A personal statement is a critical part of your job application process. If you have a strong personal statement to send to a potential employer, you can make a great first impression.
Building a personal statement – sometimes referred to as a personal summary – may seem overwhelming at first but it’s relatively straightforward when you break down the process into different elements.
Below you’ll find 5 personal statement templates that you can use, including tips on how to get started when writing your own.
What is a Personal Statement for?
It’s important to understand what you’re writing a personal statement for before you start. Whether you’re applying for a new job or writing one as part of a UCAS application, an engaging personal statement is a fundamentally important part of the application.
The perfect personal statement should cover your skills and experience whilst providing context in the form of achievements. There’s no hard and fast rule for how long a personal statement should be but generally, a personal statement as part of a CV is significantly shorter than a UCAS statement.
How to Use Our Personal Statement Templates
The following personal statement templates are designed to be used as a guide when you write your own. Each template follows a similar structure and is split into several core sentences covering individual aspects.
Sentence one introduces your current job role and provides a brief overview of your experience.
Sentence two might expand on that experience but also highlight long-term goals.
Sentence three highlights an important achievement that was achieved by using a core skill.
Sentence four reinforces your goals and how you can provide value for a business.
If you stick to this rough structure for a job application personal statement, you can write a personal statement that is engaging for the reader.
Related: How to Write a Personal Statement
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1. Personal Statement Example for a Marketing Job Application
“I am a digital marketing executive with experience in copywriting – I have a degree in Journalism and four years of experience in freelance writing across a broad range of topics. I have a deep understanding of Google Analytics, multiple CMS platforms and how to track the performance of what I write. My skills in copywriting and SEO have helped me create a content strategy for my current company, which has increased traffic by 30% and resulted in 50 more leads a month. I’m seeking a full-time SEO role at your company where I can improve my understanding of technical SEO while also helping you develop an ongoing content strategy that can also be adopted across social media channels.”
2. Personal Statement Example for a Finance Professional
“After completing a Finance degree at university, I’ve since gone on to work in the finance sector as a Financial Analyst. I feel my strongest skills are in analysis, problem-solving and a technical understanding of various finance-related platforms. In my current company, I’ve been a part of a major project that has optimised our ability to forecast and resulted in a 20% ROI for our client’s investments. This current role has allowed me to gain experience in working under pressure and utilise critical thinking but I’m looking for a role that will allow me to move into a role as a Lead Financial Analyst and build my understanding of management and working with larger clients.”
Related: What is a Personal Statement
3. Personal Statement Template for an Internship
“I’m writing to you to ask that you consider me for the internship position in your solicitor firm. I’m currently studying Law at university and I’m expected to pass with a first-class degree. I’m interested in working in criminal law and I want to join your company to learn more about the practical side of working as a solicitor, including the various teams and processes within the firm.”
4. Personal Statement Example for University
“Hi, my name is Jane and I’d like to be considered for your post-graduate Business Marketing course. After completing an undergraduate course in Marketing with a 2:1, I’m looking to expand my knowledge in the field, particularly around international business marketing. Over the course of my bachelor’s degree, I specialised in branding and diversity marketing which were the subjects that interested me the most. The nature of the course meant I was always working to tight deadlines whilst learning about advanced marketing concepts, which I feel has prepared me well for a post-graduate course.”
5. Personal Statement Example for a Volunteer Position
“I’d like to apply to be a volunteer at the London Arts Festival. I have an interest in art and theatre and I want to expand my understanding by working in a live environment. I’m a hard-working and passionate individual who eventually wants to move into event management. I feel like working in this volunteer position can help me learn more about the field and achieve that goal. I’m open to any positions you might have available but I’d love to spend some time with your events team.”
How to Create an Attention-Grabbing Personal Statement
When you’re writing your personal statement you want to make sure that it is unique, concise and factual. Try to be as engaging as you can but avoid being overly descriptive as you don’t want to lose the reader’s attention.
The fundamentals you have to cover include your qualifications, skills and achievements. Where you can add some personality and reinforce your success is with context, such as a real-world application of your skills. Once you’ve engaged the reader with your personal statement, your CV will provide even more context and expand further on your skills.
You can learn more about how to write a personal statement by reading our blog here.