How to Write a CV Personal Statement: Tips and 5+ Examples

Writing a personal statement for a CV is essential to creating your document, as this section gives recruiters the first impression of you. As a result, it can make or break your application—a good statement will convince them to read on, while a bad one may cause them to lose interest.

In this article, we will cover all the information about writing a CV profile. We will show you how to write a personal statement for a CV, what elements it should contain, and how to personalise it for your specific field or career level.

So, let’s get started!

What Is a Personal Statement on a CV?

A personal statement on a CV is a part of a CV header; it’s an introduction section placed right under your contact information. It briefly summarises your professional experience, skills, and achievements. Essentially, it’s an overview of you as an employee, from which a recruiter can quickly obtain the most important details. 

Therefore, the length of a personal statement should be approximately 2–3 sentences. Four is also acceptable, but you shouldn’t write more than that. Anything else you might want to say should be saved for the accompanying cover letter.

Although a personal summary for a CV isn’t a required section, it’s advisable to include it when writing your CV. Hiring managers don’t have much time to read each application thoroughly, so the statement can make their job easier and help your document stand out more.

4 Crucial Elements of a Personal Statement for a CV

The crucial elements of a personal statement for a CV include a brief introduction, a review of your strengths and goals, and your value proposition. All this should be condensed into 2–3 sentences summarising who you are as a professional.

Now, let’s take a closer look at what you should write in a CV summary.

#1. Who You Are

The best way to start your personal statement for a CV is by stating directly who you are: your job title, years of experience, and specific responsibilities you’ve handled. That way, recruiters will get the gist of your application from just one sentence, which most of them will appreciate.

However, that also means that your opening sentence must be impactful enough to keep them reading. So, cut out the fluff and keep it concise and straightforward.

For example, you might write something like this:

#2. What You Offer

Once you’ve introduced yourself, it’s time to show off your strengths and convince the employer that you’re precisely what they’ve been looking for. You can, of course, list your skills and attributes, but it’s far more effective to demonstrate them through specific achievements.

So, in this case, this is what you could write:

Remember to focus on the achievements relevant to the job you’re applying for. This will show the hiring manager that you’re already experienced in the tasks you will be expected to perform, making you the perfect candidate.

#3. What You’re Looking For

Aside from showing what you offer, you should also demonstrate that you have specific ambitions that the company you’re applying for can fulfil. Your employer might want to know why you’ve chosen them and what expectations you have from the job.

Here is how you can communicate that:

#4. Your Value Proposition

Your value proposition can be a separate sentence, but it doesn’t have to be. Ideally, you should include your unique strengths in the first two sentences of the personal statement, in which case there’s no need to repeat them.

However, even if your value proposition isn’t separate, it should still be clear from the text. When listing your achievements, skills, or past responsibilities, make sure to include those that help you stand out. Overly generic statements won’t be impressive, so be original and specific.

How to Write a Personal Statement for a CV in 5 Steps

To write a personal statement for a CV, you should research the job role, identify key skills and strengths, draft a 3–4 line paragraph, tailor the text for each application, and edit it for clarity.

Now, let’s see how to execute each of these steps:

Step 1: Research the Job Role

First and foremost, you must understand the position you’re applying for. You may have had plenty of experience in similar or related roles, but that doesn’t mean you’ll automatically know what a specific company requires.

So, read the job description carefully and browse the company’s website for important information. If possible, talk to someone who has worked there or, even better, others with the same job title. If you can’t, search online forums and discussions for more details.

Once you’ve gathered enough information, it will be easier to pinpoint exactly what skills and experience the hiring managers are looking for.

Step 2: Identify Key Skills and Strengths

Now that you know what to focus on, consider how your skills fit into the employee profile your chosen company is searching for. What can you offer to get noticed by recruiters immediately? It’s best to make a list of your most relevant strengths and abilities and use that as an inspiration for your draft.

Step 3: Draft a 3–4 Line Paragraph

Next comes the actual writing; that is, drafting the short paragraph summarising your achievements, goals, and professional traits. Despite the amount of information it contains, your personal statement shouldn’t be longer than four lines.

This may be somewhat challenging, especially if you don’t have significant writing experience. Here is what you could do, though—write what you’d like to say regardless of the CV length, then cut out the fluff and condense the text. After a few trims, you should get an ideal personal statement.

Step 4: Tailor the Statement for Each Application

If you are applying for several job positions in different companies, you might be tempted to use the same personal statement in each CV. This is not recommended, though. Even if most information remains the same, you should change some details to fit each job description.

For example, the relevant skills and achievements could be slightly altered for different applications. Your research will show you what to focus on for each role, so use that information to make a more compelling personal statement.

Step 5: Edit for Clarity and Impact

Finally, once you’ve finished writing and adjusting the personal statement, read it again and consider whether anything needs clarifying. Also, make sure there are no typos or grammar mistakes, and that you use the best font for your CV. This paragraph is your first contact with your potential employer, so it needs to demonstrate your professionalism and eye for detail.

5 Examples of Personal Statements for a CV

The examples of personal statements for a CV can give you ideas and show you precisely how to write this segment. As a result, we’ve compiled a few basic ones, such as statements for graduate and student CVs, career change, managerial roles, entry-level job seekers, and some industry-specific examples.

Below are five personal statement examples tailored to different career paths:

#1. Graduate CV Personal Statement

Writing a personal statement for a graduate CV can be somewhat tricky because there are no relevant achievements in the field to draw on. In this case, feel free to highlight your skills in a more abstract manner or try to recall a specific project you’ve worked on while studying.

For example, this is what you can do:

#2. Career Change Personal Statement

Personal statements for career change are equally tricky because, once again, you lack relevant experience for your new field. This is where transferable skills can significantly help, so make sure to emphasise them in the text.

Here is how to do it:

#3. Managerial Role Personal Statement

When writing a personal statement for a managerial role, you should emphasise experience and achievements. After all, these roles are typically reserved for those with a proven track record of managing people, so you must show that you can be relied upon.

Here is how to do that:

#4. Entry-Level Job Seeker Statement

As an entry-level job seeker, you likely have little experience to mention in your CV, so you must focus on other relevant strengths. Essentially, this statement is similar to the graduate statement we described above, but it also applies to those who don’t have a university degree.

So, this is what you might write:

#5. Industry-Specific Examples

While every industry has its unique nuances, most personal statements follow a universal formula. The structure stays the same, only the details change. Use our template below as a starting point and customize it with your own experiences and goals:

4 Tips and Best Practices for Writing CV Personal Statements

The best practices for writing CV personal statements include:

Let’s explore these tips on writing a personal statement for a CV in more detail:

#1. Keep It Concise and Relevant

Your personal statement needs to grab the hiring manager’s attention and convince them that you might be the right fit for the job. Essentially, it functions like a hook, so it can’t be too long or stuffed with filler.

So, the general advice for writing a personal statement for a CV is simple—get to the point and put yourself in the recruiter’s shoes. Would they be impressed by your knowledge of standard programming languages that every other developer possesses? If the answer is no, highlight something else and leave that information for the skills section.

Ultimately, remember that recruiters don’t spend much time on each application—their initial screening lasts only about 7.4 seconds. Your personal statement is a great way to make them stick around longer, but only if it is concise and relevant.

#2. Use Strong Action Words

Strong action words can significantly increase the impact of your CV, presenting you as a confident individual willing to take charge. Most employers value these traits in their candidates and pick those who demonstrate them in their language.

Keeping that in mind, here is a short list of words you might add to your statement:

#3. Focus on Real Life Examples

Recall your greatest professional achievements that have demonstrated skills or traits you possess. For instance, have you completed numerous projects in a single year or, perhaps, increased a client’s website traffic by a specific percentage? If so, make sure to include that in your personal statement.

Employers prefer real-life practical examples to vague, unsubstantiated claims, so they are far more likely to hire you if you show them how you contributed to your previous workplace. Be as specific as possible; include numbers to illustrate your impact.

#4. Be Consistent With Your Style

There are many ways to write your personal statement, and none are wrong. For instance, you could write in the first person (“I am a software developer…”) or describe yourself in the third person (“She is a software developer…). You could even omit pronouns entirely and simply say, “Reliable developed with five years of experience…”

However, make sure to stick to the style you’ve chosen until the end of the statement. You can’t start in the first person and then switch to the third person in the following sentence. Such a text is jarring to read and comes across as confusing and unprofessional.

Build Your Professional CV

If you need help writing a personal statement for a CV, try our free CV builder to quickly generate one that summarises your professional profile. All you have to do is follow the instructions and input the required information to get the perfect application document.

For further help or inspiration, take a look at our CV templates and use them to apply for any job or career level.

Final Thoughts

And that’s a wrap!

Now you know how to write a personal statement for a CV, what elements to include, and how to avoid making it too long or filling it with fluff. This will significantly boost your success in the job-hunting process, so expect to hear back from several recruiters soon.

If you still can’t figure out how to write a personal statement for a CV on your own, take a look at our CV examples. You can pick the one you like and edit it using our builder, thus making the whole process much shorter and simpler.

How to Write a Personal Statement for a CV FAQ

#1. Should I indicate career goals in my personal summary?

You should indicate career goals in your personal summary, as long as they relate to the position you’re applying for. For instance, you could mention what you hope to learn and achieve at your potential workplace and which responsibilities you’d like to take on.

#2. Is a personal statement necessary on every CV?

A personal statement isn’t necessary on every CV; some recruiters prefer applications without them. However, it can be an excellent summary of your professional background, achievements, and goals, so we advise including it regardless.

#3. Can I use the same personal statement for every job?

You shouldn’t use the same personal statement for every job, but tailor it for every application. Different roles and companies have different requirements, so you need to read those carefully and tailor your CV accordingly to increase your chances of landing a job interview.