzgar, 2009/2010 Toronto Articling Student


	"I am thoroughly impressed not only by the amount of sophisticated work I have received as both a summer and articling student, but also by the instrumental role that junior and senior lawyers have played in enabling me to successfully complete that work. The culture of mentorship at Blakes, which extends far beyond the firm's formal mentorship programs, empowers you to migrate to a place outside your comfort zone and to excel once you are there."


Zahra Ziaie Moayyed, 2009/2010 Toronto Articling Student


	"As part of Blakes secondment program, I was offered an invaluable opportunity to learn about the banking industry through my secondment with the Legal Department at CIBC."


Shafaq Ahmad, 2009/2010 Toronto Articling Student


	“After my summer at Blakes, I was surprised to discover that it is not the nature or importance of work that makes a firm great; it is the people and the culture. While I can assure you that I received challenging and compelling work, the difference at Blakes is that a high quality of work is coupled with a supportive and fun culture that encourages learning and is committed to cultivating great lawyers. It is truly the people, both lawyers and staff, that makes Blakes stand out above the rest.”


Shaun Parker, 2010, Second-Year Summer Student, University of Alberta


	"From go-karting to legal research to golf tournaments to topical professional forums, Blakes really offers the full-meal-deal of summer experiences. Most of all, friendly and approachable partners, patient assistants, and fun-loving associates make Blakes a fast-paced and fun place to spend one's summer!"


Heather Richardson, 2010, Second-Year Summer Student, University of Calgary


	“My summer at Blakes was an incredible experience from start to finish. The Lawyers and support staff are very friendly and approachable, which made it easy to seek out the type of work I was most interested in. The mentorship program was a fantastic resource; my mentor always made time for me and provided insightful answers to my many questions. I really enjoyed the social events throughout the summer, as they provided an excellent opportunity to get to know members of the firm in a less formal setting. Although Stampede Roundup was a memorable experience and is deserving of an honourable mention, the highlight of my summer was meeting all of the great people at Blakes, especially the other summer students. Throughout the course of the summer our student group became a very tight-knit team. This allowed us to support one another at the office but more importantly, provided the framework for amazing friendships I will have for years to come.”


Marcus Ostrowerka, 2010, First-Year Summer Student, University of Alberta


	"What struck me most about my experience as a summer student at Blakes was the way that we summer students were immediately accepted as members of the team. Support staff, partners, associates, and articling students all went out of their way to ensure the summer students felt welcome - and their doors were always open if any of us needed help or advice. As a first-year summer student, I was so grateful for the level of support and encouragement I felt while working on projects that involved an area of law I had yet to learn about in school."


Melissa Jakobfi, First-Year Summer Student, University of Alberta


	“Through an excellent mentorship program and the opportunity for top-tier work, Blakes takes a keen interest in fostering the talents of its students by providing a comprehensive and enriching experience. The people at Blakes are not only legal leaders - they are also business leaders who understand how to build success through teamwork and strong relationships. In this context students are able to learn under the country’s top legal practitioners in a collegial environment that values excellence and integrity.”


Alqaim Giga, First-Year Summer Student, University of Calgary.


	"At Blakes you work as an integral part of the team on interesting and complex files. The experience you gain and the mentorship you receive allows you to take on increasing amounts of responsibility as your articles progress"


Josh Brubacher, 2009/2010 Vancouver Articled Student


	"I believe Blakes Vancouver has three great assets that are a tremendous benefit for articling students. First, the people are incredibly friendly and willing to take time to talk about any questions you may have about the law or practice. Second, the files you receive are extremely interesting and challenging. Third, the structure of the articling program enables you to chart the course that most suits your interest and future goals"


Andrew Crabtree, 2009/2010 Vancouver Articled Student


	"The breadth and diversity of avenues in which articling students can participate at Blakes build robust foundations for rewarding legal careers"


Emily Yuen, 2009/2010 Vancouver Articled Student


	"During my articling at Blakes, I immediately became involved in important files with the opportunity to work with lawyers recognized as experts in their areas of practice. Blakes lawyers make great efforts to ensure that articling students are exposed to all areas of practice and, especially, to the files each articling student is particularly interested in. In short, articling students are treated as lawyers and trained to be the best at what they do. "


Simon Jun Seida, 2010, McGill University


	"At Blakes, I benefitted from an articling experience that prepared me for the challenges of legal practice among lawyers who genuinely cared about and invested in my professional development. I received interesting and challenging mandates, was often given important roles in the files I was assigned to, and had front line access to clients. My experience was, in a word, invaluable. "


Joanna Myszka, 2010, McGill University


	"I chose Blakes because I clicked with the people from the firm that I met during the course au stage, from stagiaires to senior partners . In addition to being a top-tier firm with great files, I knew that I would enjoy working with the Blakes team. This year's applicants should choose Blakes for its stimulating and supportive environment. With opportunities to work with experienced lawyers on interesting files from the first day on the job, it is an excellent place for professional growth".


Aryana Rousseau, 2010, McGill University


	"I chose Blakes because it is one of the very few law firms that offers the best of both worlds, the advantage of working on challenging and interesting mandates accessible to large national firms combined with the benefits of working in an office whose size allows for personal interaction with most lawyers."


Claudia Leancu, 2010, University of Montreal

Analyze the Organization to which you are applying

The first step in creating your application package is to consider what qualities you possess that the firm you are applying to will be interested in.

Review the firm's website and/or any literature they produce.

Talk to students and others who have interviewed or worked at the firm.

Review any materials written about the firm by outside sources (e.g., newspapers, Lexpert).

The following are attributes we look for in candidates:

Strong analytical skills, intelligence
Problem-solving abilities
Attention to detail
Ability to make good judgments
Time-management skills
Strong work ethic
Leadership qualities
Team player
High energy, positive attitude
Awareness
Flexibility
Integrity

Analyze Yourself

Analyze yourself in order to develop the content of your application package.

Consider what your strengths are by asking yourself a series of questions:

What makes you an interesting person? Highlight a career/association/activity that makes you stand out.
Are there any work experiences that reflect what is interesting about you?
Are you involved in any organizations or groups inside or outside law school that are particularly interesting?
Have you any unusual hobbies or interests?
What objective information about your educational training makes you an attractive candidate to the potential employer?

Consider whether any of the areas in which you have studied before attending law school may link into or apply to an area or areas of law:

What have your academic achievements been before and at law school?
What measures do you have of those achievements? (e.g., grades, academic awards)
Have any of the programs you were enrolled in been particularly demanding? (For instance, if you completed a degree at an accelerated rate or combined completing a degree with a serious work, family or other commitment.)

Consider what experiences you have that show you have leadership qualities:

Have you ever taken a key role in organizing a group of people in a workplace, school or other environment?
What experiences do you have that show you work well with other people?
Have you joined a group and worked with others to accomplish a task?

Consider what experience you have that shows you have a strong work ethic.

Consider whether your education, work or volunteer involvement demonstrates dedication to accomplishing something.

Consider what your weaknesses are:

Can a weak academic performance in law school be explained by a third party? (For instance, if you misread the exam instructions and a professor can confirm that.) If some personal circumstance interfered with your academic performance, you may consider getting a letter from someone who has knowledge of this.
If you don't have extensive work experience, don't be overly concerned. Focus on highlighting other activities such as extracurricular activities.

You should strive to be realistic about your opportunities and focus on student positions that you can realistically achieve. Consult the career development officer or other professionals at your school to help assess this.

Draft Your RÉsumÉ

Your résumé should cover the following topics:

Education
Academic Awards
Publications
Work Experience
Volunteer/Extracurricular Experience
Interests

It is a good idea to organize your résumé under similar headings. The order of the headings will depend on your evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses.

Pay attention to chronology. An interviewer generally wants to determine from your résumé what you have been doing over the last several years. Explain gaps.

Make your résumé factual – use action verbs to explain what you have done. This is particularly important when explaining work experience and volunteer/extracurricular experiences. For instance:

"work experience - supervised team of 12 sales associates"
vs.
"work experience - management skills used"

Consider what you are trying to convey about yourself when determining what work or other experience to describe. Focus on important information that demonstrates your strengths.

Keep your résumé concise so that it captures the pertinent information. Generally speaking, good résumés from law students who do not have extensive work histories or publication records are about two pages long. You do not need to produce a one-page résumé. If you have extensive work experience or publications, it is appropriate to have a longer résumé. Again, you have to focus on your strengths.

Review your résumé for typos. You are providing the law firm with a writing sample and mistakes will certainly be noticed.

Assemble Supporting Documentation

Academic Performance:

Make sure you include all your post-secondary academic transcripts in your application.
Make sure your academic transcripts are organized in a logical fashion. Make sure they are easy to read.
If you have attended an educational program outside Canada, you may want to include a guide to the grading scheme so that it is comprehensible to the individual reviewing your application.

References:

Many firms, including Blakes, do not require references or reference letters.
You may choose to include a reference letter where the letter highlights a strength or explains a weakness in your application.
If you have a reference letter, read it over to determine whether it is helpful. Some reference letters are not helpful where they are written in a manner that indicates the writer was not enthusiastic about a candidate. As well, a reference from a professor who writes reference letters for many students does not help in distinguishing you from other candidates.

Draft Your Cover Letter

Make sure it is addressed to the right firm and the right individual at the firm. BEWARE of mail merge and cutting and pasting!

Be concise. A cover letter should not generally be longer than one page.

Tone is very important. Avoid the following:

Arrogance: "I have always excelled in my academic studies as is evident from receiving...." [This should be evident from your résumé.]
Conclusions: "I have excellent interpersonal skills and am known for my ability to make people laugh." [You may think so, but do others?]
Being "cute": Do not differentiate yourself by coming up with a "gimmick." For instance, a cover letter in the form of a factum is not persuasive.
Too much flattery about the firm: "Your firm is so wonderful … I would be honoured to work there...." [No one will believe you even if you are sincere.]

Aim for a professional tone. Do:

Outline what you are applying for.
Indicate what areas of law you think you may be interested in as this helps the firm set up your interview.
Emphasize strengths of your application, particularly if some aspects of your background need further explanation than your résumé provides. For instance, if you have maintained a significant work commitment while at law school, it may be easier to address this in a cover letter rather than in a résumé. It also can be used to explain "gaps" in your résumé that have occurred for personal reasons.
You can include your reasons for applying to the firm.
Consider how your cover letter relates to your résumé and transcripts. All these things are pieces of your application. They should complement one another.