Government Affairs Resume

Not every licensed lawyer goes into traditional law practice. Many pursue very different careers that draw on their legal background (an example is this legal resume for a corporate counsel). This example government affairs resume was written for a job seeker with a Juris Doctor degree who pursued a career as a lobbyist, policy advisor, and government affairs and relations specialist.

Notice that, as with all the resumes we write at Distinctive Career Services, this government affairs resume for a lawyer is similar in that it follows many of the same basic principles.

The headline and subheading of the resume immediately convey the focus of this resume: a government affairs position. The subheading lets you know exactly how this candidate is differentiated: he has had extensive, proven success as a lobbyist working across partisan lines and ideological divides.

The body of the resume tells the “story” of each position, engaging the reader through a compelling description of the challenges faced, actions taken, and results produced. This is known as the CAR resume writing approach.

While we have used very traditional resume design elements in this government affairs resume example, it has been updated by the very selective use of color and some simple but sophisticated elements, such as strategic bolding, bullets, ruling lines, and a page border.

Bullets, white space, and strategic bolding of text make this content-rich resume easy to read. Special attention was paid to keywords and keywords phrases. You can find them called out with bullets in the summary section and also in the employment section.

Notice the powerful value proposition / personal branding statement at the top of the resume. These are the factors that differentiate this government relations professional from his peers while also resonating with the target audience.