Accountants can feel justifiably frustrated trying to keep up with shifts in tax laws and regulatory rulings. But if you find yourself more interested in parsing these texts than in crunching numbers, consider a future in law.
Many former accountants successfully leverage their experience to start lucrative careers in business, corporate finance, compliance or tax law. Others bring fiscal expertise to legal or policy issues.
A background in accounting can help set you apart from other law school applicants. But first, you must communicate the value of your accounting background to admissions officers who may know little about your field. Here are five things you should do:
— Assess your relevant skills.
— Review your resume.
— Look for volunteer opportunities.
— Explain any outlying grades.
— Connect your background to your goals.
Assess Your Relevant Skills
Law schools are increasingly interested in applicants with work experience. Even if your job doesn’t relate directly to law, look for ways to show how it makes you a strong candidate.
[How to Find the Right Law School for a Tax Law Career]
While it may not seem obvious, jobs in accounting prepare applicants well for the challenges of law school.
Accountants need to be detail-oriented and skilled in research and analysis. They often serve clients in stressful situations, sometimes including taking on fiduciary responsibilities or other positions of trust. And their expertise can be valuable in a classroom discussion on tax law, corporate law or nonprofit law.
Review Your Resume
Because financial positions are so specialized, many accountants have resumes replete with technical jargon and very specific competencies. For example, they might list the kinds of software, common forms, different accounting methods or sections of tax code they have worked with.
This makes sense for a job search, where hiring officers may be looking for a precise fit. Admissions officers, however, are more interested in the general skills and translatable experiences you bring to the table.
[READ: Writing a Resume for Law School Applications]
A resume for law school applications should be written succinctly in plain English, organized with a hierarchy of information that emphasizes the most important details. Be clear about your roles and responsibilities and the results you have achieved.
Look for Volunteer Opportunities
Whether you’re a college student or early in your career, explore volunteer activities to broaden your skill set. You may put your skills to good use within your community, assisting low-income taxpayers or helping small businesses keep their financial records in order.
If you’re in a demanding job that leaves little spare time, look into taking on additional responsibilities at work.
Not only will such activities look good on your resume, but they will also show you as someone who will contribute to a law school’s clinics, student groups and campus life.
Explain Any Outlying Grades
Admissions officers value applicants who majored in college in subjects like finance or accounting. Like applicants with STEM backgrounds, they have an uncommon fluency with data and quantitative reasoning.
However, such rigorous courses of study are hard to complete with consistently high marks, which can be trouble because undergraduate grades are one of the most important factors in law school admissions.
[Read: What Is a Good College GPA for a Law School Applicant?]
If you have a low overall GPA, do your best to earn a high score on the LSAT or GRE. You might also take extra classes to show your academic potential.
If you have just a couple of embarrassing outliers on your transcript, or even a rough semester, consider writing a transcript addendum to explain and take responsibility for your poor performance. Note that this may be unnecessary if those lower grades were in your first few semesters; few college students hit the ground running.
Connect Your Background to Your Goals
Whether you’re still early in your career or an older applicant seeking a new line of work, it’s better to portray law school as a natural next step for your career than as a radical departure.
Even if you feel more than ready for a change of pace, focus on how the experience you bring to the table will boost your future career. If you haven’t thought that far ahead yet, take the time to explore which legal career path you will find most rewarding.
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Law School Applicants With Accounting Backgrounds originally appeared on usnews.com
