Broadly, here are the things that you can do to enhance your CV. These are in addition to good academics. Depending on which college you're from, good academics are non-negotiable. For me, they were and I know that people wouldn't have even looked at my CV if not for my CGPA.
1. Internships: This was quite possibly the strongest section in my CV. My parents aren't lawyers and my Placement Cell wasn't spectacular, this happened because of good old networking. My first 4 internships were in chambers/litigation in my city - easy to get because they weren't coveted internships that everyone was trying to get. I kept in touch with all the people i met here, texted them for New Years, Diwali, did my best to be on good terms with everyone. A year later, when I asked these people to help me get other internships, they really did. This led to my tier 2 internships.
My tier 1 internships did not come from connections, I found that the strategy I outlined above seemed to work from tier 3 to tier 2 but not tier 2 to tier 1. I got my JSA internship by directly applying, they had a long procedure but I did get it without recommendations. The other t1 internships I got were through the Placement Cell - by this time I was in 4th year and had a good CGPA so I got the internships I wanted through college itself. By recruitment time, I had 10 internships on my CV - 3 T1s, 3 T2s, and 4 random ones that people outside my city wouldn't have heard of. Got placed through campus placement in a T1 that I hadn't interned at.
2. Moots: I did 3 external moots and would say that this was a fairly strong part of CV. The first moot I did was a random one, we reached the semi-finals but didn't win anything. The second moot I did was a really good one, a competitive national level corporate law moot of repute. We won an award but not the entire event. The last moot I did was a reputed constitutional law moot in which we reached the finals and won an award. An international moot would have been a great addition to my CV but was not affordable. I didn't really have the time to undertake something like this, either.
3. ADR Competitions/Essay Writing Competitions/Quiz Competitions/Debates/MUNs/Miscellaneous competitions: Some of these are easier to get awards in than others. Target those, and you'll build up your CV without spending an unreasonable amount of time/effort. I had a fair few of these and while they look impressive put together, the truth is that they're not that difficult to crack. You need to participate persistently, and you'll win a few awards in a few places.
4. Publications/Paper Presentations/Conferences: A lot of people focus on these extensively, and they're usually rewarded for their efforts. I wasn't one of these people, and had 0 publications when I got placed. My first publication was accepted after my placement. If you're interested in publishing, target good journals and blogs, a "publication" in ipleaders doesn't add value to your CV.
All this may seem intimidating, but remember that you can't do everything in the limited time you have. Try to build a diverse CV, and enjoy yourself with these activities! Good luck!
1. Internships: This was quite possibly the strongest section in my CV. My parents aren't lawyers and my Placement Cell wasn't spectacular, this happened because of good old networking. My first 4 internships were in chambers/litigation in my city - easy to get because they weren't coveted internships that everyone was trying to get. I kept in touch with all the people i met here, texted them for New Years, Diwali, did my best to be on good terms with everyone. A year later, when I asked these people to help me get other internships, they really did. This led to my tier 2 internships.
My tier 1 internships did not come from connections, I found that the strategy I outlined above seemed to work from tier 3 to tier 2 but not tier 2 to tier 1. I got my JSA internship by directly applying, they had a long procedure but I did get it without recommendations. The other t1 internships I got were through the Placement Cell - by this time I was in 4th year and had a good CGPA so I got the internships I wanted through college itself. By recruitment time, I had 10 internships on my CV - 3 T1s, 3 T2s, and 4 random ones that people outside my city wouldn't have heard of. Got placed through campus placement in a T1 that I hadn't interned at.
2. Moots: I did 3 external moots and would say that this was a fairly strong part of CV. The first moot I did was a random one, we reached the semi-finals but didn't win anything. The second moot I did was a really good one, a competitive national level corporate law moot of repute. We won an award but not the entire event. The last moot I did was a reputed constitutional law moot in which we reached the finals and won an award. An international moot would have been a great addition to my CV but was not affordable. I didn't really have the time to undertake something like this, either.
3. ADR Competitions/Essay Writing Competitions/Quiz Competitions/Debates/MUNs/Miscellaneous competitions: Some of these are easier to get awards in than others. Target those, and you'll build up your CV without spending an unreasonable amount of time/effort. I had a fair few of these and while they look impressive put together, the truth is that they're not that difficult to crack. You need to participate persistently, and you'll win a few awards in a few places.
4. Publications/Paper Presentations/Conferences: A lot of people focus on these extensively, and they're usually rewarded for their efforts. I wasn't one of these people, and had 0 publications when I got placed. My first publication was accepted after my placement. If you're interested in publishing, target good journals and blogs, a "publication" in ipleaders doesn't add value to your CV.
All this may seem intimidating, but remember that you can't do everything in the limited time you have. Try to build a diverse CV, and enjoy yourself with these activities! Good luck!