Contract Drafting Legal Specialist Resume Example + 5 FAQs

You take pride in understanding contracts and legal terminology that baffles others and making sense of even the most complex legal agreements. When it comes to applying that ability to your resume, though, it may be harder to make sense of your history in a way that gets results from job applications. Tighten up your job search and negotiate your career in no uncertain terms by applying the principles demonstrated in our contract drafting legal specialist resume sample. Using a sample resume can spark ideas and help you contextualize your own experience in a way that abstract explanations often can’t, allowing you to see a professional just like you putting these methods into practice. Still stumped? Use our resume builder for a step-by-step walkthrough.

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Raj Marley

123 Fake Street | City, State, Zip Code
Cell: 000-000-0000
email@email.com

Professional Summary

Solution-centered Contract Drafting Legal Specialist with a proven talent for drafting contracts and agreements according to the specification of all involved parties. Especially adept at maintaining relevant documentation, thoroughly researching contract terminology and preparing final drafts according to negotiated specifications. Focus on effectively drafting legal contracts with great accuracy and attention to detail.

Core Qualifications

Contract terminology
Legal terminology
Novatus contract software
Editing and proofreading
Document storage and retrieval
Database management

Experience

Contract Drafting Legal Specialist, September 2014 – Present
Company Name, City, State

Monitor existing contract negotiations.
Prepare initial contract draft based on input from all involved parties.
Modify contracts for renewal or extension.

Contract Drafting Legal Specialist, June 2008 – January 2011
Company Name, City, State

Made recommendations for wording to be used in contracts.
Prepared clean versions of heavily edited or altered contracts.
Ensured that completed contracts were properly edited and proofread.

Education

2009 Associate’s Degree, Business Administration
University of California, City, State
2007 Bachelor of Science, Legal Studies
University of California, City, State

Why Is This a Good Contract Drafting Legal Specialist Resume Sample?

The best resumes begin with a compelling opening summary, and our contract drafting legal specialist resume sample doesn’t disappoint. The opening summary is like an introductory handshake, and just like a professional handshake it should be firm and friendly without being overly familiar. This summary should cover who you are, what you do, and how you do it in no more than three sentences that make effective use of impactful language without going overboard into gaudy, showy proclamations. Speak with confidence, and make it clear you know your capabilities and how they can benefit a hiring organization.

To support your opening summary, you need a list of common skills employers seek. Employers usually check for these skills first and can also use automated text screening applications to narrow down candidate pools based on match percentage. Your resume should always include keywords such as contract terminology, legal terminology, contract software, editing, document storage, and others found in our contract drafting legal specialist resume sample. Although you should keep the list short, you can also integrate terms into the opening summary and experience, such as the mention of research in our sample’s summary or contract modification in the work experience.

Speaking of work experience, your employment history section is where the real meat of your resume belongs. Although the example listings in our contract drafting legal specialist resume sample are brief, ideally your job listings should consist of five to six bullets that begin with strong action verbs and continue to describe the impact of your contributions in tightly crafted language. Keep your attention primarily on the last 10 to 15 years of experience, and condense anything else to keep your resume on one page. Take this section as an opportunity to prove that you can provide valuable contributions by focusing on accomplishments and the results of your involvement.

Why You Need a Strong Contract Drafting Legal Specialist Resume

In the current job market, competition for any position can be stiff. You’ve got to pass numerous gatekeepers before a decision-maker actually looks at your resume, which means your document needs to impress on multiple levels. A weak resume may fail out in the initial screening process, whether it runs afoul of automated matching algorithms or a duly unimpressed secretary or HR assistant who has a thousand more resumes to get through by close of business. A strong resume needs to tell employers you’re worth a second glance and more than qualified for the position you’re applying for.

Our contract drafting legal specialist resume sample provides an example of the type of resume that catches employer attention and sets you apart from the masses. It’s simple without being dumbed down, with the information hiring managers and recruiters want presented up front and in an attention-getting way.

Costly Contract Drafting Legal Specialist Resume Mistakes To Avoid

Although you excel at understanding complex legal terms, that doesn’t mean you need to litter your resume with them. If you bury your document in legal jargon, you may lose the actual impact of the things you’ve accomplished. Focus less on the lingo and more on yourself and how your actions created positive outcomes. Those outcomes should be front and center in your resume, not the language describing them. If you look at our contract drafting legal specialist resume sample, you’ll see how the jobseeker focused more on the actions taken than the legal terms.

Don’t go over one page in your resume. A page is all hiring managers usually have time to scan before they’re moving on, and anything else will likely be ignored. Restricting your resume to one page forces you to focus on what really matters, keeping your resume lean and tight. If you have older experience that won’t fit on a single page, condense it to a career note with brief sum-ups.

Conclusion

Make a complex process simple by using the example in our contract drafting legal specialist resume sample to refine your resume to perfection. Just as an ironclad contract protects everyone involved, an ironclad resume protects you from the flaws and follies of a poorly executed job search. Get started revising your resume and transforming it into a career-building powerhouse.