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CV Personal Statement (UK): How to Write One, With Examples
A CV personal statement is a short paragraph at the top of your CV that tells the employer what you offer. It is optional, but in a study of UK graduate employers nearly three quarters wanted one. Prospects says to keep it to 150 words or fewer, tailor it to each job, back claims with evidence and avoid clichés. Other university guides ask for as little as one to three sentences.
Staring at the blank space under your name? You're not alone. The personal statement is the part of the CV people dread, because it's the one place where you have to describe yourself without sounding like every other applicant. "Highly motivated team player" appears on thousands of CVs, and recruiters have learned to skim past it.
So what works instead? Specifics. Let's look at what UK careers services recommend, where they disagree, and how to write a statement that actually says something.
Do you need one?
Not strictly. Prospects says a personal statement isn't required: some recruiters see it as essential because employers scan CVs quickly, while others think it wastes space, especially on graduate CVs. Prospects argues it's still worth including as a quick chance to stand out. Edinburgh calls it optional and says to leave it out if it doesn't add anything.
What do employers say? In the Prospects and Keele study, which interviewed 41 UK graduate employers and analysed 37 of those interviews, nearly three quarters wanted a personal profile, typically short and tailored to the role. About a quarter did not, mainly because profiles often made claims without evidence. That second finding is your warning: an empty statement can hurt you.
What each source says
| Source | Length | What to include |
|---|---|---|
| Prospects | 150 words or fewer, short clear sentences | Qualifications, relevant experience (or what you gained from your degree), key strengths, career goals; evidence where possible |
| University of Edinburgh | Short; optional | What you offer and why a particular career motivates you; avoid vague claims |
| University of Southampton | Short and focused | What you're doing now, one or two relevant skills or experiences, optionally the role you want; avoid clichés like "dedicated" |
| Newcastle University | One or two sentences | Who you are, key skills or experience, the role you want; useful when you can't provide a covering letter |
| University of Dundee | Short | Knowledge, skills and experience, and what you're looking for; your own strengths, not generic clichés |
| Prospects and Keele employer study | Maximum two to three sentences in the guidelines | Short, tailored, with evidence |
The length advice ranges from one sentence to 150 words. Our suggestion, not a rule from the sources: aim for two to four sentences, roughly 50 to 80 words. That is short enough to be read and long enough to include evidence.
A simple formula
Use this as a starting point, and rewrite every part for the job you're applying for. Prospects advises writing it fresh rather than copying from your cover letter or from online examples.
Sentence 1 (who you are): [Your role or degree] with [X years or relevant experience] in [field or area].
Sentence 2 (your evidence): [One or two specific skills or achievements, with a result if you have a true one].
Sentence 3 (what you want): Looking for a [job title] role at [type of employer] where I can [contribution].
Examples (fictional)
Recent graduate
Business Management graduate from [University] with experience running a student society of 40 members and handling customer queries in a part-time retail job. Confident with Excel and presenting findings to small groups, developed through a final-year market research project. Looking for a graduate marketing role where I can apply my analysis and communication skills.
Experienced professional who has moved to the UK
Operations coordinator with five years' experience in freight and distribution, scheduling daily deliveries for a team of 12 drivers and managing customer complaints. Skilled in route planning and inventory systems, and recently relocated to Manchester with full right to work. Seeking a logistics coordinator role with a UK distribution company.
Weak versus stronger
| Weak | Stronger |
|---|---|
| Highly motivated, hard-working team player looking for a challenging position in a dynamic company where I can grow. | Customer service advisor with three years in a busy call centre, handling about 60 calls a day and training two new colleagues. Looking for a team leader role in retail banking. |
Notice what the stronger version does: it names a job, gives real detail you could discuss at an interview, and says what the person wants. Use only facts that are true. If you can't back a claim up, cut it.
What to avoid
- Personal details: Prospects says to leave out things like age and marital status.
- Clichés, slang, jargon and buzzwords. Southampton specifically names "dedicated" and "highly motivated" as hard to evidence.
- Vague claims without proof, quotes from previous employers, rambling, and anything untrue.
- Hesitant wording such as "might", "maybe" or "trying" (Prospects).
- Switching between "I" and "he/she". Prospects says to stick to first or third person throughout. In the Keele study, over half the employers preferred the first person.
Layout and AI help
Prospects recommends one paragraph with no heading, in the same font and formatting as the rest of your CV. Put it near the top, under your contact details. As for AI: Prospects says it's fine for brainstorming, structuring and proofreading, but advises against asking it to write the statement and pasting the result, because the outcome can sound generic and impersonal. Our guide on using ChatGPT to write a resume or CV shows how to use it safely.
If you're coming from a country where CVs have no profile or use a long "career objective", our guide to the professional resume summary explains the same idea in more detail. And remember that the UK CV is about two pages, as we explain in how long a UK CV should be. A three-line statement is worth its space; a ten-line one isn't.
Frequently asked questions
What is a personal statement on a CV?
A short summary at the top of your CV that tells the employer what you offer. Prospects says it highlights your main strengths, a few relevant achievements and skills, and your career aims.
Do I need a personal statement on my UK CV?
It's optional. Prospects argues it's still worth including, and in a study of UK graduate employers nearly three quarters wanted one. Edinburgh says to leave it out if it adds nothing.
How long should a CV personal statement be?
Sources range from one or two sentences (Newcastle, Southampton) to 150 words or fewer (Prospects). A few short sentences is a sensible target.
Should I write it in the first or third person?
Pick one and stay with it, as Prospects advises. Over half the employers in the Keele study preferred the first person.
Should my personal statement have a heading?
Prospects recommends a single paragraph with no heading, formatted like the rest of your CV.
Can I use AI to write my personal statement?
Prospects says AI can help with brainstorming, structure and proofreading, but advises against having it write the statement, because the result can sound generic.
Is a CV personal statement the same as a university personal statement?
No. This guide covers the short summary at the top of a CV. A personal statement for a university application is a different, much longer document.
Your next step
Open the job advert and underline the two or three things it asks for most. Then write three sentences using the formula above: who you are, your best evidence for those requirements, and the role you want. Read it aloud, and cut every word you couldn't prove at an interview.
Keep going
Your next steps
Sources
- Prospects: Writing a personal statement for your CV
- Prospects: How to write a CV
- University of Edinburgh Careers Service: How to write your CV
- University of Southampton Careers: CV and covering letter guide
- Newcastle University Careers Service: CVs and cover letters booklet
- University of Dundee: CV writing guidance for international students
- Prospects (HECSU) and Keele: What do graduate employers want in a CV?
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