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How to Write a CV Personal Statement [+4 Real-life Examples]

Creating an effective CV takes time and close attention to detail. You've already included your jobs and experience , and now you want to allow the recruiter or hiring manager to understand the strategic value you can add.

This is when you need to utilize a personal statement at the top of your CV.

How to Write a CV Personal Statement [+4 Real-life Examples] 

What is a Personal Statement? 

A personal statement is a few brief and direct sentences at the top of your CV. The personal statement is also referred to as a career summary or personal mission statement.

This is used to grab the attention of the recruiter or hiring manager and summarizes essential experiences or training that you can bring to this position.

Why do I Need a Personal Statement?

A recruiter or hiring manager is tasked with sorting through an enormous amount of resumes every single day. A personal statement is a way to separate yourself from the other applicants.

This statement summarizes your experience and highlights your unique talents . The CV personal statement is meant to demonstrate why you are the perfect fit for the job. 

Even med students need a medical school personal statement , as it is what differentiates them from all the other students applying. Plus, it allows them to share their personal stories and objectives.

Where do I Start? 

Always begin by reading the job description carefully and thoroughly.

Your personal statement should be tailored to each job description, so it explicitly states the value you’ll bring to the position you are applying. A generic personal statement cannot do that. 

Once you have a solid handle on the job description, you can begin writing. It’s important to keep your personal statement brief, about 50-200 words will do.

Don’t forget that you have your whole cover letter to show some personality and include engaging content.

The personal statement should be a quick summary that highlights why you are the best person for the job. 

You’ll need to decide whether you are writing your personal statement in first- or third-person. This should follow how you've written the rest of your CV.

For example, if you've already written, “I grew and developed a team of 50 salespeople,” in your CV then you will want to keep your personal statement in first-person to match the prevailing style.

No matter what you choose, make sure that you keep it consistent throughout. Do not switch between first- and third-person as that will get confusing to the hiring manager.

Writing a personal statement for your CV in first-person does not mean you need to start every sentence with “I.”

There are ways to craft your personal statement to sound snappy, concise and personal, and here are a few examples to help inspire your personal statement. 

CV Personal Statement Examples

It doesn’t matter what chose as your desired career or how much experienc e you have, use these examples to drive the creation of your own personal statement.

You can take snippets from each or write something completely different. Always remember that your personal statement is a reflection of yourself and should align with your own personal goals and experience.

If these examples don’t fit your exact career, feel free to take some pointers and write yours from scratch. 

#1: Personal Statement Example for Recent Graduate CV

“As a recent graduate from university, with an honors degree in communications, I held several internships within leading organizations, including Bertelsmann. These internships enabled me to gain experience in the field and learn how to serve up valuable contributions in a fast-paced, professional environment.”

Explanation: This example should be customized to include the university you’ve graduated from and any relevant internships. A compelling personal statement always highlights relevant skills and experiences.

In this case, a recent graduate does not have extensive experience in the workforce, so soft skills like experiencing success in a fast-paced work environment and becoming a trusted team member become even more critical.

#2: Personal Statement Example for Returning to the Workforce CV

“A highly motivated and experienced office administrator, I am currently looking to resume my professional career after an extended hiatus to raise my family. Proficient in all Microsoft Office programs, I can lead meetings and work with clients to keep your office running smoothly and efficiently. After spending several years volunteering as an administrative worker for a local charity, I am committed to resuming my professional career on a full-time basis.”

Explanation: After time off from a career, it can be hard to break back into the market. This personal statement outlines the reason for the break, the relevant qualifications and what the applicant has been doing in between jobs.

Any volunteer experience becomes highly relevant when there is no concrete professional experience to draw upon, to demonstrate the use of those skills. 

#3: Personal Statement Example for a Career Change CV

“With over 15 years as a sales manager, I have extensive experience building high-functioning sales teams that consistently achieve budget numbers. In fact, my ability to grow talent led to a 20% increase in annual renewals across the board. Now, after 15 years, I am seeking new challenges to flex my marketing muscles in a fast-paced environment.” 

Explanation: When changing careers , it's essential to highlight skills that are transferable between industries.

In this case, leadership and team-building experience can apply to any industry. Homing in on concrete numbers and percentages increases credibility when applying for a position.

The applicant ends with the reason behind the desired career change. This part is not necessary but may be appealing to some hiring managers who are wondering what the impetus for the career change.

#4: Personal Statement Example for a Experienced Professional CV

“As a friendly, professional and highly trained educator, I am passionate about teaching and have an innate ability to understand student’s needs. Creating a safe and productive environment for optimal learning is my top priority. I’ve worked as a teacher for nearly 10 years in a variety of subjects and my experience and skill set make me the perfect fit for your team.”

Explanation: With more experience comes more skills and a better idea of strengths and weaknesses. Showcasing your passion for the industry is a great way to begin a personal statement, as it shows the hiring manager your dedication to the craft. 

A personal statement can be written in many different ways, but it is ultimately up to you to determine what skills you want to highlight for your chosen position.

You can follow these examples or take learnings from each to contribute towards your personal statement. 

If you understand the job you are applying for and know the unique skill set that you bring to the table, you will have a stellar personal statement for your CV that will get you across the table from the hiring manager in no time.  

Suggested Reading:

• How to Write a CV (Curriculum Vitae) in 2024 [31+ Examples]
• 43+ Resume Tips and Tricks to Land Your Next Job
• 150+ Must-Have Skills for Any Resume  [With Tips + Tricks]
• How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself”

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CV Personal Statement Examples and Tips

Your personal statement is the first thing a recruiter or hiring manager will read when flicking through what will usually be a huge pile of CVs. With so much competition, you need a personal statement that grabs their attention for all the right reasons. But how do you write one? Here’s our guide along with a couple of personal statement examples for inspiration.

What is a personal statement?

A personal statement is a concise paragraph that sits at the top of your CV just below your name and contact details and tells the reader why you would be a fantastic asset for their company. It should include a summary of your most relevant skills and experience and give the recruiter an insight into your ambitions and character.

Your personal statement should explain:

• Who you are
• Your suitability for the role and the value you can add
• Your career goals

Conveying all that information in just a few sentences is certainly not easy, but with research suggesting that recruiters spend an average of just six seconds reviewing each CV before deciding whether the applicant is a good fit, you must get it right.

How to write a winning personal statement for your CV

No one has your specific skills and experience, so your personal statement must be unique. However, there are some universal tips you can follow.

• Length, formatting and tone of voice

Probably the biggest challenge you’ll face when writing a personal statement for your CV is keeping it between 50 and 150 words, or around four or five lines of text. It should be clean and concise, formatted consistently and written in the same font and point size as the rest of your CV.

Personal statements can be written in the first (“I am a marine biologist”) or third-person (“Marine biologist looking for”), but whatever voice you choose, keep it consistent throughout your CV.

Recruiters read so much hyperbole and waffle that being honest and understated will help you stand out. This is not The Apprentice, so buzzwords, empty promises and meaningless metaphors should be avoided at all costs.

• Back up your claims

Cliches like ‘hard worker’ or ‘experienced’ are just empty words that recruiters see hundreds of times a day. Instead, establish your credentials with relevant vocational qualifications or professional memberships you have and quantify the level of experience you have. For example, “I am a RICS qualified surveyor with eight years’ experience working for a property development company”.

• Include statistics from your career

Including specific data or statistics in your personal statement will immediately make it stand out from the hundreds of others recruiters read every day. Metrics of success are far more memorable than simply listing your achievements. For example, “I introduced a new lead qualification tool that increased sales by 15 percent”.

• Remove pronouns in the third person

The personal statement on your CV is the one place where it’s okay to talk about yourself in the third person. However, using pronouns, for example, “he is a conscientious worker with 12 years of experience...” is a step too far. Instead, drop the pronouns, so that would become “A conscientious worker with 12 years of experience…”

Personal statement examples

Here are a few examples of personal statements to keep you on the right track and hopefully provide a little inspiration.

Written in the first person by a graduate looking for their first professional role.

I am a recent graduate with a first-class degree in economics, specialising in econometrics and international trade. I have commercial experience in the finance sector courtesy of an internship with a UK corporation, where I developed the technical data engineering skills you are looking for. I have a proven ability to meet deadlines and produce consistently high-quality work, as evidenced by my degree, and would relish the chance to develop my skills within your organisation.

Written in the third person by an experienced purchasing manager looking to climb the ladder.

Purchasing manager with 12 years of experience who wants to progress to a more senior role within the aviation industry. Has developed strong and lasting relationships during previous managerial positions in the sector and wants to put this strong network to good use to add value to your business.

Time to get hired

Writing a winning personal statement that you’re happy with and that summarises your skills and experience effectively in just a few lines will take time. However, using these tips and examples as a guide and editing your personal statement for every role is an important piece of the puzzle.

To hear Guardian Jobs reader Elia’s story and how her Personal Career Management programme helped land her ideal job watch the video .

Personal Career Management can offer you a  free review to assess your needs and to see which programme is right for you.

To book call Personal Career Management on 01753 888 995 or fill in the contact form .

Personal Career Management are Career Management Partners for the Guardian and are a specialist career coaching and outplacement company.

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CV Personal Statement:  Examples and Actionable Tips

Fact: recruiters spend only 6 seconds reviewing each CV. So poorly organized CVs inevitably get discarded. 

Having an effective CV layout is the first step to attracting their attention. And the second step is topping that CV with a compelling personal statement (also known as a personal profile, personal summary, or executive summary).

What is a Personal Statement in a CV? 

A personal statement for a CV is a short and compelling paragraph that summarizes why you’re the most qualified person for the offered role. It tells the reader who you are and what valuable qualifications you will be bringing to their company.

NB : Opening statement, personal profile, personal summary, or executive summary are the other common names for a personal statement. 

Many believe that the work experience section is the most important element of a CV. Yet, it is your personal statement that can end up making or breaking the success of your job application. 

Because it provides the reader with a quick answer to one question they have on their mind: Are you qualified for the job or not? 

Remember: You’ll be directly competing with numerous other applicants with similar skills and work experiences. A compelling CV statement sets you apart by giving the reader a condensed snapshot of who you are as a person. 

Do I Need To Include a Personal Statement On My CV?

The short answer is YES! A personal statement entices the reader to read your entire CV by giving them a preview of your most valuable skills. It also helps you differentiate from other candidates by explaining your background, motivation, and personal character traits concisely. 

In essence, a personal statement helps you express why you are the right choice for the job in one condensed paragraph.

Where Should a Personal Statement Go in a CV?

A personal statement goes into the header area of your CV. Include it right under your name and contact details as a separate, highlighted area. A good personal statement is about 3-4 sentences long and occupies not more than 1/4th of the page. 

Alternatively, you can design a two-column CV and allocate the upper sidebar area for your personal statement. As a recent survey found, 77% of recruiters prefer two-column CVs to single-column ones.

Sample personal statement placement on a CV template

What Do You Write in a CV Personal Statement?

A compelling personal statement summarizes your professional and educational background; highlights the main skills and accomplishments. It can also express your career objectives and/or interest in the particular industry or subject if you’re a current student or recent graduate.  

Personal Statement Examples for CV 

To give you an idea of how to write your statement, let’s look at some examples.

Remember: You need to write a unique personal statement for your CV. Simply copying and using these examples may not be the best move because the sample CV statements won’t reflect your unique experiences and personality. 

Good CV Personal Statement Examples

Employers want to see experts. Therefore, your personal statement must speak directly to your most marketable skills. 

You should never come off sounding desperate or diminish your worth (even if you have been recently laid off ). Use a confident tone with first-person implied and strong verbs to describe your core competencies and other benefits you can bring to the workplace. 

General Jobseeker Personal Statement Example

Highly motivated, fully trained engineer with 15 years of experience in the telecoms industry. Worked with XYZ Telecoms Ltd, Cool Mobile Carrier, and Acme Telco as a field engineer and project team leader. Successfully managed large commercial telecom infrastructure installations. Currently unemployed due to the relocation of the company. Open to new opportunities in NOC. 

Personal Statement CV Example For an Administration Position 

Adaptable and resourceful facilities manager with experience in supporting enterprise-sized organizations in real estate, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing industries. Strong organizational skillset: Six Sigma, standardized method of procedure (MOP) policies implementation. Was responsible for facilities operations on 2.4 million square feet in a 20-building chemical manufacturing campus, serviced by a 20+ people team of building engineers, electricians, HVAC technicians, and cleaners.

Accountant Personal Statement CV Examples

Below are two samples for a senior and a junior accountant. 

Chartered Accountant 

ACCA-certified accountant for mid-market and enterprise-sized companies. Conducted due diligence and tax audits for FTSE 500 companies. Commenced for a 100% accuracy track record in financial reporting, as well as fast turnaround on complex analytical reviews. Provide on-demand advisory on trust setup, company incorporation, and tax deferrals. 

Account Assistant 

Detail-oriented, certified accounting assistant with experience in payroll administration. Familiar with Gusto, Xero, and Intuit software. Effectively process payroll, benefits, taxes, and social contributions for over 1500 employees per month. Possess a strong foundation in employee classification,  tax reporting, and financial management. 

CV Personal Statement Examples for Students

Whether you’re applying for an internship or looking for a part-time job , a compelling personal is a must-have for a student CV. 

Since your work experience history may be a bit “thin”, you need to persuade the employer via other means — your transferable skills, academic interests, and personal traits. A personal CV allows you to spotlight all of these. 

Remember that you are bringing your energy, dedication, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn to the table. As you will not have any employment history, you need to make sure to get your personality and your soft skills over in your statement.

CV Statement for a Student Looking for a Full-Time Summer Job 

Junior copywriter, enrolled in a BA Writing Program at the University of Manchester (graduation date: fall 2025). Alumni of the 2022 Copywriting Bootcamp program from Matters Agency. Well-versed in target audience analysis, brand positioning, and editorial campaign planning. Writing clips for eCommerce and SaaS brands are available in my portfolio.  

CV Statement for an Internship 

Second-year mechanical engineering student at the University of Leeds, seeking to apply theoretical knowledge in safety system design. Proficient in AutoCAD and completed a series of blueprints for fire and water safety systems as part of my coursework. Fast learner, self-starter, and team player, I’m excited to contribute my technical expertise to a dynamic engineering team.

CV Statement for a Student Looking for a Part-Time Job 

Junior front-end developer (React, Angular JS), seeking a part-time programming position in the Great London area. Current availability is 10-15 hours per week, preferably with hybrid work arrangements. Solid understanding of design systems and UX/UI best practices. Past work experience in finance and eCommerce sectors. 

CV Personal Statement Examples for 16-Year-Olds

Joining the workforce straight after high school makes sense if you want to take a gap year or pursue trade education later on. The wrinkle, however, is that most employers may be wary of your age and lack of experience.

The goal of a personal statement is to dispel those doubts by showing that you’re a serious, mature, and hard-working candidate, eager to learn and hone your craft. 

Personal Statement for a Barista Position 

Genuine coffee lover and frequent guest at Maddie’s Cafe, I would love to join the barista team. As a former head of the prom planning committee, I understand the importance of good teamwork, efficient planning, and following instructions. My main objectives are to learn more about beverage prep and deliver exceptional experiences to customers. 

CV Personal Statement Examples For A Graduate

Your personal statement should focus on your main educational attainments and experiences. If you are applying before you have had your degree results, it is fine to give a projected grade. You can also mention any specific modules you have studied that are relevant to the job on offer and how much you enjoyed working on them.

Remember: Your goal is to explain why you’re interested in this role and what you could bring to the table. 

Graduate Personal Statement Example

Business administration graduate with a 1:1 honors degree from XYZ University. Interested in an entry-level merchandising position within your Commercial Sales Department to expand my knowledge in retail merchandising, procurement, and inventory management. Looking to apply my analytical and data modeling skills for merchandising strategy optimization. 

Personal Statement for High School Graduate 

Energetic and enthusiastic high school graduate (June 2023) with top A-levels grades in English, Maths, and French. Seeking an entry-level role in sales, where I can make use of and develop my language skills. My long-term career goal is to further my language qualifications and position myself as a European sales manager living and working overseas for a global company.

Personal Statement Examples for CV With No Experience

Lack of experience in a particular role or industry should never discourage you from applying. Although you may not tick all the criteria boxes, you still have transferable skills and unique work experiences to showcase.

Moreover, ongoing talent shortages are prompting employees to reconsider their hiring criteria, plus invest more in new hire training and upskilling. Four in five companies now struggle to fill in open vacancies, which is the highest number in the past 17 years. 

So take your chances and apply even if you don’t have sufficient work experience. 

Personal Statement Example with No Relevant Work Experience 

Former front-desk hotel employee, looking for an opportunity to leverage strong service orientation and organizational skills in new roles (Customer Success or Customer Support). Familiarity with appointment booking software, digital chat apps, and CRM software. With my strong commitment to personal growth and my adaptable nature, I believe I could be a valuable asset to customer-centric teams.  

Personal Statement Example with No Industry Experience 

Self-starter with a BA degree in Communication and experience in corporate event management seeking a transition to music festival management. Experienced in organizing off-site events for 100+ people (including location scouting and travel coordination). I thrive in fast-paced environments and am eager to build a strong network of new partners. 

Discover even more personal statements from our collection of CV examples . 

CV Personal Statement For A Career Change

Career change is a big decision, but it can lead to a more fulfilling professional life. Besides, you’re not completely starting anew. Many of the hard and soft skills are quite universal. There is any number of different jobs that need the same set of skills that you have developed, so always try to lead with these and use real-life examples of your experience.

Career Change Personal Statement Example:

Working for the past 10 years as a regional sales manager has allowed me to develop keen skills in building strong working relationships and lucrative networks. Communication skills I developed during my time at my current employer enabled me to win vital contract wins that increased sales revenue by 20% over three years. I am now ready to take on a new challenge and want to work in the charity sector so that I can use my skills to give something back for the direct benefit of others.

How To Write A Strong Personal Statement for a CV 

An effective personal statement summarizes your skills and experience in a relevant way i.e., it indicates how you can be of help to the employer. 

In short, a compelling CV personal statement: 

• Lists your most marketable skills and qualifications 
• Highlights your industry knowledge and work experiences 
• Mirrors some of the key phrases, used in the job description 

And here’s how to write a personal statement that makes a mark.

1. Review the Job Description Once Again 

As you go through the role description, pay attention to the words, used by the employer, to describe the candidate’s requirements, duties, and personality. Keep those in the back of your head. 

These are the keywords you’d want to use all around your CV — in the personal statement, work experience, education, and skills areas. 

2. Do a Mental Tally of Your Skills 

Try to remember the times in your previous work roles when you accomplished notable objectives, went above and beyond expectations , or otherwise did better than your peers.  

Note down everything that springs to mind including your years of experience in a similar role, challenges you took on and the positive results achieved, new projects you kick-started – anything that has close relevance to this new position.

3. Make a Draft Personal Statement 

Write down a sample personal statement. Don’t worry about the length – just put as many details as you’d like on paper. Once you’re done, revisit the job description. See how your personal statement compares to the description. Does it paint a picture of someone who would fit the role? 

4. Edit for Clarity and Briefity 

A good CV personal statement shouldn’t be longer than 3-4 sentences. Take a critical look at your draft version and condense it to the bare essentials: 2-3 main skills, a major accomplishment, and a note on your motivation and/or personal traits. 

Other things that don’t belong in your personal statement are:

• Explanation of employment gaps or present unemployment status 
• Information about hobbies or personal interest 
• Any mention of references or recommendations 
• Irrelevant skills or work experiences 

Want to stand out even more? Add a persuasive opening statement that highlights your strengths as a candidate. 

A compelling personal statement can be the key between your CV making the ‘yes’ pile or the reject bin. Take some time to get your statement right and always write a new one for each job you apply for by mirroring the employer’s language. 

Finally, to give your CV a polishing touch, try out one of our fancy, but free CV templates , coming in multiple styles: professional, modern, simple, and creative!

Elena runs content operations at Freesumes since 2017. She works closely with copywriters, designers, and invited career experts to ensure that all content meets our highest editorial standards. Up to date, she wrote over 200 career-related pieces around resume writing, career advice... more

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Best CV Personal Profile Examples

What is a CV personal profile?

A personal profile, also known as a CV summary, is the opening statement of your CV. It is a short introduction which outlines your personal characteristics, telling the prospective employer what kind of a person you are, the attributes and qualities that you possess and the work experience that you have.

How to write a CV profile statement from scratch

When writing your personal profile, ensure it is:

• Short (no more than 6 lines);
• Relevant to the job you are applying for, and;
• Contains some real-world examples .

Be bold, be confident and talk about yourself in a positive way.

Your personal profile is not the place to be humble; it is your chance to be noticed and tell the potential employer exactly who you ‘really’ are and what you can do for them.

Warning: Do not go ‘over the top’ and give the impression that you are either very arrogant or simply too good to be true! Keep it balanced and realistic, bearing in mind the needs of the employer.

Click here if you want to see a bad example of a personal profile.

What information to include on a personal profile

The purpose of your personal profile is to concisely present your skills, qualities, work experience, and your career goals and ambitions. Consequently, you can mention anything from the following categories when constructing your personal profile:

Personal Qualities

• Self-motivated
• Having an eye for detail
• Management skills
• Communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Design skills
• 5 years experience in …
• Excellent track record of …
• Extensive background in …
• Previous work experience in …

An ideal statement should have at least one example for each of these three categories.

How long should my profile statement be?

There are no set rules about the length of a personal profile, however, it is highly recommended to keep it ideally within the 50/80-words boundary (no longer than six lines). The reason for this is because employers, in the first instance, tend to scan CVs rather than extensively read it. Keeping it short and to the point increases the chances that they will actually read it.

Furthermore, as the total length of a CV is only 2 A4 pages long, having a short statement frees us valuable space for other key sections of your CV such as the work experience, education and skills sections .

Winning personal profile CV examples from all job sectors

Business management cv profile.

• The candidate mentions their key personal skills and qualities that are relevant and important when managing a business.
• The candidate mentions their relevant work experience in the field, indicating that they are able to work within multiple job sectors.

IT CV profile

• The candidate correctly highlights their areas of expertise, such as designing websites, networking and managing databases. It is clear from these examples that the individual has a broad understanding of IT and would be able to work on a wide range of IT projects.
• The candidate reassures the prospective employer that although they are working in a very technical field, they have the ability to work with a wide range of people. Interpersonal and communication skills are key to any job.

Student CV profile

• The above personal statement is clear and informative, making it clear that the applicant is a student, currently completing their university degree, and are looking to work part-time in the industry.
• It is always a good idea, as the candidate has done in this example, to clearly mention your availability for work and also the reasons for why you are seeking work. “Making money” is not a good enough reason for an employer to give you a job. The candidate has mentioned that they wish to put into practice what they have learned and make a positive contribution to the employer.

HR CV profile

• The candidate highlights that they have previous work experience in Human Resources (HR), making them familiar with the payroll systems and employment law. Additionally, they indicate some personal qualities (such as interpersonal skills and being sensitive to people’s privacies) which would be highly beneficial for the role that they are applying for.

Manager CV profile

• The candidate not only states that they have three years’ of experience in management but they also mention the positive contribution that they made to that organisation. In this case, it was a significant improvement in the performance of the team that they were managing.

Sales/retail CV profile

• Just by looking at the profile statement of this individual, we can conclude that this person has thorough experience of sales and is able to handle the various aspects of the selling process. Additionally, their promotion indicates that they are a high achiever.

Teaching CV profile

• In just a few lines, the candidate demonstrates a great deal of compassion, empathy and care for young people and their futures. This level of care and concern, along with an enduring passion for teaching, are the key ingredients of being successful in any teaching careers.
• The candidate indicating that they are able to work with young children from all backgrounds and walks of life. This is important, especially when living in today’s multicultural and diverse societies.

Engineering CV profile

• The candidate correctly highlights their previous work experience and areas of expertise. This makes them look like a very competent and accomplished chemical engineer, increasing the chances of being invited for an interview.

Designer CV profile

• This is an effective statement because the candidate highlights their valuable 1st class degree in Graphic Design and previous work experience in the design industry. Additionally, the candidate makes mention of their personal qualities, such as having the ability to think outside the box, to further indicate their suitability for the job.

Hospitality CV profile

• The above is an excellent example of how profile statement should be constructed; it contains references to their previous work experience in the same industry, personal qualities that are relevant to the job (e.g. having a passion for food and socialising with people) and their job achievements (e.g. winning an award). Any employer reading this statement will have to think twice before they put it in the rejection pile!

Admin CV profile

• The candidate mentions their previous work experience project management and providing administrative support to businesses.
• This admin personal statement clearly demonstrates that the individual is aware of all the challenges that administrators face; working in a busy working environment, handling multiple projects simultaneously, prioritising tasks and achieving the highest standard of work.

Customer service CV profile

• The candidate indicates that they are able to resolve customer enquiries and complaints face-to-face, over the phone or via email. This ability enables them to work in a variety of different job settings, i.e. a call centre, on the shop floor or at a desk.
• Their statement contains a tangible example of accomplishment (i.e. successfully resolving 150 customer enquiries or complaints).

Media CV profile

• The candidate has included many examples of their previous work experience and competencies in the field. Any employer interested in hiring an experienced camera operator will most certainly be impressed and continue reading the remainder of their CV.

Healthcare CV profile

• The candidate highlights that they are able to work with a variety of different people, something which is essential as physiotherapists will be working with people from all backgrounds and ages.
• The statement includes personal qualities that are important to have as a physiotherapist, such as being caring and friendly. Although some careers advisors do not recommend generic words such as ‘caring’ and ‘friendly’, it is nevertheless recommended to include them if they truly reflect your personality and if the rest of the personal statement contains specific information which is not generic in nature.

Writer CV profile

• This profile is short and punchy, increasing the chances that it will be read in full by the prospective employers
• The candidate highlights their career achievements by stating that their works have been accepted and published by leading newspapers and magazines – a testimony to the high quality of their work.

Science CV profile

• This statement is short and to the point; highlighting all the important information such as the candidates work experience, expertise and some personal qualities and characteristics.

Do I need to include a personal statement on my CV? No, it is entirely optional to include a personal profile on your CV. However, it is generally recommended to include one, particularly as it serves as a little “About me” section at the top of your CV. Every written document has an introduction, why shouldn’t a CV?

Can I use the first person tense in my statement? Yes, the first and third person tenses are both fine to use – but not both. Decide on the one tense and stick to it.

Where should I include the profile statement on my CV There is no fixed place in which you should put your personal profile. Some candidates place it at the bottom of their CVs. Ideally, you should position it at the top of your CV.

What is the most important thing to include on a personal profile? Real-world examples and tangible performance indicators, for example; increased sales by x percent, managed x number of people, won such-and-such awards, improved productivity by x percent, etc. These types of information are highly valuable, as opposed to saying that you are the “best salesperson in the country” and not backing it up with any evidence!

Need help with other sections of your CV?

While you’re still here – don’t forget to check out our amazing How to write a CV guide for more practical tips on writing your perfect CV or this useful resource.

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Resume personal statement examples

If you want to secure job interview, you need a strong personal statement at the top of your resume.

Your resume personal statement is a short paragraph which sits at the very top of your resume – and it’s aim is to summarize the benefits of hiring you and encourage employers to read your resume in full.

In this guide I have included 17 resume personal statement examples from a range of professions and experience levels, plus a detailed guide of how to write your own personal statement that will get you noticed by employers

Resume templates 

17 resume personal statement examples

To start this guide, I have included 10 examples of good personal statements, to give you an idea of how a personal statement should look , and what should be included.

Note: personal statements are generally used by junior candidates – if you are experienced, check out our resume summary examples instead.

College graduate resume personal statement (no experience)

Although this college graduate has no paid work experience , they compensate for it by showcasing all of the skills and knowledge the have gained during their studies, and demonstrating how they apply their knowledge in academic and personal projects.

When you have little or no experience, it’s important to draw out transferable workplace skills from your studies and extracurricular work, to showcase them to employers.

College graduate resume personal statement (part time freelance experience)

This candidate has graduated college with a degree in biochemistry but actually wants to start a career in marketing after providing some digital freelance services to fund their studies.

In this case, they haven’t made much mention of their studies because they aren’t relevant to the marketing agencies they are applying to. Instead they have focused their personal statement around their freelance work and passion for the digital field – although they still mention the fact they are degree educated to prove their academic success.

High school leaver resume personal statement (no experience)

This candidate is 16 years old and has no work experience whatsoever, but they compensate for this by detailing their academic achievements that relate to the roles they are applying for (maths and literacy are important requirements in finance and accountancy roles).

They also add some info on their extracurricular activities and high school work-placements, to strengthen this student resume further.

Top tips for writing a resume personal statement

• Thoroughly research the jobs and companies you are planning to apply for to identify the type of candidate they are looking for – try to reflect that in your personal statement
• Don’t be afraid to brag a little – include some of your most impressive achievements from education, work or personal life
• Focus on describing the benefits an employer will get from hiring you. Will you help them to get more customers? Improve their workplace? Save them time and money?
• If you have no work experience, demonstrate transferable workplace skills from your education, projects, or even hobbies

High school leaver resume personal statement (part time experience)

Although this person has only just left high school, they have also undertaken some part-time work in a call center alongside their studies.

To make the most of this experience, they have combined their academic achievements with their workplace exposure in this personal statement.

By highlighting their future studies, summer programme involvement, work experience and expressing their ambitions to progress within sales, this candidate really makes an appealing case for hiring them.

College leaver resume personal statement (no experience)

This candidate has left college with good grades, but does not yet have any work experience.

To compensate for the lack of workplace exposure, they have made their honor results prominent and highlighted skills and experience which would benefit the employers they are targeting.

Any recruiter reading this summary can quickly understand that this candidate has great academic achievements, a passion for IT and finance and the ability to transfer their skills into an office environment.

College student resume personal statement (freelance experience)

As this student has picked up a small amount of freelance writing work during their studies, they have made sure to brag about it in their personal statement.

They give details on their relevant studies to show the skills they are learning, and boost this further by highlighting the fact that they have been applying these skills in a real-life work setting by providing freelance services.

They also include key action verbs that recruiters will be looking for , such as creative writing, working to deadlines, and producing copy.

Academic resume personal statement

Aside from junior candidates, the only other people who might use a personal statement, are academic professionals; as their resume’s tend to be more longer and detailed than other professions.

This candidate provides a high level overview of their field of study, length of experience, and the roles they have held within colleges.

High school leaver resume personal statement with sports experience

Although this person has no work experience, they are still able to show employers the value of hiring them by selling their other achievements and explaining how they could benefit an organization.

They expand on their sports club involvement to demonstrate their teamwork, leadership skills, communication and motivation, which are all important traits in the workplace, and will be looked upon favourably by recruiters and hiring managers.

They also draw upon their future plans to study business studies at college and take a part time job, to further prove their ambition and dedication.

History graduate resume personal statement

This history graduate proves their aptitude for both academic achievement and workplace aptitude by showcasing valuable skills from their degree and voluntary work.

They do this by breaking down the key requirements for each and showing how their skills could be beneficial for future employers, such as listening, communication, and crisis management.

They also describe how their ability to balance studies alongside voluntary work has not only boosted their knowledge and skills, but also given excellent time management and organizational skills – which are vital assets to any employer.

Law graduate resume personal statement

This legal graduate makes the most from their college work placements by using it to bulk out the contents of their resume personal statement.

They include their degree to show they have the necessary qualifications for legal roles, which is crucial, but more importantly, they showcase how they applied their legal skills within a real-life work setting.

They give a brief overview of the types of legal professionals they have been working alongside and the type of work they have been carrying out – this is all it takes to get the attention of recruiters and show employers they have what it takes to fulfil roles in the legal sector.

Medical student resume personal statement

This medical student proves their fit for the role by showcasing the key skills they have gained from their studies and their work experience placements.

In just these few sentences, they are able to highlight the vast amount of experience they have across different disciplines in the industry, something which is particularly important in the medical sector.

As they have not graduated yet and are still studying, they have provided proof of their most recent grades. This can give the recruiter some indication as to the type of grade they could be graduating with in the near future.

Masters student resume personal statement

This masters student has started by specifying their area of study, in this case, accounting, and given details about the specific areas of finance they are most interested in. This can hint towards their career goals and passions.

They have then carefully listed some of the key areas of accounting and finance that they are proficient in. For example, business finance, advanced corporate finance and statistics.

They have also outlined some of the transferable skills needed for accounting roles that employers will be looking out for, such as communication, attention to detail and analytical skills.

Finance student resume personal statement

As this finance student has recently undertaken some relevant work experience, they’ve made sure to shout about this in their personal summary.

But more than this, they have included a list of some of the important finance skills they gained as a result of this work experience – for example, financial reporting, processing invoices and month-end reconciliations.

Plus, through power words and phrases such as ‘prevent loss’ and ‘improve upon accuracy and efficiency’, they have also showcased how they can apply these skills in a workplace setting to benefit the potential employer.

Internship resume personal statement

This digital marketing professional has started their personal summary by outlining their most relevant qualifications and work experience, most notably their freelance role as a content manager.

They have also provided examples of some of the key marketing skills that potential employers might be looking for, including very detailed examples of the platforms and tools they are proficient in – for example, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest.

They have then closed their statement by giving a detailed description of the type of role or opportunity they are looking for. In this case, an in-house position in a marketing company.

College graduate career changer personal statement

Switching careers as a college graduate can be tough. Especially when it comes to writing a personal statement that will attract employers in your new chosen field.

This candidate is looking to move from history teaching into journalism, so they have created a statement which briefly mentions their current workplace, but mainly focuses on highlighting transferable skills which are relevant to journalism. They achieve this by discussing the writing skills they use in their current role, and mentioning their hobby of writing – including some publications they have been featured in for extra brownie points.

Business management graduate personal statement

This business management proves their ability to work within a junior business management position by swiftly highlighting their impressive degree (to ensure it is not missed) and summarizing some of the real-life experience they have gained in management during their college placements and volunteering. They do not let their lack of paid work experience, stop them demonstrating their valuable skills.

PhD graduate

PhD graduate roles attract a lot of competition, so it’s important that your resume contains a personal statement that will quickly impress and attract recruiters.

This candidate provides a short-but-comprehensive overview of their academic achievements, whilst demonstrating their exceptional level of knowledge in research, languages and publication writing.

By highlighting a number of skills and abilities that are in high-demand in the academic workplace, this resume is very likely to get noticed and land interviews.

How to write a personal statement for your resume

Now that you’ve seen what a personal statement should look like and the type of content it should contain, follow this detailed guide to one for your own resume – and start racking those interviews up.

Guide contents

What is a resume personal statement?

Resume personal statement or resume summary, personal statement format, what to include in a resume personal statement.

• Personal statement mistakes

How to write persuasively

A personal statement is a short paragraph at the top of your resume which gives employers an overview of your education, skills and experience

It’s purpose is to capture the attention of busy recruiters and hiring managers when your resume is first opened – encouraging them to read the rest of it.

You achieve this by writing a tailored summary of yourself that explains your suitability for the roles you are applying for at a very high level, and matches your target job descriptions .

One question candidates often ask me is , “what is the difference between a personal statement and a resume summary?”

To be honest, they are almost the same – they are both introductory paragraphs that sit at the top of your resume… but there are 2 main differences:

A personal statement tends to be used more by junior candidates (college graduates, high school leavers etc.) and is relatively long and detailed.

A resume summary tends to be favoured by more experienced candidates , and is shorter in length than a personal statement.

Note: If you are an experienced candidate, you may want to switch over to my resume writing guide , or example resume summaries page.

To ensure you grab recruiters’ attention with your personal statement, lay it out in the following way.

Positioning

You need to ensure that your personal statement sits at the very top of your resume, and all of it should be totally visible to readers, without the need to scroll down the page.

Do this by reducing the top page margin and minimizing the space taken up by your contact details.

This will ensure that your whole personal statement can be seen, as soon as your resume is opened.

We have a resume template which can help you to get this right.

Size/length

Your personal statement needs to contain enough detail to provide an introduction to your skills and knowledge, but not so much detail that it bores readers.

To strike the right balance, anything between 8-15 lines of text is perfect – and sentences should be sharp and to-the-point.

As with the whole of your resume , your personal statement should be written in a simple clean font at around size 10-12 to ensure that it can be read easily by all recruiters and employers.

Keep the text color simple, ensuring that it contrasts the background (black on white is best) and break it into 2 or even 3 paragraphs for a pleasant reading experience.

It should also be written in a punchy persuasive tone, to help you sell yourself and increase your chances of landing interviews , I cover how to do this in detail further down the guide.

Quick tip: A poorly written resume will fail to impress recruiters and employers. Use our quick-and-easy Resume Builder to create a winning resume in minutes with professional resume templates and pre-written content for every industry.

Once you have the style and format of your personal statement perfected, you need to fill it with compelling content that tells recruiters that your resume is worth reading.

Here’s what needs to go into your personal statement…

Before you start writing your personal statement, it’s crucial that you research your target roles to find out exactly what your new potential employers are looking for in a candidate.

Run a search for your target jobs on one of the major job websites, look through plenty of adverts and make a list of the candidate requirements that frequently appear.

This research will show you exactly what to include in your personal statement in order to impress the recruiters who will be reading it.

Education and qualifications are an important aspect of your personal statement, especially if you are a junior candidate.

You should highlight your highest and most relevant qualifications, whether that is a degree or your GED. You could potentially go into some more detail around modules, papers etc. if they are relevant to the roles you are applying for.

It’s important that you discuss the experience you have gained in your personal statement, to give readers an idea of the work you are comfortable undertaking.

This can of course be direct employed work experience, but it doesn’t have to be.

You can also include:

• High school/college work placements
• Voluntary work
• Personal projects
• Hobbies/interests

As with all aspects of your resume , the content should be tailored to match the requirements of your target roles.

Whilst discussing your experience, you should touch upon skills used, industries worked in, types of companies worked for, and people you have worked with.

Where possible, try to show the impact your actions have made. E.g.  A customer service agent helps to make sales for their employer.

Any industry-specific knowledge you have that will be useful to your new potential employers should be made prominent within your personal statement.

For example

• Knowledge of financial regulations will be important for accountancy roles
• Knowledge of IT operating systems will be important for IT roles
• Knowledge of the national curriculum will be important for teachers

You should also include some information about the types of roles you are applying for, and why you are doing so. Try to show your interest and passion for the field you are hoping to enter, because employers want to hire people who have genuine motivation and drive in their work.

This is especially true if you don’t have much work experience, as you need something else to compensate for it.

Resume personal statement mistakes

The things that you omit from your personal statement can be just as important as the things you include.

Try to keep the following out of your personal statement..

Irrelevant info

Any information that doesn’t fall into the requirements of your target roles can be cut out of your personal statement. For example, if you were a professional athlete 6 years ago, that’s great – but it won’t be relevant if you’re applying to advertising internships, so leave it out.

Generic clichés

If you are describing yourself as a “ dynamic team player with high levels of motivation and enthusiasm” you aren’t doing yourself any favours.

These cliché terms are vastly overused and don’t provide readers with any factual details about you – so keep them to a minimum.

Stick to solid facts like education, skills , experience, achievements and knowledge.

If you really want to ensure that your personal statement makes a big impact, you need to write in a persuasive manner.

So, how do you so this?

Well, you need to brag a little – but not too much

It’s about selling yourself and appearing confident, without overstepping the mark and appearing arrogant.

For example, instead of writing.

“Marketing graduate with an interest in entering the digital field”

Be creative and excite the reader by livening the sentence up like this,

“Marketing graduate with highest exam results in class and a passion for embarking on a long and successful career within digital”

The second sentence is a much more interesting, makes the candidate appear more confident, throws in some achievements, and shows off a wider range of writing skills.

Quick tip: A poorly written resume will fail to impress recruiters and employers. Use our quick-and-easy Resume Builder to create a winning resume in minutes with professional templates and pre-written content for every industry.

Your own personal statement will be totally unique to yourself, but by using the above guidelines you will be able to create one which shows recruiters everything they need.

Remember to keep the length between 10-20 lines and only include the most relevant information for your target roles.

You can also check our college graduate resume example , our best resume templates , or our library of example resumes from all industries.

Good luck with the job hunt!

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How to Write a Personal Statement for Your CV

Making your CV stand out from other job applicants can be tough but if you know how to write a personal statement, then you have a better chance of landing the job of your dreams.

Every potential employer wants to know how you can be a great asset to their company. 

How can you c onvince your prospective employer that you are the best person for the job even before you meet them with your CV?

I understand that  creating a good CV  requires hard work and great attention to detail. You have the experience, skills and educational qualifications, but you want the recruiter to know the value that you can add to the company, but how?

BUILD YOUR CV TODAY AND GET PERSONALIZED JOB ALERTS

This is where you will need a personal statement to come through for you on your CV. I know you may be like; 

“Do I need a personal statement on my CV when my experiences and skills are boldly written on my CV?”

Yes! You need a personal statement to quickly tell your prospective employer about the special talents, skills, and experience that you are bringing into the job. 

According to statistics, employers spend only  6 seconds  reading a CV. This means that you have just 6 seconds to prove to the employer that you are the best fit for the job, and this is what a personal statement does for you. 

So, are you ready to see how you can take charge of your job search? Let’s get started then.

Before we get into it, let us take a look at everything we are going to learn from this guide:

What is a personal statement?

Why you should write a personal statement., how to write a personal statement., difference between a personal statement and a personal profile., difference between a personal statement and a cv objective., personal statement examples., how to write a personal statement.

You can write a personal statement following these steps:

• Create a draft: Make a draft of all the values that you can add to the job that you are applying for. You can make a list.  
• Select the skills and values that are most important to the job: When you have made a list of your skills and values, then you can select the ones that best relate to the job that you are applying for.
• Concentrate on your strength: Concentrate on the things that emphasize you as the best person for the job.
• Make sure you go straight to the point: Recruiters are not interested in knowing your details.
• Understand the job that you are applying for.
• Provide evidence for your experience and skills.
• State why you want to work for the company.
• Make sure your personal statement focuses more on what you can do for your company rather than what the company can do for you.
• Make sure your first sentence is captivating.
• Re-read your personal statement to make sure its free from grammatical errors.
• Make sure your personal statement answers the basic personal statement questions like; who are you? What can you do? Why should we hire you? Why do you want to work for us?

What is a Personal Statement?

A personal statement is a piece of writing usually not more than 2 or 3 paragraphs that appears at the top of your CV that gives a summary of who you are, your skills, your achievement, experience, your career goals and finally; the reason for your application.

You can write an amazing CV, but not having a personal statement on your CV or having a poor one can make your CV not get the attention that it should get. A personal statement is what captivates the recruiter’s attention to your CV.

Just like an  elevator pitch , a personal statement allows you to convince the recruiter that you are the best person for the job even before they decide to read your CV.

A personal statement helps you take charge of your application. If your personal statement is good, the recruiter will likely read your CV; and if your personal statement is bad, well your CV might just get trashed.

This is how a personal statement looks.

5 Reasons Why You Should Add A Personal Statement in Your CV

You may think that there is no need to add a personal statement to your CV since you already have your experience and skills clearly stated on your CV.

Yes, your experience and skills have already said so much about you to the employer, but to what extent?

Just like we said earlier that recruiters spend  6 seconds  looking at your CV. So, you have to decide if you want your CV to get lost in the pile, or give them a reason to continue reading with your personal   statement. 

If your aim of writing a CV is to eventually land the job of your dreams, then you should consider attracting the interest of the employer with your personal statement. 

If you are still not sure why you should write a personal statement on your CV, then you can take a look at the following reasons why you should add a personal statement on your CV;

1. Writing a personal statement on your CV helps you sustain the interest of the recruiter on your CV.

A personal statement will help you project your skills and unique abilities that make you the best person for the job to the recruiter at a glance. 

Even if your skills and experience are stated on your CV, the personal statement is what the recruiter will likely see first. And if your personal statement is interesting enough it will capture the attention of the recruiter.

2. Adding a personal statement to your CV helps you market yourself to the recruiter.

Why do you write a CV in the first place?

You write a CV to convince your prospective employer that you are the best person for the job, showing your skills and experience. 

So, you are marketing yourself to the recruiter with your CV, right? So, if your CV is a marketing tool, why don’t you take advantage of that and market yourself to the recruiter. 

Adding a personal statement to your CV will help you utilize the functionality of your CV as a marketing tool. 

3. It helps you share your ambition and skills with the recruiter.

If you are a fresh graduate with little or no formal work experience, then you can take advantage of the personal statement to share some of your informal experiences with the recruiter.

You can share some of the strengths and experiences that you must have acquired during your stay at the university that will convince the recruiter that will be great at the job.

4. It helps your application stand out.

Having a personal statement on your CV can come in handy when you are applying for a competitive job. 

If you are applying for a competitive job, it means that there are thousands of other people that are applying for the same job, so what do you have to do? Stand out!

Employers often flip past CVs without even reading them especially when they have a lot to attend to. Recruiters will likely flip past your CV unless they can spot that  competitive advantage . 

Adding a personal statement to your CV helps you quickly present your competitive advantage to your prospective employer. 

5. It gives the recruiter an idea of you.

If you are a recent graduate and yet to discover your career path or want to  get an internship position  in no specific field, then you should consider adding a personal statement on your CV. 

Showing your unique skills and ambition in your personal statement can give the recruiter an idea of what you would likely fit into. 

Now, I guess that you are ready to start adding a personal statement on your CV. Just before you start writing your personal statement you have to make sure you are writing a good one so you don’t stand the risk of making a wrong impression on your potential employer.

Want to write an awesome personal statement? You don’t have to worry, I will show you all you need to know to create an amazing personal statement for your CV in this article.

Let’s get into it;

PS : Having a great CV is wise, but arming yourself with all the job search tools you need is smart. Learn about all you need to land a job here.

1.      Understand the job that you are applying for:

The first step to writing a good personal statement is to first understand the job that you are applying for. Understanding the job description and the recruiter’s expectation for that position will help you craft a personal statement that will directly appeal to the employer.

Carefully reading the job description will help you understand what the employer looks forward to seeing in the potential employee.

Take note of the words that were used in the job description and use it to form your personal statement. You should also research the company to understand their core values.

2.      Talk about who you are:

Your personal statement should be able to tell the recruiter who you are (professionally) in clear terms. This should appear in the first sentence of your personal statement.

To effectively tell the recruiter who you are, you can think about your current position and make a list of things that you do in your job. You can also do this for your previous experiences.

You can include the things that you are passionate about or the things that you love most about your profession and the valuable qualities that you. 

Now that you have understood what a personal statement is, and why it is important, I think it is time for you to know how to write a good personal statement that will land you a job.

When you are writing your personal statement, you should know that your personal statement is your elevator pitch. It is like answering the question;  “Tell me about yourself?” ,  “Can we meet you?”, “why should we hire you?” .

So, see how you can go ahead to write an amazing personal statement following these steps:

Talking about who you are can look like this:

“As a resourceful and successful digital marketing professional with more than 6 years of experience specializing in search engine optimization (SEO) and a passion for digital marketing that makes it easy for me to help individuals and brands gain an online presence. 

From the example above, you can see that any recruiter that looks at this personal statement will immediately understand who the person is and even what the person does. 

3.      Present your strength and values:

The next thing for you do after telling the recruiter who you are is to present your strength, values, and achievement that are in line with the job description that makes you the best person for the job. 

This part will allow you to show the recruiter what relevant value you will be bringing to the table. 

It is also good for you to include the important requirement that is specified in the job description in your personal statement to give the recruiter the idea that you are the best person for the job. 

If for example, the job description specifies certain skills or educational qualifications that a candidate should have, you should not forget to add that you possess those skills or qualifications. This helps to send the right message to the recruiter. 

The second part of your personal statement can look like this:

“With a comprehensive knowledge of the digital marketing strategies and search engine optimization skills I have been able to develop strategies and processes for optimizing digital products that I utilized in my current job. 

As a result of my expertise, I have been able to build SEO strategies that can help businesses improve their online visibility which will also increase revenue in the long run”.

4.      State what you want.

In the last part of your personal statement, you should be able to state what your career goals are. The recruiter needs to know what is next after your skills and experience.

The recruiter also wants to know why you are applying for the job. You should be able to tell the recruiter why you are interested in the job, what you look forward to achieving with the job, and why you are interested in the organization.

Make sure that this part of your personal statement is short, straight to the point and reaffirming.

The concluding part of your personal statement should be something like this:

“I am currently looking for an SEO specialist role where I can open myself up to bigger challenges and also deliver great with result utilizing my skills and experience.”

No doubt, these tips will help you write a great personal statement, but it is good you know how to structure your personal statement in a way that it appears professional.

How to Structure Your Personal Statement

I know that writing a personal statement may seem daunting, but since you already understand how to write a personal statement on your CV, you will just need to understand some basic structures you need to follow to create a good personal statement. 

1. Start with an introduction

Your statement should follow the normal essay format, which means that it should have an introduction just like every other essay you write. 

Your introduction should explain who you are and what you do, but make sure it is short and straight to the point. 

You can just use this structure to frame your personal statement:

• Your introduction should be precise and explain why you are happy about what you do. This part should show that you are passionate about what you do.
• Talk about the things that have formed the background of your chosen career. 
• Focus on the things that interest you in your career.

The introductory part of your personal statement basically asks the question;  “What interests you about your career?”   Once you can answer this question correctly, then you have successfully written a good personal statement introduction.

2. Draft the main body of your personal statement

The main body of your personal statement should show your preparedness for the job. This paragraph should show what skills, qualifications, abilities, and values that you tend to add performing the job. 

This paragraph should include the following:

• Talk about the skills and qualifications that make you the best person for the job.
• Give examples that will emphasize that you are the best person for the job. 
• Show how your skills and qualifications will be relevant in the job that you are applying for and the company at large. 

The main paragraph (s) should answer these questions; 

a. Why are you the best person for this job?

b. Why should we hire you?

c. What experience are you bringing into this job?

d. Can you tell us about a project that you have done?

e. What unique skills do you have that makes you the best candidate for this position?

3. Write a concluding paragraph.

Just like you write a conclusion when you are writing an essay, you should also write a conclusion for your personal statement. 

The conclusion for your personal statement should be short and precise. It should state your reason for the application. Your conclusion should include the following:

• A summary of why you think you are the best person for the job.
• Your conclusion should also state your plans for the future as regards your skills, qualification, and experience.
• Lastly, your conclusion should state what you look forward to achieving if you get the job.

You can use these tips and questions to structure your personal statement. I understand that a lot of emphases is placed on experience. If you don’t have any experience, you can also talk about your achievements and educational qualifications. 

Your personal statement should look like this, answering the basic personal statement questions like;  who are you? why should we hire you? why do you want to work here? etc. 

If you have read these tips, then you may ask yourself;  “How do I even start to write a personal statement for my CV?”

Well, you are just a few reads away from knowing how you can start writing your personal statement.

How to Start Your Personal Statement

Since you now know what a personal statement is, how to write a personal statement, and the structure of a personal statement. 

Now, it is time for you to put your knowledge into practice by knowing how to start writing your personal statement.

If you get confused anytime you want to write a personal statement on your CV or if this is your first time, then you will find these personal statement introduction examples helpful.  

Personal statement introduction examples

• “an experienced website developer with extensive knowledge of programming languages including HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript”
• “I am an outgoing and eloquent customer service professional with a passion for problem-solving and 6 years prior customer service experience in the hospitality industry. 
• “I am an ambitious and motivated Civil Engineer with strong technical skills like; drawing models for structures, creating blueprints and using CAD software.
• “I am a skilled digital marketer that specializes in search engine optimization (SEO) as well as social media management and web development.”
• “A highly creative graphic designer that specializes in UI designs as well as illustrations. I am skilled at using graphic design soft wares like; Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Corel Draw.”

To start writing your personal statement, you should know that it is important for you to open your personal statement with an introduction that will capture the attention of the recruiter and keep them glued to your CV.

To start your personal statement, you can follow this structure to have a good introduction:

• Talk about your job title.
• Your years of experience.
• The skills that you acquire.
• Also, use the active verb to describe all the following so that you can convey the right emotions. 

With these structures and the personal statement examples above, writing the introductory part of your personal statement will be much easy for you. 

How to End Your Personal Statement

You know that everything that has a beginning must have an end, right?  So, in our context of writing a personal statement how can you end your personal statement? 

If you have started your personal statement already, then you have done the most difficult aspect of the job. Drafting the end of your personal statement is easy, all you need to do is to follow these guidelines to help you draft an interesting personal statement ending. 

• Your personal statement should end with your aim or objective. It is at the conclusion that you wrap up your personal statement ending with a conclusion of  why you think you are the best for the position  and  why you want to get the job.
• You can end your personal statement by letting the recruiter know what you are looking for in the role that you are applying for. 
• You can also end your personal statement by stating your career goal. This is one method that works for entry-level people with little or no experience. You should remember to state the career goals that are related to the job that you are applying for.

To help you end your personal statement professionally, you can take a look at these personal statement ending examples:

• “I am looking to launch forth my career in the world of ICT where I can put into practice all that I have learned in the university and add value to my society.
• “I want to find my next challenge in the world of digital marketing, and also to grow my career in an innovative and exciting organization. 
• “Looking to start my journalism career in a company that will open me up to realities in journalism, build my skills and will also help me contribute to the already existing innovative processes. 

Since you now know how to start and end your personal statement, it is good that you know what to include and what you should not include in your personal statement.

Let’s take a look at some pieces of information you need to include in your personal statement.

When you are writing your personal statement, you should bear in mind that there some information that will form the building block of your personal statement.

This information will have to be included for you to create a perfect personal statement:

Quick Tip : Before you even start writing your personal statement, you should take the time to read the job description and make a list of things that the employer wants to see in the prospective job seeker. To get better information, you would have to research the role and even the company.

Include the following information in your personal statement:

Information You should Include in Your Personal Statement

Your education, qualification, and certification are vital aspects of your personal statement. If you are a fresh graduate or applying for an entry-level position with no experience, it is from your education and qualification that the recruiter will be able to tell if you are the best person for the job. 

I know that you will still talk about your education on your CV, but when you are talking about your education, qualification, or certification in your personal statement you should mention your highest qualification that makes you the best person for the job. 

If you are applying for an entry-level position, you can include your course description, that is if it is closely related to the job that you are applying for. 

Your experience is like the core aspect of your CV. You must include the experience that you have acquired in your personal statement so that the recruiter can see at a glance the job that you are most suited for. 

The following can form your experience:

• Tangible experience in your previous jobs.
• Volunteering experience
• Internship experience
• School project
• Industrial training experience etc.  

Quick Tip : when you are talking about your experience in your personal statement, make sure your experience is related to the job that you are applying for. 

When you are talking about your experience, you can talk about the skills and abilities that you used in your previous jobs to achieve success. 

Your skills are another important aspect of your personal statement. Adding your skills to your personal statement will show the recruiter what you are capable of doing.

When you are including your skills to your personal statement, you should be careful to add skills that will help you perform the role better.

For example, if you are applying for a graphic design role, you can add skills like; Illustration skills, Photo editing skills, copywriting skills, etc. 

Objective/Reason

When you are writing your personal statement, you should be able to show the reason you are applying for the job. You should also show the reason why you have chosen that career. 

This will help you show interest and passion about what you do or the career path that you are about to go into. 

Your objective or reason may not sound important, but it is important because employers look forward to hiring passionate and driven individuals. 

If you don’t have work experience, then this aspect of your personal statement is important. 

Your education, qualification, and certification are vital aspects of your personal statement. If you are a fresh graduate or applying for an entry-level position with no experience, it is from your education and qualification that the recruiter will be able to tell if you are the best person for the job.

I know that you will still talk about your education on your CV, but when you are talking about your education, qualification, or certification in your personal statement you should mention your highest qualification that makes you the best person for the job.

If you are applying for an entry-level position, you can include your course description that is if it is closely related to the job that you are applying for.

Your experience is like the core aspect of your CV. You must include the experience that you have acquired in your personal statement so that the recruiter can see at a glance the job that you are most suited for.

Quick Tip : when you are talking about your experience in your personal statement, make sure your experience is related to the job that you are applying for.

When you are talking about your experience, you can talk about skills and abilities that you used in your previous jobs to achieve success.

Your skills are another important aspect of your personal statement. Adding your skills to your personal statement will show the recruiter What you are capable of doing.

For example, if you are applying for a graphic design role, you can add skills like; Illustration skills, Photo editing skills, copy writing skills etc.

When you are writing your personal statement, you should be able to show the reason you are applying for the job. You should also show the reason why you have chosen that career.

This will help you show interest and passion about what you do or the career path that you are about to go into.

Your objective or reason may not sound important, but it is important because employers look forward to hiring a passionate and driven individual.

Personal Statement Dos and Don’ts

While you are creating your personal statement, you must know what you should include for you create a perfect personal statement and things that you should do away with. Let’s take a look at what you should add and what you should avoid.

• Be concise and go straight to the point; recruiters don’t like to read long texts before they get to the main point.
• When you are talking about your skills, make sure the skills are related to the job that you are applying for.
• Talk about skills that make you different from other applicants. Talk about the unique skills that you are bringing into the job.
• Give examples of how you have used your skills in a similar position. Make sure that these skills are related to the job description. 
• Research the company; visit their social media pages, websites, etc. and fit that into your personal statement. 
• You can add some of the company language and tone to your personal statement. This gives the recruiter the idea that you are intentional about the job. 
• Remember to follow the basic principles of writing; keep your personal statement simple, concise, coherent, free of grammatical errors, and avoid unnecessary repetition.
• Always state a passion that is related to the job that you are applying for. For example, if you are applying for an IT role, mentioning that you are passionate about problem-solving can help you stand out from the crowd. 

• Avoid using clichés that don’t reflect you as the best person for the job. Using clichés like; “Good communication skills” are things that almost everyone puts on their personal statement.
• Make sure that your sentences are emotionally powerful to convey the message that you want to pass across to the recruiter.
• Don’t lie about anything when you are writing your personal statement. If you lie or exaggerate when you are writing your personal statement, just know that the truth will surely surface when you go for the interview.
• Don’t try to use negative words or expressions to appeal to the emotions of the recruiter. Including information like how long it took you to finally land the job of your dreams and all the ordeals that you had to experience. This does not in any way show that you are the best fit for the job.
• Don’t talk about personal information in your personal statement. Even if it is called a personal statement, the recruiter is interested in knowing if you are the best person for the position, and not interested in other information like; how many children you have, etc.
• Don’t write an extremely long personal statement, your personal statement should not be more than 150 words.

Since you now understand what you should do when you are writing your personal statement and what you should not do, then it is time for you to know how to format your personal statement in a way that it will look clean and easy to read.

Let’s dive in;

How to Format Your Personal Statement

The appearance of your personal statement can go a long way to determine if the recruiter will love to continue reading your CV. To be sure you are increasing the chances of getting your CV read by the recruiter, you have to format your personal statement. See how you can format your personal statement;

Positioning Your Personal Statement

You need to position your personal statement in a way that the recruiter will be able to see it as soon as they open your CV, instead of having to make the recruiter manually scroll down to find your personal statement.

You can reduce the margin of your document to make sure your personal statement is in the right position. 

Size/Length of Your Personal Statement

In as much as it is good that your personal statement provides enough information as to why you think you are the best person for the job, you should avoid writing a long personal statement. 

Your personal statement should be between 8 – 14 lines or a maximum of 150 words. 

Writing Style for Your Personal Statement

When you are writing your personal statement, make sure your style of writing is simple. Regardless of the writing style that you choose to adopt, make sure what you are writing is clear and easy to read. 

Make sure you choose a simple font type like; Times New Roman, Arial, etc. Your font colour should also be simple and not too loud or sharp. Colours like gray and black are perfect. 

It is good for you to adopt a persuasive style when you are writing your personal statement since you are going to be selling yourself to the recruiter.

We have gone a long way with the process of learning how to write a personal statement.  Have you ever wondered about the difference between a personal statement and a personal profile?

Maybe not, so do they mean the same thing or are they different? Let’s find out

Difference Between Personal statement and Personal Profile

A personal statement is a piece of writing on your CV that tells your prospective employer that you are the best person for the job. Showcasing your skills, strengths, and abilities that are relevant to the job.

While a personal profile could also be known as a CV summary. The personal profile is the opening statement of a CV that outlines your characteristics, your qualities and your experience that makes you the best person for the job. 

The fact is that the personal statement and personal profile are almost the same because they are both introductory statements. 

The major differences between the personal statement and personal profile are:

• While the personal statement talks about who you are and why you are the best person for the position, the personal profile focuses more on your achievement, skills, and experience.
• Another major difference between the personal statements and personal profiles is that it is used by most fresh graduates because it allows them to sell themselves even if they don’t have tangible work experiences. The personal profile is used by more experienced people.
• Another difference is that while the personal statement should be long enough to capture everything that suggests that an individual is the best person for the job, the personal profile is shorter.

Now that you understand the difference between a personal statement and a personal profile, have you thought about the difference between a personal statement and a CV objective? Let us get into it.  

Difference Between Personal Statement and CV Objective

I am sure you must have seen the word “Objective” on peoples’ CVs and now you are learning about personal statements and you are trying to place the difference between both of them.

Even if they both appear at the top of the CV and emphasize why a candidate is the best person for the position, they are also different.

While the  personal statement  tells your employer who you are, your skills and strength that are relevant to the position that you are applying for, and also emphasizes that you are the best person for the job. 

The  CV objective  talks about your career goals. Just as the name implies, it has to do with the objective and reason you are applying for the job. 

The CV objective could be as simple as showing where you have been in your career and where you hope to go in your career especially with the job that you are applying for. 

Quick Tip:  Many people have concluded that CV objectives are no longer necessary on a CV. Even if adding an objective to your CV is an outdated practice, you can still decide to add them if it focuses on your skills and abilities.

 Do you still need help with writing a good CV? Then join MyJobMag FREE online CV clinic by clicking on the image below:

Personal Statement Examples

Unemployed personal statement example.

Even if you have been unemployed for a while, you can still write an interesting personal statement. You just have to be careful not to focus on the fact that you have been out of work for a while.

You should focus on the skills and experience that highlights you as the best person for the job. You can make up for the fact that you were unemployed for a while by stating some volunteering jobs, courses or training that you did during this period.

Having a gap in your CV is not something that you should be so worried about. Employers understand that people can be out of jobs.

This example will help you frame your personal statement if you are unemployed:

“Vibrant Sales Executive with over eight years’ experience in the manufacturing industry. I have a proven track record of success which includes leading a team of 20, developing sales and marketing strategies that increased the company revenue by 20% in 1 year. Now I am looking at getting a job in an IT company where I can practice my digital marketing skills.”  

Graduate Personal Statement Example

If you are a fresh graduate without tangible work experience, you can still use your personal statement to prove to the recruiter that you are the best person for the job.

As a graduate, your personal statement should serve as the headline of your CV. Which means that it should get the attention of the recruiter. 

To get the attention of the recruiter, you can start by talking about what the recruiter cares about rather than what you want to achieve. It is easy for you to get the recruiter’s attention when you talk about something they can relate with. 

"An acdemically and commercially sharp product designer and engineer with a passion for developing and designing innovative products that save time and make the users’ lives easier.

I have a proven ability in the researching and development of new products that are designed to meet the needs of both users and the environment, with an in-depth knowledge of the principles of product design and engineering, along with product-based practical knowledge of product development process.

I am an expert in the use of Adobe In-Design, AutoCAD, Auto Desk, and Inventor Software along with a robust understanding of joinery and engineering techniques. I am due to get a BSC in Product Design and have extended Level 3 diplomas in mechanical engineering, with a covered range of associated disciplines in product designing and engineering principles."

Career Change Personal Statement Example

If you are changing your career from one job field to the other, you can write a personal statement that will aid your transition process. 

If you are changing your career from customer service to human resources, for example, you should include skills that you can transfer from your previous role to the new role.

“Experienced customer service manager with over 5 years of working experience in conflict resolution, interpersonal relationship, recruiting and training new customer service staff. I have successfully managed large teams of customer service executives over the years reducing recruitment costs and ensuring effective onboarding process for new intakes. 

I am passionate about employee engagement and retention. I am currently looking for a role in Human Resources to build on my passion and skills.”

Student Personal Statement Example

If you are a student, you can write a personal statement that will help you get an internship or IT position. When you are writing your personal statement as a student, you should tell the recruiter when you want the job.

Employers also look forward to hiring students that are enthusiastic about learning and what they can offer the company in the future.

“I am a resourceful student with a passion for technology and design. During my second and third year at the university, I won the university technical award for my university. I am interested in pursuing my engineering career that is why I want to take up an internship position in an engineering firm.”

Since we have looked at different personal statement examples for different categories of people, so we will take a look at personal statement examples for different job roles. 

Accounting Personal Statement

“Qualified accountant with a good understanding of accounting processes. Strong finance skills combined with my ability to analyze and use accounting soft wares. I have over 5 years of experience in developing budget management and cost-saving practices. 

I have always used IT to propel my accounting skills, and now I am looking for an accounting role in an IT company where I can broaden my IT experience to help me perform my accounting duties better.”

Marketing Personal Statement

“Proactive marketing executive with over 6 years of increasing sales and revenue through offline practices, PR, and digital marketing. I have strong research skills and abilities that have equipped me with the ability to build marketing strategies that I used in my previous job to increase sales by 20% in one year.”

Customer Service Personal Statement

“A friendly customer service executive with over 4 years’ experience in solving problem and building a great relationship between customers and the brand. I am a resourceful person that learn and study a lot which helped me discovered ways to discover online strategies to engage customers and meet their needs.

My excellent customer service skills have won me several awards in my previous employments. Aside from the awards I have won, I have had several pieces of training on customer service practices. Now, I am looking for a position to take on more responsibilities.”

Teaching Personal Statement Example

“I am a growth-oriented teacher that finds passion in helping people grow by identifying their educational needs and being resourceful about how to meet their needs. I have excellent people management skills that I have acquired in the process of teaching in a different environment and teaching different people.

I have developed modules and lessons to help people with classroom management and class control. Now I am looking for a teaching role that offers more responsibilities”

Medical Personal Statement Example

“I am an adept medical doctor with over 4 years of experience in general medicine and emergency. I am dedicated to making sure that my patients get the best experience which is what inspires me to learn and research ways to handle emergency cases and sick people generally.

My focus on patient experience has won me the award of ‘best doctor of the year’ three times in a row. I have also built a strong passion for teaching and supervising medical trainees. I have trained over 100 interns during residency that helped me build my people management skills. 

Now, I am looking to work in a specialist hospital where I will be exposed to more challenges that are within my area of specialization.”

Human Resources Personal Statement Example

“I am an organized human resources officer with 5 years of experience in recruitment, onboarding, and employee retention. I am a resourceful and ambitious person that has consciously developed myself to be able to manage different people.

I am skilled at employee retention which I have recorded great success over the years. I am currently looking for a human resource manager position in a recruitment firm where I can practice my passion in full."

Conclusion:

Your CV personal statement is an integral part of your CV. It can determine if your CV will be read at all or if it will join the others in the pile. 

Learning how to write a stunning personal statement is worth investing your effort on, how knows? It might land you the job that you have been waiting for. 

Staff Writer

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How to write a personal statement

Present yourself clearly and concisely

How to write an effective personal statement for a CV

Writing a personal statement for your CV is crucial in making a strong first impression . It serves as a snapshot of your professional identity, showcasing your key qualities, skills, and relevant experiences in alignment with the job you’re applying for. 

By effectively summarising your strongest points , you demonstrate to hiring managers why you stand out in the field, making them eager to learn more about you.

Use our AI-powered online CV builder to create a CV and worry less about things such as format or design.

Key strategies for crafting engaging personal statements

When writing your CV personal profile, these tips serve both as guidance and a checklist to ensure your statement stands out.

Keep it concise

• Aim for a short and impactful statement; brevity encourages hiring managers to delve deeper into your CV.
• Highlight your “ valuable work experience ” or “extensive work history” compellingly.

Choose your words wisely

• Opt for original adjectives and power words , steering clear of clichés like “hard-working”.
• Maintain a positive tone throughout your statement.

Craft a captivating narrative

• Avoid focusing too long on a single achievement .
• Start with an engaging sentence, listing your key attributes and what you can bring to the company, concluding with a strong, memorable line.

Align with the company

• Tailor your personal statement for each job application to reflect alignment with the specific role.

Proofread thoroughly

• Ensure your personal statement and entire CV are free from typos , as errors undermine professionalism.
• Reading aloud can help identify areas for improvement in strength and flow.

Starting your statement

• If you’re unsure where to begin, consider answering simple interview questions about yourself. Use these responses to build a dynamic and professional narrative.

Final touches

Perfect your draft by connecting ideas with linking words , and refining your content for clarity and impact .

Optimising for ATS compatibility

Many employers rely on Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to streamline their recruitment processes. These digital gatekeepers scan and filter CVs , including personal statements, to identify the most relevant candidates.

To ensure your personal statement isn’t overlooked, it’s crucial to understand how to make it ATS-friendly .

• Research key terms : Start by reviewing the job description and industry-specific terminology. Identify keywords or phrases that frequently appear. These could include job titles, technical skills, certifications, or industry buzzwords.
• Strategic placement : Once you’ve identified the keywords, strategically incorporate them into your personal statement. Avoid cramming them all into one sentence; instead, weave them naturally into your narrative. 
• Avoid overloading : While it’s essential to include relevant keywords, don’t overdo it. ATS systems may penalise excessive keyword stuffing. Aim for a balance between readability and keyword inclusion.
• Synonyms and variations : ATS systems often recognise synonyms and variations of keywords. For instance, if ‘leadership’ is a keyword, ‘team leadership’ or ‘leadership skills’ may also be relevant. Consider using synonyms where appropriate.
• Tailor to each application : Remember that not all keywords are universal. Tailor your personal statement for each job application by adjusting keywords to match the specific role’s requirements. This demonstrates your genuine interest and suitability for the position.

By integrating relevant keywords into your personal statement, you increase your chances of passing through ATS filters and catching the recruiter’s attention.

Striking the right balance between keyword optimisation and a compelling narrative is the key to crafting an ATS-compatible personal statement that resonates with potential employers.

What’s the difference between a career objective and a personal statement?

Understanding the nuances between a career objective and a personal statement is key in tailoring your application , whether for a job or university admission.

Each serves a distinct purpose in presenting your professional ambitions and personal achievements.

Career objective: a glimpse into your future

A career objective focuses on your aspirations and the professional milestones you aim to achieve. Typically more succinct than a personal statement, it doesn’t elaborate on past job roles or academic achievements. 

Instead, it showcases your ambition and direction within your chosen field, articulating why a particular job aligns with your career plans and underlying motivation.

Personal statement: the comprehensive summary

In contrast, a personal statement offers a broader overview, including your key traits and achievements , and how these support the job requirements. 

It acts as a brief yet comprehensive presentation of your professional persona , rather than explicitly setting career targets.

CV vs university applications: Know the difference

Personal statements on cvs.

For job applications, your personal statement is a short paragraph designed to highlight what makes you the ideal candidate , distinctly setting you apart from other applicants.

Personal statements for university applications

Conversely, a personal statement for university admissions is considerably lengthier , providing a detailed account of your academic background , interests, and personal interests . 

It’s important to recognise and adapt to the differing expectations of these contexts.

Crafting your CV: flexibility in format

Whether you opt for a career objective or a personal statement depends on your preference and the specific demands of the job you’re applying for. Utilising a CV template can simplify the process , offering customisable options to match your style and the application’s requirements.

When should you include a personal statement on your CV?

If it is not necessary to include a cover letter with your job application, you can add a personal statement to your CV to give a more personal and explanatory touch to your profile .

Regardless of whether or not it is necessary to include a cover letter with your job application, you can still include a personal statement in your  CV format . The choice is entirely up to you .

We recommend writing a personal statement , as it is a productive way of presenting yourself to hiring managers with a short summary of your profile.

Do’s and don’ts of writing personal statements

Streamline your personal statement with these essential do’s and don’ts , ensuring immediate impact:

Be concise : write a brief, impactful summary.

Tailor to job : highlight relevant skills.

Use positive language : show enthusiasm.

Proofread : ensure there are no errors.

Personalise : emphasise what sets you apart.

Don’t👎

Overuse jargon : avoid excess technical terms.

Be vague : specify achievements and skills. Use metrics.

Repeat CV : offer new insights, not duplicates.

Undersell : highlight your achievements.

Ignore basics : address ‘Who you are’ and ‘What you offer’.

Remember, your personal statement is your opportunity to make a memorable first impression. Keep it relevant, engaging, and reflective of your unique professional journey.

CV personal statement examples

Struggling to write the  perfect personal statement for your CV ? Have a look at some of the examples below for some inspiration.

Graphic design

Recent graduate with a first-class honours degree in Graphic Communication Design from the University of Exeter. Valuable work experience in illustration, publication and online web design. Looking for a challenging job role based in London where I can jumpstart my career and develop my graphic design expertise.

Proactive primary school teacher with over seven years of experience specialising in Science and Maths, as well as Foreign Languages. Fluent in both German and French, looking for a secure job position in East Sussex where I can incorporate modern and innovative teaching techniques to motivate pupils.

Highly driven sales professional with four years experience working for two successful companies in Birmingham. Over the last few years, my sales targets have increased due to my quick working pace and progress, leaving me with the belief and certainty of my capability for the role of sales manager.

Business developer

Motivated and enthusiastic individual, who has recently achieved A levels in Business, Media and French at Havant College. Looking for a business apprenticeship where I can begin my career and reach my eventual goal of a successful business developer in the international media sector.

A typical personal statement should ideally be around 150 words in length . It’s important to be concise while conveying your key qualifications, experiences, and aspirations.  Adhering to this word limit ensures that your statement is engaging and to the point, capturing the recruiter’s attention without overwhelming them with excessive details.  However, always check the specific requirements provided by the employer, as some may request a different length for personal statements.

A good personal statement for a CV is a concise, well-structured paragraph that highlights your key qualifications, skills, and aspirations , tailored to the job you’re applying for. It should capture the employer’s attention, showcase your unique strengths, and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role. Avoid clichés and instead focus on specific achievements and experiences that make you a strong fit. A successful personal statement should leave a lasting impression and make the recruiter eager to explore your CV further .

Including personal achievements and hobbies in your personal statement can be beneficial if they are relevant to the job or reflect key skills . Highlight achievements that demonstrate qualities like teamwork, leadership, or problem-solving. Relevant hobbies can showcase your passion or expertise in areas related to the role. However, avoid listing unrelated or generic interests . Prioritise achievements and hobbies that enhance your suitability for the position and align with the employer’s expectations to create a more compelling personal statement.

While a well-crafted personal statement can certainly strengthen your job application , it may not entirely compensate for a significant lack of experience or qualifications. It can, however, help you explain transferable skills , your enthusiasm for the role, and a strong cultural fit. To increase your chances, focus on showcasing relevant skills and demonstrating your commitment to learning and growth in the personal statement. Remember that some employers prioritise potential and attitude over qualifications, so crafting a persuasive personal statement remains valuable even in such situations.

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