How to write a personal profile for your CV in 2021

As we embark on another step in the roadmap out of lockdown and many industries are re-opening, now is the perfect time to spruce up your CV ready for your job search. And a personal profile could set you up for success.

Putting together the core information of your CV, such as education and employment history, is a fairly easy task.

While you may think these are all you need to market yourself effectively, you should probably add an introductory profile too. This will give your CV the extra oomph it needs to secure that job in 2021.

What is a personal profile?

A personal profile, otherwise known as a personal statement, CV profile or perhaps even a career aim, is essentially the blurb of your career portfolio.

This small paragraph sits at the top of your CV. It concisely and effectively displays who you are, your skills and strengths relevant to the sector or job role and your career goals.

Sounds like quite a mouthful, but personal statements are no problem to write, we promise. They’re actually really similar to cover letters. Except, you’ll be selling your best points to a potential employer in about four sentences, rather than an A4 page.

So, if you’ve spent all this time jazzing up your CV to hook, line and sinker that recruiter in your New Year job search, adding a personal profile ensures they grab the bait.

Not sure what a personal profile looks like? Check out these five winning examples.

Is a personal profile necessary in 2021?

Personal profiles are widely debated across the industry. Some experts claim you need one to sell your skills and others suggest they’re a waste of valuable space.

The short answer is you don’t need to have a personal statement. However, recruiters have to sift through several application to find potential applicants. This means its vital that your CV is able to stand out right from the start.

There are some genuine reasons why you might not choose to have a personal statement. But, it shouldn’t be that you can’t be bothered to write one! It actually depends on your job search status. If you’re applying for a specific job role and attaching a cover letter to your CV, you may actively choose not to have a personal statement.

As we’ve already mentioned, your cover letter is going to do a lot of the talking for you. So, you may feel it’s best not to have another summary. Saying that, the whole point of a CV is to market yourself. Therefore, if you can include another piece of advertising, then why not?

If you’re a graduate, then it might be best to leave the professional side of the personal statement at bay. Only until you’ve gained some more work experience. Simply highlight the fact you’ve got a degree and outline the career path you’d like to follow.

While it’s not a bad thing to share your ambitions with recruiters, you’ll probably find the word count could be better spent discussing your final year project in more depth. Just when you thought you’d never have to talk about your final year dissertation again!

If, however, you’ve chalked up strengths and experiences during your time at university that anchor you to the job you’re applying for, you should highlight these in your personal statement, and make it clear to the recruiter that you will excel in this job role.

Personal profiles are also particularly handy if you’re trying to enter a competitive sector such as PR, advertising, film, music and publishing. As you can imagine, recruiters from these fields deal with hundreds of CVs on a regular basis. So, they’ll simply flick past your CV unless they spot that competitive edge.

Personal profiles are the perfect way for you to grab their attention and persuade recruiters to continue reading your CV because you’re telling them from the off exactly why they should hire you. Of course, you’ll need to know how to write an effective statement first, but we’ll get on to that in a bit.

You should also consider writing a personal statement if you’re uploading your CV to a job board like CV-Library. This gives you the chance to highlight your career goals and give your CV more context.

While this is valuable information for recruiters, it’s just as important for you to get it right. Your personal statement will enable recruiters to match you with the right job and ensure that the role is fulfilling.

If you’re not entirely sure what job you want, or if there are a few sectors you reckon you could enter with your particular skill set, then it’s probably best not to include a personal statement.

If your opening statement is too broad, you risk giving the impression that you haven’t done your research properly. Or even that you’re looking for any old job. This isn’t the best impression to make on a potential employer!

Check out CV templates

How to structure a personal profile

We know writing a personal statement can seem quite daunting. But honestly, once you’ve started writing it, the rest will come naturally. Here’s a breakdown of the basics of creating your statement.

The most important thing to remember is that statements are usually around four sentences in length, and no more than six. Aim for anywhere between 50 and 200 words, and you’re golden.

Like the length, the grammatical person you’re writing in also has some flexibility. You could choose to write in the third person which can appear more objective, for example, ‘Project manager seeking… skills include…’ Or you could write in the first person which tends to be more personal: ‘I am a project manager seeking… My skills are…’

It honestly doesn’t matter which person you choose, just pick the one you’re comfortable writing in. As long as you keep it consistent, you can’t go wrong.

Does my personal profile need a title?

The simpler your CV layout, the better. The last thing recruiters want is to trawl through a bundle of words trying to pick out your good bits like they’re the orange ones in a packet of revels.

You don’t really need a title for your personal statement. It sits under your name and contact info and before the first chunk of your job or education history. So it’s pretty obvious it’s an introduction to you.

Secondly, make the spacing a little bigger and try increasing it to 1.5. As it’s the first thing a recruiter will read, you want this to be as clear as possible. It’s often a real decision maker.

What to include in your personal profile

When drafting your personal statement for your dream job in 2020, split it into three sections: who you are, what you can offer the company, and your career goals.

TIP: Bullet point things you might mention under each of these sections, then list the qualities that position you as the ideal person for the job.

Part 1

In the ‘who you are’ section you might state that you’re:

• A recent graduate with a 2:1 degree in Creative Writing from the University of Surrey seeking an entry-level position in…
• A highly-skilled mechanical engineer looking to resume a position in…

• An ambitious purchasing manager looking to progress into…

Part 2

In the ‘what you can offer the company’ part, you’re selling your absolute top skills and strengths. You should also back them up with evidence. If you’re tweaking your CV for a particular job, use the job spec to create your statement. For example, if the employer is looking for someone with attention to detail and you’ve got experience meticulously proofing essays or presentations etc., then say so.

If you’re crafting a more general personal statement, be sure you include key achievements that make you stand out. For example, if you’re looking for a position within graphic design and you’ve got extensive Photoshop experience working on a major campaign, not only can you claim you have these skills in your personal statement, but you can back them up too – perfect!

The important thing to remember here is not to litter your personal statement with a trail of buzzwords. You might well be an ‘extremely driven strategic thinker with excellent communication skills and extensive experience in marketing’, but all you’ve really done here is told the recruiter that you’ve worked in marketing with no proof of your other claims.

To top it off, you’ve also revealed this information in an extremely boring way. Recruiters will have heard a million times before; when it comes to selling yourself, you don’t want to write something as bland and soggy as overcooked rice; you want to lovingly craft a seafood paella.

Try to highlight real, relevant skills and back them up with evidence to make the statement strong. Try something like this for the middle section:

• During my degree, I have developed an excellent eye for detail, due to the heavy demands of assignments and research. As a result, I am also able to work under pressure. Especially when balancing my educational workload with my volunteering placement at local nursing homes
• Knowledgeable engineer with a wide skill-set, including condition-based maintenance, through working on automated systems such as…
• Through utilising my communications skills when working in managerial positions at large corporations, I have developed successful working relationships and resultantly, an advantageous professional network

Part 3

The final section of the personal statement is to highlight your career goals. More than anything this shows the recruiter that you’re a professional worth investing time and money in. Take a look at these examples:

• I am looking for a challenging, fast-paced environment within media to utilise my written knowledge and develop my creative skill set further
• Looking to re-establish a career in a progressive organisation which requires engineering expertise, after taking maternity leave to care for a new-born
• I am looking to secure a challenging role in a market-leading automotive company where I can bring fresh strategic vision and value to the business

Dos and don’ts

Here’s a quick breakdown of the key points to remember when crafting that all-important statement.

Do

• Get straight to the point – recruiters don’t like to read waffle!
• Provide evidence of your skills and experience, but be brief! Offer just enough to hook the recruiter

• Remember that you’re marketing yourself
• Make the statement look purposeful – you need show you know what you’re talking about, without sounding too arrogant
• Reflect the job specification in your statement
• Be real! Recruiters ultimately want to know you as a person and what you can bring to the table
• Proofread for spelling and grammar

• Read it aloud to make sure it flows properly. Probably best to get someone else to run an eye over it too

Don’t

• Overuse buzz words – You might want to chuck a few in there. But, a hyperbolic stream of empty qualities and meaningless words is just off-putting
• Mix the grammatical person – remember either first person or third, not both
• Be boring – you want to sound unique with noteworthy qualities

• Copy from your cover letter or copy your cover letter from your statement – that’s just lazy
• Ramble!

Complete personal profile examples for 2021

Here are a few final examples of personal statements for you to gloss over. Hopefully, it’ll spark some inspiration for your own.

‘I am a recent graduate with a 2:1 degree in Creative Writing from the University of Surrey seeking an entry-level position in copywriting. During my degree, I have developed an excellent eye for detail due to the heavy demands of assignments and research. Over the last year, I have also balanced an editing position at Surrey’s media society. Here, I devised content ideas and managed a small team of writers. This proves that I have potential to excel within a professional writing field. I am looking for a challenging, fast-paced environment within media to utilise my creative knowledge and develop my writing skill-set further.’

***

‘A highly-skilled mechanical engineer looking to resume a position in industrial construction. Extremely knowledgeable with seven years industry experience. Possesses a wide skill set, including condition-based maintenance, through working on automated systems on large-scale building projects. Looking to re-establish a career in a progressive organisation which requires engineering expertise after a short career break to take care of a new-born.’

***

‘I am an ambitious purchasing manager looking to progress into a senior purchasing position within the automotive sector. Having developed communication skills when working in managerial positions at large automotive corporations, I’ve nurtured successful working relationships. As a result, I possess an advantageous professional network. Due to over 12 years of experience within this industry, I am fully equipped with commercial awareness and product knowledge. My hopes are to secure a challenging role in a market-leading automotive company where I can bring fresh strategic vision and value to the business.’

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