CV personal statement examples
A CV personal statement (also called a profile or professional summary) is the short paragraph at the top of your CV. It is the first thing a recruiter reads, and it decides whether they keep reading. Here is how to write one, with ten examples you can adapt.
A simple formula
Most strong personal statements answer three questions in three to five sentences:
- Who are you? Your role or field, your level and your years of experience.
- What do you offer? Two or three strengths, ideally backed up by a result.
- What do you want? The kind of role or next step you are looking for.
Aim for 50 to 150 words. Write in the first person without the “I” at the start of every sentence, or in a neutral third person; both are accepted in the UK. Pick one and keep to it. Rewrite it for each application so it matches the job advert.
Examples by career stage
Recent economics graduate (2:1, University of Leeds) with strong analytical and Excel skills developed through a dissertation on regional housing markets. Summer internship experience in a corporate finance team, where I built a cash-flow model used in a client pitch. Looking to join a graduate scheme in financial services.
Hard-working and reliable school leaver with A-levels in Business, English and Psychology. Two years of weekend work at a busy café have given me confidence with customers, cash handling and working under pressure. Looking for an apprenticeship in business administration.
Former secondary school teacher moving into learning and development, with eight years of designing and delivering engaging lessons to mixed-ability groups. Recently completed a CIPD Level 5 qualification in learning and development. Looking for an L&D adviser role where I can design training that measurably improves performance.
Experienced office manager returning to work after a three-year career break raising my family. Previously ran the office of a 40-person architecture practice, managing budgets, suppliers and facilities. Recently refreshed my skills with Microsoft 365 and Xero training, and looking for a part-time office or operations role.
Examples by profession
Customer-focused retail supervisor with five years in fashion retail, including two years running shifts of up to 10 staff. Consistently in the top three stores in the region for customer satisfaction, and responsible for visual merchandising and stock control. Looking for an assistant store manager role.
NMC-registered adult nurse with four years of experience on a busy acute medical ward. Skilled in IV therapy, deteriorating-patient care and mentoring student nurses. Known for calm, compassionate care under pressure. Seeking a Band 6 role in acute medicine or respiratory care.
Enthusiastic primary teacher with QTS and five years’ experience across Key Stages 1 and 2. Led the school’s phonics programme, lifting the Year 1 phonics screening pass rate from 74% to 89% in two years. Looking for a Year 2 or KS1 lead role in a supportive school.
Cloud engineer with six years’ experience designing and running AWS infrastructure for e-commerce platforms. Moved a monolith to containers on Kubernetes, cutting hosting costs by 30% and deploy times from hours to minutes. AWS Solutions Architect Professional. Seeking a senior platform or DevOps role.
PRINCE2 Practitioner with eight years delivering IT and change projects worth up to £5m in the public and financial sectors. Experienced in managing suppliers, budgets and senior stakeholders. Delivered a council-wide system migration on time for 3,000 users. Looking for a senior project or programme manager role.
Qualified electrician (NVQ Level 3, 18th Edition) with seven years of domestic and commercial work, including rewires, consumer-unit upgrades and EICR testing. Full UK driving licence and own tools. Safe, tidy and reliable, looking for a permanent role with a growing contractor.
Common mistakes
- Clichés with no evidence: “hard-working team player with excellent communication skills”. Show it with a result instead.
- Too long: more than six lines starts to look like a cover letter.
- Too general: one statement sent to every employer reads that way. Change a few words for each job.
- Only talking about what you want: employers want to know what you offer first.
Puts your personal statement in a full-width band across the top of the page.
Use this template
A crisp layout where a strong two-line statement leads straight into your results.
Use this templateFree to edit online. US$12 (about £9) one-off to download, with no subscription.