Paralegal resume: the keywords, bullets and skills to prove.
Built from what the job actually involves: the core duties, the skills and tools rated most important, and bullet formulas you fill with your own numbers. No made-up example person.
[Your name]
Experience
[Employer] · Paralegal · [dates]- Prepared affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence for [scale: how many, how often]; [result you can prove].
- Prepared, edited, or reviewed legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements for [scale: how many, how often]; [result you can prove].
- Investigated facts and law of cases for [scale: how many, how often]; [result you can prove].
Skills
Thomson Reuters Westlaw, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft WordA strong Paralegal resume proves the core duties of the job with results: prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits; meet with clients and other professionals to discuss details of cases; and prepare affidavits or other documents. Name the tools employers look for, such as Thomson Reuters Westlaw, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, inside the bullets where you used them. The skills rated most important for the role are writing, reading comprehension and active listening (O*NET).
Why these lines work
Data Each line maps to a core task rated important by workers in the role. Hover or tap a note.
- 1Core duty, provenPrepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence…Rated one of the most important tasks for the role (O*NET). The bracketed parts are where your own numbers go.
- 2Core duty, provenPrepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation…Rated one of the most important tasks for the role (O*NET). The bracketed parts are where your own numbers go.
- 3Core duty, provenInvestigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such…Rated one of the most important tasks for the role (O*NET). The bracketed parts are where your own numbers go.
- Summary
- Experience
- Skills
- Education
- Licenses and certifications
Experience leads because the role is Job Zone 3: employers expect proof of prior work.
Paralegal bullets, rewritten
- PrepareResponsible for prepare affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, and…Prepared affidavits or other documents, such as legal correspondence, [how many / how often], which [result: time saved, errors cut, revenue, people served].
- Prepare,Responsible for prepare, edit, or review legal documents, including legislation, briefs…Prepared, edited, or reviewed legal documents, including legislation, briefs, pleadings, appeals, wills, contracts, and real estate closing statements, [how many / how often], which [result: time saved, errors cut, revenue, people served].
- InvestigateResponsible for investigate facts and law of cases and search pertinent sources, such as public…Investigated facts and law of cases, [how many / how often], which [result: time saved, errors cut, revenue, people served].
- PrepareResponsible for prepare for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibitsPrepared for trial by performing tasks such as organizing exhibits, [how many / how often], which [result: time saved, errors cut, revenue, people served].
Advice Fill every highlighted bracket with something true and checkable. If you can't, choose a different duty.
Words that belong on a Paralegal resume
Data Tools reported for the role (with O*NET demand flags), the most important skills and knowledge areas. Use the ones that are true for you.
- Thomson Reuters WestlawTool · In demand
- Microsoft ExcelTool · In demand
- Microsoft Office softwareTool · In demand
- Microsoft OutlookTool · In demand
- Microsoft PowerPointTool · In demand
- Microsoft WordTool · In demand
- Orion Law Management Systems OrionTool · In demand
- Adobe AcrobatTool · Hot technology
- Google DocsTool · Hot technology
- Google Workspace softwareTool · Hot technology
- WritingSkill · importance 4.0/5
- Reading ComprehensionSkill · importance 3.9/5
- Active ListeningSkill · importance 3.9/5
- SpeakingSkill · importance 3.6/5
- Critical ThinkingSkill · importance 3.2/5
- Social PerceptivenessSkill · importance 3.0/5
- Law and GovernmentKnowledge
- English LanguageKnowledge
- AdministrativeKnowledge
- Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge
- Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge
How central each skill is to the job
Data O*NET importance, 1 to 5.
Paralegal resume checklist
Common questions
What skills should I put on a Paralegal resume?
What keywords should a Paralegal resume include?
Should I use a resume template?
How this page is built
Duties, skills, knowledge and tools come from O*NET 31.0 for the occupation. Bullet scaffolds rewrite O*NET task statements in the past tense and leave every number for you to fill in. Section order follows the role's O*NET Job Zone.
- What a specific employer screens for: always mirror the job description.
- Your results: we never invent numbers.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
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