u/AbbreviationsTop2192

I have an upcoming interview with an English county council for a Paralegal role in the Child Litigation team, and I’d greatly appreciate any advice on what to focus most on/how I might ace it.

The essential criteria focus on strong oral and written communication, working with a range of professionals, working under pressure, and organising/prioritising a busy workload.

I’m preparing examples for those skills, and revising the wider context: s.31 threshold, PLO/pre-proceedings, care and supervision orders, SGOs, placement/adoption work, bundles, evidence management and court deadlines.

I’m also planning to show awareness of local government pressures, including financial constraints, and rising demand in children’s services/SEND in the context of efficiency.

Thanks in advance.

Okay so much of my time has been spent applying to jobs. But I’ve hit a patch where there’s no jobs to apply for and no interviews to prepare for. So I’ve got way too much time on my hands (which I’m absolutely not used to). Any ideas what I should be doing to pass the time?

(Apologies for ranting)

For starters they’re up my ass like “why you not got a job yet” knowing full well it was them who failed to prepare us for recruitment.

Like “have you tried the STAR method?” Of course I’ve fucking tried the STAR method.

They literally have no clue. It’s like their advice is stuck in 2008 all confused why I can’t land a job with “my credentials.” As if I’m gonna swoop in with my first class degree, no questions asked.

Like why are recruiters judging candidates so badly. They see CV presentation or a well structured interview answer as more important than actual substance. Like yeah I’m qualified but because I don’t fit neatly into their arbitrary robotic boxes, or wasn’t able to mind read the exact points they wanted me to make, I’m somehow seen as completely hopeless.

Like, hello, doesn’t that fly in the face of the Dunning-Kruger effect: people confident in their abilities preform badly while people not so confident in their abilities tend to preform better. The result being a workforce of people capable of polished answers with limited actual skills hiring people with polished answers with limited actual skills. Such that companies are inhabited by entirely hopeless employees who destroy business from the ground up.

Anyways, how’s your day?

Thank you to everyone who has advised me on my CV thus far; your advice has been genuinely helpful. I'm posting my new (and, hopefully, improved) CV to gain further feedback. I'd also be grateful to receive feedback on how competitive my experience is for legal assistant/paralegal roles. Thank you in advance.

Some context

• No profile job title: recruiters already know the role from the application.
• Care/SEND lived experience: An increasingly sought after USP in this field of work (often seen as a professional asset). Would appreciate feedback on whether I have framed this well?
• No skills section: bullet points signpost skills --> proximity between skills/evidence. Skills section are just empty words.
• Quantification: all bullet points that can be quantified are, the rest are qualitative outcomes that cannot be honestly quantified.
• Emphasis: Dotted underline for skills --> bold/underline is too visually heavy. Quantification in italics --> draws attention without visual heaviness.
• Other Experience: Hospitality experience --> shows work ethic. Would appreciate feedback on its relevance.

https://preview.redd.it/phnejr35ap1h1.png?width=1172&format=png&auto=webp&s=c34d2e034f0e5de2b36174bf24f5c2cb5b49ae06

https://preview.redd.it/w9nffg19ap1h1.png?width=1156&format=png&auto=webp&s=3302de9b47047af4b45222d3ffc874af8c632523

Hi everyone,

I’d be really grateful for constructive feedback on my CV. I’m mainly targeting children’s services paralegal/legal assistant roles, particularly in local authority, public law, SEND/social care, or safeguarding-related work. Alternatively I am considering entering the world of SEND consultancy.

A few choices I’ve made:

Skills section: I have not included a standalone skills section. Instead, I’ve put key skills at the start of each bullet point so they are immediately linked to evidence. My understanding is that this should still be ATS-friendly if the wording reflects relevant keywords.

Density: I know the CV is fairly dense in places. This is deliberate, as I’ve tried to prioritise relevant, evidence-led achievements over generic statements. I’m concerned that cutting it further may remove useful evidence rather than improve it.

Care experience: I am care-experienced, and much of my experience connects to children’s services, SEND, safeguarding, information rights, and statutory representations. I see this as a potential USP, but only if framed professionally and linked to evidence, legal process, and service improvement.

Other experience: I have kept my hospitality experience because I think it shows reliability, work ethic, client-facing experience, and the ability to work under pressure.

I’d particularly appreciate views on three concerns:

1. Could my care experience be misread as making me too emotionally attached to the work, rather than professionally motivated?
2. Could experience challenging local authority decisions be seen as being “on the other side” or having conflicting motives?
3. Is there any realistic risk of being seen as overqualified for junior paralegal/legal assistant roles?

I’d be grateful for feedback on:

• overall first impression;
• strengths and weaknesses;
• anything unclear;
• whether the care-experience angle is framed appropriately;
• whether the CV feels suitable for children’s services/local authority paralegal roles.

If comfortable, please mention whether your perspective is from legal recruitment, local authority work, paralegal/legal assistant work, legal practice, CV/recruitment advice, or applying in a similar field.

Thank you

https://preview.redd.it/umknlaykpb1h1.png?width=1170&format=png&auto=webp&s=7c921456916f2b86b61b633ffbb90da7f16a3e95

https://preview.redd.it/01m7vifgpb1h1.png?width=1176&format=png&auto=webp&s=91c6f40e7f5c52604c74fd28f365fe2a682ffc83