personal statement for council job

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Your personal statement

The purpose of a personal statement is to showcase your relevant skills and experience against the job requirements.  The statement is your opportunity to give examples of how you fit the requirements of the job.  When writing a personal statement it is important that you:

• Read the job specification so you are clear about the job requirements.
• Outline the skills and experience that you have that are relevant to the job and use examples to help demonstrate this.   Wherever possible include specific facts and figures that demonstrate the tangible results of your work.
• Keep to the word limit. If your statement is too brief it will not provide the required depth of detail and evidence to be assessed fully. 
• Proofread your statement before submitting it to make sure it is clear, easy to read and relevant.

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For some jobs, you will be asked to provide a CV (curriculum vitae) as part of your application. Here you can find information on how to write the best CV.

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Behaviours are the things that people do that result in effective performance. Read more about the behaviours we use to assess you.

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Read about the different kinds of assessments you might be asked to do, after you’ve submitted an application form.

The Civil Service recruits using Success Profiles. This means that for every role, we consider what you’ll need to demonstrate to be successful. 

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Application Forms , Personal Statements

Civil service personal statement examples.

When you apply for any Civil Service job, you will need to complete an online application form that requires you to submit a personal statement. The personal statement will be assessed against the relevant Civil Service success profiles and strengths that are applicable or the role

DOWNLOAD RICHARD MCMUNN’S SET OF 9 CIVIL SERVICE PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLES BELOW!

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So, how do you write a personal statement for a civil service job? Let’s start by looking at what you should include.

What Should a Civil Service Personal Statement Include?

Your personal statement should be used to compliment your CV and further outline why you are suitable for the role.

The key to a great civil service personal statement is to provide evidence against the Civil Service Success Profiles to show you match them and that you are perfect for the role. The Civil Service Success Profiles, otherwise known as the “essential criteria” will be outlined on the job advert or job description. Using these, you should demonstrate your previous experience and your skills that can be transferred to your new role within the Civil Service.

Remember, you must back up these skills and experience, and a great way to do this, is to demonstrate how you acquired the experience and skills in your previous roles.

Your personal statement should form around ‘how’ and ‘what’ you have previously done, all whilst matching the Success Profiles.

You will usually get just 250 words for your answers.

BONUS TIP – How do I write a CV for a government job?

A great personal statement still needs a good CV. Here is what you should include on your CV/Resume. Firstly, include an outline of your previous job experience, detailing the length of time you held each previous job role for, and a short breakdown of the responsibilities, tasks, and the work you did for each role. You should also include any awards, achievements or significant projects you previously obtained or worked on. This is your chance to shine, so don’t be afraid to sell yourself and big yourself up in the best light possible. If you have ever had any training or if you have been awarded any qualifications that are relevant to the Civil Service, or that showcase your commitment, ability to learn, or diversify, then you should highlight these too.

How to Structure a Civil Service Personal Statement?

The most important thing to do is structure your responses clearly and ensure that your statement focusses on the Success Profiles/Essential Criteria.

You are allowed to use heading or bullet points if this works best for you, but remember all of this will eat into your word count. Further below in this blog we have provided a breakdown of the 9 Civil Service Success Profiles and what you need to consider when preparing your statement for each Success Profile.

What Should you Avoid in a Personal Statement?

With 100s of people applying to Civil Service roles, it is important that your personal statement is NOT thrown aside because you’ve made one of the following common mistakes:

• Poor spelling and grammar – always check your spelling and grammar before submitting!
• Not tailoring your answers for the role – ensure you use the job description and align your skills and experience with the role you’re applying for.
• Using the same answers multiple times for multiple applications in the Civil Service (each application for a new role needs new answers).
• Not aligning your statement to the Civil Service Success Profiles – this is key!
• Using redundant or unnecessarily complicated language and cliches – keep it simple and easy to read – the assessor shouldn’t have to decipher your statement!

Writing the Perfect Civil Service Personal Statement – What are the Civil Service Success Profiles?

Seeing the big picture.

The Civil Service success profile of seeing the big picture requires you to have knowledge of how your job fits in with the public sector mission and objectives. It is important that you demonstrate within your 250-word personal statement that you have the ability to carry out your work in the best interests of the nation.

CHANGING AND IMPROVING

Whilst working in the Civil Service you must be open to continually changing and improving. If you do not improve your performance at work, or embrace change positively, the Civil Service will not be able to meet its objectives. Again, when creating your Civil Service personal statement and online application form, you will need to demonstrate within 250 words your ability to meet the changing and improving success profile!

MAKING EFFECTIVE DECISIONS

All members of the Civil Service, regardless of their role, are required to make effective decisions that demonstrate value money and efficiency. When making effective decisions, you must use an evidence-based approach and carefully consider your options, including an assessment of the risk involved and implications posed. Make sure you provide evidence of this Civil Service success profile within 250 words.

COMMUNICATING AND INFLUENCING

Another of the Civil Service success profiles and strengths is that of communicating and influencing. Within your chosen civil service job, you must communicate with clarity and purpose and always respect the needs, views and opinions of others. To meet the assessment for this success profile you will need to create a personal statement of just 250 words!

WORKING TOGETHER

Teamwork is absolutely vital when working in the Civil Service. Regardless of the position you are applying for, working with others must be demonstrated within your personal statement by way of using the STAR technique – situation, task, action and result. Within your personal statement, demonstrate you can work effectively with other people both within your team and also with external stakeholders or contractors. (250 words maximum!)

Can you demonstrate pride and passion for delivering service within an organisation? Are you able to value other people’s opinions and ensure your team is diverse in nature so that the expectations and needs of customers are met? If so, then you probably have what it takes to mee the Civil Service success profile of leadership! Once again, make sure you write a personal statement that demonstrates your ability to provide leadership within just 250-words.

DELIVERING AT PACE

Can you work at pace and deliver results to a high standard? If the answer is yes, then you might just have what it takes to work within the Civil Service. Again, another one of the success profiles is that of delivering at pace, and we strongly advise you provide a specific example of where you have been able to work quickly and accurately in a previous role when completing your personal statement. Aim to provide evidence of this success profile within your personal statement all within just 250 words!

DEVELOPING SELF AND OTHERS

Taking responsibility for your own development and the development of others is a vital aspect of all civil Service roles. If you are required to write a personal statement that demonstrates your ability of developing self and others, provide a specific example within 250 words of where you have focused on this important success profile.

MANAGING A QUALITY SERVICE

The Civil Service has a strong reputation for managing and delivering a quality service. Regardless of the department you are hoping to join within the Civil Service, there is a strong possibility you will be assessed against this important success profile. Again, provide a solid 250-word personal statement that gives evidence of where you have taken control of the delivery of a fantastic service to meet the needs of a customer or a client.

CIVIL SERVICE PERSONAL STATEMENT EXAMPLES  (DOWNLOAD YOUR GUIDE BELOW!)

Richard McMunn

2 thoughts on “ civil service personal statement examples ”.

Are the 9 examples specific using STAR to a certain situation or are they generic like the youtube videos

Hi Abul, that is a great question. The answer is a mixture. The way I have provided the answers is so that you can adapt them to use your own past experience with ease and create your own unique answer. My answers provide a structure as well as demonstrate what keywords and content needs to be in a high-scoring answer. This should allow you to develop your own unique answers quickly 🙂 I wish you the best of luck with your Civil Service Application! Let me know how it goes 🙂

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How to Tailor Your Cover Letter to a Government Job

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How to write a supporting statement

A supporting statement is the evidence a manager uses to short list you for the job you’re applying for. It is a chance for you to write about your skills and experiences and how you would be suited to the role.  The statement is likely to be the first impression the manager and organisation have of you so it’s important you take the time to write it.

We can help you understand what managers are looking for, and more importantly, how to lay out your answers in a way that will make it clear to the manager which criteria you are writing about.

Preparation is key and getting everything you need before you start to write your statement will make all the difference.

First draft your supporting statement in a word document. This will make it easier for you to make changes and send it to other people to read over it with a fresh pair of eyes. You can then copy and paste it into the application form. If you have received support to complete your statement, make sure you understand what you’ve written. You will be asked to expand on your supporting statement if you get an interview.

After you have finished writing your supporting statement, read it back carefully. Then read it for a second time, aloud. You might feel a bit silly but it’s easier to identify any mistakes when you read it out loud. It’s important to make sure your spelling and grammar are correct, try to get someone else to read over it before submitting it. Once you're happy with what you've written, you can then copy and paste it into the application form. Things to remember:

• Write in short paragraphs to avoid a wall of text. Choose a clear font such as Arial, to make sure that your statement is easy to read.
• Lay your answers out in the same order as the criteria. This will make it easier for managers to find your answers. 
• Remember to save your work as you go along. The online application form ‘times out’ after 30 minutes.
• There is a word/character limit. If you don’t have enough space, you can group your answers together. If a project you worked on shows different skills, group them into a single example and write about the project once, highlighting each of the qualities in the question.

Handy tip: Save or print a copy of your application form and the job profile, so that you can read over it in the future. Once the post closes online, you won’t be able to get access to your form again through your online account. You will however be able to get a copy by sending an e-mail to our recruitment team .

Identifying your skills

Your skills can help you choose the career that’s right for you and you already have lots of them. You might pick them up through work, study or activities you do in your spare time. Skills can be developed at school, college or university. You can build them through extra-curricular activities, like clubs or teams you’re a part of.

If you’re able to recognise and talk about your skills, you’ll find it easier to work out what you want to do. When you’re applying for jobs, they’ll be the things that convince employers that you’re the right person for the job.

Handy tip: Look back over your work, studies or leisure activities and think about the tasks you completed in each. For example, if you’ve had a job where you’ve had to work to strict deadlines, you’ll probably have good time management skills. If you’ve been in a debating club, you’ll have developed your communication and persuasion skills.

Researching a company is not only a great way to make sure you’re a good fit for them, but also that the organisation would be a good fit for you.

Why not take some time to look around our website? It’s good to show that you have researched our organisation. If you read about something that interests you, you can add this into your statement, for example: “I was impressed with your regeneration project…”.

We would also encourage you to take a look at our core values , they are very important to us. One of our values is working as one team, this is important as we can see that by working together and making strong connections across the whole organisation, we can make the best use of our resources by focusing on our customers and our communities.

Handy tip: Use your research, and include it in your answers.

Using the STAR model

When you are writing your supporting statement, you need to make sure there’s some structure to your answers. The STAR model is a great way to structure your examples.

It’s important to follow the layout of the essential criteria, making sure you don’t miss anything out. It also helps us as employers evaluate the skills, qualities and experiences you have that would help you fit with the job or company.

Here, we will show you how you could use the STAR model to answer the following example question:

Q: Can you give me an example of working as part of a team?

Situation: Describe the situation in which the event took place.

"Whilst in school, I did my Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.  As part of this I had to work as part of a team to get from one camp site to another".

Task: Describe the task you were asked to complete. If there was a particular problem or issue you were trying to solve, describe that here.

"I was in a group of 4 with my friends. We each had to carry different parts of the equipment we needed, e.g. tent, tent poles and cooking equipment.  I feel I have good communication skills, so I made sure we each knew what each other was carrying, so that we didn't leave anything behind. I was nominated to be first in the group to read the map and use the compass to get us to the first check point which I was happy to do".

Action: Explain what action you took to complete the task or solve the problem: What you did, why you did it, how you did it and what skills you used.

"As a group, we worked well together. Once of the boys was struggling with the weight of his backpack so I suggested we all take some of it and put it in our bags, which made it easier for him to carry on".

Result: Explain the result of your actions. For example, if your actions resulted in completing a task, resolving a conflict, improving your company’s sales record, etc., explain this. Try to focus on how your actions resulted in a success.

"We reached our next camp site within the time allowed. I felt we worked well as a group and talked through anything we were unsure of along the way. My friend felt happy that he completed the walk as he didn't think he would manage to do so, but as a group we encouraged him to keep going, and by going a little slower and taking some of his equipment, we were able to get to the camp in good time".

Handy tip: If you are applying for a graduate role, we will ask you to use the STAR model to demonstrate your skills and how they link to our Strengths Framework when writing your supporting statement . Further information is available on our Graduate Programme page .

Put it into practice

Let’s start writing it down! Once you’ve mastered the research and preparation it’s all about putting it into practice and writing it down. Think of it like a set of cogs, if you miss one out, they won’t work together!

Use real-life examples:

These help to show a manager what you can do and explains why you’re ideal for the role. Instead of ‘I have strong leadership skills’, talk about a project you worked on or a process you implemented.

Always be honest in your application form about previous employment, experience and your role. You may get asked questions about your statement during an interview.

Be clear and concise with your answers:

Don’t make managers hunt for clues and piece together your story. Use the supporting statement to your advantage to show your skills and qualities.

If you don’t meet the essential criteria:

It can be tempting to not write about these and hope no-one notices, be positive by acknowledging them and use an example that gives the employer confidence that you can pick up new skills quickly.

Handy tip: Submit your application form on time! Check the advert to see if there’s a submission time specified. If it doesn’t mention a time, it will be 11:59pm on the date the application closes.

Good luck, and we hope to see you soon!

Back to 'How to apply'

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Helping career professionals to pass more job interviews.

How to Write a Personal Statement for a Job Application Form

How to write a personal statement .

This article will quickly explain how to complete the Personal Statement section in a job application form, for more tips on completing job application forms click the link.

Many companies use a PDF down-loadable job application form on their website or more commonly an online application form. Large organisations have ‘career accounts’ allowing an applicant to save application forms to be used for other job vacancies.

What to add to the personal statement?

Throughout the job application form, you will be able to add your contact details, past employment history, and your qualifications, so they do not need to be added (and repeated) within the personal statement.

Most job specifications that accompany the job application form tell you in detail, what requirements the employer is looking to be evidenced on the job application form and the importance the employer places on each job criteria.

Example Job Specification:

As you can see some job requirements are essential and MUST BE EVIDENCED in your personal statement, while other job requirements are desirable – if you possess them add them to the application form as the additional reference to the ‘desirable’ criteria can increase the possibility of a job interview. 

With most job specifications the employer will tell you when they will assess each job criteria; during the job interview or within the job application form.

Application Form Layout

The whole of the application should be easy to read, if you need to add additional pages to the paper-based application form, add them and make a note (and give a reference number to each individual page)  in the application form so an employer does not miss this vital information.

For online job application forms, the text box should be formatted to allow additional text. If not check if there is a maximum word count on the job specification document.

Always complete a spell and grammar check, if possible ask someone else to check your application form for you.

Use headings to split up your text; the essential criteria requirements make the best headings. If you do not like to use headings follow a format so information is not missed or duplicated throughout the job application form.

How to Sell Yourself in the Personal Statement. 

Start with an opening paragraph; a mini summary that can highlight your best strengths and skills in 4-5 lines. For ideas ask yourself these 3 questions:

• What is your key message you want to convey to the employer?
• What are your 3 main strengths relevant to the job role?
• How would the company benefit from hiring you?

The opening paragraph must intrigue the employer, encouraging them to read your personal statement in more detail.

Avoid writing general information such as “I’m a good team player” write how your experience has made you a good team player, stories work well in personal statements.

Ensure every paragraph you write is relevant to at least one of the essential criteria from the job specification.

Remember, you have to prove to the employer that you understand the job role, duties and industry. The best way to prove you possess this knowledge is to record that you have completed the essential criteria in a past role.

Feeling tired? Take a break and grab a bite to eat, don’t make mistakes due to tiredness; in most cases, you will have several weeks to complete the application form.

Make your statement interesting; if you were reading the statement would you want to carry on?

• Keep the statement positive – use examples 
• Use enthusiastic and assertive language – replace ‘tried’ to ‘succeed’ 
• Highlight your strengths and key skills – think about your unique selling point 

At the end of the personal statement, write a brief summary of why you have applied for this role, what has made you pick this particular role and/or organisation?

Once you have completed your application form.

Re-write your application 2 more times , each time edit your statement, deleting negative language and adding more positive stories; you want this statement to be the best it can be, ensuring you get a guaranteed interview.

Imagine you’re the interviewer, really visualize yourself as the person who is going to read your job application form, get into their mind and even sit how you think the interviewer would sit.

Read the application form, from the interviewer’s eyes, remember the interviewer has never met you and only knows what you have recorded about yourself.

As the interviewer, did the “you” on the application form come across well? Do you feel the application form has mentioned all your strengths’? Will the interviewer want to interview you, now they have read the application form?

Ask Yourself:

• What have you missed from the application form, which needs to be added?
• Double-check the job specification, have you highlighted all the essential criteria in your personal statement?
• Is there anything else you can do to improve the application form?

Now you have a completed application form, an application form that really highlights your strengths and skills , you are probably really proud of this application form, especially after all the hard work you have put into it.

Keep a copy of this completed application form as you can use this draft copy as a basis for all your future job application forms.

When writing a new application form, copy and paste the statement from your original application into your new one, edit each new application/profile to make it relevant to this new position and company, this will save you a large amount of time.

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20 Replies to “How to Write a Personal Statement for a Job Application Form”

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I would like you to help me some example of personal statment for call centre agent

That’s Fine – send your CV to [email protected]

Complete nightmare trying to write personal statement for Council Admin Assistant. Any tips etc. gratefully received. despairing of ever working again as been unemployed since Jan 2011!!

Hi Wendy – the secret with Council jobs is to record how you meet the essential job criteria (from the job spec) through your employment history and also how you meet the Personal Spec as Councils deem their ‘Values’ as important.

Also if you talk about the councils in-house systems and how you understand them, the need for keeping information private and confidential and experience minute taking, your type speed and ITC knowledge are all key factors.

hope this helps

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career-advice.jobs.ac.uk

Top Ten Tips for Applying at Local Council

These ‘Top ten Tips’ were written by Claire Barrie, an HR Professional working for a Local Council. Helping to explain how to apply, interview and hopefully get the job, plus the differences to other sectors.

1. Read the particulars carefully

Read the particulars carefully, it explains how to complete the application form and what we are looking for when we shortlist. Look carefully at the person specification as this is the criteria that your application form will be measured against and you need to demonstrate that you meet all of the requirements in order to secure an interview.

2. Use examples when demonstrating your suitability

Demonstrate your suitability to the job you are applying for, using examples. If the person specification is asking for an ability to work in a team for example, do not put – I can work in a team, you need to demonstrate it , for example: I am competent working in a team and I believe the key to working in a team is communication and the sharing of a mutual goal. I enjoy working as part of a team and am always conscious to help and support the other members of the team. If I have any spare capacity I will always offer to help out in order to ensure that the team is working as efficiently as possible….

3. Do not send in a CV

Do not send in a CV – either as a form of application relating to a specific vacancy or as a speculative measure. All jobs are advertised in order to ensure equal opportunity to any potential candidates, in line with equal opportunities an application form must be completed therefore the same information/detail is asked of all candidates. Sending a CV in when you haven’t seen a specific vacancy advertised will nearly always end in disappointment.

4. Research the organisation

Research the organisation and its goals and objectives. Also, make sure you have a basic knowledge of any Local Council initiatives and/or jargon relating to the post you are applying for, this will come across in the interview and will definitely work in your favour.

5. Take time to work on your application

Remember that your application form is the basis for the organisation’s first impression of you – it needs to be neat and tidy with no spelling errors. Make it obvious that you spent time and effort completing your application form.

6. Interview Etiquette

If you do get an interview at a Local Council, arrive on time and dress smartly. It gives a good impression to the interview panel and shows you are reliable and professional.

7. Unsuccessful candidates

If you attend an interview and are then informed you have been unsuccessful – always ask for feedback. Feedback will be constructive and will help you to improve on any areas of weakness in time for your next interview.

8. Successful candidates

If you are successful and are offered a position – do not hand in your notice on your current job until you have a formal offer in writing. Councils in particular put their potential employees through a series of clearances including pre employment health assessments, asylum and immigration, 2 references and where necessary CRB clearance and such like. If any of these clearances are not obtained or are found to be unsatisfactory, the offer of employment can be withdrawn.

9. Common misconceptions

It is a common misconception that Council vacancies are advertised when the Council already have someone in mind for the post. Although internal transfers and promotions do happen, the recruitment and selection process is fair and consistent and can be put under rigorous scrutiny to ensure that the best candidate for the job is appointed, regardless of whether they are an internal candidate or not.

10. Pay and grading within councils

It is important to appreciate the pay grading structure that operates within local government / public sector. Jobs are graded and appointments are usually made on the bottom of the grade unless there are exceptional circumstances to warrant a higher starting salary. Therefore you should expect that you will be appointed on the bottom of the grade, should your salary expectations / requirements be much higher than the bottom of the grade you may want to re-consider your application, and this will avoid wasting both your time and that of the organisation.

For more advice see:

• Benefits of Working in The Public Sector
• Key Questions To Ask When Starting A New Job
• Careers with Language, Translation, Interpreting, Teaching and more
• Top Tips for a Career Change

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8th October 2021 at 5:39 am

Great. Thnx for the information.

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How to Write a Strong Personal Statement

by Ruth Gotian and Ushma S. Neill

Summary .   

Whether applying for a summer internship, a professional development opportunity, such as a Fulbright, an executive MBA program, or a senior leadership development course, a personal statement threads the ideas of your CV, and is longer and has a different tone and purpose than a traditional cover letter. A few adjustments to your personal statement can get your application noticed by the reviewer.

• Make sure you’re writing what they want to hear. Most organizations that offer a fellowship or internship are using the experience as a pipeline: It’s smart to spend 10 weeks and $15,000 on someone before committing five years and $300,000. Rarely are the organizations being charitable or altruistic, so align your stated goals with theirs
• Know when to bury the lead, and when to get to the point. It’s hard to paint a picture and explain your motivations in 200 words, but if you have two pages, give the reader a story arc or ease into your point by setting the scene.
• Recognize that the reviewer will be reading your statement subjectively, meaning you’re being assessed on unknowable criteria. Most people on evaluation committees are reading for whether or not you’re interesting. Stated differently, do they want to go out to dinner with you to hear more? Write it so that the person reading it wants to hear more.
• Address the elephant in the room (if there is one). Maybe your grades weren’t great in core courses, or perhaps you’ve never worked in the field you’re applying to. Make sure to address the deficiency rather than hoping the reader ignores it because they won’t. A few sentences suffice. Deficiencies do not need to be the cornerstone of the application.

At multiple points in your life, you will need to take action to transition from where you are to where you want to be. This process is layered and time-consuming, and getting yourself to stand out among the masses is an arduous but not impossible task. Having a polished resume that explains what you’ve done is the common first step. But, when an application asks for it, a personal statement can add color and depth to your list of accomplishments. It moves you from a one-dimensional indistinguishable candidate to someone with drive, interest, and nuance.

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How to Write a Personal Statement (with Tips and Examples)

By Hannah Yang

Table of Contents

What is a personal statement, 6 tips on how to write a personal statement, personal statement examples (for college and university), faqs about writing personal statements, conclusion on how to write a personal statement.

How do you tell someone who you are in just a few hundred words?

It’s certainly no easy task, but it’s one almost every college applicant must do. The personal statement is a crucial part of any college or university application.

So, how do you write a compelling personal statement?

In this article, we’ll give you all the tools, tips, and examples you need to write an effective personal statement.

A personal statement is a short essay that reveals something important about who you are. It can talk about your background, your interests, your values, your goals in life, or all of the above.

Personal statements are required by many college admission offices and scholarship selection committees. They’re a key part of your application, alongside your academic transcript, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities.

The reason application committees ask you to write a personal statement is so they can get to know who you are. 

Some personal statements have specific prompts, such as “Discuss a period of personal growth in your life” or “Tell us about a challenge or failure you’ve faced.” Others are more open-ended with prompts that essentially boil down to “Tell us about yourself.”

No matter what the prompt is, your goal is the same: to make yourself stand out to the selection committee as a strong candidate for their program.

Here are some things a personal statement can be:

It can be funny. If you have a great sense of humor, your personal statement is a great place to let that shine.  

It can be vulnerable. Don’t be afraid to open up about hardships in your life or failures you’ve experienced. Showing vulnerability can make you sound more like a real person rather than just a collection of application materials.  

It can be creative. Candidates have got into top schools with personal statements that take the form of “a day in the life” descriptions, third-person short stories, and even cooking recipes.

Now we’ve talked about what a personal statement is, let’s quickly look at what a personal statement isn’t:

It isn’t a formal academic paper. You should write the personal statement in your natural voice, using first-person pronouns like “I” and “me,” not in the formal, objective language you would use to write an academic paper.

It isn’t a five-paragraph essay. You should use as many paragraphs as you need to tell your story instead of sticking to the essay structure you learned in school.

It isn’t a resumé. You should try to describe yourself by telling a clear and cohesive story rather than providing a jumbled list of all of your accomplishments and ambitions.

Here are our top six tips for writing a strong personal statement.

Tip 1: Do Some Serious Self-Reflection

The hardest part of writing a personal statement isn’t the actual process of writing it.

Before you start typing, you have to figure out what to write about. And that means taking some time to reflect on who you are and what’s important in your life.

Here are some useful questions you can use to start your self-reflection. You can either answer these on your own by writing down your answers, or you can ask a trusted friend to listen as you talk about them together.

What were the key moments that shaped your life? (e.g. an important friendship, a travel experience, an illness or injury)

What are you proud of? (e.g. you’re a good listener, you always keep your promises, you’re a talented musician)

How do you choose to spend your time? (e.g. reading, practicing soccer, spending time with your friends)

What inspires you? (e.g. your grandmother, a celebrity, your favorite song)

Doing this self-reflection is crucial for figuring out the perfect topics and anecdotes you can use to describe who you are.

Tip 2: Try to Avoid Cliché Topics

College application committees read thousands of personal statements a year. That means there are some personal statement topics they see over and over again.

Here are a few examples of common personal statement topics that have become cliché:

Winning a tournament or sports game

Volunteering in a foreign country

Moving to a new home

Becoming an older sibling

Being an immigrant or having immigrant parents

If you want to make a strong impression in the application process, you need to make your personal statement stand out from the crowd.

But if your chosen personal statement topic falls into one of these categories, that doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t use it. Just make sure to put a unique spin on it so it still delivers something the committee hasn’t seen before.

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Tip 3: Show, Don’t Tell

One common mistake you might make in your personal statement is to simply tell the reader what you want them to know about you, such as by stating “I have a fear of public speaking” or “I love to cook.”

Instead of simply stating these facts, you should show the committee what you’re talking about through a story or scene, which will make your essay much more immersive and memorable.

For example, let’s say you want the committee to know you overcame your fear of public speaking. Instead of writing “I overcame my fear of public speaking,” show them what it was like to be onstage in front of a microphone. Did your palms get clammy? Did you feel light-headed? Did you forget your words?

Or let’s say you want the committee to know you love to cook. Instead of writing “I love to cook,” show them why you love to cook. What’s your favorite dish to cook? What does the air smell like when you’re cooking it? What kitchen appliances do you use to make it?

Tip 4: Connect the Story to Why You’re Applying

Don’t forget that the purpose of your personal statement isn’t simply to tell the admissions committee who you are. That’s an important part of it, of course, but your ultimate goal is to convince them to choose you as a candidate.

That means it’s important to tie your personal story to your reasons for applying to this specific school or scholarship. Finish your essay with a strong thesis.

For example, if your story is about overcoming your fear of public speaking, you might connect that story to your ambition of becoming a politician. You can then tie that to your application by saying, “I want to apply to this school because of its fantastic politics program, which will give me a perfect opportunity to use my voice.”

Tip 5: Write in Your Own Voice

The personal statement isn’t supposed to be written in a formal tone. That’s why they’re called “personal” statements because you have to shape it to fit your own voice and style.

Don’t use complicated or overwrought language. You don’t need to fill your essay with semicolons and big words, unless that’s how you sound in real life.

One way to write in your own voice is by speaking your personal statement out loud. If it doesn’t feel natural, it may need changing. 

Tip 6: Edit, Edit, Edit!

It’s important to revise your personal statement multiple times in order to make sure it’s as close to perfect as possible.

A single typo won’t kill your application, but if your personal statement contains multiple spelling errors or egregious grammar mistakes, you won’t be putting your best foot forward.

ProWritingAid can help you make sure your personal statement is as clean as possible. In addition to catching your grammar errors, typos, and punctuation mistakes, it will also help you improve weaknesses in your writing, such as passive voice, unnecessary repetition, and more.

Let’s look at some of the best personal statements that have worked for successful candidates in the real world. 

Harvard Personal Statement Example

Love. For a word describing such a powerful emotion, it is always in the air. The word “love” has become so pervasive in everyday conversation that it hardly retains its roots in blazing passion and deep adoration. In fact, the word is thrown about so much that it becomes difficult to believe society isn’t just one huge, smitten party, with everyone holding hands and singing “Kumbaya.” In films, it’s the teenage boy’s grudging response to a doting mother. At school, it’s a habitual farewell between friends. But in my Chinese home, it’s never uttered. Watching my grandmother lie unconscious on the hospital bed, waiting for her body to shut down, was excruciatingly painful. Her final quavering breaths formed a discordant rhythm with the steady beep of hospital equipment and the unsympathetic tapping hands of the clock. That evening, I whispered—into unhearing ears—the first, and only, “I love you” I ever said to her, my rankling guilt haunting me relentlessly for weeks after her passing. My warm confession seemed anticlimactic, met with only the coldness of my surroundings—the blank room, impassive doctors, and empty silence. I struggled to understand why the “love” that so easily rolled off my tongue when bantering with friends dissipated from my vocabulary when I spoke to my family. Do Chinese people simply love less than Americans do?

This is an excerpt from a personal statement that got the applicant admitted to Harvard University. The applicant discusses her background as a Chinese-American by musing on the word “love” and what that means within her family.

The writer uses vulnerable details about her relationship with her grandmother to give the reader an understanding of where she comes from and how her family has shaped her.  

You can read the full personal statement on the Harvard Crimson website.

Tufts Personal Statement Example

My first dream job was to be a pickle truck driver. I saw it in my favorite book, Richard Scarry’s “Cars and Trucks and Things That Go,” and for some reason, I was absolutely obsessed with the idea of driving a giant pickle. Much to the discontent of my younger sister, I insisted that my parents read us that book as many nights as possible so we could find goldbug, a small little golden bug, on every page. I would imagine the wonderful life I would have: being a pig driving a giant pickle truck across the country, chasing and finding goldbug. I then moved on to wanting to be a Lego Master. Then an architect. Then a surgeon. Then I discovered a real goldbug: gold nanoparticles that can reprogram macrophages to assist in killing tumors, produce clear images of them without sacrificing the subject, and heat them to obliteration. Suddenly the destination of my pickle was clear. I quickly became enveloped by the world of nanomedicine; I scoured articles about liposomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, targeting ligands, and self-assembling nanoparticles, all conquering cancer in some exotic way. Completely absorbed, I set out to find a mentor to dive even deeper into these topics. After several rejections, I was immensely grateful to receive an invitation to work alongside Dr. Sangeeta Ray at Johns Hopkins.

This is the beginning of a personal statement by Renner Kwittken, who was admitted into Tufts University as a pre-medical student.

Renner uses a humorous anecdote about being a pickle truck driver to describe his love for nanomedicine and how he got involved in his field. You can feel his passion for medicine throughout his personal statement.

You can find Renner’s full essay on the Tufts Admissions page.

Law School Personal Statement Essay Example

For most people, the slap on the face that turns their life around is figurative. Mine was literal. Actually, it was a punch delivered by a drill sergeant at Fort Dix, New Jersey, while I was in basic training. That day’s activity, just a few weeks into the program, included instruction in “low-crawling,” a sensible method of moving from one place to another on a battlefield. I felt rather clever for having discovered that, by looking right rather than down, I eliminated my helmet’s unfortunate tendency to dig into the ground and slow my progress. I could thus advance more easily, but I also exposed my unprotected face to hostile fire. Drill sergeants are typically very good at detecting this type of laziness, and mine was an excellent drill sergeant. So, after his repeated suggestions that I correct my performance went unheeded, he drove home his point with a fist to my face. We were both stunned. This was, after all, the New Army, and striking a trainee was a career-ending move for a drill sergeant, as we were both aware. I could have reported him; arguably, I should have. I didn’t. It didn’t seem right for this good sergeant, who had not slept for almost four days, to lose his career for losing his temper with my laziness. Choosing not to report him was the first decision I remember making that made me proud.

These are the first three paragraphs of an anonymous personal statement by a Wheaton College graduate, who used this personal statement to get into a top-25 law school.

This statement describes a time the applicant faced a challenging decision while in the army. He ended up making a decision he was proud of, and as a result, the personal statement gives us a sense of his character.

You can find the full essay on the Wheaton Academics website.

Here are some common questions about how to write a personal statement.

How Long Should a Personal Statement Be?

The length of your personal statement depends on the specific program you’re applying to. The application guidelines usually specify a maximum word count or an ideal word count.  

Most personal statements are between 500–800 words. That’s a good general range to aim for if you don’t have more specific guidelines.  

Should Personal Statements Be Different for Scholarships?

Many scholarship applications will ask for personal statements with similar prompts to those of college applications.

However, the purpose of a personal statement you’d write for a scholarship application is different from the purpose of one you’d write for a college application.

For a scholarship application, your goal is to showcase why you deserve the scholarship. To do that, you need to understand the mission of the organization offering that scholarship.

For example, some scholarships are meant to help first-generation college students get their degree, while others are meant to help women break into STEM.

Consider the following questions:

Why is this organization offering scholarships?

What would their ideal scholarship candidate look like?

How do your experiences and goals overlap with those of their ideal scholarship candidate?

You can use the same personal anecdotes you’d use for any other personal statement, but you’ll have a better chance of winning the scholarship if you tailor your essay to match their specific mission.

How to Start a Personal Statement

You should start your personal statement with a “hook” that pulls the reader in. The sooner you catch the reader’s attention, the more likely they’ll want to read the entire essay.

Here are some examples of hooks you can use:

A story (e.g. When the spotlight hit my face, I tried to remind myself to breathe. )

A setting description (e.g. My bedroom floor is covered with dirty laundry, candy wrappers, and crumpled sheet music. )

A funny anecdote (e.g. When I was a little kid, my friends nicknamed me Mowgli because of my haircut. )

A surprising fact (e.g. I've lived in 37 countries .)

There you have it—our complete guide to writing a personal statement that will make you stand out to the application committee.

Here’s a quick recap: 

A personal statement is a short essay that shows an application committee who you are

Start with a strong hook that pulls the reader in

Tell a story to engage the reader 

Write in your own voice, not in a formal tone

Good luck, and happy writing!

Hannah Yang

Hannah is a speculative fiction writer who loves all things strange and surreal. She holds a BA from Yale University and lives in Colorado. When she’s not busy writing, you can find her painting watercolors, playing her ukulele, or hiking in the Rockies. Follow her work on hannahyang.com or on Twitter at @hannahxyang.

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dmg24 wrote: » You need to write down how you have demonstrated each skill/ criteria.

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