CV Personal Statement: How to Write One, With 10 UK Examples

Your CV personal statement is the first thing a recruiter reads. Here is a simple four-sentence structure, what to leave out, and ten examples for school leavers, graduates, career changers, returners and experienced professionals.

By Tony Musso on Tue Oct 20 2026

A CV personal statement is the short paragraph at the top of your CV that tells an employer who you are, what you offer and what you want next. It's sometimes called a personal profile or professional summary. Recruiters often decide from the first few lines whether to keep reading, so this paragraph does more work than any other part of your CV.

This guide shows you how to write one in four sentences, what to leave out, and gives ten examples for different situations that you can adapt.

What a CV personal statement is (and isn't)

A CV personal statement is usually 50 to 150 words, sits directly under your name and contact details, and is tailored to the job you're applying for. It isn't the same as:

• a UCAS personal statement, which is a longer piece for university applications (see our guide to the UCAS personal statement questions)
• a Civil Service personal statement, which is a separate document, often up to several hundred words, that answers set criteria (see how to write a Civil Service personal statement)
• a cover letter, which explains why you want this particular job at this particular organisation

If a job ad asks for a "personal statement" as part of the application, read the instructions carefully, because it may mean the longer kind.

How to write one in four sentences

A simple structure works for almost everyone:

1. Who you are. Your current role, level or situation, and your main area of experience.
2. What you're good at. Two or three skills that match the job ad, ideally with one piece of evidence.
3. A result. A number, an achievement or a responsibility that proves the skills are real.
4. What you want next. The kind of role you're looking for, written so it matches the job you're applying for.

Keep it in the third person without pronouns ("Experienced administrator with...") or in the first person ("I am an experienced administrator..."). Both are accepted in the UK. Just don't switch between them.

What to leave out

• Clichés with no proof, such as "hard-working team player with excellent communication skills". Every applicant says this. Show it instead: "trained four new starters" says more than "great team player".
• Your age, marital status or a photo. UK CVs don't include them.
• Things that don't fit the job. One sentence on your hobbies belongs lower down, if anywhere.
• Vague goals, such as "looking for a challenging role where I can grow". Name the role.

Ten CV personal statement examples

1. School leaver or teenager

"Reliable and friendly Year 11 student predicted grades 6 to 7 in GCSE English and maths. I have volunteered every Saturday for a year at a local charity shop, where I serve customers, use the till and sort donations. I'm looking for a part-time weekend role in retail or hospitality where I can keep building my customer service skills."

2. Student looking for part-time work

"Second-year business student at the University of Leeds with 18 months' experience as a barista in a busy city-centre café. Confident working at speed during peak times, handling cash and card payments, and opening and closing the shop alone. Available for 12 to 16 hours a week during term and full time in the holidays."

3. Graduate

"Geography graduate (2:1) with strong data skills from a dissertation analysing flood risk data for 40 towns in Excel and QGIS. Experienced in presenting findings to non-specialists through a student consultancy project for the local council. Seeking a graduate analyst role in environmental consultancy or local government."

4. Career changer

"Former secondary school teacher with nine years' experience planning and delivering training to groups of up to 30 people. Skilled at turning complex material into clear lessons, tracking progress with data and adapting quickly to feedback. Now moving into learning and development, and recently completed a CIPD Level 3 qualification."

5. Returning after a career break

"Experienced payroll administrator returning to work after a three-year career break to care for my children. Previously ran monthly payroll for 250 staff using Sage, including pensions, statutory pay and year-end. Recently refreshed my knowledge of current payroll legislation and looking for a part-time payroll role."

6. Experienced professional

"Marketing executive with five years' experience in B2B software, managing a £150,000 annual budget across paid search, email and events. Grew qualified leads by 35% in 12 months by rebuilding the email nurture programme. Looking for a senior marketing executive or marketing manager role in a growing tech business."

7. Trade or apprentice

"Second-year electrical apprentice working towards the Level 3 Installation and Maintenance Electrician standard, with hands-on experience in domestic rewires, consumer unit changes and fault finding. Hold a CSCS Apprentice card and a full UK driving licence. Looking for an employer to complete my apprenticeship with."

8. Customer service into an office role

"Customer service adviser with three years in a high-volume contact centre, handling around 60 calls a day with a 92% satisfaction score. Confident with CRM systems, Microsoft Excel and writing clear email responses. Seeking an administrator or office coordinator role where my organisation and accuracy will be valued."

9. Warehouse into logistics

"Warehouse team leader with four years' experience managing pick and pack teams of up to 15 people on day and night shifts. Use the warehouse management system daily to track orders and stock, and reduced picking errors by improving how new starters are trained. Looking for my first logistics coordinator role."

10. Senior or management role

"Operations manager with 12 years' experience in multi-site retail, leading 8 store managers and a combined team of 140. Delivered a 6% reduction in staff costs while improving customer scores by changing rota planning across all sites. Seeking a regional operations role with a national retailer."

The numbers in these examples are illustrations. Use your own real figures, even small ones. "Trained two new starters" is fine. Never inflate a number you couldn't explain at interview.

How to tailor it for each job

Read the job ad and highlight the three things the employer asks for most. Make sure your personal statement mentions each one, using their words where they're accurate for you. If the ad says "stakeholder management", say "stakeholder management", not "working with people". Many employers use applicant tracking systems that scan for these terms, and a human reader will notice the match too.

Then check the rest of your CV backs it up. If your statement says you're strong with data, your most recent job should show it.

If you're changing career

A career change personal statement has one extra job: it has to connect your old experience to the new role so the reader doesn't have to. Lead with the transferable skills, mention any training you've done for the new field, and name the role you want. Our career change CV guide goes through the whole CV in more detail.

If you're struggling to put your strengths into words, a skills audit helps, and the Career Strengths assessment gives you language for what you do best.

Build your CV

CV Studio gives you a professional UK layout with a personal statement section ready to fill in, and you can see full examples on our CV examples pages, including the student CV and graduate CV.

Find the strengths to put in your statement. Career Strengths identifies what you naturally do well and how to describe it to employers.

Take Career Strengths

If you are weighing up options, our guide to choosing a career test explains what a good one tells you and what it cannot.