Writing your personal profile on your CV.
The personal profile, also known as a personal statement, is the brief paragraph that comes directly under your contact details. After your name, it is probably the first thing a recruiter looks at. Its purpose is to provide an idea of who you are and why you are the perfect candidate for the role.
Most recruiters only glance at a CV for a few seconds before deciding whether to read further or reject it, so your profile has to make the right impact. It should include:
- A maximum of 80 words, in 3-4 sentences
- A strong opening line to capture interest.
- Your job title or area of expertise, e.g., “Internal Auditor,” “Dedicated Equine Vet’,
- Mention of technical skills and people skills
- Achievements backed up with figures.
- Your career goals.
- References to the position you’ve applied for.
This is your ‘elevator pitch’, and there’s a lot to include in such a short space. However, crafting an impressive personal profile expresses confidence and shows that you have a clear idea of why you’re the perfect candidate for the role.
As there are a lot of details to pack into just a few sentences, make it easy for yourself. Write this section last, when you’ve laid out all the other details which could be relevant to your application. You’ll find it much easier to condense them.
What to include in your personal profile section.
To create maximum impact, you’ll need to include:
- Your job title or function. This should come in the opening sentence.
- Experience such as projects, level of budget responsibility, the scope of critical duties.
- Hard skills: manage budgets, design office layout, implemented IT system, etc.
- People skills: team leadership, customer liaison, attention to detail, etc.
- A final sentence specifically tailored to match the requirements of the position and the company.
What not to include in your personal profile section.
Your statement has to make every word count. Avoid these clichéd mistakes, which make recruiters lose interest immediately. Do not include:
- Your unsubstantiated opinion about your abilities.
I’m an outstanding performer,’ ‘Talented Receptionist,’ ‘Impressive Sales Manager.’ - Vague and subjective statements with no supporting details.
‘I’m a passionate and energetic hospitality professional with outstanding communication skills’ - Statements outlining what you haven’t got.
‘Although I have no experience of fashion retailing, I’m a quick learner.’ - Statements about achievements, with no details.
‘Increased sales, year on year’ ‘Reduced employee turnover’ ‘Improved customer satisfaction’.
Before you start writing.
Go back to the job posting and re-read it carefully.
- What can you gather about the perfect candidate for the role of the selection of words and the skills highlighted?
- What are their priorities? What experience is a ‘must-have’?
- What technical skills or qualifications do they need?
- What specific ‘soft’ skills do they mention?
- What are their values?
The answers to these questions will give you the basis for your personal statement.
Prepare your draft.
The first sentence is always the hardest. The key is to get the first draft, on paper or the screen, without editing.
- Give yourself a time limit of 10 minutes.
- Write a maximum of 8 sentences.
- Include your most important achievements, with details to back up your claims.
Don’t worry about exaggerating or sounding arrogant at this stage.
Create your final version.
Now, it’s time to edit. The following style tips will help you to shape it for maximum impact.
Opening statement.
This should use powerful language to grab the reader’s attention. It should include your job and the level and years of experience in your career.
For example:
Energetic Marketing Assistant with 7 years of experience of coordinating all marketing activities at a blue-chip company.
Skilled roofing specialist with an extensive background of large-scale commercial projects.
Describe your skills and experience.
Now, go into more detail about your skills and experience. Give more than one example. Select your most important responsibilities and achievements providing specific data and figures where possible.
Include ‘soft skills’ such as leadership, communication, innovation, adaptability. Refer back to the job posting and review the ideal candidate's experience and the keywords in the job posting.
Reflect on these and incorporate wherever you can.
Responsible for creating Outdoor range, which exceeded annual sales targets by 23% within 6 months of launch.
Led a team of 12 roofers to complete a major housing complex project on-time and 9% below the manpower budget.
Closing statement.
The final sentence of your personal statement is directed to the position you’re applying for. You’ve already explained who you are and what you’ve achieved. Now it’s time to state clearly what you want.
Here are some examples to get you started:
Looking for a position as an Executive Assistant to a Managing Director in a 5-star hospitality company.
Seeking to expand my leadership skills working with multi-disciplinary teams on projects of $50 million+.
Summary.
So, that is your personal statement! Just 50-80 words and 3 or 4 sentences.
Only one last step: read it aloud to yourself.
- Does it flow smoothly and naturally?
- Do you recognise yourself? The answer has to be yes, as you need to own what you’ve written.
- Does it highlight your skills and experience that make you an excellent fit for this position?
- Does it provide critical data and facts?
- Does it state clearly that you want this position?
If the answer to all these questions is a resounding “yes,” then congratulations, you’ve created a powerful personal profile that will capture the attention of any recruiter, increase the chances of the rest of your CV being reviewed, and getting that all-important interview invitation!