Job Hunting - Personal Statement

Writing a Personal Statement

A personal statement is

a brief statement of the person that you are, your skills, and your achievements. It usually comes on the top of a CV, before the main body, and presents the facts positively.

A good personal statement will immediately catch the attention of the employer and want them to find more about you.

1. education

2. character

3. knowledge

4. experience

5. success

A personal statement includes

DIRECTIONS: Each sentence in Silvia’s personal statement has a different function. Copy the sentences to the question they answer.
​a. What type of person am I?
b. What is the area of my professional expertise?
c. What is my most important qualification?
d. What is my most relevant skill for the job?
e. What am I doing at the moment?

​A personal statement is usually one paragraph long. The recoommended lenght is 150 characters.

How to start

Start by introducing yourself. For example, 'A recent graduate with an average of 9.5 in English literature from Universidad de Leon' or a 'Highly-skilled physiotherapist with five years’ experience…'

• Copy and paste from your cover letter or online CV personal statement examples.

Don't

• Personalize your CV personal statement (and CV in general) to each application.

• Be honest.

Do

Do's and Dont's

• Include unnecessary personal information such as your age, marital status etc.

• Use clichés, slang or jargon.

Don't

• Provide evidence of skills and experience but to keep it brief.

• Stick to the word limit (150 words).

• Check for spelling and grammar mistakes.

Do

Do's and Dont's

Quiz Time! Get ready!

Multiple Choice

A personal statement gives ____.

• a strong first impression

• detailed work experience

• your life story

• reasons why you want the job

Multiple Choice

A personal statement comes at the top of a CV before the name in large letters.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

How many paragraphs should a personal statement have?

• one

• no more than two

• three or four

• The more the better

Multiple Choice

Which is NOT included in a personal statement?

• your school qualifications

• your transferable skills

• your interests

• your contact information

Drag and Drop

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enthusiastic student ​

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a deep skill in leadership.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Highly

with

of

at

normally

References

• Downes, C. (2008). Cambridge English for Job-Hunting. Cambridge University Press.

• Smith, J. (May, 2023). Writing a personal statement for your CV. https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/writing-a-personal-statement-for-your-cv