Our Partners, Helena Chen and Alison Chang, Delivered Opening and Closing Remarks at the “Resume Bootcamp: Build, Check, and Feedback” Workshop on 12 May 2025

The “Resume Bootcamp: Build, Check, and Feedback” workshop, co-organized by the ADR Committee and the Legal Practice Development Committee of Taiwan Bar Association and the Young Members Group of Taiwan Chapter of Ciarb (Ciarb Taiwan YMG), concluded successfully on 12 May 2025. The workshop featured Alice Lu, Esq. MCIArb, Chair of Ciarb Taiwan YMG, and Assistant Professor Mao-Wei Lo of National Taiwan University College of Law as speakers. The hybrid workshop was held at the Taiwan Bar Association conference room and online, attracting approximately 60 participants. The session was moderated by Chia-Hsin Wu, Esq. MCIArb, Secretary General of Ciarb Taiwan YMG, and featured dynamic interactions across both platforms, ensuring that all participants were actively engaged in the learning process.

Our Partner, Alison Chang, Esq. FCIArb, Vice Chair of the ADR Committee of Taiwan Bar Association and Convenor of Ciarb Taiwan Chapter, emphasized in her opening remarks that this event marked the inaugural initiative under the leadership of Ciarb Taiwan YMG’s new Chair, Alice. She reiterated Ciarb’s longstanding commitment to fostering career development and academic excellence, aiming to empower young professionals to craft distinctive and persuasive resumes. Yi-Wen Mo, Esq., Chair of the Lawyers Business Development Committee of the Taiwan Bar Association, emphasized that a resume serves as a “positive inventory” of one’s life, allowing others to quickly understand one’s background and leave a strong impression.

Alice spoke from an industry perspective with a focus on U.S. market resume-writing techniques. She clarified the difference between a resume and a CV, stressed the importance of first impressions, and explained how to order education and experience, as well as present extracurricular and related activities. Alice highlighted common pitfalls and warned against overly vague or lengthy content. She advised tailoring each resume to the specific job opening. She also reminded attendees to explain any gap longer than six months and noted that legal resumes should generally use a standard format with adjusted line spacing to enhance readability.

Assistant Prof. Lo provided an academic viewpoint. He emphasized consistency and narrative context in a resume, and highlighted the importance of teaching assistant and scholarship experiences on an academic CV, where more detailed descriptions are acceptable. Additionally, he suggested preparing multiple resume versions for different purposes.

During the Q&A session, Alice and Assistant Prof. Lo addressed questions on how to present short-term work experiences, advising attendees to adjust descriptions based on role duration and position requirements, and to prioritize substantive professional experience. Both speakers cautioned participants about automated screening systems and recommended securing referrals to help ensure a resume is actually reviewed by the human resources department, providing practical advice that will be invaluable in the job search process.

In her closing remarks, our Managing Partner, Helena Chen C.Arb, Chair of the ADR Committee of Taiwan Bar Association, encouraged attendees to continue advancing their careers step by step, steadily building experiences to include in their resumes. She noted that a strong resume not only aids academic and job pursuits but also helps expand one’s legal practice.

Front row, from right to left: Helena Chen C.Arb (Chair of the ADR Committee of Taiwan Bar Association); Alison Chang, Esq. FCIArb (Vice Chair of the ADR Committee of Taiwan Bar Association and Convenor of Ciarb Taiwan Chapter); Alice Lu, Esq. MCIArb (Chair of Ciarb Taiwan YMG); Assistant Prof. Mao-Wei Lo; and Yi-Wen Mo, Esq. (Chair of the Legal Practice Development Committee of Taiwan Bar Association).

Directly behind Alice Lu: Chia-Hsin Wu, Esq. MCIArb (Secretary General of Ciarb Taiwan YMG).