How to Write a Resume Personal Statement (With Examples)

What is a personal statement on a resume?

A personal statement on a resume or CV summarizes your qualifications and career goals.

While often treated as synonyms, a personal statement is typically longer and used by junior candidates, whereas a resume summary is shorter and reserved for experienced professionals.

To make sure your personal statement remains scannable for recruiters, aim for three to four sentences, or between 50 and 200 words.

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How to write a personal statement for a resume

Follow these tips to write an effective personal statement:

Write it last

Although your personal statement goes near the top of your resume, you should write it last so you have a chance to think through which of your most important qualifications to feature in this section.

Once you’ve finished the other parts of your resume, pick the best, most relevant accomplishments to emphasize in your personal statement. Include quantifiable results (such as percentages, grades, or budget figures) to provide concrete proof of your achievements and make your statement stand out.

Be sure you don’t restate your achievements using the exact same words as you do in your work experience section, otherwise your resume will sound repetitive. Additionally, avoid overused clichés like “team player,” “hard worker,” or “self-motivated,” and instead use unique personal experiences and specific evidence to demonstrate your qualifications.

Use AI tools to draft your personal statement

Generative AI platforms are valuable tools for overcoming writer’s block or refining your professional narrative. You can prompt these tools to provide structural feedback or suggest industry-specific keywords to help your profile align with the job description.

However, these tools should serve as a starting point. While AI can assist with proofreading, avoid copy-pasting generic output. A personal statement must remain authentic to your specific experiences and ambitions to resonate with employers.

Start with your professional title

Open your personal statement with your professional title. If you wish, you can also add a resume-appropriate adjective before your title. For example, “Innovative Graphic Designer”.

If you’re working on a resume with no experience and aren’t sure what title to use, here are some common entry-level options:

• Use your college major: “Recent graduate with a BS in Communications”
• List a relevant skill: “Confident communicator”
• Reference a volunteer position: “Volunteer organizer”
• Emphasize your work ethic: “Hardworking student”

Tailor your personal statement to the job

Target every word of your personal statement to fit the job you’re applying for, incorporating relevant keywords from the job description.

Here’s a sample telemedicine nurse practitioner job description:

If you were applying for the above position, this is what your resume’s personal statement might look like:

Nurse practitioner with 5+ years’ experience overseeing a team of health coaches and medical assistants. Developed a patient care program that provides personalized care and helps patients reach their health and wellness goals via telemedicine, and made maintaining accurate online charts easier for medical staff. Eager to wield proven telemedicine expertise as a Telemedicine Nurse Practitioner at Parsley Health.

Maintain a consistent narrative voice

You can write your personal statement in either the first person (using pronouns like “I” or “my”) or the third person (omitting the subject and starting with action verbs). Using the first person can make your statement feel more personable and direct, while the third person (which is the standard for most professional resumes) creates a sense of objective authority.

Whichever narrative voice you choose, be consistent. Switching between “I am a dedicated leader” and “Managed a team of five” within the same section is jarring for the reader and can make your writing appear unpolished. Select one style and stick to it throughout your entire personal statement and the rest of your resume to ensure a professional, cohesive flow.

Finish strong

The closing sentence of your personal statement should:

• summarize your best qualifications
• express your goals for the position
• offer value to the company

Here’s a well-written final sentence for a personal statement:

Proven expertise and results in financial planning for rapidly growing companies are a perfect fit for your company as it undertakes aggressive international expansion.

@resumegenius Writing your resume but you’re already stuck on your resume personal statement/resume summary? ? I’ve been there. ?‍♀️ Here are some tips that will show you how to write your resume personal statement! You’ve got this! ? #resume #resumetips #resumesummary #jobsearch ♬ Sky Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

Personal statement examples

Here are some examples of professional personal statements:

Entry-level applicant

Even without formal work experience, the following candidate shows how they’ve gained skills in their field through interning, studying, and volunteering:

Experienced applicant

As a more experienced job seeker, you’ll have plenty of relevant experience to choose from. See how this candidate selected their most impressive qualifications to feature in their personal statement:

Career changer

As a career changer, focus on transferable skills and relevant accomplishments that connect your previous experience to your new field. Highlight what you can do and how your background supports your transition.

See how this candidate frames their experience to match a new career path: