When it comes to your CV, you only have one chance to impress and with recruiters searching through hundreds of CVs, a powerful personal statement can make your CV jump out from the competition. You need to be emphasising your skills, experience and qualifications that make you applicable to the role, enticing the recruiter to reader on and progress you to the next stage of the recruitment process.

 

Know Your In-demand Skills

When attempting to highlight the reasons why you’re right for any role you need to be aware of what strengths and skills you have that make you employable.

If you are unsure what skills will make you more attractive to the recruiter then make sure to do your research before submitting your application. Job boards can be a great starting point to establish what skills are currently in demand within the industry you are applying to.

Tailor to Your Target Roles

Your entire CV should be tailored to the roles you are targeting but this is even more important in your personal statement. You need to be reviewing the types of skills and experiences needed in that sector and then highlighting how you have demonstrated these in your career. This section of the CV is also a great opportunity to showcase your passion for these types of roles by detailing what is motivating you to apply.

Be sure to explore the requirements in the job advert as well as researching the company’s website and social media platforms so that you can feed this information into your personal statement, this will really show to the recruiter you aren’t blindly submitting applications - but personalising them instead.

Sell Yourself

Your CV is your first impression, so you need to be showcasing why this employer should hire you. Therefore, you need to be using engaging and positive language throughout your personal statement and homing in on the experiences or achievements that are tailored to the role. Selling yourself is essential throughout the recruitment process and when it comes to your personal statement you want the recruiter to know instantly you’re ticking all the boxes in relation to your suitability for the role.   

Keep it Brief

Whilst your personal profile needs to contain important information, you need to keep it confined to a short paragraph, you have the rest of your CV to add more depth. You want your personal statement to engage the reader and draw them in, to read further.

Recruiters will review numerous CVs so you want your personal statement to sum up exactly why you’re the perfect applicant, allowing the recruiter in that first initial glance to want to find out more.

Avoid Clichés

When you submit your application to an employer there is going to be plenty of competition, so you need to ensure that your CV stands out. Using clichés such as you’re a hard worker and a driven individual won’t draw the recruiter’s attention up against the selection of other applicants. You need to consider what something is adding to your CV and if it’s not adding then you need to remove it.

Consider it from a hiring manager’s or recruiter’s point of view, stating you’re hardworking or a punctual person adds no extra facts about you and your experiences as these are simply qualities that any employer would assume a candidate would possess. You need to be adding specific, tailored and relevant detail only.

Quote Impressive Stats

Any applicant can add a list of impressive achievements to their personal statement, but being able to back these up with stats or figures will help you give you an edge. You need to be adding credibility to your CV. So cut out any vague information and start defining your experiences.

For example, instead of adding statements such as “I have experience in administration” go a step further with “I have 10 years’ experience in administration”, this instantly looks more appealing. You are adding a greater impact and this can be similarly used for any qualifications you have obtained, for example documenting you have a 2:1.

Andrew Fennell is the founder and director of CV writing service and advice website StandOut CV. You can check out their example CV personal statements to learn more about creating the perfect personal statement for your own CV.