15 CV Personal Statement Examples & Writing Guide

What is a CV personal statement?

A CV personal statement is a short paragraph or set of bullet points at the top of your CV that addresses a company directly and summarises your work-related achievements, qualifications, and skills.

A personal statement on your CV speaks directly to a company and gives employers a quick overview of your biggest professional strengths and selling points.

Do I need a personal statement on my CV?

Yes, you need a personal statement on your CV.

Although a personal statement isn’t a must-have requirement, it gives your CV a competitive advantage by showing employers you’ve personalised your CV to fit their company requirements.

A CV personal statement also emphasises your most hirable qualities in a place employers can easily see.

15 personal statement for CV examples

Looking for inspiration about how to write a CV personal statement that highlights your relevant skills and experience?

Check out these 15 CV personal statement examples from different industries and levels of experience:

1. Customer service CV personal statement

This personal statement for a customer service position uses strategic bolding to highlight their years of experience:

Related CV sample: Customer Service CV sample

2. Waitress CV personal statement

Here’s a personal statement for a CV if you’re applying for waitressing positions:

Related CV sample: Waiter/Waitress CV example

3. Retail assistant CV personal statement

Below is a CV personal statement example for retail assistants:

Related CV sample: Retail assistant CV example

4. Graduate CV personal statement

View this CV personal statement for inspiration if you’re a recent graduate:

Related CV sample: Graduate CV example

5. Engineering CV personal statement

This personal statement for a CV explains our engineering applicant’s educational background and technical skills:

6. Project manager CV personal statement

If you’re applying for project management roles, check out this example:

Related CV sample: Project manager CV example

7. Marketing CV personal statement

Here’s an example of a personal statement for a marketing CV:

Related CV sample: Marketing CV example

8. Teaching assistant CV personal statement

Use this CV personal statement to help you write your teaching assistant CV:

Related CV sample: Teaching assistant CV sample

9. Accountancy CV personal statement

This accountant CV describes the applicant’s top accounting skills and years of experience:

Related CV sample: Accountancy CV example

10. Cleaner CV personal statement

Mention your professional demeanour and previous recommendations to make you stand out as a cleaner candidate, like so:

11. School leaver CV personal statement

If you’re applying for jobs after graduating high school, ensure you include your GCSEs and where you previously studied:

Related CV sample: School leaver CV example

12. Data analyst CV personal statement

Our data analyst CV applicant highlights their expertise with SQL and profiency with data modelling:

13. Primary teacher CV personal statement

Include your teaching qualification and specialisations when writing your teaching CV personal statement:

Related CV sample: Teacher CV example

14. Career change CV personal statement

Transitioning to a new career path? Use this career change personal statement to inspire you when writing your own:

15. Delivery driver CV personal statement

Our delivery driver candidate displays their time management skills and educational background in only three sentences:

How to write a CV personal statement

Struggling to write your personal statement? Review the above examples, and then follow these three steps:

1. Outline your professional experience

In the first sentence of your personal statement, outline your professional experience and key traits.

For instance, if you’ve got three years of experience as a barista, note that information here. Here’s an example:

If you haven’t got any formal work experience so far, mention your highest level of education and any placements you’ve had instead:

2. Add key skills and accomplishments

In your second sentence, expand on the key skills on your CV that apply to the job. If possible, also mention any noteworthy achievements from previous positions that are relevant to the job you’re applying for.

For example, the second sentence of a call centre representative’s personal statement might say:

Note how you can add hard numbers (‘100%’). Adding numbers to your CV personal statement puts your achievements in context, and lets employers see what kind of performance you’ll be capable of if they hire you.

Add an extra sentence if you’d like to give even more details about your achievements and capabilities or provide information regarding any special trade licences you have.

3. Outline your career objective

The final sentence of your CV should summarise your present career goal and directly targets the company you’re applying for. Use the company’s name and the job title here to show the employer you’ve tailored your CV to the role.

Tailoring your CV to the position shows you’ve taken into account the company’s needs, and aren’t just sending your CV to every company with vacancies.

Here’s an ideal final sentence for a retail position at River Island:

If you’re writing a bullet-point list for your CV personal statement, include four to five bullets that each describes one of your achievements, skills, or qualifications. A bullet-point list is especially effective for experienced candidates who have several years of success to point to.

The structure of a good personal statement

When you write your personal statement, you can either:

• write a three to four sentence paragraph to describe yourself
• use four or five short bullet points (to make it more readable)

Here’s what a personal statement of the right length looks like on a CV:

This CV personal statement summarises the candidate’s achievements, goals, and skills.

Your personal statement should use the same CV font as the rest of the document. Use a professional font like Times New Roman, Arial, or Helvetica throughout your CV.

In your CV personal statement, avoid using first person (“I”). Not using “I” takes up less space on a CV and sounds more professional, as you can see:

You can also use a bulleted personal statement. Bullet points are more scannable because they’re shorter and each one starts on a new line: