How to Write a Powerful Personal Statement for Your CV [Infographic]

The jobs market is a dog eat dog world, and standing out from the crowd can be incredibly difficult whatever the career path you’re following.  HR departments and recruitment agencies must sift through hundreds upon hundreds of CVs for every role they advertise, and with so many people chasing each vacancy, you need to be confident that your resumé is going to stand out from the crowd.

One way to make sure you outshine the competition is to head up your CV with a dazzling personal statement.  This short introductory paragraph should sit right at the top of your CV and make a lasting impression on anyone casually flicking through that stack of applications.  If you want to write a personal statement with a real wow-factor, here are the six things to think about before you put pen to paper.

Know Your In-Demand Skills

 What does your prospective employer want from their job candidates?  Have a look at a few jobs boards and see which keywords jump out at you, if you want to work out which skills recruiters are looking for.  Once you know which skills they want and which you have, be sure to bounce those buzzwords back to them in your personal statement.

Tailor Your CV to Your Target Role

 There’s no point in simply carpet-bombing loads of different companies and agencies with the same CV – to make a real impact you will need to tailor your resumé to each role you’re targeting.  Remember that you only have a very limited space in which to say everything you need to say, so only include the skills and experience which are relevant to the role.

Sell Yourself

 There’s no place for humble modesty in your personal statement, this has to be a few lines in which you really sell yourself!  Only use positive language and make sure you really sing your own praises when it comes to highlighting your unique skillset and experience.  Done well, they will find it impossible to overlook such a confident individual.

Keep it Brief

 Short and sweet is critical when crafting a powerful personal statement.  Recruiters are only human and the average person has a very short attention span.  If you can’t grab them the first time they run their eyes over your CV then you may well have lost them for good.  Keep it short and sharp, and only include information which is strictly relevant to the job you’re after.

Avoid Clichés

 By all means include some of the keywords they have used in their job ad, but avoid clichés at all cost.  Nobody is interested in the fact that you can ‘think outside the box’.  Steer clear of the well-worn old clichés because employers have to read hundreds of CVs, and they quickly get sick of ‘blue sky thinkers’ and ‘team players’.

Quote Impressive Stats

 The trick with a good personal statement is to show rather than tell.  Numbers go down very well with recruiters and they grab their attention in a way words can’t – shout about the fact that you got a 2:1, tell them about your 10 years of experience in a similar role.  If you can back up your words with some cold, hard numbers then it will really work in your favour.

Crafting the perfect personal statement isn’t hard when you know where to start.  Don’t give them a chance to overlook your CV – follow these six tips and you’re sure to impress.

This infographic was supplied by StandOut CV, who give advice on how to improve your CV and write the best personal statement. 

Lizzie Exton writes for Inspiring Interns, which specialises in sourcing candidates for internships. To browse our graduate jobs London listings, visit our website.