If you’re a recently graduated paralegal and have earned your certificate, diploma, and/or degree, you might be wondering what skills you can develop in order to become a more desirable hire to firms and recruiters. First, learn more about legal recruiters and what they’re looking for by researching online about the tools they use to scout out talent. Many of them look at sites like LinkedIn, Monster, or Indeed when headhunting, so it’s important to make sure your profile page and resume display a desirable amount of skills. Here are 5 key qualities of a paralegal that they’ll be keeping an eye out for when checking out your profile page.
1. Effective Communication Skills
A paralegal needs to have both exceptional verbal and written communication skills. This is because paralegals function primarily as a liaison between the lawyer they work for and a number of other relevant parties. In any given day they may have to interview clients, take a witness statement, schedule meetings, reach out to experts, communicate with opposing counsel, or discuss cases with their peers and superiors.
They might communicate over the phone, in person, by email, or in the form of a formal written letter. In every instance, a paralegal needs to be able to effectively and clearly share information, all while maintaining a professional tone.
2. Detail-Oriented
A part of a paralegal’s job is taking in and sorting through a large amount of information on a daily basis. Whether reading or listening, they need to be able to mentally note and remember important information that can be relevant to a case they’re working on. This is also useful for researching and investigating, as well as for preparing documentation that requires a lot of detailed information.
3. Highly Organized
With so much documentation and data coming your way, it’s a paralegal’s job to keep things organized for the lawyer they work for. Someone who has organizational skills will be able to keep track of, and store everything using a comprehensive system that often relies on the use of technology.
4. Technologically Savvy
Pretty much every job nowadays requires the ability to use computer technology without issue, and if you want to be on top of your game you should familiarize yourself with the software that a paralegal will generally need to use. At the most basic level, you should be comfortable with Microsoft Office Suite which is a standard in most offices.
5. Calm Under Pressure
A paralegal’s job is incredibly demanding and things often change on the fly. One minute you’re calling an expert to get advice and the next your lawyer is asking you to research a case. That’s why it’s important that a paralegal is level-headed, adaptable, flexible, and able to keep cool even when the pressure is on. Recruiters will also often look for examples of when and how you handled a stressful situation, so don’t be afraid to include that on your resume.
With these essential skills, you should be well on your way to getting noticed by a legal recruiter.
