What is a personal statement?
A personal statement is a short summary of yourself which demonstrates why you are a good fit for the job. This is the first section within your CV and should be a short paragraph (approximately three to four lines). Another form of a personal statement is one that you would use when applying for University. This is essentially the same as this except it should be much longer and with more detail.
The layout…
- Introduce yourself
- Say why you are interested in that particular role.
- Briefly outline the skills and experience you have which are applicable to the role.
- When describing yourself, consider the skills and qualities the employer would want you to demonstrate for the role you are applying for.
- Employers want employees who will stay with that company for a long time, not just as experience for a few months, which is why it is absolutely key to sound passionate.
General tips…
- Be clear and concise.
- Maintain the same tone throughout. You can use any tense and personal pronouns but ensure it is consistent (e.g. don’t say ‘I am an enthusiastic individual’ then say ‘She has 10 years of experience’).
- Check your spelling, punctuation and grammar! It may seem obvious but many skip this step. Jobs get so many applicants and you don’t want to give them a reason to put your CV in the no pile.
- Research the company and the job title and description. Many companies have an ‘About us’ section on their website that mentions their core values. Use it! Mention that you have some of these in your personal statement and the skills that the job posting states it needs. This is also applicable to those writing a personal statement for a university application.
