The Professional Readiness Series is designed to offer insights for building skills and pursuing experiences for success in the professional world. Because it can be challenging to know where to begin, how to search, what to prioritize, and which opportunities to pursue – this series will help guide students through creating connections, recognizing the value of diverse experiences, and exploring a wide range of internships and professional roles.
One of the challenges many students face, especially those intending to continue their education in law school, is knowing what to include on their resumes or feeling that they lack experiences that add meaningful value to their candidacy if they are different than traditional internships. Is it beneficial to include a childcare job from high school and school breaks? Do I seem less professional if I include my job as a server at the restaurant in my hometown? Do I have good experiences if I have more part-time work from the school year, than internships? Questions and insecurities like these are common because it can be hard to know what employers or law admissions professionals will view as valuable or relevant.
All positions and opportunities require distinct qualities, experience or knowledge to be a qualified candidate. However, it is a very common misconception that resumes need to be narrowly tailored to fit each opportunity or that there are only a small set of experiences from which you can gain certain qualifications. A resume does not need to be so narrow that it paints an incomplete picture of who you are as an applicant, particularly as a future law applicant. As you grow as a professional and seek more distinct opportunities professionally – your resume will need to be more specifically tailored and curated. As an undergraduate student or law applicant, non-law work experiences, off-campus and part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, leadership, extracurricular activities, and more can all contribute value on your resume!
What is important to know is that many different types of experiences have the potential to add value to your candidacy for law admissions, jobs/internships, scholarships and beyond. A wide and dynamic set of skills is required to be successful in law and in almost every professional setting. Skills can be, and are, acquired from a wide-ranging set of experiences and opportunities. Seeing the value in different types of experiences and finding ways to highlight them, is an important way to maximize your candidacy for any future opportunity.
Let us analyze an example
A is applying for an internship with a local law firm. They are an Economics major, with a 3.9 GPA, an officer of a pre-law organization, and a member of the dance team. Last summer they had a research internship related to the Economics major and they are also a part-time server at Olive Garden during the academic year which they have done the past two years.
When crafting their resume, they might want to only include their membership in a pre-law organization and prior internship experience because it is seemingly the most relevant. However, including that they are a server during the academic year may actually help demonstrates several important qualities, including a strong work ethic, the ability to manage competing obligations with success (high academic performance, leadership roles, extracurricular), and commitment (has been working at the same location for two years). Successful servers generally have to be strong communicators, have good interpersonal skills, pay close attention to details, anticipate needs, work in teams, manage competing and high demand situations, and have an outward focused mentality about their work - all exceptionally valuable qualities in the professional work environment. Additionally, if A includes that they are on the dance team, it shows that they are a well-rounded person who is passionate about their interests. If A gets an interview for the position, the hiring partner could associate the server position with hard work, good communication skills, and commitment, qualities they found lacking in other candidates. The partner may have also been a member of the dance team and value the teamwork, dedication and creativity that they associate with that activity!
To summarize: including seemingly "non-relevant" experiences may be the thing that makes you stand out, highlights important skills and attributes to your future employer, and provides helpful insights about valuable qualities!
Choosing what to include depends on the person. It is always a good idea to consult with an advisor about your resume before sending it in for consideration for an opportunity. For law-related jobs and internships or law school admissions, make an appointment with a pre-law advisor here!
Not sure what to include? Keep reading to hear from current students!
Hibba Hoda
Class of 2026, Industrial Organizational Psychology
Pre-Law Advisory Council At-Large Representative
Ashley Winters
Northern Illinois University College of Law, Class of 2026
Pre-Law Advisory Council Alumni Representative
Lev Linderman
Class of 2029, Biology
Pre-Law Advisory Council Class of 2029 Representative
What type of opportunities for growth have you experienced that were not specifically related to academic or professional internships?
Hibba – “For part-time jobs, I’ve been a tutor for America Reads/America Counts and later became an HR Undergraduate Coordinator for America Reads/America Counts. Other opportunities include being a volunteer at the food pantry, EJP Intern (Advisory Council and College-In-Prison Intern), MSA Spring Camp Head, STO IMPACT Event Coordinator and later became Co-Director, Illini Thaakat Outreach Chair. My hobbies that led to growth include running, playing Intramural basketball, volleyball, and soccer, and reading.”
Ashley – “Aside from my academic worth, I have grown a lot as a person through my experience working on political campaigns.”
Lev – “I have held different types of coaching jobs for children’s sports. More specifically, I worked at a country club as a basketball instructor. A big job I have had on campus is that I am the Philanthropy and Civic Engagement Chair for my social fraternity. With that job, I manage a budget, a committee, and plan events to raise money for various organizations. I also organize volunteer opportunities in the areas surrounding our UIUC campus.”
What value did you gain from these experiences?
Hibba – “These experiences taught me a lot, such as soft skills, resilience, emotional intelligence, problem solving abilities in the real world that a textbook cannot always teach. It also allowed me to foster leadership abilities, teamwork, self-awareness, and collaboration with my peers. I also gained a support system outside of my academics and social groups/organizations.”
Ashley – “Through these experiences, I was able to grow in several ways. First, I was able to improve my communication skills. Whether it was talking to voters or coordinating with local campaigns, I was also put in a situation that required me to be a strong communicator. Additionally, I was taught the importance of listening to diverse points of view. It is important to recognize that you can learn a great deal from other people. Everybody has different lived experiences…take the time to learn from others.”
Lev – “From these experiences, I have dealt with many different kinds of people of all different ages. That is definitely a good experience to have for when you get out into the real world, whether it is in your workplace or even just at the grocery store. I have also gained plenty of leadership experience, and I think that it is a great thing to have since it always looks good for people to know that you can take charge of a group of people when necessary.”
Why do you think it is important for students to gain experience not related to academics?
Hibba – “It is extremely important to gain experience not related to academics because it exposes you to situations, environments, and allows you to bond/connect with your peers that you may not normally interact with. Additionally, you can learn just as much, if not more, from non-academic experiences as you would with academic experiences, and you’d be surprised by what and how much you can learn from these experiences.”
Ashley – “It is important for experiences outside of academics because a classroom can’t teach you everything. Sometimes you have to learn different skills out there on your feet. You won’t always be able to prepare for everything you face in life, so it’s important you learn to think on your feet.”
Lev – “I think it is really important for students to gain experience not related to academics because in the real world, there are a lot more things that you have to deal with on an everyday basis, other than just writing a paper. You have to figure out how to do other things, or at least understand how other things in the world work, other than just what you specialize your job in. Joining a club on campus or even holding a job in a field you may never work in again can be very beneficial to your skills for the rest of your life.”
What advice would you give to students who are apprehensive or unsure about including different types of experiences on their resumes?
Hibba – “As simple as it sounds, just do it. You do not want to have regrets and constant thoughts of “I wish I tried this, ” or “I wish I applied here.” It is better for you to try something out and find out you do not like it, rather than having constant regret about not trying it out at all. Also, having different experiences on your resume makes you stand out as an applicant and is a great conversation starter.”
Ashley – “Don’t be! I think it is fantastic to showcase things about you that occur outside of the academic setting. These experiences show you are a truly rounded person willing to expose yourself to all types of environments in order to learn.”
Lev – “For students who do not know whether they should include different types of experiences on their resumes, I say you should definitely include them. You never know if someone who looks at your application might relate to that experience that you had, and you could end up really benefiting from it. One experience could get you that job that you really wanted one day; you just never know.”
Thank you to our contributing authors!
For more information about preparing yourself and resume for future opportunities, see the resources below:
Home | The Career Center | UIUC
LAS Career Services | College of Liberal Arts & Sciences | Illinois
Career Services | ACES | Illinois
Home – Office of Career and Professional Development | Gies College of Business
Media Career Services | College of Media | Illinois
Home | Engineering Career Services | Illinois
How to Write a Resume | UIUC Career Center
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