
How to Write a Personal Statement that Brings in Interview Requests
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Every word that you put down on your resume counts. Impressing potential employers starts with the very first paragraph of your resume – the personal statement.
Most employers spend less than 10 seconds scanning a resume. This is why we advice job seekers to fill the upper half of the first page of their resume with important information. If you want to make a great first impression within that short period, you need a strong personal statement that wows the employer.
What is a personal statement?
The personal statement goes by many names on a resume such as the career summary, resume summary, and personal profile. It is essentially a short paragraph that summarizes your best qualifications, skills, and experiences related to the job. Your personal statement is an elevator pitch displayed at the top of your resume, selling your skills and experiences to an interested employer.
What is the importance of a personal statement?
Is it essential to include a personal statement when writing a resume? We certainly believe so. Most hiring managers spend only a few seconds scanning your resume and would like it if you summarized your biggest selling points at the beginning of the document. Intriguing a hiring manager with the first few sentences of your resume enables you to engage their interest throughout the whole document. You can even use the personal statement to indicate how good of a cultural fit you are for the company.
What information goes into a personal statement?
Generally, we recommend sharing the following information through your personal statement:
- Years of experience
- Relevant industries you’ve worked in
- Areas of expertise
- Transferable skills
- Personal attributes
- Professional achievements
The content of your personal statement will vary depending on your career level, target job title, and industry. It’s also important to incorporate relevant keywords into your personal statement. Hiring managers can your resume for keywords and showing them the right ones at the beginning will help improve your chances of getting hired.
How to structure your personal statement
Plan to keep your personal statement between 2-4 lines as a concise statement packs a punch. First, review the job description to identify the key skills, experiences, and qualifications the hiring manager expects to see in an ideal candidate. These are the elements that you must add to your personal statement.
Start with a line that describes your work experience so far. You can mention your current position, years of experience, and industries that are related. Then, use two to three sentences to describe your biggest selling points. These can be your skills, certifications, licenses, other qualifications, and professional achievements. Finally, wrap your personal statement up with a line that talks about your career goals and your plans for the employer.
Sample personal statement:
“Dynamic and detail-oriented marketing professional with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from State University. Proven track record of increasing social media engagement by 35% and follower count by 20% during an internship at XYZ Company. Skilled in market research, content creation, and developing effective social media strategies. Demonstrated ability to create and manage content calendars, conduct competitive analyses, and design targeted ad campaigns. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a keen eye for identifying trends and opportunities for growth. Eager to leverage educational background and hands-on experience to contribute to a dynamic marketing team. Ready to contribute to achieving organizational goals and driving brand success.”
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