How to write a personal statement for a job

• When you are writing a personal statement, it is always important to remember it is only a part of your whole application. When applying for a job, not only will the statement be considered but so will your broader CV, how you respond when interviewed and your general professionalism when meeting with your prospective employer. So, don’t try to cram everything into it – sometimes it is better to say less than more.
• Try to keep it as short and snappy as possible. Your employer doesn’t need to know your whole life story and it will dilute the overall effectiveness of it if you bring up things that are irrelevant to the job you’re applying for.
• Make sure that you check it again and again. No matter how good it might sound in your head, make sure you read it out loud before submitting it, otherwise, it could not be as effective as you want it to be. Try to make sure that it makes sense and doesn’t stray into areas unconnected to the job that you are applying for.
• Finally, endeavour to ensure that it doesn’t lack anything personal. You must make sure that the people you are applying to work for understand that you aren’t simply a robot who will just do the work required without any passion or feeling. Demonstrate that you feel passionate about the field of work that the company or industry is part of – perhaps state, or if you don’t have enough room, imply why you should be picked to work for them, not simply on an academic basis but because you are enthusiastic about the work that they do. This is the best way to prove you know how to write a personal statement for a job.

When writing your personal statement, your qualifications are an important part of making you stand out. The job market is a competitive place and making sure that you get picked for the occupation of your choice isn’t going to be easy. Given that your CV will include your qualificatiosn anyway, it is best not to list them verbatim in the personal statement section.

Moreover, this will appear repetitive and may annoy any potential employers. It is better to try to fit your qualification to the job or link them in some way that demonstrates how you are qualified for the job. For instance, if you are applying to work to an engineering firm, a GCSE or A Level in Geography can be linked – you can say that it shows that you are familiar with natural features and types of rock formations that could be useful for a company hoping to build something in a location that has natural contours that may prove difficult to work around, unless you have knowledge of geography.

Even subjects that may seem unrelated such as Ancient History and the Law can be linked – you can mention in your personal statement that doing Ancient History helped develop your analytical and argumentative skills, skills that are very useful when dealing with cases at the bar. You could even say that learning about lawyers from the past such as Cicero helped inspire you to take up the law and that is why you are applying to work at that chambers or solicitor’s office. Using your qualifications in this way is an effective means of making them useful to whatever job you want to apply for.

Utilising your qualifications isn’t the only way that you can make your personal statement seem unique and different. There are a variety of other things you can do to make it stand out.

• Make sure that it mentions something different or unique about you if it is not completely unrelated to the job. If you come from a background not usually associated with the job you are applying for then mention it. If you have struggled in some way to get the qualifications needed for the job, then write about that.
• Make sure you research the company or business you are sending it to. This means that, if you are applying to a couple of different companies, you can tailor it to their individual needs.
• Make sure that it is succinct, not just in general but in each point raised in it. Try to keep everything brief and clear, so that your prospective employer is easily able to understand what you are trying to get across in it. This also means that you will be instantly better than those that write reams and reams of paper that isn’t necessary.
• Be specific. Don’t try to talk about the job or yourself in absolutes, makes sure that you are clear about who you are, why you want the job and why they should pick you for it.

It is imperative when you are writing a personal statement that you ensure that the tone you set is the correct one. It won’t help you at all if you try to send it in and it is overly informal or one that attempts to be too formal. The balance must be right to guarantee that you get the job that you want. It is better to be too formal than it is to be informal, however.

Whilst a prospective employer may think you aren’t passionate about the job, if you are informal and use language that should be confined more to text messages than personal statements for the job you will be dismissed outright as unsuitable for the position you are attempting to procure. Try to think of it as if you are making a business proposition to the company who are employing you – try to be smooth, confident and business like. By making sure that the tone is finely balanced between formal and a more relaxed form of writing, you should be certain of getting the job that you desire.