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Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrate resume example

A resume for a Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrate needs to show the work itself: arbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law. Day to day that means work like this: sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes; monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

  • District Court Judge
  • Judge
  • Magistrate
  • Superior Court Judge
  • Circuit Court Judge
  • Circuit Judge
  • County Judge
  • Court of Appeals Judge
  • Justice of the Peace
  • Magisterial District Judge
  • Administrative Court Justice
  • Appellate Court Judge
  • Appellate Immigration Judge
  • Ballot Processing Judge
  • Bankruptcy Judge
  • Chancery Master
  • Chief Judge
  • County Court Judge

O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation in total.

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

  • Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes.
  • Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed.
  • Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts.
  • Write decisions on cases.
  • Read documents on pleadings and motions to ascertain facts and issues.
  • Rule on admissibility of evidence and methods of conducting testimony.
  • Preside over hearings and listen to allegations made by plaintiffs to determine whether the evidence supports the charges.
  • Award compensation for damages to litigants in civil cases in relation to findings by juries or by the court.
  • Advise attorneys, juries, litigants, and court personnel regarding conduct, issues, and proceedings.
  • Research legal issues and write opinions on the issues.
  • Interpret and enforce rules of procedure or establish new rules in situations where there are no procedures already established by law.
  • Issue arrest warrants.

21 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

  • Sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Instruct juries on applicable laws, direct juries to deduce the facts from the evidence presented, and hear their verdicts, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
  • Write decisions on cases, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Courtroom scheduling software
  • Email software
  • Hyland OnBase Enterprise Content Management
  • Instant messaging software
  • LexisNexis
  • LinkedIn
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft operating system
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Online databases

18 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

  • Computer laser printers
  • Courtroom microphones
  • Desktop computers
  • Digital audio recorders
  • Digital video players
  • Gavels
  • Laptop computers
  • Laser facsimile machines
  • Multiline telephone systems
  • Personal computers
  • Tablet computers
  • Teleconferencing equipment

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

  • Courtroom scheduling
  • Hyland OnBase Enterprise Content Management

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

  1. 01Active Listening
  2. 02Critical Thinking
  3. 03Judgment and Decision Making
  4. 04Reading Comprehension
  5. 05Complex Problem Solving
  6. 06Speaking
  7. 07Writing
  8. 08Active Learning
  9. 09Social Perceptiveness
  10. 10Monitoring

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

  • Law and Government
  • English Language
  • Administration and Management
  • Psychology
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Public Safety and Security

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

  • 66%Doctoral Degree
  • 23%First Professional Degree, awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.
  • 10%Post-Doctoral Training

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Extensive Preparation Needed”. Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Common questions

What does a Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrate do?
Arbitrate, advise, adjudicate, or administer justice in a court of law. Day to day that includes work like sentence defendants in criminal cases, on conviction by jury, according to applicable government statutes and Monitor proceedings to ensure that all applicable rules and procedures are followed.
What skills should a Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrate put on a resume?
O*NET rates Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, and Complex Problem Solving among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrate list?
Software recorded for this occupation includes Adobe Acrobat, Courtroom scheduling software, Email software, Hyland OnBase Enterprise Content Management, and Instant messaging software. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrate work?
O*NET records 40 titles for this occupation, including District Court Judge, Judge, Magistrate, and Superior Court Judge. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrate need?
In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 66% reported their level of education as "Doctoral Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrate role?
No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

  • No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
  • This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
  • Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.